This book was written to serve two functions to tell others in California what the California Preservation Foundation learned in the aftermath of the Loma Prieta earthquake and to help local and state agencies reassess seismic mitigation policies and programs that directly affect the conservation of historic buildings. The book discusses the need to survey buildings at risk, the human and financial resources available to mitigate future losses, and the policies and laws in California that affect preservation before and after a disaster. Then it describes how to develop a program to reduce future earthquake risks when an earthquake strikes. The document concludes with recommendations for changes in state policy that will support the preservation and protection of historic buildings from earthquakes. Appendices contain a study that compares different damage assessments of the same building in Santa Cruz, and reprinted ordinances from the town of Los Gatos dealing with the repair, restoration and reconstruction of buildings damaged during the Loma Prieta quake.