ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THIS IS THE JOINT SUNSET REVIEW
OVERSIGHT HEARING FOR THE SENATE
BUSINESS PROFESSIONS AND
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND
ASSEMBLY, BUSINESS AND
PROFESSIONS COMMITTEES. WE'RE
GONNA BRING THE MEETING TO ORDER
FOR TODAY'S HEARING. PUBLIC
COMMENT MAY BE PROVIDED ON EACH
PROGRAM BEING REVIEWED UPON
CONCLUSION OF QUESTIONS FROM THE
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEES. UH
WE'RE GONNA GET STARTED RIGHT
AWAY. WE HAVE A LOFTY AGENDA,
AND, UH, THE CHAIRMAN AND I BOTH
HAVE AFTERNOON OBLIGATIONS WITH
FOUR SECTION AND LEADERSHIP. SO
WE'RE JUST GONNA YOU KNOW WE'RE
GONNA IT'S MONDAY. WE'RE GONNA
DO THE BEST WE CAN HERE, BUT I
THANK THE MEMBERS FOR JOINING
US, AND I'M SURE SOME SOME
OTHERS WILL TRICKLE IN AND OUT
THE BEST THAT THEY CAN. UH, THIS
IS THE FIRST OF TWO SUNSET
REVIEW OVERSIGHT HEARINGS THIS
YEAR. THESE HEARINGS PROVIDE AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO EVALUATE
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF REGULATORY
PROGRAMS AND TO DETERMINE
WHETHER CHANGES IN THE LAW OR IN
THEIR OPERATIONS OR FUNCTIONS
ARE NECESSARY. THIS TIME TODAY,
WE WILL REVIEW ISSUES PERTAINING
TO THE CALIFORNIA BOARD OF
ACCOUNTANCY, THE CALIFORNIA
ARCHITECTS, BOARD AND LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTS TECHNICAL COMMITTEE.
UH, THE CEMETERY AND FUNERAL
BUREAU. BUREAU OF SECURITY OF
INVESTIGATION AND SERVICES AND
THE CONTRACTORS STATE LICENSE
BOARD. JUST A COUPLE OF SMALL
THINGS. ALL THESE REGULATORY
PROGRAMS ARE SUBJECT TO
LEGISLATIVE REVIEW. WE'LL SENSE
IT ON JANUARY 1ST OF 2025. SO
OUR CONVERSATIONS TODAY AND
MOVING FORWARD WILL INFORM OUR
COLLECTIVE WORK TO DETERMINE
NECESSARY IMPROVEMENTS OR
STATUTORY CHANGES. SHOULD THE
LEGISLATURE DECIDE TO CONTINUE
THE OPERATIONS OF EACH ENTITY?
TO ASSIST IN THE REVIEW AND
EVALUATION OF EACH AGENCY
COMMITTEE STAFF REPAIRED
BACKGROUND PAPERS, WHICH
IDENTIFY ISSUES AND MAKE STAFF
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EACH PROGRAM
WILL ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO TAKE
A LOOK AT THIS. THESE PAPERS ARE
AVAILABLE ON THE COMMITTEE'S
WEBSITE AND MADE AVAILABLE TO
INTERESTED PARTIES. LET US KNOW
IF YOU HAVE A HARD TIME FINDING
THOSE AND WE'LL BE HAPPY TO HELP
YOU OUT. EACH PROGRAM WILL
PROVIDE A VERY BRIEF OVERVIEW OF
THEIR FUNCTIONS. MEMBERS OF THE
COMMITTEE WILL HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO RAISE ANY OTHER
ISSUES OR QUESTIONS, WHICH THEY
MAY HAVE, AND WE'LL ALSO HAVE
THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM
CONSUMER GROUPS. MANY OF YOU ARE
HERE. THANKS FOR JOINING US
TODAY. PROFESSIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS AND MEMBERS OF THE
PUBLIC FOR EACH PORTION OF
TODAY'S HEARING. I'D LIKE TO
INVITE MY COLLEAGUE AS SOME
MEMBER CHAIRMAN BERMAN FROM THE
ASSEMBLY BUSINESS AND
PROFESSIONS COMMITTEE TO MAKE
SOME OPENING REMARKS AS WELL.
THANK YOU SO MUCH CHAIR ASHBY.
I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO
PARTNERING WITH YOU AND YOUR
COMMITTEE STAFF THROUGHOUT THIS
IMPORTANT PROCESS. UH I AGREE
THAT SUNSET REVIEW IS A VERY
IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF OUR ROLES
AS BEING MP CHAIRS IN OUR
RESPECTIVE HOUSES, AND I'M
CONFIDENT AND I KNOW THAT OUR
GOALS IN THIS PROCESS ARE
ALIGNED AS LEGISLATORS WERE
ESSENTIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR
BALANCING TWO KEY PRIORITIES,
IDENTIFYING UNNECESSARY BARRIERS
TO OPPORTUNITY WHILE AT THE SAME
TIME ENSURING THAT CONSUMERS ARE
PROTECTED WHEN RECEIVE SERVICES.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE
DISCUSSION TODAY. AND DEFINITELY
, UH, ALSO WANNA THANK, UH,
STAFF FROM BOTH, UH, BOTH
COMMITTEES FOR ALL OF THE
IMPORTANT WORK THAT THEY'VE BEEN
DOING OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF
MONTHS TO GET US TO THE POINT
THAT WE ARE AT TODAY AND
TOMORROW WAS THAT TURN THEM BACK
OVER TO THE CHAIR. WE HAVE
REALLY GOOD STAFF. WE DO. WE'RE
VERY LUCKY. VERY VERY LUCKY. AND
UH, WE'RE GOOD FRIENDS, SO THIS
IS GOING TO BE FUN. IT'S GONNA
BE A FUN YEAR FOR US. WE'RE
LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. WE'RE
GOING TO BEGIN TODAY WITH BOARD
MEMBER KATRINA SALAZAR AND
DOMINIQUE FELLA, THE EXECUTIVE
OFFICER OF THE CALIFORNIA BOARD
OF ACCOUNTANCY. WELCOME
EVERYONE. HAVE YOU ALL COME
FORWARD. GET STARTED. WELCOME.
THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, GET US OFF
ON A GOOD NOTE HERE. OK, YOU
GUYS, THAT'S YOUR JOB. GET US
STARTED HERE WITH SOME POSITIVE
MOMENTUM. THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
IS THIS MY ON? OK? IT SOUNDS
LIKE YOU ARE ON AND READY TO GO.
FANTASTIC WELL, CHAIR BERMAN,
CHAIR ASHBY, ESTEEMED SENATE AND
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE MEMBERS. GOOD
MORNING AND THANK YOU FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH YOU
TODAY. MY NAME IS KATRINA
SALAZAR. I AM A CURRENT MEMBER
AND THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE
CALIFORNIA BOARD OF ACCOUNTANCY
OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE èC B.
I AM ALSO A CERTIFIED PUBLIC
ACCOUNTANT. PRESIDENT JOE
ROSENBAUM IS OUT OF THE COUNTRY
AND SO IS UNABLE TO BE HERE
TODAY WITH YOU, BUT HE DOES SEND
HIS REGARDS WITH ME TODAY TO
TESTIFY IS èC B EXECUTIVE
OFFICER DOMINIC FRANZA. SO ON
BEHALF OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS AND
STAFF, IT IS MY PLEASURE TO BE
HERE TODAY TO DISCUSS OUR SUNSET
REVIEW REPORT WITH YOU. WE DO
BELIEVE THIS IS A VALUABLE
PROCESS TO HELP ENSURE THAT THE
CONTINUES TO STAY FOCUSED ON ITS
MISSION OF CONSUMER PROTECTION,
ENSURING THAT ONLY QUALIFIED
LICENSEES PRACTICE PUBLIC
ACCOUNTANCY IN ACCORDANCE WITH
ESTABLISHED PROFESSIONAL
STANDARDS. THAT MISSION TRULY
DOES GUIDE ALL THAT WE DO. FOR
MORE THAN 120 YEARS, THE
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE HAS
ENTRUSTED THE èC B WITH
PROTECTING THE PUBLIC RELATED TO
THE PRACTICE OF ACCOUNTANCY IN
OUR STATE. TODAY THE èC B A
REGULATES MORE THAN 115,000
LICENSES, INCLUDING INDIVIDUALS
AND ACCOUNTING FIRMS. MANY OF
THESE FIRMS HAVE NATIONAL OR
EVEN WORLDWIDE FOOTPRINTS.
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS OR
CPAS, LIKE MYSELF OR IN A WIDE
RANGE OF SETTINGS, INCLUDING
ACADEMIA, GOVERNMENT, PRIVATE
INDUSTRY AND ACCOUNTING FIRMS.
AND THESE èC P, A S¼ PROVIDE A
VARIETY OF SERVICES TO CLIENTS
AND EMPLOYERS OF ALL SIZES
THROUGHOUT OUR STATE. THE
RECOGNIZES THE SCOPE OF ITS
REGULATORY INFLUENCE AND THE
PROTECTION OF THE PUBLIC SHAPES
ITS REGULATIONS, POLICIES,
LICENSING AND ENFORCEMENT
DECISIONS. HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME
ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU YOU WILL SEE
IN OUR SUNSET REVIEW INCLUDE
THAT CONSUMERS CAN NOW SUBMIT
ONLINE COMPLAINTS AGAINST
LICENSED OR UNLICENSED
INDIVIDUALS OR ACCOUNTING FIRMS,
AND WE FOUND THAT THIS NEW
OPTION HAS REALLY STREAMLINED
THE PROCESS FOR CONSUMERS AS
WELL AS THE BOARD. LICENSES CAN
NOW SUBMIT ONLINE RENEWAL
APPLICATIONS, CONTINUING
EDUCATION, INFORMATION, ADDRESS
CHANGES AND PAYMENTS ALL IN ONE
CONVENIENT ONLINE LICENSE
RENEWAL PROCESS CALLED èC B, A
CONNECT. CANDIDATES CAN NOW
SUBMIT APPLICATIONS ONLINE,
WHICH WE FOUND TO BE A REALLY
BIG TIME SAVER AND BENEFIT FOR
OUR APPLICANTS. SO THESE
AUTOMATION EFFORTS AS LONG AS AS
WELL AS OTHER ONES, ALSO UNDER
DEVELOPMENT. EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THE
EXPERIENCE FOR A CANDIDATE'S
LICENSES AND CONSUMERS. I AM
ALSO PLEASED TO REPORT THAT THE
èC B CONTINUES TO MEET ITS GOAL
OF REVIEWING EXAMINATION AND
LICENSURE APPLICATIONS WITHIN 30
DAYS, PROCESSING MORE THAN 700
APPLICATIONS EVERY MONTH. WE
HAVE ALSO GREATLY EXPANDED OUR
OUTREACH PROGRAM. OVER THE PAST
FEW YEARS, SO WE HAVE MEMBERS AS
WELL AS STAFF THAT COLLABORATE
WITH VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS TO
ENSURE THAT THERE IS A ROBUST
YEAR ROUND OUTREACH TO DIFFERENT
GROUPS IN ORDER TO HELP
CANDIDATES AND LICENSEES
UNDERSTAND HOW TO BECOME A èC P
A AS WELL AS HOW TO MAINTAIN
THEIR LICENSES. OF COURSE, THESE
ARE JUST A FEW OF THE WAYS THAT
THE èC VÆ HAS IMPROVED ITS
PROTECTION OF CONSUMERS SERVICE
TO LICENSEES AND ENGAGEMENT WITH
STAKEHOLDERS. SO I THANK YOU FOR
THAT AND WOULD LIKE TO TURN THE
FLOOR BACK TO THE CHAIRS AND
WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY
QUESTIONS YOU HAVE. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I APPRECIATE IT. READY. I AM
HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
JUST QUESTIONS. YOU KNOW HOW
MANY OTHER COMMENTS ALL RIGHT.
LOOK AT YOU GUYS. THIS IS HOW
IT'S DONE. PEOPLE DO IT JUST
LIKE THIS. ALL RIGHT, UH, THANK
YOU SO MUCH, THEN. THANKS FOR
BEING HERE. I'M I'M GONNA TURN
TO MY COLLEAGUES AND SEE IF
THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE
MEMBERS. THE BOARD OF ACCOUNTS,
SENATOR ROTH JUST A QUICK ONE. I
WAS READING THE BACKGROUND
MATERIAL AND NOTICE THE
DISCUSSION AND AN ISSUE HAVING
TO DO WITH RETIRED STATUS
LICENSES, AND IT OCCURRED TO ME
TO ASK WHY. WHY IF YOU DO HAVE
AN INACTIVE STATUS LICENSE, AS
OPPOSED TO RETIRED. AND IF NOT,
WHY NOT? I. I HAPPEN TO BE A
LAWYER. WE HAVE INACTIVE STATUS
LICENSES CALIFORNIA
UNFORTUNATELY, MY OTHER STATE
GEORGIA HAS AN EMERITUS LICENSE.
I GUESS THAT'S FOR RETIRED
PEOPLE. UM THE CALIFORNIA DOES
IT, BUT WE DO HAVE INACTIVE.
ACTUALLY, I CAN ANSWER THAT
QUESTION. I AUTHORED THE
LEGISLATION. UM I AM A èC P A
AND IF I USE THE TITLE, I HAVE
TO PUT RE Tð IN PARENTHESES. UM
BECAUSE I AM INACTIVE. AND SO
THAT WAS JUST THE DESIGNATION
THAT WAS ARRIVED AT IN THE
LEGISLATION. I WORKED WITH THE
SOCIETY ON THAT. UM, BUT, UH
TERM RETIRED. MEANS AND ACTIVE.
IN THE CONTEXT OF THE
LEGISLATION. YOU WERE LOOKING AT
ME WHEN HE WAS ASKING THAT
QUESTION. DID YOU KNOW THAT I
AUTHORED THAT LEGISLATION? YOUR
MEMORY? YOU DID VERY GOOD. THANK
YOU. THERE ANYTHING IN THERE
THAT YOU GUYS WANTED TO ADDRESS
OR GOOD? OK, THANK YOU. ANYBODY
ELSE FROM THE COMMITTEE? OH,
THAT'S GREAT. THANK YOU. CHAIR.
SO I NOTICED IN THE IN THE
BACKGROUND PAPER THAT THERE HAVE
BEEN SOME INSTANCES WHERE THE
BOARD HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO
ESTABLISH QU DUE TO VACANCIES.
UH, ON ON THE VARIOUS, UH,
LEGISLATIVELY ESTABLISHED
COMMITTEES THAT ARE COMPRISED OF
VOLUNTEER LICENSES. WHAT IS THE
BOARD DETERMINE? YOU KNOW WHAT'S
THE CAUSE? UH, WHAT WHAT DO YOU
ALL THINK, ARE THE CAUSES OF
THESE VACANCIES AND WHAT MORE
CAN THE BOARD DO TO ATTRACT
VOLUNTEER LICENSES TO SIT ON
THESE COMMITTEES? UM AND DO YOU
THINK THE VACANCIES PREVENTING
THE BOARD FROM CARRYING OUT ANY
OF ITS CONSUMER CONSUMER
PROTECTION MISSIONS. THANK YOU,
CHAIRMAN. SO AGAIN, UH, IT IS
JUST THE LEGISLATIVELY
ESTABLISHED COMMITTEES. THE
BOARD ITSELF HAS BEEN ABLE TO
MEET AND NOT HAVE QUORUM ISSUES
AND IN THE QUORUM ISSUES WE HAD
ONE WAS BACK IN 2019 AND TWO
EARLY IN 2023. SO WE'RE HOPEFUL
THEY'RE BEING RESOLVED AT THIS
POINT, BUT WE HAVE DONE A
CONCERTED EFFORT TO ENCOURAGE
EXTENSIVE OUTREACH AND RECRUIT
NEW MEMBERS. WE HAVE A
RECRUITMENT VIDEO ONLINE. WE DO
ACTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS. UM WE
HAVE IT POSTED TO OUR WEBSITE.
WE HAVE A RECRUITMENT PACKET
THAT HELPS OUR CURRENT MEMBERS
SHARE WITH COLLEAGUES, UH, AT
THEIR FIRMS OR FOR CAL SOCIETY,
UH, TO ALSO BE ABLE TO USE, UH,
WE DISCUSS OPPORTUNITIES AT OUR
OUTREACH EVENTS. UM AND WE RUN
ISSUES IN OUR UPDATE, UH,
PUBLICATION THAT GOES THREE
TIMES A YEAR, SO WE ARE VERY
ACTIVE IN THE RECRUITMENT AND WE
ACTUALLY HAVE SOME COMMITTEE
MEMBERS SOME NEW POSITIONS
COMING TO OUR BOARD AT THE
MEETING NEXT WEEK. OH, GREAT. UM
AND THEN ONE MORE QUESTION, UH,
REGARDING THE, UH, KIND OF OPEN
INVESTIGATIVE èC P A AND
SUPERVISING INVESTIGATIVE èC P
A POSITIONS REALLY? IS THERE
ANYTHING? UH, ARE THERE ANY
LEGISLATIVE CHANGES THAT MIGHT
BE HELPFUL TO PHILBY'S REALLY
IMPORTANT, UH, POSITIONS AND IF
SO, ANY SUGGESTIONS THAT YOU
HAVE SO, YES, THESE ARE VERY
IMPORTANT POSITIONS, AND I
APPRECIATE THAT, AND THEY ARE
DIFFICULT TO RECRUIT FOR
RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION. BUT
THE èC B DOES STILL BELIEVE
THAT THE RESOLUTION LIES WITH
THE KIND OF THE CURRENT PROCESS
ESTABLISHED BY Kò HÌ R, UH, THE
èC B A ACTIVELY WORKS WITH THE
DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS
ON THOSE PAY DIFFERENTIALS AND
RECRUITMENT ISSUES, AND HOWEVER
YOU KNOW, WE WOULD LIKE THE
OPPORTUNITY IF SOMETHING WERE TO
EVER ARISE TO BE ABLE TO
APPROACH THE LEGISLATURE. IF
THAT NEED EVER COMES UP. DON'T
DON'T HESITATE AND AS THE BOARD
KEEPING TRACK OF THE NUMBER OF
ENFOR ENFORCEMENT DELAYS THAT
HAVE RESULTED IF ANY, FROM THESE
VACANCIES UM, WE DON'T TRACK IT
IN THAT PARTICULAR WAY. BUT WE
DO, UH, PRIORITIZE THOSE
TECHNICAL CASES BECAUSE THOSE
ARE THE ONES THAT ARE THE HIGHER
RISK FOR US AND THROUGH CROSS
TRAINING, UH, CASE MANAGEMENT,
UTILIZING ONE OF OUR
LEGISLATIVELY ESTABLISHED
COMMITTEES, UM, THE ENFORCEMENT
ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO HELP US
OUT AS WELL AS WE'VE DONE SOME
OUT OF CLASS, UH, RECRUITMENT
FOR CERTAIN STAFF TO HELP US IN
THOSE POSITIONS. WE'VE BEEN ABLE
TO MANAGE THAT WORKLOAD. I THINK
FAIRLY EFFICIENTLY. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH
GOOD QUESTIONS ABOUT RECRUITING
AND VACANCY. I JUST HAVE ONE
LAST QUESTION FOR YOU. HOW'S THE
CURRENT PRACTICE PRIVILEGE FOR
èC P, A S¼ WORKING IN
CALIFORNIA, AND, MORE
IMPORTANTLY, DOES THE BOARD HAVE
ANY CHALLENGES OR ENFORCEMENT
ISSUES WITH èC P S¼ LICENSED IN
OTHER STATES WHO TEMPORARILY
WANT TO PRACTICE IN CALIFORNIA?
SO ALL IN ALL, I THINK THE
MOBILITY PROGRAM IS AN EXCELLENT
PROGRAM. I THINK IT'S A GREAT
EXAMPLE OF HOW CROSS BORDER
PRACTICE CAN WORK, UH, FOR
LICENSED PROFESSIONALS FROM AN
ENFORCEMENT SIDE. WE HAVE NOT
RUN INTO BARRIERS OR ISSUES. WE
HAVE TAKEN ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AGAINST OUT
OF STATE LICENSES. UM WHO ARE
EITHER PRACTICING IN THE STATE
WITH A PRINCIPAL PLACE OF
BUSINESS, WHICH WOULD BE OUTSIDE
THE SCOPE OF OUR MOBILITY WOULD
ALLOW FOR WHO ARE ADVERTISING IN
THE STATE INAPPROPRIATELY OR
HAVE ACTUALLY PERFORMED WORK
THAT WAS SUBPAR. SO I BELIEVE
IT'S A IT'S AN EXCELLENT
PROGRAM. AGREED IT APPEARS TO BE
AN EFFICIENT MODEL. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION
HERE AND WITH THE QUESTIONS ANY
OTHER QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OK,
MADAM CHAIR AND I'M SORRY I
MISSED SOME OF YOUR
PRESENTATION. BUT YOU PROVIDED
SUCH GREAT INFORMATION FOR US TO
PREPARE IN YOUR REPORT. YOU
TALKED ABOUT A DECLINE IN
CANDIDATES PURSUING THE SLICING
SHARE AND HOW IT LEADS TO LONGER
HOURS FOR THOSE WHO ARE LICENSED
AND ACCOUNTING ERRORS. CASES AND
I'M CURIOUS WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO
ATTRACT SORT OF NEW POOLS,
PARTICULARLY MINORITY WOMEN. UM
POOLS OF WORKERS WHO COULD STEP
INTO THIS PROFESSION. ARE THERE
ANY TARGETED INVESTMENTS TO
RECRUIT THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE
UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE SECTOR?
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT
REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION. I
THINK IT REALLY COMBINES THE
IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY AS WELL
AS THE PIPELINE CHALLENGES THAT
WE HAVE. AND SO I WOULD MAYBE
TAKE A TWO PRONGED RESPONSE TO
THAT AND WOULD SHARE WITH YOU
THAT THE BOARD IS VERY AWARE OF
BOTH THE PIPELINE ISSUES WHICH
RELATE TO A DECREASE IN, UM
CANDIDATES WHO ARE PURSUING
THEIR èC P A S¼. THAT IS
SOMETHING THAT IS HAPPENING
NATIONALLY AS WELL AS WITHIN THE
STATE OF AND ALSO THE BOARD HAS
A STRONG COMMITMENT TO Dð N
ISSUES. SO IN FACT, THAT OUR
PRIOR STRATEGIC PLAN Dð E, N. I
WAS WOVEN INTO IT AND ONE OF OUR
ONE OF OUR VALUES TODAY IS THAT
THE èC B SUPPORTS AND
ENCOURAGES A VARIETY OF
PERSPECTIVES, BACKGROUNDS AND
EXPERIENCE THAT BENEFIT ITS
OPERATION TO MEET ITS CONSUMER
PROTECTION MANDATE. AND SO THE
BOARD IS VERY THROUGH OUR
EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND THE STAFF
WORKING WITH OUR STAKE. HAS DONE
A VERY WIDE RANGING SET OF TASKS
TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE
ENCOURAGING PIPELINE ISSUES AS
WELL AS PROMOTING DIVERSITY, AND
THAT'S EVERYTHING FROM, UM,
MESSAGING PRIORITY IN 2024,
WHICH IS GROWING AUDIENCE
DIVERSITY. THERE'S A NEW VIDEO
THAT'S BEEN CREATED ON DIVERSITY
, EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN THE
èC P, A PROFESSION THAT WILL BE
LAUNCHING THIS MONTH. WERE ALSO
REALLY FOCUSED ON MEETING OUR
STAKEHOLDERS WHERE THEY ARE SO
NOT JUST OUR LICENSEES, BUT ALSO
THE STUDENTS THAT MAY SOMEDAY
BECOME CANDIDATES, SO THE BOARD
HAS BEEN VERY ACTIVE ON SOCIAL
MEDIA POSTS. OUTREACH EVENTS AT
COLLEGE CAMPUSES ARE ONE JUST
LAST SEPTEMBER WAS AT CAL POLY
POMONA IF I MAY SAY THE NAME,
BUT THAT'S PARTICULARLY EXCITING
BECAUSE NOT ONLY DO WE HOLD A
BOARD MEETING THERE, BUT WE WERE
ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH FACULTY AS
WELL AS STUDENTS STAFF CAME TO
REVIEW TRANSCRIPTS. WE ARE SO
EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO HELP
STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THAT THEY'D
ACTUALLY MET. SOME OF THEM HAD
MET THE EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
AND WE ARE READY TO PROCEED
AGAIN. THAT'S IMPORTANT, BECAUSE
NOT ONLY IS IT AN IMPORTANT
INSTITUTION, BUT IT IS A
HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTION AND
ONE OF THE TOP 25 UNDERGRADUATE
PROGRAMS, UM, PROVIDING
BACCALAUREATE DEGREES TO
HISPANICS. AND SO AGAIN, I THINK
THAT THERE IS A ROBUST FOCUS IN
OFFERING OUTREACH, REFLECTING
THE DIVERSITY. COMMITTEES AS
WELL AS OUR BOARD, AND EVEN JUST
LAST YEAR THERE WAS AN UPDATE,
WHICH IS OUR NEWSLETTER PROFILE
ON ONE OF OUR LEADERS, CURRENT
CHAIR OF THE ENFORCEMENT
ADVISORY COMMITTEE, KATHY
JOHNSON, WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE
ALLIANCE OF BLACK WOMEN,
ACCOUNTANTS, AND SO AGAIN, WE
MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE FEATURING
AND PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR
DISCOURSE AND ALSO FOR PEOPLE TO
SEE THE DIVERSE LEADERSHIP THAT
WE HAVE. SO IT'S AN ONGOING
PROCESS, AND THERE IS ONE SMALL
ANSWER. UM BUT WE CONTINUE TO
TRACK PIPELINE. WE ARE VERY
AWARE OF DIVERSITY, AND I'M
EXCITED ABOUT THE THINGS THAT
YOU'LL CONTINUE TO SEE FROM OUR
BOARD IN THESE AREAS. WONDERFUL
AND HOW DO YOU TRACK THAT? UM,
IS THERE DATA THAT ALLOWS US TO
SEE OUR PROGRESS IN THAT
DIRECTION? WELL THAT IS AN
INTERESTING QUESTION BECAUSE THE
BOARD DOES NOT TRACK THE
DEMOGRAPHICS OF ITS LICENSEES.
