Judge Rejects Request to Vacate Caltrans Office

A Superior Court judge rejected a request Wednesday to evacuate the Caltrans headquarters in downtown Los Angeles despite concerns raised by state employees that the building would be a deathtrap in the event of a fire or earthquake.

Still, Caltrans officials have acknowledged safety problems at the building and plan to move more than 600 employees--or 40% of the staff--out of the headquarters at 120 S. Spring St. by September and into leased offices near downtown.

The four-story building, built in 1941, is home to 1,500 state employees, including a high-tech traffic management center where police and engineers monitor traffic on the 615 miles of freeway in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.