UM, IN TERMS OF PIPELINES,
THOUGH, WE DO KNOW UM, THE
CANDIDATES THAT ARE GOING INTO
THE PROFESSION. SO, FOR EXAMPLE,
IN 2013, THERE WERE
APPROXIMATELY NATIONALLY 42,000
INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE PURSUING A
LICENSE IN 2022 THAT DROPPED
CLOSER TO 30,000. THE ANNUALLY
LOOKS AT LONG TERM LICENSEE
TRENDS AND LOOKS AT INITIAL
CANDIDATES, AND THAT'S WHERE
WE'RE SEEING THE DECLINE. SO WE
WORK VERY HARD IN CASE YOU'RE
WONDERING. THOSE NUMBERS ARE
ALSO GOING DOWN FOR FIRST TIME
CANDIDATES SITTING FOR OUR EXAM
IN CALIFORNIA, BUT WE WORK VERY
HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE
MODELING AND PROVIDING
OPPORTUNITIES TO èC P S¼ THAT
ARE REFLECTIVE OF THE STATE
POPULATION. I THANK YOU FOR
MENTIONING THE ALLIANCE, AND
THERE ARE DOZENS OF ACCOUNTING,
AFFINITY ASSOCIATIONS AND GROUPS
AND I'M HOPING THAT THEY ARE
YOUR PARTNERS, AND IT IS
INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO IMPROVE
WHAT WE DON'T MEASURE. SO MY
RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THERE IS
SOME INTERNAL METRICS FOR SEEING
SORT OF THE POINT OF DEPARTURE
FOR THE BOARD AND WHERE YOU ARE
HOPING TO GET TO IN TERMS OF
YOUR THE E I GOALS. SO THANK YOU
FOR THAT UPDATE, LOOKING FORWARD
TO FUTURE. OF COURSE, YOU CAN
NAME THE SCHOOL. ANY CHANCE WE
GET TO BRAG ON OUR UNIVERSITIES
IN CALIFORNIA IS WELCOME IN THIS
COMMITTEE. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU
MEMBERS. WE WILL NOW ACCEPT
TESTIMONY FROM MEMBERS OF THE
PUBLIC RELATED TO THE BOARD OF
ACCOUNTANCY. SO WE'RE JUST GONNA
HAVE YOU COME UP TO THE MIC HERE
AND ASK EVERYBODY TO SINK AND
BRIEF AND, UH, NÓ NEED TO
MENTION TOO MANY THINGS HAVE
BEEN MENTIONED BEFORE YOU
WELCOME JASON FOX, WITH THE
CALIFORNIA SOCIETY OF CERTIFIED
PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS WERE THE
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION THAT
REPRESENTS èC PS ACROSS THE
STATE FROM SMALL ACCOUNTING
FIRMS TO LARGE INTERNATIONAL
FIRMS, BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY,
GOVERNMENT, DIFFERENT
ORGANIZATIONS AND DIFFERENT
SIZES. WE HAVE A HEALTHY WORKING
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BOARD OF
ACCOUNTANCY. WE'RE AN ACTIVE
PARTICIPANT IN èC B A
DISCUSSIONS AND ACTIVITIES. WE
REGULARLY COLLABORATE ON EFFORTS
TO PROMOTE THE èC P A
PROFESSION AND ENSURE CONSUMERS
RECEIVE QUALITY ACCOUNTING
SERVICES FROM LICENSES THAT THEY
CAN TRUST. UH, WE COORDINATE ON
REGULATORY INITIATIVES TO THE
CENSURE FRAMEWORK, STRIKING A
BALANCE BETWEEN THE RIGOR AND
STREAMLINED ENTRY INTO THE
PROFESSION. BOTH ARE THE
NATIONAL LEVEL AND AS WELL HERE
IN CALIFORNIA, WORKING WITH THE
CONSTRAINTS WE HAVE REQUIRE AN
OUTREACH AS YOU HEARD WITH
SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS AND
DIFFERENT EFFORTS, UH, SPECIFIC
TO THE Dð N I QUESTION THOSE
ARE SOME OF THE METRICS THAT WE
DO TRACK FROM A PROFESSION
STANDPOINT, WE HAVE A Dð N
COMMISSION THAT LOOKS AT AND
DOES RESEARCH SPECIFIC TO THAT
AND KIND OF TRY TO TRACK SOME OF
THE PROGRESS AND EFFORTS ALONG
THOSE LINES. WE WORK TO PROMOTE
AWARENESS WITHIN THE PROFESSION
ABOUT THE LAWS, NEW LAWS,
REGULATIONS, OTHER PROFESSIONAL
STANDARDS GOVERNING THE PRACTICE
OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTANCY, AND WE
COORDINATE ON THE DEVELOPMENT
AND REFINEMENT OF RELEVANT AND
PRACTICAL REGULATIONS, INCLUDING
MAINTAINING FAIR AND CONSISTENT
ENFORCEMENT STANDARDS WITH THAT
WERE STRONG SUPPORTERS OF THE
BOARD OF ACCOUNTS WHO WOULDN'T
URGE THE CONTINUATION OF THE
BOARD SUNSET DATE. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANYONE ELSE
FROM THE PUBLIC WISHING TO SPEAK
ON THIS ITEM? IN A SURPRISE TO
NÓ ONE, THE ACCOUNTANTS WERE
MEASURED AND CONSISTENT AND
TIMELY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
HAVING HEARD FROM EVERYONE I
INTERESTED IN. TAKE A QUICK
CHECK OF MY BOARD HERE.
EVERYBODY SEEMS FINE. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. WE APPRECIATE YOUR
TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL
RIGHT. WE ARE OFF TO A GOOD
START. ALL RIGHT, ME TOO. ALL
RIGHT, WE'RE NOW GONNA MOVE TO
THE CALIFORNIA ARCHITECTS BOARD.
SORRY YEAH. AND THE LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTS TECHNICAL COMMITTEE.
FIRST WE WILL HEAR FROM CHARLES
WARD, THE THIRD BOARD PRESIDENT
AND LAURA ZUNIGA EXECUTIVE
OFFICE FOR OUR DISCUSSION FROM
THE CALIFORNIA ARCHITECTS BOARD.
WELCOME YOU BOTH HERE. THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. BECAUSE
EVERYTHING WILL DO THE YEAH.
SAME PROCESS AS WE HAD BEFORE.
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELVES AND
WE'LL GET STARTED. I DID MORE.
CAN YOU? CAN YOU HEAR ME? OK
GREAT. GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR
HAVING US, UM SENATORS AND
ASSEMBLY MEMBERS AND CHAIR ASHBY
AND, UH, CHAIR BERMAN APPRECIATE
YOU HAVING US UM, I'M CHARLES
WARD, PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD, UM
, CURRENTLY SERVING AS PRESIDENT
OF THE CALIFORNIA ARCHITECTS
BOARD WITH ME IS PAMELA BRIEF
CHAIRMAN OF THE LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTS TECHNICAL COMMITTEE
AND LAURA ZUNIGA. OUR EXECUTIVE
OFFICER. I'M PLEASED TO BE ABLE
TO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OVERVIEW
OF THE BOARD AND THIS BRIEF WILL
DO THE SAME FOR THE LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTS TECHNICAL COMMITTEE.
THE BOARD CONSISTS OF FIVE
ARCHITECTS AND FIVE MEMBERS. WE
WERE ESTABLISHED IN 1901 AND
HAVE A RICH TRADITION OF
PREVENTATIVE, INNOVATIVE
PROGRAMS TO PROTECT CONSUMERS.
WE LICENSE APPROXIMATELY 21,000
ARCHITECTS HAVE A BUDGET OF
APPROXIMATELY 5 MILLION AND A
DEDICATED STAFF OF NEARLY 30 TO
PROTECT CALIFORNIANS AND ENSURE
THAT OUR BUILDINGS PERFORM
APPROPRIATELY IN OUR COMPLEX,
CHALLENGING PRACTICE CONTEXT.
OUR LICENSING STANDARDS ARE
ROBUST, BUT REASONABLE. WE
REQUIRE EIGHT YEARS OF TRAINING
AND EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE. IN
ARCHITECTURAL WORK, WHICH
INCLUDES A STRUCTURED TRAINING
EXPERIENCE PROGRAM, CONSISTING
OF NEARLY 4000 HOURS ACROSS SIX
PRACTICE AREAS. CANDIDATES ALSO
MUST PASS 1/6 DIVISION NATIONAL
EXAM. FINALLY IN RECOGNITION OF
CALIFORNIA'S UNIQUE SEISMIC
ENERGY, ACCESSIBILITY, FIRE
PREVENTION AND LEGAL STANDARDS.
WE ADMINISTER A CALIFORNIA
SUPPLEMENTAL EXAMINATION TO
ACCESS CANDIDATES ABILITY TO
SAFELY PRACTICE IN OUR DYNAMIC
CONTEXT. ONE COMPONENT OF OUR
STANDARDS THAT WE ARE
PARTICULARLY PROUD OF IS OUR
MULTIPLE PATHWAYS INTO THE
PROFESSION. A PROFESSIONAL
DEGREE IN ARCHITECTURE ARE
RELATED DEGREE AND ASSOCIATE
DEGREE OR FIVE YEARS OF
EXPERIENCE CAN ALL MEET THE
BOARD'S FIVE YEAR REQUIREMENT
FOR EDUCATION OR EXPERIENCE OR
COMBINATION THEREOF. IN ADDITION
TO CONSUMER EDUCATION, THE BOARD
WORKS CLOSELY WITH PROFESSIONAL
GROUPS TO ENSURE THAT ARCHITECTS
UNDERSTAND CHANGES IN LAWS,
CODES AND STANDARDS. ALL OF
THESE INITIATIVES UNDERSCORE THE
BOARD'S FIRM BELIEF THAT IT MUST
BE BOTH STRATEGIC AND AGGRESSIVE
IN EMPLOYING THE PREVENTATIVE
MEASURES NECESSARY TO
EFFECTIVELY PROTECT THE PUBLIC
HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE.
SINCE OUR LAST SUNSET REVIEW. WE
ARE IN THE PROCESS OF
TRANSITIONING TO A NEW IT SYSTEM
CONNECT, WHICH WILL PROVIDE A
GREATER RANGE OF ONLINE SERVICES
TO LICENSEES AND CONSUMERS. WE
IMPLEMENTED A NEW REQUIREMENT IN
ZERO NET CARBON DESIGN, AS
REQUIRED BY A B 1010 FROM 2021.
WITH THAT I WILL ASK MS. BRIEF
TO PROVIDE THE OVERVIEW FOR L A
Tð èC. THANKS AND I GOOD JOB ON
ALL COMING UP TOGETHER. THAT'S
GREAT. THAT'S HELPFUL. I SHOULD
HAVE INTRODUCED YOU, BUT PLEASE,
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND
THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THE
PENCIL BEHIND THE EAR. I THINK
THAT'S WE ARE REALLY TALKING TO
ARCHITECTS. JUST IN CASE WE DID.
WE FORGOT WHO WE WERE. WHO WE
WERE HERE IS REALLY GREAT
SIGNALS TO THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN
AND CHAIR ASHBY AND COMMITTEE
MEMBERS. MY NAME IS PAMELA BRIEF
. I AM THE CHAIR OF THE
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS TECHNICAL
COMMITTEE AND HAVE SERVED ON THE
COMMITTEE SINCE OCTOBER, 2020.
L, A Tð èC IS RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE EXAMINATION LICENSURE AND
ENFORCEMENT PROGRAMS CONCERNING
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS. LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTS ARE THE LICENSE
DESIGN PROFESSIONALS WHO SHAPE
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT BY
UTILIZING THE EXPERTISE IN
SCIENCE, SPECIFICALLY NATURAL
SYSTEMS AND DESIGN FOR THE
PRESERVATION AND HUMAN USE IN A
MANNER WHICH PROTECTS THE PUBLIC
HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE. LAST
YEAR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE WAS
OFFICIALLY DESIGNATED A STEM
PROFESSION, WHICH RECOGNIZED THE
HIGH DEGREE OF SCIENCE,
TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND
MATHEMATICS WORK REQUIRED IN ITS
PRACTICE. WE'RE VERY HAPPY ABOUT
THAT. L A. Tð èC IS A FIVE
MEMBER TECHNICAL ADVISORY
COMMITTEE TO THE BOARD
CONSISTING OF LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTS, THE BOARD OF
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS BL, A WAS
CREATED BY THE CALIFORNIA
LEGISLATURE IN 1950, THREE AND
THE LÀ Tð èC WAS LATER
ESTABLISHED IN 1997 TO REPLACE
THE BOARD OF LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTS. TO PROTECT
CALIFORNIANS. OUR LICENSER
STANDARDS REQUIRE A TOTAL OF SIX
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND OR
EDUCATION. IN ADDITION,
CANDIDATES MUST PASS A FOUR
SECTION NATIONAL EXAM ALONG WITH
CALIFORNIA SUPPLEMENTAL EXAM TO
ASSESS THE CANDIDATE'S ABILITY
TO SAFELY PRACTICE IN TODAY'S
DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT. WE ARE
PROUD TO SAY THAT CALIFORNIA
OFFERS MULTIPLE PATHWAYS TO
LICENSURE, INCLUDING AN
EXPERIENCE ONLY PATHWAY. WE
LICENSE APPROXIMATELY 30,700
INDIVIDUALS HAVE A BUDGET OF
1.28 MILLION AND A DEDICATED
STAFF OF FIVE. WE ALSO HAVE
EXTERNAL CONTRACTS WITH
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT CONSULTANTS
FOR OUR ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM TO
ASSIST WITH THE TECHNICAL REVIEW
OF CASES INVOLVING PROFESSIONAL
PRACTICE ISSUES. THE LÀ Tð èC
ALSO USES STATE LICENSES AND THE
DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF THE
CALIFORNIA SUPPLEMENTAL EXAM.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS OFFER AN
ESSENTIAL ARRAY OF TALENT AND
EXPERTISE TO DEVELOP AND
IMPLEMENT SOLUTIONS FOR THE
BUILT AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.
THEY RETREAT, ROLY ADDRESS,
CLIMATE CHANGE AND BIODIVERSITY
AND USE THEIR EXPERTISE IN
RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
TO MITIGATE THE CONSEQUENCES OF
THESE ONGOING CRISES TO PROTECT
PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY AND
WELFARE. AS WITH THE BOARD, THE
LÀ Tð èC HAS FOUND THAT ACTING
PREVENTIVELY AND PROACTIVELY IS
THE BEST USE OF ITS RESOURCES.
SOME THINGS WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED
SINCE OUR LAST SUNSET REVIEW. WE
HAVE TRANSITIONED TO A NEW
VERSION OF THE NATIONAL EXAM,
WHICH INCLUDED EXPANDING ACCESS
TO THE EXAM FOR ALL CANDIDATES
TO TAKE ANY DIVISION OF THE EXAM
IF THEY HAVE AN ACCREDITED
DEGREE OR HAVE A CERTIFICATE
FROM AN APPROVED EXTENSION
PROGRAM, ALONG WITH A FOURYEAR
DEGREE BEFORE THEY WERE ONLY
ALLOWED TO TAKE CERTAIN
SECTIONS. IT HAS OPENED IT UP
NOW FOR THEM TO CHOOSE AS THEY
WISH. IMPLEMENTATION OF A NEW IT
SYSTEM WHICH WILL ENABLE US TO
PROVIDE IMPROVED ONLINE SERVICES
TO LICENSEES AND CONSUMER AND
BETTER ASSESS LICENSURE
STATISTICS. WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY
IMPLEMENTED THE REQUIREMENT TO
FINGERPRINT CANDIDATES FOR
LICENSURE. AND LAST YEAR WE
ADOPTED A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN. I
WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY TODAY AND
WE WOULD LIKE TO TURN THIS BACK
OVER TO THE CHAIRS AND WE ARE
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS
YOU MIGHT HAVE. YOU WANNA ADD
ANYTHING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS?
JUST HERE FOR TECHNICAL
QUESTIONS. ALL RIGHT. WELL THANK
YOU VERY MUCH. IF YOU COME FROM
A LOCAL GOVERNMENT LIKE ME, THEN
YOU ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOUR
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS. THEY HELP
YOU BUILD ALL THOSE BEAUTIFUL
PARKS. SACRAMENTO IS FULL OF
THEM. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I'M GONNA TURN TO THE MEMBERS.
NOW YOU GUYS QUESTIONS FOR THE
CALIFORNIA ARCHITECTS BOARD OR
THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE NÓ. THANK
YOU VERY MUCH. I JUST HAD A
FOLLOW UP QUESTION SIMILAR TO
THE ONE I ASKED THE PREVIOUS
PRESENTERS, BUT I AM REALLY
CURIOUS ABOUT THE ONLY PATHWAY.
I JUST WANTED YOU TO ELABORATE A
LITTLE BIT MORE ON THAT COMING
FROM L A COUNTY WE HAVE SOME
AMAZING, UM MASTER GARDENERS
LANDSCAPE, I WOULD CALL THEM
ARCHITECTS, BUT BECAUSE OF
LANGUAGE AND OTHER BARRIERS,
THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE ACCESS TO
THE ACTUAL ACCREDITATION. SO I'M
CURIOUS. WHAT IS THIS EXPERIENCE
ONLY PATHWAY AND HOW DOES IT
WORK? THE EXPERIENCE ONLY
PATHWAY ALLOWS AN INDIVIDUAL
THAT IS PRACTICING UNDER A
LICENSED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND
PRACTICING IN THE LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURAL REALM TO USE THOSE
YEARS AS EXPERIENCE SINCE
THEY'RE GETTING TUTORED, SO TO
SPEAK, UM BY SOMEONE THAT IS
LICENSED, UM AND WE DO HAVE AS
YOU SAID THOSE DISTINCTIONS
BETWEEN WHAT A LICENSED
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT IS ABLE TO
DO IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
AND WHAT A LANDSCAPE DESIGNER IS
ABLE TO DO WITHIN THE STATE. UM
SO THERE IS SOME DIFFERENTIATION
IN THAT, BUT I HOPE THAT ANSWERS
YOUR QUESTION. IT DOES, AND I
GUESS AND THAT'S BRINGS ME TO
THE QUESTION ABOUT HOW DO WE
BRING MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES
INTO PROFESSIONAL? HIGHER PAYING
WAGE? MY INTEREST IS ALWAYS WHAT
ARE THE PATHWAYS OUT OF LOW WAGE
, UNREGULATED JOBS THAT
PERPETUATE POVERTY AND THE STEPS
TO ACTUALLY GET CERTIFIED AND
INTO A CAREER. AM CURIOUS IN
THAT EXAMPLE OF A LANDSCAPE
DESIGNER WHO MAY BE SPANISH
SPEAKING, UM, WHO MAY BE
IMMIGRANT STATUS. WHAT ARE THE
WAYS THAT YOU ALL ARE
ENVISIONING? HOW WOULD WE BRING
FOLKS FROM THAT SKILL AND LIVED
EXPERIENCE INTO THE CREATION AND
PROFESSIONAL REALM? AND ARE YOU
THINKING ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT?
YES I'LL SPEAK A BIT IF THAT'S
OK. WE'RE DEFINITELY THINKING
ABOUT IT. UM FIRST OF ALL, I'LL
I'LL SAY THAT THE SENATE RULES
COMMITTEE AND THE ASSEMBLY
SPEAKER AND THE GOVERNOR HAVE
DONE A WONDERFUL JOB OF
ELEVATING, UM DIFFERENT KINDS OF
VOICES ON OUR BOARD. SO I THINK
OUR BOARD MAKE UP AT THE TOP IS
A BEAUTIFUL REFLECTION OF THE
POPULATION OF THE STATE, WHICH
IS A GOOD STARTING POINT. UM,
WE'RE ALSO AS A BOARD ELEVATING
THE VOICES OF ARCHITECTURE AND
WHAT IT TAKES TO BECOME OUR
ARCHITECT. WE'RE SHOWING UP AT
SCHOOLS. BOTH UNIVERSITIES, UM,
PROFESSIONAL FULL YEAR COLLEGES,
BUT WE'RE ALSO GOING TO
COMMUNITY COLLEGES. UM AND
ELEVATING THE VOICES. UM, I'VE
BEEN SPENDING TIME AT OUR BOARD
MEETINGS, ELEVATING VOICES OF
THE POPULATION OF CALIFORNIA. SO
FIRST OF ALL AS A GÂY, MAN, UM
TO ADOPTED CHILDREN. I'M
ELEVATING OUR VOICE. UM WE'RE
ELEVATING NOMA, THE NATIONAL
ORGANIZATION OF MY MINORITY
ARCHITECTS. UM AND WE'RE ALSO,
UM, ELEVATING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
DISCUSSIONS AND HOW ARCHITECTS
CAN, UM, UH COMMUNICATE AND
ENGAGE WITH UNDERSERVED
COMMUNITIES. UM WE'RE ALSO
REDUCING BARRIERS. SO WE'RE IN
THE TRENCHES. WE'RE LOWERING
INITIAL AND KEEPING OUR INITIAL
REGISTRATION FEES LOW FOR
INITIAL APPLICATIONS. UM, WHICH
IS, YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF
INCREASING BARRIERS, WE'RE
KEEPING THEM THE SAME AND WE'RE
STUDYING LIKE LOWERING THEM. UM
WE'RE COUNTING COMMUNITY COLLEGE
YEARS EQUAL IN EXPERIENCE TO
MORE EXPENSIVE FULL YEAR FOR
FOUR AND FIVE YEAR PROFESSIONAL
DEGREE EDUCATION, SO THAT'S A
SMALL SNIPPET OF THE WORK, AND
IT'S DEFINITELY FOREFRONT AND AT
THE CENTER OF THE WORK THAT
WE'RE DOING. AND I'LL SPEAK TO
THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURAL
REALM VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT
CHARLES HAS SAID, UM IN ADDITION
, WE HAVE THE NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF MINORITY
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS NALA, UM,
AS THEY ARE CALLED, UM, AND THAT
IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT WORKS
CLOSELY WITH THE A S¼ L, A THE
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTS. UM IN ADDITION WE
HAVE IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
I'M PROUD TO SAY WE HAVE A
UNIVERSITY UNDER THE U èC L, A
EXTENSION PROGRAM THERE. IS A
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURAL
CERTIFICATION PROGRAM THAT THE L
A Tð èC DOES RECOGNIZE AND THAT
IS ESSENTIALLY FOR PEOPLE THAT
NEED TO WORK WHILE THEY'RE
OBTAINING THEIR DEGREE, SO I
THINK THAT COULD SPEAK DIRECTLY
TO YOUR QUESTION, AND WE DO HAVE
LANDSCAPE CONTRACTORS AND, UM,
LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS THAT ENTER
INTO THAT PROGRAM, AND IT'S A
GREAT WAY FOR THEM TO RECEIVE A
DEGREE AND THEN GO ON TO THEIR
LICENSE. SHOULD THEY WISH TO
SEEK THAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH,
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING
WITH YOU ON THAT WE HAVE A
NUMBER TWO VERY ACTIVE AND
UTILIZE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
PROGRAMS. THAT'S EXCITING IN OUR
L, A TRADE TECH DOES WORK WITH
DAY LABORERS, FOR EXAMPLE, AND
I'VE BEEN IN CERTAIN, UM, I'VE
BEEN IN A CERTAIN EVENTS WITH L,
A TRADE TECH, SO I KNOW A FEW OF
THE PEOPLE AS WE'VE BEEN DOING
SOME CHARTS AROUND TOWN AND
STUFF, SO YES, ABSOLUTELY. I
WOULD LOVE TO SPEAK TO YOU MORE
ABOUT THAT. THAT'S GREAT. WE'RE
GOING TO GO TO ASSEMBLY MEMBER
JACKSON AND THEN SENATOR ROSS.
OK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MADAM
CHAIR. CAN YOU TELL ME MORE A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR RATE OF
APPLICATIONS? ARE YOU SEEING A
RISE? A DECREASE? I MEAN, ARE
THERE ANY TRENDS THAT YOU'RE
SEEING. UM, IT REMAINS. SORRY
LAURA IS GOING TO GET THE
EXECUTIVE OFFICER FOR THE BOARD
AND FOR THE L A Tð èC. UM, THE
IT'S IN BOTH PROGRAMS. IT'S
PRETTY CONSISTENT. IT GOES UP A
LITTLE BIT EACH YEAR, BUT I
WOULDN'T SAY WE HAVEN'T SEEN A
DECREASE OR A SIGNIFICANT
INCREASE. SO IT'S PRETTY STEADY.
AND SO WORK. THERE'S NÓ
WORKFORCE ISSUES IN THE FIELD.
UM, WE HAVEN'T IDENTIFIED ANY AT
THE BOARD LEVEL. OK, THANK YOU.
THING MADAM CHAIR. I'D LIKE TO
TALK JUST BRIEFLY ABOUT INTERIOR
DESIGNERS AND THE CERTIFIED
INTERIOR DESIGNER IN THE
CERTIFIED INTERIOR DESIGNER WITH
COMMERCIAL DESIGNATION. I'VE
READ THE BACKGROUND PAPER, OF
COURSE AND NOTED THAT THERE
APPARENTLY ARE ISSUES WHERE
CERTIFIED INTERIOR DESIGNERS OR
THOSE WITH COMMERCIAL
DESIGNATION ARE HAVING
DIFFICULTY OBTAINING ACCEPTANCE
OF THE STAMP THAT THEY RECEIVE
WHEN THEY'RE CERTIFIED WHEN THEY
SUBMIT PLANS TO BUILDING
OFFICIALS AND THE BACKGROUND
NOTES THAT EXISTING LAW ONLY
PROVIDES LOCAL BUILDING
DEPARTMENTS THE OPTION TO
RECOGNIZE THE èC I STAMP AT THE
DEPARTMENT'S BUILDING OFFICERS
DISCRETION. I WONDER IF YOU
COULD COMMENT ON THAT. AND IF
YOU SEE THAT AS AN ISSUE AND
WHAT DO YOU THINK WE CAN DO
ABOUT IT? I HAVE A SUGGESTION,
BUT I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU
FIRST. ANSWER THAT. DO YOU WANT
TO SAY ANYTHING? ANY TAKERS
SHOULD ANSWER. UM WE'RE
DEFINITELY AWARE OF THE ISSUES
OF ACCEPTANCE OF PLANS AT THE
LOCAL LEVEL. UM, WE'VE HAD LOTS
OF DISCUSSIONS WITH INTERIOR
DESIGNERS ABOUT THAT AND HAVE
SOME SYMPATHY AS OUR LICENSEES,
PARTICULARLY LANDSCAPE.
ARCHITECTS CAN HAVE A SIMILAR
PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE
LICENSED AT THE STATE LEVEL. UM
THE BOARD IS HAPPY TO WORK WITH
THE LEGISLATURE ON THIS ISSUE,
IF YOU WANT IF THERE IS AN
INTEREST IN PURSUING LICENSURE
OR ANY, YOU KNOW, COMBINATION OR
ADDITIONAL REGULATION AND
PLACING AT THE BOARD, WE'RE
HAPPY TO HELP IN ANY WAY WE CAN,
UM BUT I THINK THERE ARE
CERTAINLY SOME ISSUES THAT NEED
TO BE WORKED ON FURTHER. I THINK
ONE OF OUR CONCERNS IS
REGULATING ONE PORTION OF THE
IN, UH, INTERIOR DESIGN FIELD
OVER OTHERS, THERE'S A CONCERN
THAT IT COULD CREATE CONFUSION
FOR CONSUMERS AND FURTHER
COMPLICATE THE ISSUES WITH
BUILDING AND SAFETY DEPARTMENTS.
BUT DON'T WE DO THAT, ANYWAY? IN
THIS BUILDING AND PROFESSIONS
CODE SECTION 50,800 THAT TALKS
ABOUT THE SCOPE OF PRACTICE FOR
THE CERTIFIED INTERIOR DESIGNERS
AND THE CERTIFIED INTERIOR
DESIGNERS WITH COMMERCIAL I MEAN
IT. IT SPECIFICALLY DEFINES
THOSE PEOPLE WHO PREPARE AND
SUBMIT NONSTRUCTURAL OR NON
SEISMIC PLANS, ET CETERA, ET
CETERA. YOU'RE MORE FAMILIAR
WITH IT, AND I'M SURE THAT I AM
SO YOU HAVE SPECIFICALLY CARVED
OUT A TYPE OF WORK THAT FALLS
WITHIN THE CERTIFIED COMMERCIAL
INTERIOR DESIGN. CORRECT YEAH,
I'M GONNA LET OUR EXECUTIVE
OFFICER OFFICERS SPEAK TO THE
HISTORY OF THAT PIECE OF
LEGISLATION. IT'S OUTSIDE THE CO
THE ARCHITECT'S PRACTICE ACT,
AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT THE
WERE DEALS WITH, UM SO YEAH, I'M
ACTUALLY NOT THAT FAMILIAR WITH
HOW THE DETERMINATION WAS MADE.
BUT I WOULD SAY, UM WHERE WE
THINK THERE COULD BE CONFUSION
IN THE PROPOSAL THAT WE'VE SEEN
IS THAT IT RETAINS THE
COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGN
CERTIFICATION AND THEN CREATE A
LICENSE OR REGISTRATION FOR
COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGNERS,
WHICH WHICH PROPOSAL I'M TALKING
ABOUT THE CODE. OK THIS IS IN
THE CODE. YES, THERE IS A
DESIGNATION BETWEEN COMMERCIAL
AND RESIDENTIAL. SO THAT ISN'T
THE ISSUE WHERE WE SEE
CONFUSION. IT'S SMALL CHANGES
NOT TO BELABOR THIS WHERE I'M
GOING, AND IT WOULD REALLY APPLY
TO LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS AS WELL,
WHO ARE LICENSED. I'M SURE YOU
HAVE A SIMILAR SECTION THAT
DEFINES YOUR SCOPE OF PRACTICE.
SO MY QUESTION IS, AND I
LISTENED TO THIS CONVERSATION
ABOUT STAMPS AND WHO ACCEPTS
THEM. AND WHO DOESN'T AND WHEN
THE CODE DEFINES THE SCOPE OF
PRACTICE, I GUESS MY QUESTION
IS. WHY SHOULDN'T WE PUT IN THE
LAW THAT THE LOCAL BUILDING
OFFICIALS SHALL ACCEPT A STAMP?
WHEN THE CERTIFIED OR LICENSED
INDIVIDUAL IS PRACTICING WITHIN
THE SCOPE. OUTLINED IN THE
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.
WOULDN'T THAT ADDRESS THE ISSUE?
YES YES, WE DON'T HAVE A CONCERN
WITH THAT. OK, THAT'S IT, MADAM
CHAIR. GREAT. ANYONE ELSE
COLLEAGUES. THE OTHER QUESTIONS.
MAYBE ONE QUICK QUESTION. UM CAN
YOU SPEAK? IT SEEMS LIKE THE
RATE OF RESERVES IS DROPPING. UM
AND IT'S PROJECTED TO BE ABOUT
2.5 MONTHS IN 2024. 2025 CAN YOU
JUST SPEAK TO THAT ISSUE? UH, A
LITTLE BIT. WHETHER OR NOT YOU
HAVE CONCERNS AND THOUGHTS ON
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT. YEAH FOR
THE BOARD. UM, THE BOARD DID
IMPLEMENT A REGULATORY FEE
INCREASE LAST JULY FOR THE
INITIAL AND RENEWAL APPLICATIONS
, SO THAT WILL HELP SOMEWHAT, UM
WE DID HAVE THE DEPARTMENT'S
BUDGET OFFICE PERFORM A FEE
STUDY FOR US SINCE WE'RE GOING
THROUGH SUNSET REVIEW. IT SEEMED
LIKE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY SO WE
CAN PRESENT THE RESULTS TO THE
COMMITTEE AND TO STAFF. UM WE
THINK THAT WE WILL BE OK FOR A
FEW YEARS, BUT TOWARDS THE END
OF THE DECADE, WE MIGHT BE IN
NEED OF A FEE INCREASE. SO WE DO
HAVE A PROPOSAL FOR A STATUTORY
INCREASE SO WE COULD ADOPT
REGULATIONS AT THAT TIME. WE DO
TRY TO BE CONSERVATIVE IN OUR
SPENDING, BUT DEFINITELY OUR I
Tð COSTS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.
SWITCHING TO THE NEW SYSTEM HAS
HAD AN IMPACT ON OUR RESERVE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OK, ONE
MORE FIRM, SENATOR SMALLWOOD
QUI. I'M SORRY. I HAVE ONE MORE
QUESTION BECAUSE I THINK WE
TALKED ABOUT THE FINGERPRINTING
QUESTION AND I. I JUST WANTED TO
CLARIFY, UM, THE LICENSING
PROCESS FOR FORMALLY
INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS. UM WE
WERE TRYING TO GET SOME SENSE OF
DATA FROM THAT, AND I WASN'T
SURE. IS THERE AN ISSUE
COLLECTING SOME OF THE DATA? IN
TERMS OF BARRIERS, PARTICULARLY
FOR THIS POPULATION. UM, IF YOU
COULD JUST SAY WHAT THE
PROCESSES FOR FORMAL
INCARCERATED PEOPLE. AND HOW ARE
YOU ABLE TO TRACK THAT THAT
DATA? UM OFFHAND, I'M NOT AWARE
THAT WE HAVE ANY PROBLEMS. WE UM
FOR BOTH PROGRAMS THAT WE DO
FINGERPRINT NEW APPLICANTS. UM
I'M THINKING IN THE TIME SINCE
THE LAST YEAR SINCE WE EXCUSE ME
IMPLEMENTED THE REQUIREMENT. I
THINK MAYBE WE'VE HAD ONE
CONVICTION RETURN THAT REQUIRED
SOME ADDITIONAL REVIEW, SO I
HAVEN'T WE HAVEN'T SEEN IT AS A
BARRIER TO THIS POINT, BUT WOULD
BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE SOME
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON
EXACTLY WHAT WE'VE GOTTEN BACK.
PARTICULARLY FOR WOMEN. UM WE
WERE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND MORE
WHAT SOME OF THE BARRIERS MIGHT
BE AND, IF FORMALLY INCARCERATED
, WOMEN, IN PARTICULAR, ARE
HAVING A TOUGHER TIME BEING ABLE
TO ACCESS THE LICENSING PROCESS.
OK I JUST HAVE ONE QUICK FOLLOW
UP QUESTION TO CHAIRMAN BURMAN'S
QUESTION, WHICH IS I. I JUST
WANT TO KNOW HOW YOU ALL FEEL
ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT UH FUNDS.
COULD BENEFIT BOTH AGENCIES WITH
A MERGING THE ARCHITECT BOARD
WITH THE L A Tð èC UNDER ONE
REGULATORY BODY, MEANING WHICH
SHARED RESOURCES, INCLUDING
PERSONNEL AND OTHER POTENTIAL
BENEFITS. UM MAKE THAT A CLEAR
OPERATIONAL CHOICE. SURE UM, I
DEFINITELY THINK THERE ARE
POTENTIAL FOR SAVINGS. IF WE DID
COMBINED A LITTLE BIT. WE RUN
BOTH PROGRAMS THE WAY THEY'RE
STRUCTURED. THEY ARE SEPARATE.
UM I SERVE AS THE EXECUTIVE FOR
BOTH PROGRAMS, BUT THEY'RE
INDEPENDENT STAFF FOR BOTH
PROGRAMS, SEPARATE MEETINGS SO
WE COULD DEFINITELY SEE IF THERE
ARE SOME EFFICIENCIES EITHER TO
DO. UM, YOU KNOW AN INFORMAL
BASIS OR IF THERE ARE CHANGES,
BUT L A Tð èC HAS BEEN HAVING
CONVERSATIONS. UM, THE BOARD
HASN'T REALLY HAD THAT
CONVERSATION WITH L A Tð èC YET
SO WE'LL PURSUE THAT, YOU KNOW,
NÓ TIME LIKE THE PRESENT. IT'S A
GOOD OPPORTUNITY. ALL RIGHT.
JUST AS A GOOD IDEA TO LOOK AT
OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES. IT'S
IT STARTED ON THE PLANE HERE.
PERFECT ALL RIGHT. GREAT ALL
RIGHT. I'LL TAKE YOU OFF THE HOT
SEAT THEN. ALL RIGHT, LET'S SEE.
HAVING HEARD FROM ALL MY
COLLEAGUES THAT WE'RE GOING TO
TURN TO THE PUBLIC, AND, UH, SEE
IF THERE ARE MEMBERS OF THE
PUBLIC WHO'D LIKE TO COMMENT AS
TO THE CALIFORNIA BOARD OF
ARCHITECTS AND OR LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTS TECHNICAL COMMITTEE.
WELCOME. THANK YOU. CHAIRS AND
MEMBERS JASON ECKERT ON BEHALF
OF THE CALIFORNIA COUNCIL OF THE
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTS. UM WE REPRESENT THE
3700 LICENSED LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTS IN THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA AND WE'RE VERY
SUPPORTIVE OF THE SUN SEX
EXTENSION OF BOTH CAB. AND L A
Tð èC. UM OUR LICENSURE IS
REALLY IMPORTANT. I APOLOGIZE.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS, LEENER IS
VERY IMPORTANT. WE EXIST AT THE
FOREFRONT OF A LOT OF IMPORTANT
ISSUES. WILDFIRE MITIGATION.
ACCESS TO OPEN SPACE, UM,
MITIGATION OF EXCESSIVE HEAT,
ETCETERA. AND SO IT'S REALLY
IMPORTANT THAT THERE'S A
RIGOROUS PROCESS TO MAKE SURE
THAT THE PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE
ACTUALLY WORKING ON THESE ISSUES
ARE READY TO DO SO. SO WE'RE
VERY SUPPORTIVE OF SUNSET
EXTENSION EXTENSION. WANT TO
TALK ABOUT TWO ISSUES THAT CAME
UP TODAY? FIRST WITH FIRST WITH
RESPECT TO THE QUESTION RAISED
BY SENATOR ROTH, YOU KNOW
BRIEFLY ON THE ON THE ON THE
PROSPECT OF LICENSING INTERIOR
DESIGNERS, UM, YOU KNOW, DON'T
HAVE A TON OF, UM SPECIFIC
THOUGHTS ON THE MERITS OF THAT,
BUT DO WANT TO SPEAK TO THE FACT
THAT YOU KNOW YOUR STAFF HAVE
RAISED REALLY GOOD QUESTIONS
ABOUT THIS ON PAGE 18. AND WE
THINK THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF
GOOD QUESTIONS TO IT. AND WE
FRANKLY THINK THAT THAT ACTUALLY
MIGHT BE AN ISSUE MORE
APPROPRIATE RESPECTFULLY FOR A
STAND-ALONE BILL CONSIDERING
THAT ISSUE RATHER THAN A SUNSET
EXTENSION REVIEW THAT'S SUPPOSED
TO BE ABOUT YOU KNOW THE CURRENT
PERFORMANCE OF THE BOARDS AND
THEIR MAKEUP AND THEIR THEIR
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT,
SO WE THINK THAT THIS JUST MAY
BE MORE APPROPRIATE AS A
SEPARATE ISSUE. UM LASTLY, ON
THE QUESTION OF THE MERGER, THE
CHAIR ASHBY JUST RAISED, UM LIKE
YOU JUST HEARD STUDYING. THIS IS
A PART OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN OF
THE LÀ Tð èC GOING FORWARD.
WE'RE NOT FUNDAMENTALLY OPPOSED
TO THE NOTION OF A MERGER AS
CCAS L, HOWEVER, UM THERE'S A
REAL NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE
ECONOMIC AND CONSUMER PROTECTION
IMPACT OF DOING SO. I DON'T
THINK THAT WE HAVE AN ANALYSIS
IN HAND YET THAT DOES THAT UNTIL
WE DO WE THINK THAT THAT
CONVERSATION MAY BE A LITTLE BIT
PREMATURE AGAIN. NOT THAT WE ARE
NECESSARILY OPPOSED TO DOING IT,
BUT THAT THERE'S A LOT OF OPEN
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION
OF WHAT THAT BOARD WOULD LOOK.
LIKE HOW IT OPERATES AND AGAIN
THE CONSUMER PROTECTION AND
ECONOMIC IMPACT. SO AGAIN,
APOLOGIES FOR MY LONGER COMMENTS
APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE
HERE TODAY. VERY SUPPORTIVE OF
SUNSET ACCENTURE FOR THESE TWO
ORGANIZATIONS, THANKS. THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENTS ANY
OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO
WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK BESIDE HIM?
WELCOME. HØI MY NAME. OH, THAT'S
WHAT HØI. UM I'M ELLEN BINGHAM.
I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE
INTERNATIONAL INTERIOR DESIGN
ASSOCIATION. WE REPRESENT
COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGNERS
ABOUT 1500 MEMBERS ACROSS THE
STATE FIRST JUST REALLY WANT TO
THANK STAFF FOR MEETING WITH US
ON OUR ISSUE. ISSUE NUMBER TWO
AND FOR THE EXCELLENT BACKGROUND
ON COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGN
PROFESSION, WE LOOK FORWARD TO
WORKING WITH èC A, UM,
STAKEHOLDERS, UH, ON EXPLORING,
MAYBE CAPS POTENTIAL ROLE IN
HELPING TO ELEVATE DESIGN
PROFESSIONALS LIKE OURSELVES TO
BEST SERVE THE PUBLIC. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU. HØI I'M MELISSA
PACEY AND I AM THE INCOMING
PRESIDENT OF II, A WHICH ELLEN
JUST MENTIONED. AND LIKE ELLEN,
I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR
YOUR TIME AND INTEREST IN THE
ISSUES THAT LIKE VERY WELL
OUTLINED IN THE BACKGROUND THE
INTERIOR DESIGNERS ARE FACING IN
CALIFORNIA. WE ARE REALLY
EXCITED TO COLLABORATE WITH YOU
ALL AND WITH CAB TO BRING SOME
CONSISTENCY TO OUR PRACTITIONERS
, OUR CLIENTS AND OUR, UM,
BUILDING OFFICIALS, SO THANK
YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK
YOU, MADAM CHAIR, MR CHAIR
MEMBERS. I'M KARINA MILLS, FIRST
VICE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT ELECT
FOR THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF
ARCHITECTS, CALIFORNIA CHAPTER
WE REPRESENT OVER 11,000
ARCHITECTS AND DESIGN
PROFESSIONALS IN CALIFORNIA. WE
DO SUPPORT THE SUNSET EXTENSION
FOR THE ARCHITECT BOARD. UM, AND
THANK YOU TO PRESIDENT WARD AND
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ZUNI ZUNIGA
FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. UH, WE
BELIEVE IT'S A MODEL BOARD THAT
FUNCTIONS WELL, AND WE CELEBRATE
THEIR DIVERSITY. I WOULD LIKE TO
SPEAK TODAY TO ITEMS TWO AND 12
ITEM NUMBER 12, THE ARCHITECT
AND TRAINING PROPOSAL FOR THE
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS
, CALIFORNIA PROPOSES A CHANGE
TO THE ARCHITECT PRACTICE ACT.
CURRENT TERMINOLOGY. CANDIDATES
FOR THOSE ELIGIBLE FOR THE A RE
TO INCLUDE VOLUNTARY USE OF THE
TITLE ARCHITECT AND TRAINING. BY
FORMALLY RECOGNIZING THOSE
COMMITTED TO BECOMING A
CALIFORNIA LICENSED ARCHITECT.
WE BELIEVE THIS CHANGE WILL
DISTINGUISH THOSE ELIGIBLE TO
ELIGIBLE TO TEST WHICH IS A
SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE. WE
BELIEVE THAT RECOGNITION OF THIS
EFFORT WILL HELP ENCOURAGE THOSE
ON THE PATH TO LICENSURE TO STAY
ON THAT PATH, THEREBY INCREASING
LICENSURE AS WELL AS SUPPORTING
OUR ONGOING EFFORTS TO INCREASE
DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
IN OUR INDUSTRY. ADDITIONALLY
THE CHANGE MAY ADVANCE THE
PUBLIC'S UNDERSTANDING AND
AWARENESS OF ARCHITECTS
PROFESSION BY APPROPRIATELY
ACKNOWLEDGING THE ABILITIES OF
LICENSURE AND NON LICENSES,
TRACK PROFESSIONALS AND
APPROPRIATELY ALIGNING THEIR IN
THESE INDIVIDUALS WITH THEIR
ESTEEMED CAREER PATH. COLLEAGUES
INCLUDING, UM ENGINEERING, LAND
SURVEYING AND GEOLOGISTS WHO DO
HAVE IT IN TRAINING DESIGNATION.
THE COMMITTEE REPORT
ACKNOWLEDGES THAT WE HAVE RUN
THIS ONCE BEFORE IN 2016, AND
SINCE THAT TIME, WE HAVE MADE A
FEW ADJUSTMENTS TO THE PROPOSAL
THAT WE WILL BELIEVE WELL, THE
ART WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR THE
ARCHITECT SPORT TO IMPLEMENT. ON
ITEM NUMBER TWO PERTAINING TO
INTERIOR DESIGN INDUSTRY. WE
HAVE A FEW JUST HIGH LEVEL
COMMENTS. UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST
, AND I NEED YOU TO BE REALLY
SUCCINCT. SURE UM, JUST FIRST
AND FOREMOST, WE, UM SUPPORT THE
THRIVING INDUSTRY OF OUR
COLLEAGUES. UH, WE BELIEVE THAT
THE PROPOSED CHANGES NEED TO
HAVE A FULL COLLABORATION. UH AN
AGREEMENT BEFORE MOVING FORWARD.
WE'RE OPEN TO THE EVALUATION OF
WHAT THE BEST GOVERNANCE AND
OVERSIGHT MODEL LOOKS LIKE. AND
WE HAVE JUST CONCERNS ABOUT THE
INTERIOR DESIGN DESIGNATION AS
IT AS WAS MENTIONED, POTENTIALLY
CONFUSING TO THE CONSUMER. THE
TITLE HAS BEEN DEFINED WITH THE
PRACTICE OF SCOPE HAS NOT UM,
AND WE'RE CONCERNED THAT THE TWO
SEPARATE TITLES AND TWO SEPARATE
OVERSIGHT ENTITIES COULD CREATE
CONFUSION AND THERE'S NÓ SUCH
DISTINCTION EXISTS IN
ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE,
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, AND SO,
SO, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR
YOUR COMMENTS. ALL RIGHT. THOSE
OF YOU LINED UP TO SPEAK. WE'RE
GOING TO ASK YOU TO BE A
SUCCINCT AS POSSIBLE, AND, UH,
NÓ NEED TO REPEAT THE THINGS
THAT HAVE BEEN STATED BEFORE YOU
GO RIGHT AHEAD. GOOD MORNING.
I'M KATHERINE HAMPTON. AND I'M A
CERTIFIED INTERIOR DESIGNER WITH
A COMMERCIAL DESIGNATION. I AM
ALSO A CI BOARD MEMBER AND I
HAVE TAKEN AND PASSED THE N èC
I Dð Q EXAM. DURING MY 37 YEAR
CAREER. I'VE ALSO BEEN A
REGISTERED INTERIOR DESIGNER IN
THE STATE OF TEXAS AND A
LICENSED INTERIOR DESIGNER IN
THE STATE OF LOUISIANA. MY HOME
STATE. THERE IS NÓ DIFFERENCE IN
THE ABILITY TO PRACTICE THE
SCOPE OF WORK AS A CERTIFIED
INTERIOR DESIGNER WITH THE
COMMERCIAL DESIGNATION IN
CALIFORNIA THAN A REGISTERED
INTERIOR DESIGNER IN TEXAS OR
LICENSED INTERIOR DESIGNER IN
LOUISIANA. IN MARCH OF 2020. I
AM A SMALL UH, MA'AM, WE HAVE
WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE AND WAY TOO
MANY TOPICS IN MARCH OF 22
PUNCHLINE. UM LET ME JUST READ.
IT'S VERY QUICK. OK UH, IN MARCH
OF 2020. I WAS DOING A LAW FIRM
IN SAN FRANCISCO. EVERYTHING
STOPPED. ALL MY PROJECTS STOPPED
IF I DID NOT HAVE EXPERIENCE IN
A VARIETY OF PROJECT TYPES SUCH
AS RESIDENTIAL, I WOULD BE OUT
OF BUSINESS. CERTIFIED
COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGNERS
ALREADY HAVE PERMITTING
PRIVILEGES. I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY
PULLED PERMITS IN LOS ANGELES,
ORANGE COUNTY AND LONG BEACH.
THERE IS NÓ GUARANTEE THAT
ANYONE'S PLANS WILL BE APPROVED.
THE APPROVAL OF PLANS IS SUBJECT
TO THE INDIVIDUAL BUILDING
OFFICIALS. THIS PROPOSAL TO
SEPARATE INTERIOR DESIGNERS INTO
RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL MAKES
NÓ SENSE. HOW DO YOU DEFINE
RESIDENTIAL VERSUS COMMERCIAL?
ALL RIGHT. WE'LL TAKE YOUR YOUR
POINTS. APPRECIATE VERY MUCH.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO
COME AND TESTIFY. ALL RIGHT.
WELCOME GOOD MORNING. UH I'M
LINDA PANATTONI. I'M AN INTERIM
DIRECTOR FOR THE CALIFORNIA
LEGISLATIVE COALITION FOR
INTERIOR DESIGN. I SUPPORT THE
SUNSET REVIEW FOR THE ARCHITECTS
, BUT I DO NOT SUPPORT ARTICLE
TWO. ANY PROVISIONS IN THE
INTERIOR DESIGN CERTIFICATION
OTHER THAN WHAT IS PROVIDED BY
CCI èC. GREAT, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH. WELCOME HELLO, ROSE. WE BE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR èC Dð
èC. WE HAVE A PROGRAM THAT THAT
WORKS AND THAT AS LONG AS WE
WORK TOGETHER, IT WILL CONTINUE
TO WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
GOOD MORNING, PATRICIA JOHNSON.
I'M ALSO UH I'M A PUB PUBLIC
BOARD MEMBER OF èC. I Dð èC.
MY BACKGROUND IS IN PLAN, REVIEW
OF FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY FIRE
MARSHAL AT UC DAVIS FOR MANY
YEARS, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT
I ALSO OPPOSE THIS MOTION. I
THINK EVERYTHING'S WORKING VERY
WELL UNDER èC èC. I Dð èC AND
I WOULD LIKE TO NOT SEE IT
CHANGED. THANK YOU. THANKS FOR
COMING TODAY. WELCOME. HØI. MY
NAME IS CAROLINE VEERMAN. I'M AN
INDEPENDENT DESIGNER IN
CALIFORNIA. I'M HERE TO SUPPORT
THE ARCHITECTURAL SUNSET REVIEW.
I'M HERE TO OPPOSE THE AMENDMENT
OF THE CAL. THE COMMERCIAL
INTERIOR DESIGN LICENSE BECAUSE
THERE IS NOT A PUBLIC DEMAND FOR
A CHANGE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU
FOR YOUR COMMENTS. HØI. MY NAME
IS JAY HYDE. UH, I'M A LICENSED
ARCHITECT AND ALSO A CALIFORNIA
CERTIFIED INTERIOR DESIGNER
COMMERCIAL STATUS. I ALSO AM
WORKING WITH FABO, THE
SACRAMENTO VALLEY ASSOCIATION OF
BUILDING OFFICIALS AND CAL, THE
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF
BUILDING OFFICIALS. SO CODE IS
MY EXPERTISE, AND BASICALLY, I'M
HERE TO SUPPORT BOTH THE
ARCHITECTS LICENSE RENEWAL ACT
AND ALSO TO SPEAK AGAINST
UNFOLDING THE INTERIOR DESIGNERS
INTO THE INTO THE ARCHITECTS
ACT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR
YOUR COMMENTS. GOOD MORNING,
STEVE JONES. UH, PRACTICING
CERTIFIED INTERIOR DESIGNER IN
SACRAMENTO FOR 36 YEARS AND
SUBMITTING PLANS THAT YOU GET
SUBMITTED FOR A PERMIT, AND I'M
LIKE THE PREVIOUS SPEAKERS. I'M
HERE TO SUPPORT èC èC. I Dð
èC. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
THANKS FOR COMING DOWN TODAY.
HØI ANDREW MENDOZA ON BEHALF OF
THE CALIFORNIA BUILDING
OFFICIALS AND I JUST WANTED TO
PROVIDE THAT WE'RE A RESOURCE
AND THAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD
TO COLLABORATING WITH ALL
INVOLVED. NÓ SPECIFIC COMMENTS
ON ANY OF THE PROPOSALS RIGHT
NOW. GREAT THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND THANK YOU FOR BEING THANK
YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE AND
THANKS FOR BEARING WITH US ON
HELPING US STAY ON TRACK AND ON
TIME. I APPRECIATE IT. WE ALL
WANT TO HEAR FROM ALL OF YOU AS
BEST WE CAN. ALL RIGHT. I WANT
TO THANK THE PANEL AND JUST
LOOK, IT LOOKS LIKE THE
COMMITTEE IS GOOD. SO WE ARE
GONNA KEEP MOVING. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY. WE'RE
GOING TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT
TOPIC WE'RE GONNA NOW HEAR FROM,
UH, KIMBERLY KIRK MEYER, WHO IS
THE DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT
OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS. GINA
SANCHEZ, BUREAU CHIEF. AND AS WE
BEGIN OUR DISCUSSION OF THE
CEMETERY AND FUNERAL BUREAU
WELCOME, LADIES. GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GOOD
MORNING. ALL RIGHT, HELP US.
KEEP IT GOING. WELL, WE GOT SOME
EXCITING THINGS TO TALK ABOUT.
GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU FOR
HAVING US HERE TODAY. UM GOOD
MORNING TO ASHBY, UH, CHAIR
BERMAN AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS. I
WOULD LIKE TO FIRST THANK YOU
FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE
TO DISCUSS THE CEMETERY AND
FUNERAL BUREAU. I WOULD ALSO
LIKE TO THANK YOUR STAFF FOR
THEIR DILIGENT WORK ON THE WELL
WRITTEN BACKGROUND PAPER
MATERIALS THAT THEY'VE PREPARED
FOR US HERE TODAY AND FOR THE
HEARING. THE BUREAU REGULATES
NEARLY EVERY ASPECT OF THE
CEMETERY AND FUNERAL INDUSTRIES,
THE BUREAU LICENSES AND LICENSES
AND REGULATES 14 DIFFERENT
LICENSING CATEGORIES IN FUNERAL
ESTABLISHMENTS, FUNERAL
DIRECTORS, EMBALMERS, APPRENTICE
AND BOMBERS, CEMETERY BROKERS
AND BRANCHES. CEMETERY
SALESPERSONS CREMATED REMAINS
DISPOSES CREMATORIES CREMATORY
MANAGERS, HYDROLYSIS FACILITIES,
CEMETERY MANAGERS AND PRIVATE
NON-RELIGIOUS CEMETERIES THAT
COLLECT ENDOWMENT CARE FUNDS. IN
ADDITION TO THE OVER SITE OF THE
OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES WITHIN
THE DEATH CARE INDUSTRY. THE
BUREAU ALSO HAS FIDUCIARY
RESPONSIBILITY OF OVER THREE
BILLION DOLLARS IN CONSUMER
FUNDED TRUST FUNDS HELD AND
INVESTED BY LICENSED FUNERAL
ESTABLISHMENTS AND CEMETERIES.
THE BUREAU ADOPTED A STRATEGIC
PLAN IN 2019, WHICH SPANS FROM
2019 TO 2023. THE STRATEGIC PLAN
ESTABLISHED GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
THAT FURTHERED THE BUREAU'S
MISSION OF CONSUMER PROTECTION
THROUGH PROACTIVE EDUCATION AND
CONSISTENT INTERPRETATION AND
APPLICATION OF THE LAWS
GOVERNING THE DEATH CARE
INDUSTRY. THE BUREAU IS
FINALIZING ITS NEXT STRATEGIC
PLAN, WHICH WILL SPAN FROM 2024
TO 2028 IMPORTANT CONSUMER
PROTECTION LEGISLATION WAS
IMPLEMENTED BY THE BUREAU SINCE
ITS LAST SUNSET. INCLUDING A B
651, WHICH INCREASED THE MINIMUM
DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT MUST BE
DEPOSITED INTO A CEMETERY
ENDOWMENT CARE FUND AND ALL
TRUST FUND AND ALLOWED A COUNTY
TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
MAINTENANCE OF A CEMETERY IF THE
CEMETERY MANAGER OF A PRI
PRIVATE CEMETERY HAS SURRENDERED
THEIR LICENSE OR HAS HAD THEIR
LICENSE SUSPENDED OR REVOKED. IN
ADDITION, S¼ B 1430 43 INCREASED
THE BUREAU'S FEES IN ORDER TO
ALLOW THE BUREAU TO REMAIN
SOLVENT AND CONTINUE ITS MISSION
OF CONSUMER. ACTION THROUGH
LICENSURE AND REGULATION OF THE
DEATH CARE INDUSTRY. THE BUREAU
HAS ALSO ADOPTED A REGULATORY
ACTIONS SINCE ITS LAST SUNSET
REVIEW. OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS,
THE BUREAU HAS BEEN HEAVILY
INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A
NEW IT PLATFORM. èC FB CONNECT,
WHICH WENT LIVE IN MAY 2023 WITH
THE AVAILABILITY OF AN ONLINE
FUNERAL DIRECTOR APPLICATION.
THE BUREAU IS ACTIVELY WORKING
TOWARDS WHERE THE RELEASE OF
ADDITIONAL APPLICATIONS AND
EXPANDED FUNCTIONALITY TO
INCREASE EFFICIENCIES AND
ELIMINATE BARRIERS. THESE ARE
JUST A FEW OF THE IMPROVEMENTS
THE BUREAU HAS MADE SINCE THE
LAST SUNSET REVIEW HERE WITH ME
TO TALK ABOUT THE BUREAU AND
ANSWER QUESTIONS IS BUREAU CHIEF
GINA SANCHEZ. CHIEF SANCHEZ WILL
CONTINUE WITH INFORMATION ABOUT
THE BUREAU. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR
KIRK MEYER AND, UH, GOOD AF GOOD
MORNING. STILL CHAIR ASHBY AND
CHAIR BERMAN AND COMMITTEE
MEMBERS. SO OVER THE PAST FIVE
YEARS, THE BUREAU HAS
EFFECTIVELY ENACTED LEGISLATION
TO ENHANCE CONSUMER PROTECTION
FOR BOTH CEMETERY AND FUNERAL
TRUST FUNDS INTRODUCED A NEW
FORM OF DISPOSITION AFTER
THOUSANDS OF YEARS CALLED
ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS AND
CONSISTENTLY ACHIEVED OUR
PERFORMANCE MATRIX IN LICENSING
AND ENFORCEMENT WITH MINIMAL
EXCEPTIONS BECAUSE OF MY
DEDICATED AND TALENTED STAFF,
THE BUREAU ALSO SUCCESSFULLY
NAVIGATED THE JUST POSED BY THE
PANDEMIC, HIGHLIGHTING THE
CRITICAL ROLE OF THE REGULATORY
OVERSIGHT PROGRAM WHO SUPPORTS
THE DEATH CARE INDUSTRY
SAFEGUARDS CONSUMERS,
PARTICULARLY REGARDING ESSENTIAL
SERVICES, STORAGE, LICENSED
EMBALMERS AND ENSURING FAMILIES
LOVED ONES WERE TREATED WITH
DIGNITY AND RESPECT DURING A
TIME OF GREAT WORRY AND SORROW.
THE BUREAU HAS ALSO IDENTIFIED
NEW TRENDS THAT POSE RISK TO THE
HEALTH AND SAFETY OF CONSUMERS
AND THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH
THEY LIVE, AS MANY OF YOU HAVE
SEEN IN RECENT NEWS EVENTS, NEWS
REPORTS THE FUTURE OF ABANDON
UNLICENSED CEMETERIES AND THE
MANAGEMENT OF THEIR ENDOWMENT
CARE FUND HAS BECOME A CONCERN
OF MANY CONSUMERS AS CEMETERIES
REACH THEIR CAPACITY AND HAVE
LITTLE TO NÓ OPTIONS FOR
EXPANSION OWNERS FACE LIMITED
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES. THIS CAN
LEAD TO THE CANCELLATION OF A
LICENSE ABANDONMENT OF THE
CEMETERY. OR POTENTIALLY LICENSE
REVOCATION FOR VIOLATIONS OF
MAINTENANCE OR NON REPORTING OF
THE ENDOWMENT CARE FUND. THIS
PRESENTS TWO SIGNIFICANT
CHALLENGES WITHIN OUR
COMMUNITIES. FIRST THE EXISTENCE
OF DEDICATED BURIAL LAND WITH NÓ
ONE TO TAKE CARE FOR IT, TAKE
CARE OF IT. AND SECOND, THE NEED
FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE
ENDOWMENT CARE FUND TO SECURE
ITS PERPETUAL USE. ONCE A
LICENSEE IS NÓ LONGER PRESENT.
AT THE CENTER OF THESE
CHALLENGES, OF COURSE, IS OUR
CALIFORNIA CONSUMERS OFTEN LEFT
WITH MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS
, FIGHTING FOR THEIR LOVED ONES,
FINAL RESTING PLACE AND FACING
MORE LOSS. THE LEGISLATURE HAS
ESTABLISHED A COMPREHENSIVE SET
OF LAWS WITHIN THE CEMETERY AND
FUNERAL ACT GOVERNING ENDOWMENT
CARE AND THE REGULATION OF
PRIVATE CEMETERIES. NEVERTHELESS
THE ACT LACKS SITU FOR
SITUATIONS WHERE LICENSEE IS NÓ
LONGER LEADING THE CEMETERY. THE
BUREAU LOOKS FORWARD TO WORKING
WITH THE COMMITTEES DURING THE
SUNSET REVIEW TO DEVELOP NEW
LAWS ON WHEN TO ENGAGE CITY AND
COUNTY PARTNERS WHEN COMMUNITIES
ARE FACED WITH ABANDONED
CEMETERIES AND TO ADD CLARITY TO
STATUTE TO ENSURE THAT THE
BUREAU SAFEGUARDS E èC F S¼
UNTIL A LICENSEE IS APPOINTED,
OR UNTIL IT CAN BE TRANSFERRED,
UH AS A PUBLIC OR PIONEER
CEMETERY TO THE CITY. THANK YOU
FOR THIS VALUABLE OPPORTUNITY TO
SHARE THE BUREAU'S ACHIEVEMENTS
AS WELL AS WORK TOGETHER TO FACE
OUR CHALLENGES. I LOOK FORWARD
TO ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS.
THAT WAS A REALLY GOOD
PRESENTATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
TURN TO MY COLLEAGUES. YES. IS
IT GOOD BECAUSE IT WAS QUICK.
NÓ. IT'S GOOD, BECAUSE CAN'T YOU
JUST SELL? THEY ACTUALLY REALLY
CARE ABOUT THIS TOPIC SO MUCH? I
LOVE IT. UM THANK YOU FOR THE
PRESENTATION. LAST YEAR, I
INTRODUCED A BILL THAT WOULD
HAVE ALLOWED PRIVATE CEMETERIES
TO ALLOW CO BURIAL OF PETS AND
DECEASED PETS AND DECEASED
HUMANS AND OTHER STATES LIKE NEW
YORK AND VIRGINIA AND FLORIDA
ALREADY ALLOW THIS CALIFORNIA
DOES NOT. WE DID WORK WITH THE
BUREAU TO SHAPE THE LANGUAGE.
ARE YOU GIVEN THE PREVALENCE OF
THIS ISSUE OVER THE LAST FEW
YEARS? UM ARE YOU ABLE TO SPEAK
ABOUT ANY WORK THAT THE BUREAU
HAS DONE? AND ARE YOU ABLE TO DO
THIS WITHOUT LEGISLATION? THANK
YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. SO UH,
YES. SO THE BUREAU HAS NOT TAKEN
ANY FORMAL POSITIONS ON
PROPOSALS REGARDING CO BARREL OF
HUMAN REMAINS AND PET REMAINS.
THEREFORE I CANNOT MAKE ANY
RECOMMENDATIONS. HOWEVER I CAN
MENTION THAT ANY DECISION SHOULD
REALLY STRIKE A BALANCE BETWEEN
RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF THOSE
WHO ARE ALREADY INTERRED THERE
AND RESPECTING THE RIGHTS AND
PREFERENCES OF THOSE, UH, PET
OWNERS AS WELL. UM WHILE STILL
ADDRESSING CONCERNS OF HYGIENE,
AESTHETICS, RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
AND CULTURAL SENSITIVITIES. SO
THESE CO THESE CONSIDERATIONS
ARE ESSENTIAL FOR COKE BURIAL
PACK PRACTICES AND ENSURE
THEY'RE CONDUCTED WITH DIGNITY
AND RESPECT, WHICH I THINK WE
ADDRESSED A LOT OF THAT IN THE
IN THE LAST IN THE LAST ROUND.
UH, WE'RE ALWAYS WILLING TO
PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
AND UM, WE HAD VERY SUCCESSFUL
DISCUSSIONS WITH YOUR TEAM. YOUR
TEAM IS AMAZING. VERY EASY TO
WORK WITH, UM AND WE'RE OPEN TO
WORKING WITH THEM AGAIN. THE
CEMETERY AND FUNERAL ACT IS VERY
SPECIFIC TO HUMAN REMAINS. THERE
ARE THE ENTIRE ACT IS FILLED
WITH SPECIFICALLY SAYING HUMAN
REMAINS HUMAN REMAINS AND EVEN
DEFINES REMAINS AS HUMAN REMAINS
, SO I DON'T THINK THIS CAN BE
DONE WITHOUT LEGISLATION. UH,
BUT OF COURSE, WE'RE ALWAYS
WILLING TO WORK WITH YOUR TEAM
AGAIN. YES, THANK YOU. ALL
RIGHT, SENATOR EKMAN. UH, THANK
YOU. AND THANKS TO YOUR
DEDICATED AND HARD WORKING TEAM
THAT PERIOD. YOU'RE TALKING
POINTS FOR YOU, TOO. UM, UM OF
TWO AREAS OF QUESTIONS ONE IN
2017 A B 967 GLORIA AS YOU AS
YOU OUTLINED, UM, HOW MANY
HYDROLYSIS FACILITIES ARE THERE
NOW? WE JUST HAD ONE PREVIOUSLY
HAVE ANY MORE APPLIED AND WHAT'S
THE WHAT'S THE PROCESS FOR THAT?
OK THERE IS STILL ONLY ONE
HYDROLYSIS FACILITY, UH, ISSUED.
I BELIEVE IN JANUARY OF 22. I
BELIEVE, UM, LOCATED IN
ESCONDIDO, CALIFORNIA. UH THAT
IS THE ONLY ONE CURRENTLY
LICENSED AT THIS TIME. UH, WE
HAVE NOT GOTTEN ADDITIONAL
APPLICATIONS. I THINK 1 MAY BE
MAY BE COMING. UH BUT HYDROLYSIS
, THERE'S THREE ENTITIES THAT
HAVE TO APPROVE A HYDROLYSIS
FACILITY WITHIN A COMMUNITY. UH
FIRST IS THE CITY OR COUNTY.
THEY HAVE THAT DISC. OVERSIGHT
AS TO WHETHER THEY WILL ALLOW
THAT FACILITY WITHIN THEIR CITY
OR COUNTY AND ALSO DESIGNATE
WHETHER THE PHÐ BALANCED
AFFLUENT AFTER THE PROCESS IS
DONE, CAN GO DOWN THE SEWER OR
BE REMOVED BY HAZARDOUS WASTE.
UH SECONDLY, èC Dð P HÌ AND THE
BUREAU HAS ALREADY ESTABLISHED
THEIR REGULATIONS ON WHAT
REQUIRES FOR APPROVAL. SO IT
REALLY STARTS AT THAT CITY AND
COUNTY TO, UH, MAKE SURE THEY'RE
ALLOWING THAT WITHIN THEIR
COMMUNITY. SAME AS A FUNERAL
ESTABLISHMENT. CREMATORIES. UH,
MOST OF OUR LICENSES HAVE TO BE
APPROVED BY THE CITY FIRST FOR
UM DECEDENTS, OK? AND THEN, UM
HUMAN COMPOSTING. WE GAVE YOU
THE 2027 TO GET THOSE REGS UP.
HOW ARE THE REGS? COMING TO BE
ABLE TO LICENSE FACILITIES
COMING ONLINE? YES THANK YOU.
THE REDUCTION OF HUMAN REMAINS
WILL BE COMING IN JANUARY OF
2027. THE BUREAU IS FULLY
ANTICIPATES TO BE ABLE TO ISSUE
LICENSES BY THEN, AND WE'VE
ACTUALLY ALREADY STARTED THE
GROUNDWORK. SO WE HAVE
ESTABLISHED A RELATIONSHIP A
PUN. NÓ, BUT YES, NOW PUN IS
INTENDED. UM WE'VE ALREADY
ESTABLISHED A RELATIONSHIP WITH
èC Dð P HÌ WITH THE SCIENTISTS
THERE. THIS IS VERY SIMILAR TO
HYDROLYSIS AS IT WILL REQUIRE
CITY AND COUNTY APPROVAL AGAIN.
UH, èC Dð P HÌ TO APPROVE THE
CHAMBER. AND THEN, UH, THE, UH,
BUREAU OF APPROVAL. SO UH, LIKE
I SAID, ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP
WITH èC Dð P HÌ. UH THE DEPUTY
BUREAU CHIEF, AND I HAVE ALSO
TRAVELED TO WASHINGTON STATE,
AND WE GOT A TOUR, UH, BY THAT
REGULATORY ENTITY OF THEIR THREE
LICENSES THAT ARE ALREADY
PERFORMING REDUCTION, SO WE GOT
TO SEE THE PROCESS. WHICH I
THINK IS REALLY INSTRUMENTAL IN
HELPING BRING IT TO CALIFORNIA.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU.
GOOD UPDATES. ALL RIGHT, SENATOR
ARCHULETA. YES THANK YOU FOR
YOUR INFORMATION, LIVELY SUBJECT
. DID YOU I LOVE IT. WE DO THIS
A LOT AT THE BUREAU. SO WE HAVE
TO KEEP OUR SPIRITS UP THERE.
YOU KNOW IT IS MONDAY, BUT, UH,
MY QUESTION PERTAINS TO A
RELIGIOUS CEMETERIES, PRIVATE
CEMETERIES, SMALLER ONES. AND OF
COURSE, THE PUBLIC ONES AND THE
OVERSIGHT BY THE BOARD. TELL ME
HOW YOU WORK THEM ALL TOGETHER?
YES THANK YOU. GREAT QUESTION OF
THE THOUSANDS OF CEMETERIES THAT
ARE LOCATED WITHIN THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA. THE BUREAU ONLY
REGULATES 100 AND 92. IT WAS
SPECIFIC WITHIN THE ACT THAT THE
BUREAU ONLY OVERSEES PRIVATELY
OWNED CEMETERIES. ALTHOUGH
THEY'RE PRIVATELY OWNED, THEY'RE
STILL OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. SO
IT'S NOT. UM YOU KNOW MY OWN
PRIVATE CEMETERY SO OPEN TO THE
PUBLIC. SO THOSE ARE THE 192
OVERSEEN BY THE BUREAU. UH THE
OTHER ONES THAT HAVE OVERSIGHT
WOULD BE THE PUBLIC DISTRICT.
CEMETERIES SEVERAL FEDERAL
CEMETERIES, OBVIOUSLY VETERANS
CEMETERIES, UM, NATIVE BURIAL
GROUNDS. THEY ALL HAVE THE ONLY
ONES THAT DO NOT HAVE A
OVERSIGHT TYPE PROGRAM WOULD BE
THE RELIGIOUS CEMETERIES WITHIN
THE STATE, ALTHOUGH THEY'RE NOT
REGULATED BY US. EVERY FUNERAL
ESTABLISHMENT IS EVERY FUNERAL
ESTABLISHMENT IS AND MANY OF
THOSE CEMETERIES HAVE A FUNERAL
ESTABLISHMENT ON SITE OR WHEN
THEY DEAL WITH, UM, SO WE ARE
PRESENT, AT LEAST AT THAT PART
OF IT WHEN SOMEONE IS DEALING
WITH A RELIGIOUS CEMETERY, NOT
UNDER OUR JURISDICTION. THAT
WOULD BE THE SAFETY MECHANISM.
THAT NOT THE BOARD. BUT I GUESS
WITH THE REGULATIONS THEY HAVE
TO ADHERE TO YES, THEIR OWN
THEIR OWN REGULATIONS, SO IT'S
VERY IMPORTANT. THAT'S WHAT WE,
UH, TRY TO PORTRAY A LOT IN OUR
OUTREACH IS TO REALLY RESEARCH
WHO YOU ARE DOING BUSINESS WITH,
UH, LICENSEE. NON LICENSEE. UM
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE DEALING
WITH A CEMETERY, LOOK UP THEIR
HISTORY. HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN
THERE? SPEAK TO THE CEMETERY
MANAGER. UM YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE
THE KINDS OF THINGS WE PUT IN
OUR CONSUMER GUIDE, UM, THAT
FUNERAL ESTABLISHMENTS ARE
MANDATED TO GIVE TO CONSUMERS
WHEN THEY START DISCUSSING THANK
YOU. YOU THANK YOU. GOOD
QUESTION, SENATOR. ALL RIGHT?
YES. THANK YOU. CHAIR ABANDONED
CEMETERIES. SO MY UNDERSTANDING
IS THAT THE BUREAU SUGGESTED
PUTTING THE MANDATE ON CITIES
AND COUNTIES TO TAKE CARE OF
THESE CEMETERIES, AND IT'S BEEN
ARGUED THAT IT WAS LOCAL
GOVERNMENT THAT ZONED THE LAND
FOR THAT PURPOSE. AT THE
BEGINNING, HOW WOULD THIS
PROPOSED CHANGE IN LAW BE
AFFECTED AND HAS THERE BEEN ANY
DISCUSSION WITH LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS ABOUT HOW THEY'D
RESPOND TO SUCH A PROPOSAL AND A
QUESTION? I ASKED MY STAFF WITH
NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR THEM TO GIVE
ME AN ANSWER? UH, IS WHAT DO
OTHER STATES DO ARE THERE YOU
KNOW WE CAN THE ONLY STATE
DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE OR OTHER
STATES THAT THAT HAVE, UH,
REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS THAT SEEM
TO BE WORKING. UH YES. THANK YOU
FOR THAT QUESTION. UM I AM PART
OF A NATIONAL, UH, REGULATORY
ASSOCIATION GROUP. SO I DO KNOW
A LOT ABOUT OTHER STATES, UH,
COME TO FIND OUT. NOT EVEN EVERY
STATE REGULATES CEMETERIES, SO
THAT'S VERY INTERESTING TO ME
THAT I FOUND. UM AND OTHER
STATES, ACTUALLY, UH, HAVE A
SEPARATE ENTITY THAT WILL TAKE A
STATE ENTITY THAT WILL TAKE OVER
THOSE CEMETERIES. UM SO THEY'RE
ALL KIND OF BETWEEN STATE TO
STATE, AND WE HAVE TO SEE WHAT
WORKS BEST FOR THIS STATE. UH, A
BÀN. CEMETERIES A CEMETERY IS
FOREVER PRIVATE BUSINESSES, AS
WE KNOW ARE NOT SO IN A CITY OR
COUNTY IS MAKING THAT
DESIGNATION AS TO THIS PIECE OF
PROPERTY IS GOING TO BE FOR THE
BURIAL OR INTERNMENT OF
DECEDENTS, UM AND THEN HAVE A
PRIVATE ENTITY OVERSEE IT. WE
CAN'T GUARANTEE THAT PRIVATE
ENTITY IS GOING TO BE AROUND
FOREVER. UH, SO THAT IS WHERE
THE ISSUE COMES UP. THERE ARE
ONCE A LICENSE IS NÓ LONGER OVER
A CEMETERY. THE BUREAU'S
JURISDICTION IS VERY, VERY
LIMITED. UM, WE'RE ALSO A VERY
SMALL SMALL BUREAU. UH, WHAT WE
CAN DO IS WE CAN CONSERVE THAT
MAINTENANCE FUND THAT EACH
CONSUMER MUST MAKE A DEPOSIT
INTO PROTECT IT UNTIL THERE IS
AN ENTITY THAT COMES OVER, UM,
THE CEMETERY SO IN ASSISTANCE TO
THE CITIES AND COUNTIES, A PART
OF MY PROPOSAL IS TO BE ALLOWED
TO TURN OVER THAT ENDOWMENT CARE
FUND TO THE CITIES AND COUNTIES
FOR THEIR USE. UH, TO MAINTAIN
THE PROPERTY IN PERPETUITY. UM
IT IS THE INTENT OF THE
LEGISLATURE FOR THESE, UH,
PIECES. PROPERTY TO NOT BECOME A
PLACE OF DESOLATION AND REPROACH
, WHICH THAT DOES BECOME IN
CEMETERIES. SPECIFICALLY SO
ALTHOUGH THE ACT DID NOT PREPARE
FOR THIS, THIS IS A TREND THAT
IS NEW. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT
WE ARE FILLING UP THOSE
CEMETERIES THAT WERE AROUND IN
THE 18 AND 19 HUNDREDS, AND THIS
WAS NOT THEIR DEEP SEATED INTO
COMMUNITIES SO THEY CANNOT BUY
EXTRA LAND AND GROW. SO WE DO
NEED TO FIND SOME SORT OF
SOLUTION. ALTHOUGH I HAVEN'T HAD
THIS SPECIFIC DISCUSSION WITH
CITIES AND COUNTIES. THEY ARE
VERY INVOLVED, AND WE DO HAVE
SEVERAL DISCUSSIONS DURING THE
PROCESS. AS THIS HAPPENS, SO WE
HAVE THEY ARE VERY AWARE OF THE
ISSUE. UM AND I'M LOOKING FOR A
SOLUTION THAT WILL THAT WILL
BENEFIT ALL THANK YOU FOR THAT,
UM, TWO MORE QUICK QUESTIONS ONE
ON RESERVES. I KNOW THAT, UH,
YOU RECENTLY RECEIVED AAA PRETTY
SIGNIFICANT FEE INCREASE, UH,
BUT BUT PROJECT THAT RESERVES
ARE GOING TO BE ABOUT THREE
MONTHS THIS YEAR, OR 20 THREE 24
AND PROJECTED TO CONTINUE TO
DECREASE AND THERE ISN'T A LOT
OF BUFFER THERE TO DECREASE. UH,
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT?
UM YOU KNOW, IDEAS THAT YOU HAVE
TO STRENGTHEN YOUR RESERVES.
ABSOLUTELY SO. THE FEE INCREASE
THAT WAS RECENTLY IMPLEMENTED
WAS THE FIRST FEE INCREASE THE
INDUSTRY HAD SEEN IN 25 YEARS,
SO IT WAS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT
INCREASE. UH, TO BEGIN WITH IT
DID PROJECT US TO BE SOLVENT UP
UNTIL 2829 WAS THE 21 PROPOSAL
AND WORKING CLOSELY WITH MY
BUDGET STAFF, THE DEPARTMENT'S
BUDGET STAFF. WE DO EXPECT THAT
TREND TO STAY ABOUT THE SAME, UM
, MOSTLY BECAUSE WE ARE
HISTORICALLY CONSERVATIVE IN OUR
SPENDING. WE DON'T TYPICALLY
SPEND OUT THE BUDGET TO ITS FULL
EXTENT EACH YEAR. ADDITIONALLY
OTHER COSTS THAT WOULD BE
REFLECTED IN A FUND CONDITION
THAT WOULD REMAIN THE SAME. WE
ARE EXPECTING THOSE TO GO DOWN
LIKE I Tð COSTS, UM FROM èC,
FB, CONNECT, ET CETERA. GOT YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THEN
DOES THE BUREAU WORK WITH
INDUSTRY AND STAKEHOLDERS TO
ENSURE THAT LICENSES ARE IN
COMPLIANCE WITH THE CURRENT
PROCESS FOR UNCLAIMED PRENE
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS, AND HAS
THE BUREAU HEARD ANY FEEDBACK
FROM INDUSTRY OR CONSUMERS ABOUT
UNCLAIMED PROPERTY WITH RESPECT
TO THE ACHIEVEMENT PROCESS? YES
THE ACHIEVEMENT BILL THAT WAS A
GREAT BILL CARRIED BY STATE
COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE A FEW YEARS
AGO. UM YOU KNOW THAT WAS ONE OF
THE LAST INDUSTRIES THAT DID NOT
REQUIRE A SHIPMENT. SO IT'S VERY
I'M VERY HAPPY THAT THAT'S
HAPPENED BECAUSE ONCE A FUNERAL
HOME CLOSED, THERE WAS A TRUST
FUND FOR PRE NEED FUNERAL
ARRANGEMENTS THAT JUST KIND OF
SAT THERE AND WAITED UNTIL
SOMEBODY CALLED AND WE SAID OK,
WHERE DO YOU NEED THIS TO GO?
YOU KNOW, SO, UH, THIS REALLY
PROVIDED SOME GREAT LEGISLATIVE
FRAMEWORK. UH, THE AUDIT TEAM
HAS ALREADY INCLUDED IT IN THEIR
ANNUAL AUDIT REVIEWS, AND THE
INDUSTRY HAS BEEN VERY
SUCCESSFUL IN REPORTING THOSE
ACHIEVEMENT PROCESSES. THEY HAVE
DONE IN THOSE ANNUAL REPORTS. WE
DO THINK THAT IT HAS BEEN QUITE
SUCCESSFUL. GREAT. THANK YOU SO
MUCH. A LOT OF INFORMATION THERE
. OK WE'RE GONNA TURN TO THE
PUBLIC NOW AND SEE IF ANYBODY IN
THE ROOM HAS TESTIMONY THEY
WOULD LIKE TO SHARE FOR CEMETERY
AND FUNERAL BUREAU. WELCOME
MORNING CHAIRS AND MEMBERS JERRY
DESMOND WITH THE CEMETERY AND
MORTUARY ASSOCIATION OF
CALIFORNIA. IT'S COMPRISED OF
MEMBERS THAT ARE THE CERTIFICATE
OF AUTHORITY REGULATED BY THE
BUREAU AND ALSO SOME OF THE
RELIGIOUS CEMETERIES AND THE
ARCH SOME ARCHDIOCESE THROUGHOUT
THE STATE. AND, OF COURSE WE,
UH, SUPPORT THE CONTINUATION OF
BUREAU IS DOING AN IMPORTANT JOB
TO PROTECT CONSUMERS AND HAVE A
COUPLE OF PERSPECTIVES ON A FEW
OF THE ISSUES THAT ARE RAISED IN
THE BACKGROUND PAPER AND IN THE
TESTIMONY, MAYBE START WITH THAT
ABANDONED CEMETERIES BECAUSE I
BELIEVE THAT'S THE KEY ISSUE
THAT WE'RE FACING NOW FOR
SEVERAL YEARS AND CURRENTLY ARE
AS WELL WITH DIFFICULT SOLUTIONS
TO ADDRESS TO IDENTIFY. UH,
WE'VE BEEN SUPPORTING AS THE
INDUSTRY THE INCREASE OF THE
MONIES THAT ARE PAID IN AS A
MINIMUM STATUTORY INCREASE INTO
THE OBAMA CARE. WE ALSO WITH,
UH, ASSEMBLY MEMBER IRWIN
CARRYING THE LEGISLATION TO
MODERNIZE THE INVESTMENT SO THAT
THERE'S A NET INCOME
DISTRIBUTION METHOD FOR THE
ENDOWMENT CARE FUNDS THAT ALLOWS
THEM TO GROW OVER TIME. UH,
WE'VE ALSO WORKED WITH THE
BUREAU TO IMPLEMENT THE
MAINTENANCE STANDARDS. AND IF
YOU LOOK AT THE LAST SET OF LAWS
THAT HAVE BEEN ENACTED THROUGH
ALL OF YOU, THERE ARE SOME TOOLS
TO IDENTIFY UP FRONT WHEN A
CEMETERY IS PROBLEMATIC BEFORE
WE GET TO ABANDONMENT. BY THE
TIME WE GET TO ABANDONMENT, WHAT
WE'RE FINDING IS THAT IT'S A
WALKWAY SITUATION. THERE'S
HARDLY ANY MONEY AND THEN A
THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN. THE MONEY
IS TAKEN OUT OF THE ENDOWMENT
CARE FUND AND USED SOMEWHERE,
BUT THEY'RE THEY'RE GONE. THAT'S
WHY WE'RE NOT HAVING CITIES AND
COUNTIES STEP IN BECAUSE IT
WOULD BE A BUDGETARY ISSUE. IF
THE SOMETIMES ANOTHER CEMETERY
LOOKS AT HELPING AND TAKING OVER
, BUT WHAT WE DON'T HAVE IN THE
LAW IS AN ABILITY OF THAT
CEMETERY TO HAVE A CUT OFF ON
LIABILITY TRAIL TO SAY IF WE
STEP IN, WE'RE NOT RESPONSIBLE
FOR WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST.
BUT IF WE ALSO LOOK AT THE
MAINTENANCE STANDARDS CAN BE
WHAT THE BUREAU IDENTIFIES WHEN
IT GOES OUT AND INSPECTS EVERY
PROPERTY EVERY YEAR. WHAT DO
THEY IDENTIFY IN THOSE
MAINTENANCE STANDARD? WHAT'S
THAT HEADS UP THAT WE'RE
GETTING? AND THEN IF THERE IS A
PROBLEM WITH THE FUNDS, WHAT CAN
WE DO BEFORE THE LICENSE IS
EXPIRED AND THEN ALSO, IF WE'RE
LOOKING AT THE INVESTMENTS, WE
BELIEVE THAT A PROFESSIONAL
INVESTMENT MANAGERS ARE CRITICAL
WITH THE WAY TO GROW AN
ENDOWMENT CARE FUND OVER TIME.
UH, WE BELIEVE THAT INDUSTRY
SERVES AN IMPORTANT PURPOSE AND
NEEDS TO BE CONTINUED IN THEIR
ROLE, WHICH IS VOLUNTARY, NOT
MANDATORY ON A CEMETERY TODAY,
SO WE ARE TOGETHER ENGAGED WITH
THE IDENTIFICATION OF POSSIBLE
SOLUTIONS BUT REALIZE IT'S A
REALLY DIFFICULT CHALLENGE. THE
SECOND ISSUE IS IF WE TALK ABOUT
HYDROLYSIS, UM, WHEN WE WERE
SUPPORTIVE OF THE LEGISLATION,
WHAT WE'RE FINDING LOCALLY, BUT
THEY DON'T WANT TO IDENTIFY
LOCALITIES. THEY THEY THEY
AREN'T APPROVING IT BECAUSE OF
THE DISCHARGE APARTMENT. THEY
HAVE TO GET THAT LOCAL PERMIT,
AND THERE'S SOME ICK FACTOR IN
SOME COMMUNITIES THAT I THINK
ARE CAUSING THAT TO OCCUR WHEN
WE TALK ABOUT PETS, AND AS SOME
OF YOU REMEMBER IRWIN'S BILL ON
PETS AS THE BUREAU MENTIONED THE
KEY ISSUE THERE IS FOR OUR
CEMETERIES THAT ALREADY EXIST.
THE FOLKS THAT ARE ALREADY
THERE. AND WHAT THE
UNDERSTANDING OF THOSE FAMILIES
ARE. SO WE'VE EMPHASIZED, AND
IT'S BEEN INCLUDED IN THE
LEGISLATION. IT HAS TO BE A NEW
SEPARATE A SEPARATE SECTION OF
EXISTING CEMETERY IF WE'RE GOING
TO DO THAT, AND PLUS THE FUNDING
FOR THE BUREAU IF WE TALK ABOUT
ANOTHER ISSUE, THAT'S NOT QUITE
ON THE AGENDA BECAUSE IT'S NOT
QUITE IN THE BUREAU'S
JURISDICTION. IT IS CREMATORY.
EMISSIONS AND CREMATORIES ARE
ADIT INTO THE AIR AND GET THE
LOCAL PERMITS FROM THE LOCAL AIR
DISTRICTS, AND THERE IS A
DISTRICT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
THAT'S THE LEAD DISTRICT
THROUGHOUT THE STATE, SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA. AIR QUALITY
MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, AND THEY
ADOPTED A RULE TWO YEARS AGO.
ALMOST NOW THAT CUT IN HALF THE
MAXIMUM EMISSIONS FROM A
CREMATORY RETORT AND BY CUTTING
THEM IN HALF. THEY FIGURED THAT
THE MANUFACTURERS COULD
MANUFACTURE TO THAT STANDARD.
WELL, WE'VE IDENTIFIED THE THREE
MANUFACTURERS. WE'VE IDENTIFIED
THE MANUFACTURE OF THE BURNER IN
THOSE RETORTS, AND THEY ARE NOT
AVAILABLE AND WE'VE BEEN TRYING
TO WORK WITH SOUTH COAST AIR
DISTRICT. UH, FOR TWO YEARS, AND
I JUST TESTIFIED A FRIDAY AGO
ABOUT THE INABILITY TO BUY NEW
RETORTS THAT ARE AT THE END OF
THEIR LIFE THAT HAVE, LIKE A
2025 YEAR EXISTENCE AND WE NEED
TO I'M RAISING IT NOW IS BECAUSE
IN THE EVENT. WE HAVE ANOTHER
TERRIBLE PANDEMIC LIKE COVID, UM
AND WE DON'T HAVE RETORTS. UM,
WE'RE GONNA HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM.
70% CREMATION RATES THROUGHOUT
THE STATE GROWING, UH, PEOPLE
HAVE BOUGHT THEM IN ADVANCE
THEY'VE PURCHASED WITH PRE
NEEDED THAT THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A
CREMATION. AT THE END. WE HAVE A
NUMBER OF FACILITIES THAT HAVE
HELD OFF ON REPLACEMENTS. OTHER
DISTRICTS HAVE ADOPTED THE RULE
BECAUSE SOUTH COAST YOU KNOW,
OFTEN LEADS THE WAY. SACRAMENTO
DO YOU HAVE A FINAL POINT YOU
WANNA MAKE ON THAT? SACRAMENTO
ACTUALLY CHANGED ITS MIND.
INSTEAD OF LOWERING THEM. THEY
REALIZED THE MANUFACTURERS
WEREN'T AVAILABLE AND THEY MOVED
BACK TO 60. SO WE APPRECIATE
THAT, UM, WHATEVER WE DO WORK
WITH THE COMMITTEE TO HIGHLIGHT
THAT ISSUE TO GET A SHORT TERM
FIX ON THAT. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU. THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
HELLO GOOD MORNING. GOOD
MORNING, MADAM CHAIR, MR CHAIR.
CHRIS M ON BEHALF OF S¼ èC,
CALIFORNIA FUNERAL SERVICES, THE
LARGEST OPERATOR IN CEMETERIES
AND FUNERAL HOMES. WE APPRECIATE
THE, UH, FIRM BUT FAIR
ENGAGEMENT. AND UM, UH,
REGULATION BY CHIEF SANCHEZ AND
DIRECTOR KIRK MEYER. WE SHARE
THE CONCERNS OF OUR ASSOCIATION
CMAC AND LOOK FORWARD TO
CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT WITH THE
COMMITTEE'S PARTICULARLY YOUR
STAFF. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OK LOOKS
LIKE THAT'S IT FROM THE PUBLIC.
JUST CHECKING MY COMMITTEE
MEMBERS. SOUNDS LIKE WE ARE GOOD
HERE. THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH. I
WAS REALLY A LOT OF INFORMATION
AND KNOWLEDGE. APPRECIATE YOU.
VERY MUCH, ALL RIGHT. WE ARE
GOING TO MOVE ON, AND, UH, MISS
KIRK MEYER STAYING WITH US,
RIGHT? ALL RIGHT. GOOD HANG OUT.
MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE. ALL
RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO JOINING.
YOU WILL BE LYNN JENSEN, THE
BUREAU CHIEF AND SAM STADOL. AS
WE BEGIN OUR DISCUSSION OF THE
BUREAU OF SECURITY AND
INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES. THANK
YOU GUYS. SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE
OR DOING GREAT. SO FAR. HELP US
KEEP GOING. ALL RIGHT. WELL,
GOOD MORNING AGAIN. UM I'M JUST
GONNA JUMP RIGHT IN. THE BUREAU
REGULATES A TOTAL OF SIX
PRACTICE ACTS IN ISSUES,
LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS,
CERTIFICATES AND PERMITS RELATED
TO ALARM SYSTEMS. LOCKSMITHS
PRIVATE INVESTIGATION, PRIVATE
SECURITY, REPOSSESSION AND
FIREARM AND BATON TRAINING SINCE
THE BUREAU'S LAST SUNSET REVIEW,
LYNN JENSEN WAS APPOINTED AS THE
BUREAU CHIEF IN 2019 AND THE
BUREAU. AN ASSISTANT BUREAU
CHIEF POSITION AND APPOINTED SAM
STOLK IN 2020 THREE. THE BUREAU
ADOPTED A STRATEGIC PLAN IN JUNE
2023 WHICH SPANS FROM 2022 TO 26
, AND IDENTIFY STRATEGIES FOR
ENHANCING THE BUREAU'S CORE
REGULATORY FUNCTIONS OF
LICENSING AND ENFORCEMENT, AS
WELL AS STAKEHOLDER, OUTREACH
AND EMPLOYMENT, EMPLOYEE
SATISFACTION. IMPORTANT CONSUMER
PROTECTION LEGISLATION WAS
IMPLEMENTED BY THE BUREAU SINCE
ITS LAST SUNSET REVIEW,
INCLUDING A B 229, WHICH
EXPANDED THE INITIAL TRAINING
REQUIRED FOR ALL SECURITY GUARD
AND PROPRIETARY SECURITY OFFICER
APPLICANTS AS WELL AS THE
TRAINING FOR THE CARING AND USE
OF FIREARMS TO INCLUDE
APPROPRIATE USE OF FORCE TOPICS.
THE REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTING
THIS LEGISLATION WENT INTO
EFFECT IN NOVEMBER OF 2023. IN
ADDITION, S¼ B 607 AMENDED THE
LAW OR ON FIREARM ASSESSMENTS
FOR GUARDS TO REQUIRE THEM TO
PASS THE ASSESSMENT PRIOR TO
APPLYING FOR A FIREARM PERMIT,
WHICH REDUCED THE FINANCIAL
BURDEN ON BOTH THE BUREAU AND
THE APPLICANT. THIS IS EXTREMELY
IMPROVED THE LICENSE TO PROCESS
AND RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT
DECREASE IN CASES REFERRED TO
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE.
THE BUREAU VIA ITS OUTREACH
EFFORTS, INCLUDING SPEAKING AT
CONFERENCES AND ADVISORY
COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND THROUGH
LIST SERVE EMAIL DISTRIBUTIONS
HAS ENCOURAGED APPLICANTS TO
APPLY ONLINE TO PROMOTE
PROCESSING EFFICIENCIES.
ADDITIONALLY THE BUREAU HAS
UPDATED THE ONLINE COMPANY
APPLICATIONS TO MAKE THEM MORE
USER FRIENDLY, AND THE BUREAU
CONTINUES TO STRIVE FOR
IMPROVEMENTS AND IMPLEMENT
CHANGES WHEN PRO PROCESS
EFFICIENCIES ARE IDENTIFIED.
THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE
IMPROVEMENTS THE BUREAU HAS MADE
SINCE THE LAST SUNSET REVIEW AND
HERE WITH ME UH, TO TALK ABOUT
THE BUREAU AND ANSWER QUESTIONS
IS BUREAU CHIEF LYNN JOHNSON AND
ASSISTANT BUREAU CHIEF STAMP
STDS. AND AT THIS TIME, I'LL LET
LYNN ADD A LITTLE BIT MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT THE BUREAU.
THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING CHAIRS
AND MEMBERS. I APPRECIATE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY ON BEHALF
OF THE BUREAU OF SECURITY AND
INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES OR ON THE
LAST FIVE YEARS OF OUR
OPERATIONS. I'D LIKE TO BRIEFLY
OUTLINE SOME OF OUR NUMBERS AS
WE ARE ONE OF THE BUSIEST
LICENSING BUREAUS IN THE STATE.
THERE ARE CURRENTLY OVER 430
THREE 1000 BUREAU LICENSES OR
PERMITS HELD BY ABOUT 350,000
BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS. THE
BUREAU HAS APPROXIMATELY 23
DIFFERENT LICENSE CERTIFICATE
PERMIT TYPES AND HAS 77
EMPLOYEES. ALL OF OUR LICENSE
TYPES REQUIRE FINGERPRINT
CLEARANCE BY BOTH THE CALIFORNIA
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND THE
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONS
SAVE ONE IN FISCAL YEAR 2223.
THE BUREAU RECEIVED ALMOST
105,000 NEW APPLICATIONS AND
RENEWED ALMOST 126,000 LICENSES,
PERMITS OR CERTIFICATES. WE ARE
A BUSY BUREAU AND THE TWO
PERMITS IN HIGHEST DEMAND ARE
OUR SECURITY GUARD PERMIT.
CLOCKING IN CURRENTLY AT A
LITTLE OVER THREE 112,000 AND
THE ASSOCIATED FIREARMS PERMIT
WHICH CURRENTLY WE HAVE 441,299.
I WAS APPOINTED IN APRIL 2019 AS
A LAST SUNSET REVIEW WAS NEARING
ITS END. SINCE THAT TIME, THE
BUREAU HAS NAVIGATED ITS WAY
THROUGH COVID A SUPER BOWL IN
CALIFORNIA IN HISTORIC OVERHAUL
OF HOW WE TRAIN SECURITY GUARDS.
WE HAVE INSTITUTED WEEKLY
ENFORCEMENT EMAILS TO OUR LIST
SERVE SUBSCRIBERS WITH LISTS OF
LICENSES THAT HAVE BEEN REVOKED
OR SUSPENDED. WE OVERHAULED OUR
WEBSITE SO THAT IT WAS MOBILE
FRIENDLY AND EASIER TO NAVIGATE
FOR OUR LICENSES THAT DO THEIR
BUSINESS ON THEIR SMARTPHONES.
THE BUREAU FOR THE FIRST TIME,
HIRED TWO SPECIAL INVESTIGATORS
IN THE LAST THREE YEARS AND AS A
RESULT, OUR UNLICENSED ACTIVITY
CITATIONS HAVE INCREASED BY
NEARLY THREE 100. LOOKING
TOWARDS THE FUTURE. THE BUREAU
WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR WAYS
TO IMPROVE THE PROFESSIONS IT
REGULATES, WHILE MAINTAINING
STRINGENT CONSUMER PROTECTION
STANDARDS. I LOOK FORWARD TO
YOUR QUESTIONS AND THANK YOU.
AND SAM WILL NOT BE READING A
STATEMENT AS THE EXPERT WITNESS
PERFECT GREAT DEPUTY CHIEF NÓ
STATEMENT, THOUGH GREAT ANY
QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE
COMMITTEES FOR THE BUREAU OF
SECURITY AND INVESTIGATIVE
SERVICES. STARTING ON MY RIGHT
GOING TO MY LEFT. THIS IS A VERY
QUIET GROUP. UM WHY DON'T I JUST
ASK A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS? UM SO
I'M GOING TO GET TO THESE IN A
SEC. UM SECURITY GUARD TRAINING
REQUIREMENTS, SO I UNDERSTAND
THE BUREAU IS PROPOSING CHANGES
REGARDING THE SECURITY GUARD
TRAINING REQUIREMENTS. SOME
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES. WILL THE
INCREASED TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
EXTEND TO CONTINUING EDUCATION
RELATED TO FIREARM IN BATON
PERMITS AS WELL. SO THANK YOU
FOR THAT QUESTION. YES WE DID.
JUST AS AS THE DIRECTOR
MENTIONED. WE DID JUST HAVE ONE
SET OF NEW ENHANCED TRAINING
REQUIREMENTS. GO LIVE ON
DECEMBER 1ST. AFTER THOSE
REGULATIONS WERE APPROVED, AS
YOU KNOW, IN THE NEW ISSUES
SECTION WE DO, UM, REQUEST EVEN
MORE FOR INITIAL TRAINING. WE
WOULD ALSO LIKE TO WORK WITH THE
LEGISLATURE TO APPLY THAT TO
CONTINUING EDUCATION ON THE
OTHER END. SO THANK YOU FOR
BRINGING THAT UP. GREAT. GREAT
UM AND THIS IS THIS IS AAA AN
IMPORTANT QUESTION THAT I THINK
APPLIES TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT
INDUSTRIES. UH, BUT BECAUSE THE
SECURITY GUARD IS TYPICALLY AN
ENTRY LEVEL POSITION, IS IT
EQUITABLE TO REQUIRE A HIGHER
LEVEL OF TRAINING AND KNOWLEDGE
WHEN WAGES ARE LIKELY TO REMAIN
THE SAME, AND THAT IS A VERY
GOOD QUESTION, AND I KNOW
INDUSTRY WILL BE HERE TO, UM TO
WEIGH IN ON THAT ON THAT
QUESTION AS WELL. IT IS A
DELICATE BALANCE THAT THE BUREAU
DOES FACE RECOGNIZING THAT ITS
LICENSES ARE ARE NOT AMONG THE
HIGHEST PAID LICENSES IN THE
STATE. SO WE DO TAKE A LOOK AT
THAT. WE DO OCCUPATIONAL
ANALYSIS. WE DO OUTREACH. WE DO
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT. WE REACH
OUT TO SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS.
WE DO A LOT OF INTELLIGENCE
GATHERING BEFORE WE ACTUALLY
TAKE A STEP FORWARD. AND SO THAT
WOULD ALL BE PART OF THE
PROCESS. IF THESE ENHANCED
TRAINING STANDARDS THAT WE
PROPOSE, DO GO FORWARD. AND I
JUST WANT TO ADD ONE THING THAT
IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT ABOUT
THIS ACTUAL BUREAU THAN A LOT OF
OUR OTHER BOARDS AND BUREAUS IS
THAT THEY DO SOME OF THEIR HOURS
PRIOR TO INITIAL LICENSURE, AND
THEN SOME OF THEM THEY DO AFTER
ONCE THEY GET THAT LICENSE, SO
THAT IS KIND OF ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT'S HELPFUL FOR THAT
BARRIER TO ENTRY TO BE ABLE TO
WHILE YOU LEARN YES, AND THE
EMPLOYERS ARE RESPONSIBLE IN
MANY CASES FOR PROVIDING THAT
ENHANCED TRAINING. UM AND I'M I
SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD. I'M
THE I'M THE FISCAL HAWK OF THE
COMMITTEE. UH, APPARENTLY, BUT
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT FUNDING
AND WHAT'S THE PROJECTED FUN
CONDITION? SHOULD FEES BE
INCREASED TO THE STATUTORY
MAXIMUM. WOULD THIS BE
SUFFICIENT IN SUSTAINING BUREAU
OF OPERATIONS OR DO YOU THINK OF
ADDITIONAL FUNDS MIGHT BE
NECESSARY, SO WE ARE IN THE
PROCESS OF PUTTING TOGETHER A
FEE PACKAGE? UH, REGULATORY FEE
PACKAGE, AND WE DID THE
NECESSARY AUDIT SOME YEARS AGO
IN 2017 AND 2018. WE WORKED WITH
THE AUDIT FIRMS TO DO THOSE
AUDITS. WE WERE GIVEN, UH,
AUTHORITY AT THAT TIME TO RAISE
THE FEES BY 40% THIS WAS BACK IN
, UM BEFORE PRE 2020 BEFORE MY
TIME. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING
THOSE FEES WERE RAISED AT THAT
TIME BY 30% LEAVING A 10%
CEILING AND THAT IS WHERE WE
ARE. WE ARE AIMING FOR OUR FEE
PACKAGE IS TO RAISE FEES ACROSS
THE BOARD BY 10% REALISTICALLY,
SOME OF OUR FEES ARE LOW THAT
THIS WOULD MEAN MAYBE A $5
INCREASE THE COMPANY. WOULD BE A
LITTLE BIT BIGGER, BUT IT WOULD
BE A 10% ACROSS THE BOARD
INCREASE AND AS WE ARE PROJECTED
TO GO INTO THE RED IN BUDGET
YEAR, PLUS TWO THIS WOULD BRING
IN AN ADDITIONAL 1.5 MILLION PER
YEAR. ONGOING YOU THANK YOU VERY
MUCH, AND SENATOR ARCHULETA.
THANK YOU FOR APPEARING. UM I
SERVED IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, SO MY
CONCERN IS ALWAYS THE SECURITY
GUARDS. GOING. TOO FAR WITHOUT
THE PROPER TRAINING AND
PROCEDURES THAT WE HAD IN THE
DEPARTMENT THAT ALL LAW
ENFORCEMENT HAVE TO FOLLOW. UM
IT. IT UH IT COULD BE BOTHERSOME
THAT SOME OF THESE SECURITY
GUARDS AND OTHERS INDIVIDUALS,
PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS TAKE ON A
POSITION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT
THEY DON'T PROTECT THE COMMUNITY
AS THEY SHOULD, AND IN SUCH A
WAY THAT THEY MAY OVERSTEP THEIR
BOUNDS WITH USE OF FORCE AS AN
EXAMPLE, UH, TECHNIQUES. UM AND
ALSO THINGS THAT EQUIPMENT THAT
MAY NOT BE UP TO DATE THINGS OF
THAT NATURE. HOW ARE YOU
OVERSEEING THAT? AND HERE'S
ANOTHER QUESTION. BONDING OF
SOME SORT. OBVIOUSLY IF AN
OFFICER OVERSTEPS HIS BOUND AND
TECHNIQUES ARE WRONG, AND IT'S
AGAINST, UH, POLICE POLICY OR
MUNICIPALITY POLICY, COUNTY
POLICIES, THEN OF COURSE, YOU
KNOW THEY'RE THEY. THEY COULD BE
SUED. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.
SO A PRIVATE ENTITY, UH, SUCH AS
SECURITY COMPANY MAY NOT HAVE
THE ASSETS TO PROTECT THAT
INJURED PARTY. IS THERE A
BONDING SITUATION? THAT
RESTITUTION IS THERE IF IT
HAPPENS? SURE SO, UM, I I'D LIKE
TO ANSWER THAT THAT QUESTION IN
IN A COUPLE OF PARTS NUMBER ONE.
IT IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO
RECOGNIZE THAT GUARDS DO NOT
HAVE ANY SPECIAL RIGHTS OR
PRIVILEGES. THE POWER UNDER
WHICH THEY RESTRAIN SOMEBODY IS
A CITIZEN'S ARREST. POWER. UM SO
KEEPING THAT IN MIND, WE DO
MANDATE THAT EACH INDIVIDUAL
SECURITY GUARD COMPANY CARRY A
MINIMUM OF $1 MILLION INSURANCE
FOR EACH EVENT PER EVENT. SO IF,
UM IF A CONSUMER IS HARMED, THEY
HAVE REDRESS AND THEY HAVE
INSURANCE CERTIFICATES THAT THEY
HAVE ON ON FILE WITH THE BUREAU.
OK, VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. GO
AHEAD, SENATOR MINCH. FUN FACT I
HAD MY GUARD CARD WHEN I WAS 19
YEARS OLD. SO I WAS A PRIVATE
SECURITY. I WAS A MALL COP. IN A
LOCAL MALL. UM AND I WILL. I
THINK I AGREE WITH YOU, SENATOR.
I'M I'M NOT GONNA LIE. I THINK
WE DID CROSS THE LINE SOMETIMES,
BECAUSE YOU KNOW WE WERE 19 TO
26 YEAR OLDS, UM, WITH HANDCUFFS
IN OUR BACK POCKET, AND I WISH I
WOULD HAVE GOTTEN BETTER
TRAINING, LIKE THE TRAINING I
GOT WAS IN FRONT OF A COMPUTER.
UM WHEN I DID GET MY GUARD CARD,
I HAD TO GO IN PERSON. BUT
OUTSIDE OF THAT ANY YEARLY
TRAINING WAS JUST IN FRONT OF A
COMPUTER. AND THEN YOU KNOW YOU
DON'T YOU'RE OUT THERE ON YOUR
OWN. UM IN YOUR SEGWAY OR YOUR
CAR, DOING WHATEVER WE WANTED TO
DO HONESTLY. I KNOW IT'S
DIFFERENT NOW. TIMES ARE
DIFFERENT, DEFINITELY DIFFERENT
WHEN IT COMES TO JUST ANY TYPE
OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. MAYBE
THERE'S JUST MORE LEEWAY BACK
THERE. BUT I AM A LITTLE
HESITANT IN WHAT JUST BECAUSE OF
MY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE, AND THE
LEEWAY WE GET, UM THE LACK OF
OVERSIGHT AND THE LACK OF
SUPERVISION IN THIS SPACE. SURE
SO I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT
STANDARDS HAVE DRAMATICALLY
TIGHTENED. I WOULD IMAGINE IN
THE YEARS SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN A
GUARD. UM, BUT CONGRATULATIONS
ON ON YOUR GUARD. IT IS. IT IS A
FIRED, RIGHT? SURE EASY TO RENEW
, THOUGH. UM BUT I WILL SAY, I
DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE WANTS ME TO
WALK AROUND WITH HANDCUFFS AND
CITIZENS. CITIZENS ARREST, RIGHT
. UM SO THE LEGISLATURE TOOK UP
THIS ISSUE SEVERAL YEARS YEARS
AGO AND PASSED A BILL BY
ASSEMBLY MEMBER HOLD AN A B 229
THAT ENHANCED TRAINING FOR
SECURITY GUARDS AND AS PART OF
THIS ENHANCED TRAINING, WHICH WE
WERE DIRECTED TO WORK WITH POST
AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS. WE HAVE
MANDATED A 50% IN PERSON. UM UH,
TRAINING COURSE, AND THE
EMPHASIS WITH THE NEW TRAINING
REGULATIONS ARE ON DE ESCALATION
AND USE OF FORCE IN ADDRESSING
MENTAL HEALTH CRISES. THESE ARE
BEST PRACTICES IN THE INDUSTRY.
AND SO WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF
EDUCATING RIGHT NOW, UM, AFTER
THE REGS WENT LIVE, AND WE ARE
ALSO UM, CONSTANTLY. UH, THE
DEPUTY AND I ARE CONSTANTLY
GOING OUT TO, UM STAKEHOLDER
GROUPS AND ENGAGEMENT AND MAKING
SURE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT
WE ARE WATCHING AND WE DO
REQUIRE NOW AS PART OF OUR
ENHANCED OVERSIGHT IS ANY
INCIDENT THAT INVOLVES AN
ALTERCATION THAT TURNS PHYSICAL
WITH A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC.
THEY MUST REPORT IT TO THE
BUREAU WITHIN SEVEN DAYS. IF WE
FIND OUT ABOUT IT, AND NÓ
INCIDENT REPORT HAS BEEN
SUBMITTED, THAT COMPANY GETS
CITED. AND AGAIN, THAT IS THE
CONCERNS WE HAVE WITH TRAINING,
AND THAT IS WHY ONE OF THE
PROPOSALS IN THE NEW ISSUES IS
RECOMMENDING ADDITIONAL TRAINING
. YES, WE WANT TO MAKE IT MUSCLE
MEMORY AT THIS POINT. YEAH. GO
AHEAD, SENATOR. FOLLOW UP
QUESTION. UH, AS MY COLLEAGUE,
UH, THE OTHER THING IS THE
AUTOMOBILE. THE LOOK THAT IT
LOOKS LIKE A POLICE CAR. GOOD
CAUSE A DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR
THOSE GUARDS WHO ARE NOT TRAINED
AS LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, AND
THEY GIVE THE GENERAL PUBLIC
THIS IMPRESSION THAT THEY CAN BE
WIPED DOWN. THEY CAN BE USED AS
POLICE. THEY CAN PREVENT AN
ACCIDENT REPORT AN ACCIDENT
WHATEVER GET INVOLVED, AND SO ON
THAT WE GOT TO BE CAREFUL HOW WE
ALLOW THE LABELING THAT IT, YOU
KNOW, DEVIATES. YOU KNOW WHEN
YOU'RE DRIVING YOU LOOK TO YOUR
RIGHT. YOU SEE A CAR THAT WITH
BLACK DOORS AND A WHITE HOOD AND
TRUNK. YOU THINK IT'S AN
OFFSHORE, BUT IT'S A SECURITY
COMPANY. AND SO ARE YOU TAKING A
GOOD LOOK AT THAT. OH, YES, THAT
IS ACTUALLY ADDRESSED IN OUR
STATUTE, SO YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED
TO HAVE A VEHICLE OR APPEAR AS
PRIVATE LAW OR AS LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND WE HAVE CITED A
NUMBER OF COMPANIES FOR TOO
CLOSELY RESEMBLING LAW
ENFORCEMENT. WE ALSO PERSONALLY
APPROVE EVERY BADGE AND PATCH
SUBMISSION. I DON'T KNOW IF
YOU'RE AWARE, BUT EVERY SECURITY
GUARD MUST HAVE A BADGE, A
BUREAU APPROVED BADGE AND PATCH.
UM WE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A
TENDENCY FOR SOME COMPANIES TO
WANT TO TRY TO LOOK LIKE LAW
ENFORCEMENT. WE ALSO WORK WITH
LAW ENFORCEMENT AND HAVE DONE
OUTREACH WITH THE POLICE CHIEFS
ASSOCIATION TO MAKE IT CLEAR TO
THEM THAT IF YOU SEE A SECURITY
GUARD COMPANY THAT RESEMBLES LAW
ENFORCEMENT, PLEASE LET US KNOW
BECAUSE WE WILL SITE AND FIND
THEM BECAUSE IT IS SPECIFICALLY
AGAINST OUR REGULATIONS AND
STATUTES. AND PLEASE DON'T
MISINTERPRET MY QUESTIONS
BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S A STRONG
NEED FOR PRIVATE SECURITY.
STRONG NEED FOR THESE
INVESTIGATORS AND SECURITY IN
THE HOMES AND CERTIFIED LICENSED
PEOPLE TO GO AND CHANGE YOUR
LOCK AT HOME AND THINGS OF THAT
NATURE, BUT I'M ALSO CONCERNED
ABOUT THEIR SAFETY AS WELL. AND
YOU KNOW THE SMASH AND GRAB AND
SO ON. YOU HAVE A SECURITY GUARD
THERE THAT REALLY DOESN'T HAVE
THE EXPERIENCE AND TRIES TO PLAY
THE JOHN WAYNE ROLE, AND IT
COULD CAUSE A PROBLEM. SO YOU
KNOW THEIR SAFETY IS OBVIOUSLY A
CONCERN OF MINE AS WELL. AND I
THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO. THANK
YOU. SENATOR SMALLWOOD CUEVAS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MADAM CHAIR
AND I BEFORE COMING TO THE STATE
LEGISLATURE. I SPENT SOME TIME
WORKING WITH THE SERVICE
EMPLOYEES UNION ORGANIZING
PRIVATE SECURITY OFFICERS IN THE
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE SPACE,
AND I WANT TO SAY THE TRAINING.
IT WAS AT THE TIME DURING 911
WHEN THERE WERE MASSIVE
EVACUATIONS, AND THEY WERE BEING
TOLD THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO DO
TEMPORARY MORGUES AND ALL SORTS
OF THINGS AND THERE WAS NÓ
TRAINING FOR THEM. UM AND SO, I.
I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS ALONG THE
TRAINING LINE ONE ON PRIVATE
SECURITY OFFICERS THAT ARE ON
OUR EDUCATIONAL CAMPUSES, OUR Kò
THROUGH 12, AND PARTICULARLY,
I'M THINKING ABOUT THE HIGH
SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL, UM,
WHERE HORMONES AND TEENAGE UH UH
, SPIRIT, UM, RESULT IN
SKIRMISHES ON THE CAMPUSES. UM
NÓ WEAPONS INVOLVED, BUT JUST
THE TYPICAL SCHOOL YARD FAIR.
WHAT KIND OF HOW IS THERE
CONFLICT RESOLUTION CROWD
CONTROL DE ESCALATION? WHAT IN
YOUR CURRICULUM IS PREPARING
SECURITY OFFICERS? NOT TO, UM,
BRING WEAPONS ON CAMPUS, AND
CERTAINLY YOU KNOW NOT TO ALWAYS
CALL ARMED POLICE ONTO CAMPUSES.
BUT WHAT IS IN THE TRAINING
CURRICULUM THAT PREPARES THEM TO
DEAL WITH THE TYPICAL KINDS OF
THINGS THAT HAPPEN ON ON SCHOOL
CAMPUSES? SURE, SO, UM, BECAUSE
DEPUTY CHIEF STALK HAS BEEN VERY
INVOLVED IN THIS ISSUE. I WILL
KICK IT OVER TO HIM FOR
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. BUT YOU
ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ACTUAL BSS
LICENSE CARDS OR SCHOOL RESOURCE
OFFICERS, I I'M TALKING ABOUT
THE LICENSE CARD, THE LICENSE
NUMBER OF OUR SCHOOLS. IT'S A
PRIVATE SECURITY CONTRACTS. ALL
RIGHT, YES. GOOD MORNING.
CURRENTLY THE BUSINESS AND
PROFESSIONS CODE REQUIRES ANY
SECURITY GUARD LICENSED WHO WAS
ON A Kò THROUGH 12 CAMPUS TO
COMPLETE AN ADDITIONAL SET OF
TRAINING SPECIFICALLY IN THAT
AREA, AND I BELIEVE 24 HOURS,
BUT THE TRAINING THAT THEY HAVE
TO DO AND IT INCLUDES MEDIATION
TECHNIQUES, DE ESCALATION AND
WORKING WITH TEENAGERS. THAT IS
THAT IN PERSON IS WHERE IS THAT?
IS IT A VIDEO WITH 24 HOURS? HOW
DO THEY ACCESS THE TRAINING, SO
THEY'RE GOING TO ACCESS THAT
TRAINING EITHER THROUGH THEIR
SCHOOL THAT'S GOING TO EMPLOY
THEM OR THROUGH A SCHOOL
DISTRICT. WE PROVIDE THE OUTLINE
IN THE SYLLABUS FOR THE TOPICS
THAT ARE INCLUDED, AND IT'S UP
TO THE SCHOOLS AND THE SCHOOL
DISTRICTS TO FILL IN THAT
CONTENT BECAUSE THEY NEEDED
THEY'RE THE SUBJECT MATTER.
EXPERTS IN THAT REGARD, OK, THE
OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS ABOUT
WEAPONS, SO PEPPER SPRAY RUBBER
BULLETS. BAGS UM, STUN GUNS AND
TASERS. 13% OF INCIDENTS
REPORTED INVOLVE SOME OF THESE
WEAPONS. WHAT TRAINING? DO, UH
SECURITY OFFICERS HAVE TO DEAL
WITH THOSE KINDS OF RIGHT, RIGHT
. SO CURRENTLY IF YOU WANT TO
CARRY PEPPER SPRAY ON YOUR
PERSON, YOU WERE REQUIRED BY THE
BUREAU TO GET A CERTIFICATE. WE
DO NOT OFFER THAT CERTIFICATE,
BUT THERE ARE PLENTY OF TRAINING
FACILITIES THAT DO SO YOU MUST
HAVE THAT CERTIFICATE ON YOUR
PERSON AT ALL TIMES. OUR
STATUTES ALSO SPECIFICALLY
PROHIBIT REPLICA OR SIMULATED
FIREARMS. SO IF A GUARD IS
CARRYING A PEPPER BALL GUN THAT
LOOKS LIKE A GUN THAT IS AGAINST
THE LAW. UM BUT WE ARE LOOKING
AT LESS THAN LETHAL OPTIONS, AND
THAT IS ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT
WE BRING UP IN OUR REQUEST TO
THE FOR THE SUNSET IS TO HAVE
FURTHER AUTHORITY OVER THESE
LESS THAN LETHAL OPTIONS SO THAT
WE CAN HAVE GUARDS WHO DON'T
EITHER. HAVE THE YOU KNOW THE
CHOICE TO BE UNARMED OR CARRY A
BATON OR A FIREARMS. THIS WOULD
BE SORT OF AN INTERMEDIATE STEP.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR AUTHORITY TO
REGULATE AND ISSUE CERTIFICATES
ON THEIR USAGE. AND WHAT HAPPENS
IN THIS MOMENT WHERE WE DON'T
HAVE ANY, IS IT IS THERE SOME
SORT OF, UM REPRIMAND.
DISCIPLINE QUESTION ABOUT
LICENSING. HOW DO HOW DOES HOW
DO YOU DEAL WITH IT NOW UNTIL
THE REGULATIONS ARE IN PLACE, SO
THE REG I WILL PASS THAT ONE
OVER TO SAM. BECAUSE THIS IS
THIS IS ANOTHER ONE THAT HE HAS
BEEN WORKING ON THE LESSON,
LETHAL OPTIONS AND TRAINING AND
LICENSURE. WE HAVE CURRENT
STANDARDS AND CURRENT BLOSSOM
RAGS THAT WILL ADDRESS USE OF
FIREARM USE OF A BATON. UM, ANY
MISUSE AND THAT WOULD BE A
VIOLATION. IT COULD BE CABLE. IT
CAN BE CAUSE FOR AVOCATION WITH
SOME OF THE LESS THAN LETHAL
OPTIONS SUCH AS, LIKE A TASER.
FOR EXAMPLE, THERE ARE NÓ
STANDARDS. NÓ TRAINING
REQUIREMENTS, NÓ LICENSING
REQUIREMENTS AND REALLY NOT A
LOT OF ENFORCEMENT PROVISIONS
SPECIFIC TO A TASER. SO FOR AN
ENFORCEMENT SIDE, WE WOULD HAVE
TO LOOK AT IT AS WHAT'S THE
TOTALITY OF THE OF THE SITUATION
AND IS IT YOU KNOW AN UNLAWFUL
USE OF FORCE SITUATION THAT
OCCURRED AND THAT WAS WHY
PUTTING IN THIS PROPOSAL. WE'RE
LOOKING AT AT LEAST SOME
STANDARDS AS FAR AS TRAINING, UM
AND EVEN IF IT'S MODELED
SIMILARLY TO PEPPER SPRAY WHERE
THE FACILITIES ARE ISSUING A
CERTIFICATE, WE JUST WANT TO
ENSURE THAT THERE'S A LEVEL OF
TRAINING AND COMPETENCY
AVAILABLE WITH SOME OF THESE
LESS THAN LETHAL OPTIONS. HE HAD
13% IS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT. SO
FOR SURE. UM I WOULD LOVE TO SEE
THAT AND, UM, THE PROGRESS ON
WHAT? WHAT THOSE REGULATIONS ARE
AND WHAT POLICIES YOU MIGHT NEED
US TO STEP INTO TO ENSURE THAT
WE ARE PROTECTING THE PUBLIC. MY
OTHER AND FINAL QUESTION HAS TO
DO ABOUT THE NEW RACIAL BIAS
TRAINING. UM AND I KNOW YOU
RECENTLY INSTITUTED. WANT TO GET
A LITTLE REPORT? UM ON THAT AND
TO SPEAK ON THE STATUS OF THE
EQUITY ANALYSIS THAT WAS
INCLUDED IN YOUR 2022 20 TO 26
STRATEGIC PLAN. UM UH, IS THIS
TRAINING REQUIRED? AND I'M
PARTICULARLY ARE INTERESTED IN
THOSE AREAS WHERE THE FIREARM
AND BATTALION LICENSE EXAM AND
RENEWAL IS HAPPENING IS THIS ARE
WE PRIORITIZING THOSE ARMED? UM
PERSONNEL FOR THESE KINDS OF
TRAININGS? RIGHT SO WHAT'S THE
STATUS OF THE TRAINING AND PLAN?
SURE SO THE TRAINING THAT YOU'RE
REFERRING TO IS A B 229 TRAINING
? UM, THOSE REGULATIONS WENT
INTO EFFECT. DECEMBER 1ST OF
2023, AND WE DEFINITELY HAVE,
UM, UH, PART OF THE UM, PART OF
THE TRAINING COMPONENTS AND PART
OF THE MODULES IN THERE ARE DE
ESCALATION. WE HAVE, UM UH UH.
MODULES IN THERE THAT ADDRESS
MENTAL HEALTH CRISES. HOW TO
IDENTIFY IT. HOW TO DE ESCALATE
ON ON THAT PORTION. UM WE DON'T
NECESSARILY HAVE A Dð E I
PORTION DEDICATED IN THE NEW
TRAINING, BUT WE DO HAVE THAT
AMONG BUREAU STAFF MANAGERS, AND
WE DO. UM, WE DO HAVE THAT IN
OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, UM, TO ROLL
OUT TO ALL BUREAU EMPLOYEES.
WELL, I JUST THINK IT IS
IMPORTANT FOR THE RACIAL BIAS
TRAINING TO GET TO THE FOLKS WHO
ARE ACTUALLY ENGAGING WITH
COMMUNITY AND PARTICULARLY THOSE
THAT ARE ARMED AND PARTICULARLY
THOSE THAT ARE USING RUBBER
BULLETS AND PELLETS AND TASERS.
UH, SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AN
UPDATE ON ON. HOW IS THAT A PLAN
TO INCORPORATE THE RACIAL BIAS
TRAINING NOT JUST AT THE
MANAGEMENT LEVEL, BUT WITH THE
OFFICERS WHO ARE LIKE THE
LICENSEES? YES WELL, I WILL TELL
YOU THAT THE NEW TRAINING
ENHANCEMENTS THAT THEY DO GO
INTO QUITE A FEW. OF THE OF THE
UNDERLYING CAUSES FOR RACIAL
BIAS, AND WE DO HAVE A VERY
ROBUST UM UH UH, CURRICULUM THAT
WE PUT OUT, UM, SAM AND I WROTE
THOSE REQUIREMENTS AND I DON'T
KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING
ADDITIONAL. YOU WANNA ADD FOR
THOSE? I THINK IN LOOKING AT THE
CONTENT THAT WE HAD PLACED INTO
THE TRAINING MANUAL FOR SECURITY
GUARDS. WE LEANED A LOT ON WHAT
POST HAD AS FAR AS CULTURAL
COMPETENCY AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
SO THERE IS AN ASPECT TO IT.
OBVIOUSLY, IT'S ALWAYS ARE
WILLING TO EXPLORE AN UPDATE IF
WE NEED TO, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO
PROVIDE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS
WE CAN INTO AN EIGHT HOUR
TRAINING, SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE
AT WITH THE INITIAL SIDE OF IT.
AND SENATOR THAT MIGHT BE
SOMETHING THAT AS WE'RE LOOKING
AT THIS ADDITIONAL TRAINING THAT
WE'RE RECOMMENDING A PORTION OF
THAT BE LIKE SOME OF OUR OTHER
BOARDS AND BUREAUS THAT REQUIRE
Dð E. I TRAINING SPECIFICALLY,
UM, FOR THIS LICENSE TYPE AS
WELL. IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING
THAT IT IS REQUIRED AND SHOULD
BE IN THE CURRICULUM, ACCORDING
TO THE A B 229. SO I, I WANT TO
UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THAT. AND
HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT THE RACIAL
BIAS TRAINING IS INSTITUTED IN
PARTICULARLY FOR EVERY LICENSEE?
ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. SEEING
NONE. I THINK WE'RE GONNA THROW
IT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, UH, FOR
ANY TESTIMONY FROM MEMBERS OF
THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE BUREAU OF
SECURITY AND INVESTIGATIVE
SERVICES. BURN IT ALL. THANKS
ALL FOR YOUR TIME. MY NAME IS
FRANK HUNTINGTON. I'M PLEASED TO
BE THE PRESIDENT OF CALI, THE
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF
LICENSED INVESTIGATORS, THE
LARGEST LICENSED INVESTIGATOR
ASSOCIATION IN THE WORLD. UM OUR
MEMBERS REQUIRE 6000 HOURS OF
INVESTIGATIVE EXPERIENCE TO GET
OUR LICENSE. MANY OF OUR MEMBERS
ARE FORMER LAW ENFORCEMENT
INSURANCE PEOPLE. REPORTERS
SENATOR ARCHULETA. NONE OF OUR
MEMBERS DRIVE MARKED CARS THAT
WOULD COMPLETELY DEFEAT THE
PURPOSE OF OUR JOB. SO DON'T
WORRY ABOUT THAT. UM I'M VERY
PLEASED TO WORK WITH THE BUREAU.
I'M ALSO ON THE ADVISORY BOARD.
UH, THE CHIEF AND THE DEPUTY
CHIEF AND CALI HAVE ALWAYS BEEN
LONGTIME PARTNERS, AND WE
COMPLETELY SUPPORT THEM. UH,
CALLIE DOES. THERE IS NÓ STATE
REQUIREMENT FOR CONTINUED
EDUCATION FOR OUR PROFESSION.
KELLY PROVIDES DOZENS OF HOURS,
INCLUDING Dð E. I TRAINING
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR OUR
MEMBERS OR ANY P IN THE STATE
THAT WANTS TO TAKE IT. AGAIN WE
SUPPORT THE BUREAU. THE ONLY ONE
ISSUE I WANT TO BRING UP IS IN
2019 S¼ P. THREE 85 WAS PASSED,
WHICH REQUIRED AN ENHANCED
IDENTIFICATION FOR PRIVATE
INVESTIGATORS. THE BUREAU
CONTRACTED WITH THE COMPANY
CALLED P S¼. I UNFORTUNATELY
WE'RE HAVING SOME ISSUES THERE
WITH THE ISSUANCE OF THOSE
IDENTIFICATIONS AND THE QUALITY
OF THEM. WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY
WITH THE BUREAU TO TRY TO
RESOLVE THOSE ISSUES. AND WITH
THAT, I THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MR CHAIR
AND MEMBERS CHARLES WRIGHT ON
BEHALF OF SALMON. WELL BAND OF
MISSION INDIANS, UH, WE
APPRECIATE AND STRONGLY SUPPORT
THE STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS
REGARDING ISSUE NUMBER SIX,
WHICH ASKS THE BUREAU OF
SECURITY AND INVESTIGATIVE
SERVICES TO ADVISE LEGISLATIVE
COMMITTEES ON THE EXISTING
BARRIERS TO LICENSURE FOR EACH
OF THE PRACTICE ACTS,
PARTICULARLY THE PROPRIETARY
SECURITY SERVICES ACT AND
PRIVATE SECURITY SERVICES ACT.
SALMON OEL LOOKS FORWARD TO
WORKING WITH PROGRAMS AND THESE
COMMITTEES TO RESOLVE THE ISSUES
AND WE WANT TO ESPECIALLY THANK
COMMITTEE STAFF FOR WORKING SO
HARD ON THIS. THANKS. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. MR CHAIR MEMBERS
FRANKLIN ON BEHALF OF THE SAN
BANA SHOES. INDIANS LIKE TO
MIMIC THE PREVIOUS WITNESSES,
TESTIMONY ON BEHALF OF THE S¼ B
BAND OF MISSION INDIANS AND
STRONG SUPPORT. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU. MORNING CHAIRMAN MEMBERS.
MY NAME IS DAVID CHANDLER. I'M
THE PRESIDENT FOR CAL SAU CAL
SGA IS THE ASSOCIATION
REPRESENTS THE SECURITY INDUSTRY
IN CALIFORNIA. UM WE ARE A GREAT
PARTNERS WITH THE BUREAU. WE
WORK WITH THE BUREAU
CONTINUOUSLY ON TRAINING ISSUES
THAT COME UP ALL THE TIME, AND
WE'RE CONSTANTLY WORKING WITH
BUREAU AND STAFF FROM THE, UH,
YOUR OFFICES ALSO, I WAS CUEVAS.
I DO WANNA MENTION THAT, UH,
THERE IS CULTURAL DIVERSITY
THAT'S BEEN AROUND SINCE 2004 IN
OUR PUBLIC RELATIONS SECTION,
THE CHIEF THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF
BEN OVER REGULATION SO MUCH NOW
THAT THEY FORGET THERE IS A
CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THAT
SECTION THAT ALL SECURITY
OFFICERS MUST HAVE TRAINING
WITHIN THAT 1ST 30 DAYS OF THE
TRAIN. SO IT DOES COVER SOME
TRAIN. WE WOULD LIKE TO GET MORE
TRAINING. FOR OUR OFFICERS
BEFORE THEY GO OUT IN THE FIELD.
UH, MR ARCHULETA REGARDING, UH,
SECURITY OFFICERS OVERSTEPPING
THEIR BOUNDS IT IT HAPPENS.
POLICE OFFICERS DO THE SAME
THING. THAT'S THE PROBLEM IN OUR
INDUSTRY. BUT UH, WITH THE
REGULATIONS OF THE CHIEFS DONE,
AND MS KURZ MEYER'S OFFICE HAS
HELPED OUT A LOT, UM, WE HAVE A
HANDLE ON A LOT OF IT. UM THERE
ARE A LOT OF SECURITY COMPANIES
OUT THERE. UH, THERE'S OVER 25.
I BELIEVE IT WAS 2500
APPROXIMATELY SECURITY COMPANIES
LICENSING CALIFORNIA. WE ALSO
HAVE A LOT OF UNLICENSED
ACTIVITY, TOO. THE BUREAU IS
DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB IN THE
LAST FEW YEARS GOING AFTER
UNLICENSED ACTIVITY, AND I THINK
THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF OUR
PROBLEMS ARE AS UNLICENSED
ACTIVITY. WE DO APPRECIATE ALL
YOUR HARD WORK ALL YOUR
COMMITTEE'S HARD WORK ALL YOUR
STAFF'S HARD WORK. AND OF
COURSE, THE BUREAU. THANK YOU
FOR YOUR TIME. YOU. GOOD MORNING
. MY NAME IS MARK MILLER. I'M
WITH SEC TO WE EMPLOY ABOUT
15,000 GUARDS IN CALIFORNIA.
I'VE BEEN WITH KIT FOR 32 YEARS
AND WE REALLY DO ENJOY A GOOD
WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH CHIEF
LIN JENSEN AND DIRECTOR KURTZ.
MEYER AND I AGREE WITH ALL OF
EVERYTHING THAT EVERYBODY
BROUGHT UP HERE TODAY. UM I
RECENTLY LAST WEEK. UH, MY
EMPLOYER, I ATTENDED THE NEW USE
OF FORCE TRAINING. AND IT WAS
EIGHT HOURS OF INTENSITY. ALL
INSTRUCTOR LED, AND, UH YOU KNOW
, AND IT DOES HAVE CULTURAL BIAS
, INCLUDING, HOWEVER, THERE'S
ALWAYS ROOM FOR MORE IMPROVEMENT
IN THAT REGARD. UM TO YOUR POINT
. UM YES. UH MY FIRST CONCERN IS
THE SAFETY OF THE SECURITY
OFFICER AND IT SECURE. YOU KNOW,
OUR OUR MAIN JOB IS OBSERVE AND
REPORT AND CALL 911. DON'T TOUCH
ANYBODY. NOW. THINGS DO HAPPEN.
AND YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD NUCLEAR
VERDICTS BEFORE AND SO, YES, BUT
THE SAFETY OF THE OFFICER IS JOB
ONE. AND UM, TO YOUR POINT. UM
UH, M JAVAR. UM YES. NOW WE HAVE
, UH, INSTRUCTOR LED IN IN THE
CLASSROOM, NOT ALL OF IT, BUT
THE TRAINING HAS COME A LONG
WAYS. SO I, UH YOU KNOW, 40
HOURS UP FRONT AND NOW THERE'S
80 HOURS, ANNUAL REF. SURE UM, I
ALSO WANNA SAY, UH, ON THE
PHYSICAL ALTERCATIONS. WE HAVE
SEVEN BUSINESS DAYS TO REPORT
ANY PHYSICAL ALTERCATION TO THE
BUREAU AND WE CAN RECEIVE UP TO
A $5000 FINE. IF WE DO NOT
REPORT I JUST WANT TO COMPLIMENT
ALL OF YOU. I WANNA COMPLIMENT
UH, LYNN JENSEN BECAUSE SHE
PROCESSES A LOT OF, UH,
LICENSES. AND WITH HER GOING
AFTER UNLICENSED ACTIVITY, SHE'S
HELPING TO MAKE CALIFORNIA A
SAFER PLACE. THANK YOU. IN CAN I
JUST SAY OUT ON THAT LAST
COMMENT? I JUST WANT TO
RECOGNIZE THE KAS FOR LIFTING
STANDARDS IN THE SECURITY
INDUSTRY AND, UM, MAKING SURE
THAT WE'RE REDUCING THE TURNOVER
IN THAT SPACE AND HAVING A
WORKFORCE THAT IS TRAINED IN AND
STABLE, SO JUST WANTED TO ADD
THAT WORD. HIGH PRAISE THANK
YOU. ALL RIGHT. WHERE? WHERE ARE
WE? CHAIRMAN? SORRY I HAD TO
WALK OUT. WE'RE DONE. YOU'RE
FREE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL
RIGHT. WELL DONE. THANK YOU FOR
BEING HERE. WE DO APPRECIATE YOU
VERY MUCH. YOU GUYS ARE WE'RE
DOING GREAT. WE'RE TREK THROUGH
HERE. ALL RIGHT. WE ARE MOVING
TO OUR FINAL PROGRAM ON THE
AGENDA TODAY TO THE CONTRACTOR,
STATE LICENSING BOARD. SIMPLE
SMALL LITTLE TOPIC. UH, WE'LL
HEAR FROM DIANA LOVE THE BOARD
CHAIR, AND MIGUEL GALARZA BOARD
SECRETARY AND DAVID F. WHO IS
THE REGISTRAR? THANK YOU GUYS.
SO VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
HELP US STAY ON THE ROLE THAT
WE'RE ON HAVING A GREAT MORNING
SO FAR HAPPY TO HAVE YOU HERE.
THANKS FOR JOINING US. GOOD
MORNING CHAIR. ASHBY CHAIR
BERMAN AND HONORABLE MEMBERS OF
THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS
PROFESSIONALS AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT AND THE ASSEMBLY
COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS AND
PROFESSIONS. THANK YOU FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH YOU
TODAY. MY NAME IS DIANA LOVE,
AND I AM THE CHAIR OF THE
CONTRACTOR STATE LICENSE FOR
REFERRED TO AS èC S¼ LB. I AM A
PUBLIC MEMBER AND REPRESENTATIVE
OF A SENIOR CITIZEN ORGANIZATION
WITH ME TODAY IS MIGUEL GARZA,
BOARD SECRETARY ALSO
REPRESENTING èC S¼ LB IS DAVID
FULK REGISTER OF CONTRACTORS.
èC S¼ LB HAS PROTECTED
CONSUMERS BY REGULATING THE
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY SINCE 1929
èC S¼ LB LICENSES MORE THAN
285,000 CONTRACTORS IN FOUR
LICENSE TYPES THAT INCLUDES 45
LICENSE CLASSIFICATIONS THROUGH
THE LICENSING PROCESS, THE
CONTRACTOR'S KNOWLEDGE OF
WORKMANSHIP STANDARDS IS EXCESS
AS WELL AS THE APPLICANT'S
KNOWLEDGE OF STATE LAW. SINCE
CSL B'S LAST SUNSET REVIEW IN
2019 èC S¼ LB HAS SUCCESSFULLY
MAINTAINED OPERATIONS TO PROVIDE
EFFECTIVE CONSUMER PROTECTION
AND SERVICE TO LICENSES. THIS
INCLUDES DOING THE èC Ó VÆ I
Dð HEALTH PANDEMIC CONSTRUCTION
WAS DEEMED AN ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY
IN RESPONSE, èC S¼ LB CHANGE
PROCESSES BY QUICKLY MOBILIZING
TELEWORK TO EFFICIENTLY HANDLE
CONSUMER COMPLAINTS. TO TIMELY
ISSUE AND RENEW LICENSES. èC S¼
LB LAUNCHED ONLINE RENEWALS IN
MARCH OF 2020, WHICH ALLOWED
STAFF TO FOCUS ON INITIAL
APPLICANTS AND KEEP CALIFORNIA
BUILDING. èC S¼ LB ALSO SAVED
ITS FUND FROM NEAR INSOLVENCY.
CSL BS FUND REBOUND THROUGH A
COMBINATION OF PHYSICAL
CONSERVANCY, STRATEGIC HIRING,
OUTSOURCING EXAMINATIONS AND A
SMALL FEE INCREASE. THE FUND IS
NOW HEALTHY, WITH AN APPROXIMATE
FOUR MONTH RESERVE. ON AUGUST
2023 èC S¼ LB BEGAN OFFERING
THE LAW AND BUSINESS
EXAMINATIONS AND NINE TRADE
EXAMINATIONS IN SPANISH. THIS
STEP WAS TAKEN TO INCREASE THE
POTENTIAL TO BECOME LICENSED FOR
APPLICANTS WHOSE NATIVE LANGUAGE
IS NOT ENGLISH. CSL B WILL
CONTINUE TO PRIORITIZE SPANISH
EXAM TRANSLATION. AS A PUBLIC
MEMBER REPRESENTING SENIOR
CITIZENS ON THE BOARD. I HAVE
ENSURED THAT INVESTIGATION OF
ELDER ABUSE IS PREDATORY
CRIMINAL ACTS ARE A TOP PRIORITY
FOR THE BOARD. I WILL NOW TURN
IT OVER TO MIGUEL GALARZA TO
INTRODUCE HIMSELF AND BRIEF AND
SPEAK BRIEFLY ABOUT THE èC S¼
LB ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU CHAIR. UM MY NAME
IS MIGUEL GALARZA AND I'VE BEEN
A LICENSING AND PRACTICING
CONTRACTOR FOR THE LAST 30
YEARS. I'VE BEEN PROUD TO BE
APPOINTED TO BE ONE OF THE TWO
GENERAL CONTRACTOR MEMBERS OF
THE BOARD AND I IT'S AN HONOR,
UH TO, UH, MAKE SURE AND ENSURE
THAT THIS INDUSTRY IS PERCEIVED
AS BEING PROFESSIONAL AND THAT
WE'RE DOING THINGS ACCORDING TO
THE PROFESSION, NOT ONLY TO
PROTECT THE PUBLIC, BUT TO GIVE
THEM WHAT THEY'RE PAYING FOR. Ó
B HAS ACTIVELY AND AGGRESSIVELY
PURSUED UNLICENSED CONTRACTORS
BY A BY WORKING WITH OTHER STATE
AGENCIES. WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, UM
, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO RECOVER
OVER $29.4 MILLION FROM, UH,
FROM, UH, ISSUES FROM THE PUBLIC
IN RESTITUTION AND CORRECTIVE
WORK. UH, AND THAT WAS A 6%
INCREASE FROM THE LAST YEAR. UH,
èC S¼ LB PRIORITIZES. UH,
EMERGENCY RESPONSE. UH A AT A
LOCATIONS WHERE, UH, DISASTERS
HAVE OCCURRED AND WE ARE
PRIMARILY IN MAKING SURE THAT WE
RESPOND TO THE CONSUMER AND
PROTECTING THEM. UM WITH THAT,
I'D LIKE TO GIVE YOU BACK. UH
UH, THE CHAIR OF, UH, CHAIR
ASHBY AND FENCE. YOU. YOU WANT
ANYTHING OR JUST HERE FOR?
QUESTION I JUST REALLY
APPRECIATE BEING HERE TODAY AND
READY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.
GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I
TURN TO MY COLLEAGUES HERE AND
SEE IF I HAVE ANY GO AHEAD,
SENATOR ROTH. THANK YOU. I'M
ACTUALLY UM CAN I ASK A QUESTION
FROM MY COLLEAGUE, SENATOR DODD,
WHO COULD NOT ATTEND TODAY. BUT
AS YOU ALL KNOW, IN 2022. HE
CARRIED A BILL. I THINK IT'S S¼
B 216 TO REQUIRE CONTRACTORS TO
HAVE WORKERS COMPENSATION
INSURANCE, WHETHER THEY HAD
EMPLOYEES AND HIS QUESTIONS HAVE
TO DO WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION
AND THE IMPACT OF THE
LEGISLATION IN RESPONSE FROM
LICENSED CONTRACTORS AND THE
QUESTIONS ARE THESE TWO. HAVE
YOU SEEN A DECREASE IN THE
NUMBER OF LICENSED CONTRACTORS
IN THE FOR DISCIPLINE? SUBJECT
TO THAT JULY 1 2000 AND THREE,
UM, MANDATE WORKERS' COMP
MANDATE. AND THE SECOND QUESTION
IS, HAVE YOU SEEN AN INCREASE IN
COMPLAINTS ABOUT UNLICENSED
CONTRACTORS WORKING IN THOSE
FOUR DISCIPLINES? AND I GUESS
THE TWO QUESTIONS GO TO AT LEAST
SOMEONE'S SUGGESTION THAT YOU'RE
HAVING A DECREASE IN RENEWALS
AND CONTRACTORS PERHAPS MAY BE
ELECTING TO GO UNLICENSED RATHER
THAN COMPLY WITH THE MANDATE. SO
IF I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION
REGARDING A B 216 CORRECT YES,
AND THE WORKMAN'S COMP, UH,
ISSUE AND, UH, WHAT WE'VE SEEN
IS, UH UH, IT IT CERTAINLY IS,
UH, CREATING, UH, A TREMENDOUS
AMOUNT OF PAPERWORK. THERE'S
BEEN A LOT OF ROBUST OUTREACH TO
CONTRACTORS TO MAKE SURE THEY
STAY. GET AWARE OF WHAT THE
SITUATION IS, AS FAR AS THEIR
LICENSE HERE IS CONCERNED. UM
THERE IS SOME CONCERN THAT THEY
WILL BE PAYING FOR POLICIES THAT
THEY WON'T BE USING THOSE WHO
ARE ARE DID NOT HAVE EMPLOYEES.
UM, HOWEVER, THE YOUR POINT
THOSE THAT DO HAVE EMPLOYEES OR
HAVE SAID THAT THEY DON'T HAVE
EMPLOYEES ARE ARE NOW BEING
FORCED TO GET WORKMAN'S COMP AND
TO THE BETTERMENT OF THE OF THE
COMMUNITY AND ALSO TO PROTECT
THE PUBLIC. HAVE WE SEEN ANY, UM
, INCREASE IN NON RENEWALS AMONG
YOUR UM GROUP OF LICENSED
CONTRACTORS IN THE STATE. I
WOULD REFER TO THE REGISTER.
YEAH, IT'S IT. IT MIRRORS WHAT
HAPPENED WHEN THE ROOFERS HAD
LEGISLATION TO REQUIRE THAT ALL
RIPPING CONTRACTORS HAVE TO HAVE
A POLICY. WE FOUND THAT WE HAD A
DECREASE RENEWAL. SO
APPROXIMATELY 10% SO THE ANSWER
TO YOUR QUESTION IS WE HAVE, UH,
WE HAVE NOTICED A DECREASE IN
RENEWALS FOR APPROXIMATELY 8% IN
THOSE FOUR CLASSIFICATIONS. AND
HAVE YOU SEEN A CORRESPONDING
INCREASE IN COMPLAINT REGARDING
UNLICENSED CONTRACTORS. IN THOSE
IN THOSE CATEGORIES, AND WE
HAVEN'T DONE A STUDY OF THAT. I
CAN JUST SAY THAT OVERALL,
UNLICENSED PRACTICE HAS REMAINED
STEADY, BUT THAT'S A VERY GOOD A
VERY GOOD QUESTION THAT WE COULD
RESEARCH BUT WE HAVE NOT DONE
THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY
MUCH. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR
HELPING SENATOR DODD TOO,
SENATOR ARCHA. YES. THANK YOU.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU
DO. I KNOW THE VAST MAJORITY OF
PEOPLE THAT YOU WORK WITH ARE
VERY HAPPY. BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT
THOSE THAT ARE REALLY, REALLY
UPSET. ANYONE WHO'S REMODELED
THEIR KITCHEN IN THE LAST TWO OR
THREE YEARS. YOU CAN IMAGINE THE
NIGHTMARE THEY'VE HAD, UH BUT
I'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE MINE
WENT PRETTY SMOOTH. BUT WHAT I
HEAR IS CONTRACTOR AFTER
CONTRACTOR HE'LL START A JOB.
GET SOME MONEY. START ANOTHER
JOB. ANOTHER JOB BY THE TIME
THEY COME BACK AROUND TO YOU,
YOU'VE YOU'RE YOU KNOW,
CUSTOMERS HAVE BEEN SITTING
THERE WEEKS WAITING FOR THEIR TO
COME BACK AROUND. HOW DO YOU HOW
DO YOU PROPOSE THAT THAT THESE
CONTRACTORS WOULDN'T BE DOING
THAT TO THE CONSUMER ONE. AND
IF, AT THE END, THE WORK WASN'T
DONE, RIGHT? IS THERE A FUND OF
SOME SORT? WE TALKED ABOUT THAT
EARLIER THAT MAYBE THEY CAN
COMPLAIN TO SOMEONE AND THEN YOU
CAN SEND AN EXPERT IN AND SAY,
YEP, YOU'RE RIGHT. THIS ISN'T
RIGHT. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND
BECAUSE OF OUR FUND, WE'LL MAKE
SURE THAT THE CONSUMER IS NOT
DAMAGED AND TAKE CARE OF IT. YOU
YOU SEE THAT CONSUMER FRIENDLY
THING THAT I'M TRYING TO THROW
AT YOU ANYTHING IN THAT
DIRECTION? SO I THINK THAT, UM
ABOUT $42 MILLION IS WHAT èC S¼
LB DOES SPENDS AND ENFORCEMENT
TO MAKE SURE THAT CONTRACTORS
ARE DOING THEIR JOB PROPERLY.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, UH, WHEN
FINDS ARE ASSESSED. UM, UH,
OFTENTIMES THERE'S AN APPEAL.
PROCESS AND WHEN THERE'S AN
APPEAL PROCESS THAT APPEAL
PROCESS COSTS. èC S¼ LB ABOUT
$9000. AND THEY'RE IN LIKE THE
CONUNDRUM IS THERE'S A MINIMUM
AND THERE'S A MAXIMUM FINE. AND
OFTEN TIMES WHEN YOU YOU GO IN
FRONT OF AN ADMINISTRATIVE
JUDGE. UM, THAT FIND IS REDUCED
TO THE MINIMUM. WHICH IS USUALLY
$100, WHICH DOES NOT COVER THE
COST OF THESE ENFORCEMENT
ACTIONS. SO PART OF THE SOLUTION
WOULD BE TO ENSURE THAT THESE
MINIMUM FINES HAVE NOT CHANGED
IN 2007. BE ADJUSTED TO THE COST
OF LIVING INCREASE TO MAKE SURE
THAT THEY KEEP IN PAR WITH OTHER
COSTS THAT ARE GOING ALONG WITH
RUNNING èC S¼ Ó P PROPERLY
NUMBER ONE NUMBER TWO TO
INCREASE THOSE MINIMUM FINES SO
THAT THEIR COMPENSATORY TO THE
DAMAGE THAT THE THAT THE
CONTRACTOR HAS DONE TO THE
PUBLIC. AND I THINK WHAT IT IS.
THERE'S NÓ FEAR FACTOR FROM SOME
OF THESE CONTRACTORS, BECAUSE,
UH, NOTHING WILL GET DONE. $100
FINE. WELL, THAT MAYBE THAT'S
SOMETHING WE HAVE TO LOOK AT.
BUT THE CONSUMER, UM, WHEN I
MENTIONED YOU KNOW THE KITCHENS,
THE HOMES WE JUST HAD THIS
TERRIBLE WEATHER RAIN ROOFING
CO. MY NEIGHBOR JUST HAD TO PUT
A ROOF ON RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE RAINSTORM. WHY WASN'T HE
CONSULTED OR SOMEBODY TALKED TO
HIM BEFORE HE TORE IT DOWN?
CHANGE CAME AND IT WAS A
NIGHTMARE FOR MY NEIGHBOR. UH
BUT I JUST HEAR THESE THESE
MASSIVE STORIES AND BUT AGAIN,
THE VAST MAJORITY ARE TOP
PROFESSIONALS THAT GET THE JOB
DONE. UH SO THE GENERAL
CONTRACTOR WHO SUBS ALL THESE
INDIVIDUALS ARE THEY UNDER?
TRULY UNDER HIS UMBRELLA. BUT
ARE THEY MATHEMATICALLY ALSO ON
THE HOOK OR IS JUST A GENERAL
CONTRACTOR? I AM GOING TO LET
THE REGISTRAR ADDRESS THAT
QUESTION FOR YOU. IF I COULD
JUST TO BACK UP, THOUGH, AS TO
THE SITUATION WHERE A KITCHEN
REMODEL IS GOING TOO SLOW, WHAT
WE SEE IT AS A COMMON
DENOMINATOR WHEN THESE PROJECTS
ARE NOT PROSECUTED DILIGENTLY IS
THE FRONT LOADING OF THE
CONTRACT. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT.
WE'RE FORTUNATE IN CALIFORNIA
LEGISLATURE PASSED A LAW SAYS
HOME IMPROVEMENT CAN ONLY TAKE
$1000 DOES A DEPOSIT. YOU DON'T
GET SUBSEQUENT PAYMENTS UNTIL
THAT WORK IS PERFORMED TO YOUR
SATISFACTION, BUT WHAT WE FIND
WITH SOME OF THE CONTRACTORS
THAT ARE RECEIVING THESE
COMPLAINTS IS THEY'VE DESIGNED A
PAYMENT METHOD WHERE THEY GET
PAID WELL IN ADVANCE, AND THEY
HAVE NÓ INCENTIVE TO FINISH THAT
JOB. SO AS OUR BOARD MEMBER
MIGUEL GARZA MENTIONED WE DO
NEED TO BE MORE. WE NEED HIGHER
FINES. WE NEED TO LOOK AT
CONTRACTORS THAT ARE RECEIVING
THESE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS. WE
NEED TO FILE ACCUSATIONS TO
SUSPEND AND REVOKE THOSE
LICENSES AND THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT WE'RE ACTIVELY PERFORMING
NOW, BUT I DO THINK THE NUMBER
ONE REASON THE ONE THING WE HAVE
TO REALLY GET ACROSS IS DON'T
PAY IN ADVANCE OF THE WORK AND
WE'RE GOING TO BE REACHING OUT
AND MEETING WITH THE CALIFORNIA
DISTRICT ATTORNEY ASSOCIATION ON
APRIL 29TH TO GET THE Dð A S¼
COOPER WITH US LETTING THEM KNOW
THAT IN SOME INDUSTRIES TO
CHANGE THE MARKETPLACE. MOST
CONTRACTORS DO A WONDERFUL JOB,
BUT THERE ARE SOME OUT THERE
THAT ARE CAUSING A LOT OF
PROBLEMS. THIS IS ALSO QUITE
PREVALENT IN THE SOLAR INDUSTRY.
SO THAT'S WHERE WE NEED THE HELP
OF THE Dð A S¼. WE NEED TO
EDUCATE OUR CONSUMERS. WE NEED
TO PUT INFORMATION ON OUR
WEBSITE, WHICH WE'VE DONE TO
HELP THE CONSUMERS TO PROTECT
THEMSELVES AND ALSO DISCOURAGE
THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR WITH OUR
LICENSEES. RIGHT? THANK YOU.
IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. COST
MORE. UM SO THERE'S BEEN A
DECENT AMOUNT OF CONVERSATION
OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS
AROUND THE HANDYMAN SLASH MINOR
WORK EXEMPTION FROM LICENSURE.
ANY THOUGHTS ABOUT KIND OF THE
PROPOSALS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
FOR THE SITUATION. TAKE A LARGE
OK, ASKING IT IS VAGUELY AS
POSSIBLE TO LET YOU ALL KNOW IS
SOMETHING OUR BOARD HAS LOOKED
AT IN A FEW YEARS AGO, THERE WAS
LIKE A PROPOSAL THAT OUR BOARD
SUPPORTED TO RAISE THE MINOR
WORK EXEMPTION. WE'RE BASING IT
ON THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX, AND
AT THAT TIME WOULD HAVE RAISED
IT UP TO AROUND $1000. PERHAPS A
LITTLE BIT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
UH, WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF
LEGISLATIVE INTEREST IN ANYONE
SPONSORING THAT BILL, AND THEN
SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THERE WAS
ANOTHER BILL THAT WAS INTRODUCED
AND IT DIDN'T IT DIDN'T GET A
CHAPTER. I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT
OUTCOME OF IT. THERE'S JUST A
COUPLE OF THINGS YOU WANT TO
LOOK AT. WHEN YOU RAISE THE
MINOR WORK EXEMPTION, AND ONE IS
WHETHER OR NOT THE WORK THAT
WOULD BE DONE WOULD REQUIRE A
BUILDING PERMIT. CAN A PERMIT
STILL BE OBTAINED? THE OTHER
ISSUE WOULD BE WORKERS
COMPENSATION INSURANCE, AND ONE
THOUGHT OUR BOARD HAD IS THAT IF
YOU'RE GOING TO RAISE IT, MAYBE
NOT, UH, NOT DO IT IN SUCH A WAY
THAT IT'S FOR THE HANDY PERSON
THAT TRULY DOESN'T HAVE
EMPLOYEES WHO WOULD NEED THE
WORKERS' COMP. IT MIGHT BE
SOMETHING TO ABSOLUTE.
ABSOLUTELY LOOK AT I KNOW IT'S
SOMETHING THAT OUR BOARD WOULD
LIKE TO CONSIDER IN THE FUTURE.
I JUST ALWAYS KEEPING IN MIND
THE PROTECTION OF THE CONSUMER
AND THE PROTECTION OF THE
WORKER. THANK YOU. I HAVE TWO
FOR YOU. IT SHOULD BE A LITTLE
LENGTHY QUESTION, BUT PROBABLY
NOT TOO LONG OF AN ANSWER. JUST
NEED A LITTLE EXPLANATION. THIS
BUILDS OFF OF SENATOR ARCHULETA
QUESTION, UH, ABOUT BAD ACTORS.
BUT SPECIFICALLY, WHAT ARE WE
DOING TO, UM PROVIDE TOOLS FOR
BAD ACTORS TO PREVENT THEM FROM
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CONSUMERS IN
DISASTER AREAS. OBVIOUSLY,
CALIFORNIA AROUND FIRES AND
OTHER DISASTERS, NATURAL
DISASTERS WE'VE, REALLY WE'VE
REALLY STRUGGLED WITH THIS A BIT
, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S SUCH A
DEMAND. ARE THERE OTHER
APPROACHES OR PARTNERSHIPS THAT
COULD BE HELPFUL OR MORE THAT WE
COULD BE DOING AS LEGISLATORS OR
AS A STATE TO PROTECT PEOPLE WHO
ARE ALREADY DEALING WITH SO MUCH
DOES THE BOARD HAVE ENOUGH
SUPPORT FROM LOCAL JURISDICTIONS
OR FROM US? UH OR IS IT MAINLY
STATE AGENCIES THAT ENGAGE? WHAT
CAN WE DO? I JUST I WANNA, UH
START OFF BY MAKING JUST A
COMMENT TO YOUR QUESTION, AND
THEN LET THE REGISTRAR CONTINUE
ON, UM I. I JUST WANT TO SAY
THAT I BE I I'M A FIRM BELIEVER
OF CONSUMER PROTECTION. AND IN
THE LAST COUPLE OF, UM REMODELS,
SO TO SPEAK, THAT I HAVE
PERSONALLY DONE ON THE HOME
WHERE I LIVE. I'VE RUN INTO THE
SITUATION OF, UH BAD ACTORS, SO
TO SPEAK, AND IT WAS REFRESHING
TO KNOW THAT I HAVE THE
CONTRACTOR STATE LICENSE BOARD
TO CALL AND TO ASK QUESTIONS OF
STAFF WHAT TO DO SO I WANNA
COMMEND THE STAFF AND THE
REGISTRAR'S OFFICE. BUT IN
SITTING HERE THINKING ABOUT AND
LISTENING TO WHAT YOU'RE ALL
SAYING, I THINK ONE OF THE WAYS
THAT WE CAN, UM HELP CONSUMERS.
WE DO A FANTASTIC JOB WITH OUR
WEBSITE, BUT I THINK IF WE HAVE
SOMETHING THAT'S FULL BLOWN WHEN
YOU PULL IT UP THAT SAYS, IF YOU
HAVE QUESTIONS, CALL US DON'T
HESITATE SOMETHING THAT ALERTS
THE PUBLIC SO THAT THEY FEEL
COMFORTABLE BECAUSE I'VE BEEN IN
A SITUATION WHERE, UH, MONEY WAS
TAKEN FROM THE CONTRACTORS WHERE
THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN IT.
AND I LEARNED AFTER THE FACT AND
IT WAS TOO LATE, AND IT TURNED
INTO MITIGATION AND A WHOLE LOT
OF OTHER THINGS, SO I JUST THINK
THE ALERTNESS OF THE CONSUMER
PROTECTION IS VERY IMPORTANT.
ANYTHING TO ADD TO THAT
REGARDING THE DECLARED DISASTER
AREAS. WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO
MEET WITH SENATOR MIKE MCGUIRE A
FEW MONTHS AGO, AND ONE THING
THAT WAS SUGGESTED DURING THAT
MEETING IS WE NEED TO HIRE A
CONSULTANT. WE NEED TO HIRE A
CONSULTANT TO SEE IF WE HAVE THE
RESOURCES NECESSARY TO
EFFECTIVELY RESPOND WHEN WE HAVE
ABOUT CONTRACT OR A BAD ACTOR
COMING INTO THE AREA, SO THAT'S
SOMETHING OUR BOARD HAS APPROVED
. UH, WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE A
CONSULTANT IN PLACE HOPEFULLY
THIS YEAR, SO THAT WOULD BE ONE
GOAL. I DO THINK THERE'S A NEED
TO CONSIDER LOOKING AT WHO'S
SELLING THESE ONE OF THE
WEAKNESSES I SEE IS WHAT THE
SALESPERSON WE CAN EDUCATE THE
CONTRACTOR. WE CAN TEST THE
CONTRACTOR, BUT WE HAVE PEOPLE
OUT SELLING THESE JOBS THAT ARE
OFTEN SELLING THE LOAN AS WELL.
SO THAT'S REALLY UNIQUE. YOU'RE
SELLING A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT,
AND YOU'RE ALSO SELLING THE
FINANCING AND THAT'S AN AREA
THAT I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT
A LITTLE BIT MORE CAREFULLY. WHO
IS WHO IS ENGAGING IN THOSE
TRANSACTIONS THAT THAT SURVIVORS
HOME. ALL RIGHT. MY I MIGHT ADD
JUST ONE QUICK THOUGHT IF YOU
DON'T MIND, UH, THEY'RE IN
DISASTER AREAS. THERE'S A
THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERN AND
CURRENTLY THERE'S A
CLASSIFICATION CALLED THE HAZARD
HAZARDOUS SLICE CAST
CLASSIFICATION AND, UH, IT ONLY
APPLIES CURRENTLY TO UNDERGROUND
TANKS. AND SO THERE'S SOME
DISCUSSION ABOUT INCORPORATING
THAT INTO DISASTER AREAS.
BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, UM, WHEN
YOU HAVE FIRE, IT BURNS
EVERYTHING. AND YOU'VE YOU'VE
GOTTEN A VERY BAD TOXIC
SITUATION WHERE WE HAVE
CONTRACTORS THAT DO NOT
UNDERSTAND HOW TO REMEDIATE AND
PROPERLY MITIGATE. YOU CAN HAVE
CROSS CONTAMINATION INTO THE
WATER INTO THE AIR TO THE PUBLIC
THAT MAY BE STILL RESIDING IN
THAT FIRE ZONE. AND SO IT'S CULT
FOR CONSIDERATION NEEDS TO BE
ADDED. THERE'S SOME WORK BEING
DONE BY èC S¼, Ó, B AND STAFF.
BUT IT UH WHEN THE TIME COMES
UP, I WILL BE APPROPRIATE, ALL
RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.
THAT'S SO I JUST WANT YOU TO
KNOW THAT WE'RE REALLY
INTERESTED IN. UH, I THINK IT'S
REALLY IMPORTANT TO PROTECT OUR
CONSTITUENTS FROM UH, FURTHER
VICTIMIZATION AFTER ALREADY
SUFFERING SUCH TRAGEDY AND LOSS.
OK YES, YES, OF COURSE. YOU
KNOW, IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I
DABBLED IN THE PACE PROGRAM, BUT
I WAS ON ONE COMMITTEE OR THE
OTHER AROUND HERE AND HAD TO
DEAL WITH THAT A FEW YEARS AGO.
I SEEM TO RECALL IN THE PACE
PROGRAM WHERE WE'RE DEALING WITH
CONTRACTORS. WE'RE DEALING WITH
ESSENTIALLY A FINANCE FINANCING
MECHANISM THAT THERE WAS SOME
SEPARATION THAT THEY DESIGNED
INTO THAT PROGRAM. IF I'M
REMEMBERING IT CORRECTLY, I
COULD BE WRONG. YOU MAY WANT TO
TAKE A LOOK AT THAT WITH RESPECT
TO THESE DISASTER AREAS.
DISASTER CONDITIONS WHERE WE
HAVE CONTRACTORS COMING IN WHERE
THERE'S A FINANCING COMPONENT AS
WELL TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO
SEPARATE THE WHETHER IT'S BY,
UH, DOCUMENTATION OR SOME OTHER
MECHANISM. JUST A THOUGHT.
ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. ARCHULETA
YES, I'M GOING BACK TO THE
CONSUMER. UH AND GETTING
INVOLVED FINANCIALLY OR HURT
FINANCIALLY. UM I, I IS THERE A
SET AMOUNT. YOU KNOW, UH, YOU
MENTIONED YOU PAY $1000 AND YOU,
YOU THE WORK, ASSUMING IT'S A
ROOFING CONTRACT IS $25,000.
WOULD IT BE SAFE TO, I GUESS,
OPEN AN ESCROW ACCOUNT AND ALLOW
A THIRD TO GO OUT A THIRD WHEN
IT'S DONE HALFWAY AND THEN
FINISH IT UP. I MEAN, HOW HOW DO
WE PROTECT THEM FROM FROM WHAT?
YOU JUST EARLIER? SOMEBODY COMES
IN AND THE LITTLE LADY GIVES HIM
A CHECK FOR $10,000. AND THERE'S
NÓ INCENTIVE FOR HIM TO COME
BACK. IS THERE A STANDARD THAT
IT SHOULD BE DIVIDED UP INTO THE
JOB? AND IF I COULD, UH, ONE
OPTION THAT'S AVAILABLE TO
CONTRACTORS IN THE RESIDENTIAL
HOME IMPROVEMENT, UH, ARENA IS
TO GET A PAYMENT AND PERFORMANCE
BOND. SO A LOT OF THE LARGER
CONTRACTORS THEY DO OBTAIN THESE
BOND BONDS. WE DO APPROVE THEM
AT OUR BOARD, AND THEY CAN TAKE
100% UP FRONT. BUT THEN THE
CONSUMER WOULD HAVE THE ABILITY
TO ALTER THE BOND. IF THERE WAS
A PROBLEM. WE DON'T SEE PROBLEMS
WITH THOSE CONTRACTORS. BUT AS
FAR AS BREAKING IT UP, THAT'S
ABSOLUTELY WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE
. THERE'S PROBABLY AN
OPPORTUNITY TO DO A BETTER JOB
OF EDUCATING CONTRACTORS AND
CONSUMERS AS TO HOW TO HOW TO
SCHEDULE THEIR PAYMENTS. I SEE
THAT AS BEING A PROBLEM. YOU'RE
GONNA HAVE A ROOM EDITION. WHEN
DO YOU PAY FOR THE, UH,
FOUNDATION? HOW MUCH IS THAT
FOUNDATION WORTH? YOU DON'T PAY
FOR IT TILL THE FOUNDATION IS
DONE. BUT, YEAH, THE MORE WE CAN
DO TO TRY TO EDUCATE BOTH
PARTIES, THE CONSUMER AND THE
CONTRACTOR AND HOW TO STRUCTURE
THAT CONTRACT THE BETTER OFF.
WE'RE GOING TO BE. WELL, I THINK
MAYBE WORKING WITH THE ESCROW
INDUSTRY THAT A MINIMUM FEE
WOULD BE TO BE ABLE TO ESTABLISH
THAT AND HAVE THE MONEY COME
INTO THE ESCROW AND THE ESCROW
DISTRIBUTED UPON THE APPROVAL OF
THE CONSUMER, RIGHT. AND SO THEN
THERE'S A LIKE ALMOST A THIRD
NEUTRAL PARTY HANDING OUT THE
MONEY RATHER THAN THAT LITTLE
OLD LADY LETTING IT ALL GO AT
ONCE. UH BUT AS I, I GUESS
YOU'VE ANSWERED MY QUESTION.
THERE IS NÓ SET POLICY. BUT
ANYTHING THE CONSUMER CAN DO.
BUT I DO LIKE THE FACT THAT, UH
THE MORE INFORMATION YOU HAVE ON
YOUR WEBSITE WHO ARE THE
CONSUMER CAN GET INVOLVED WITH
YOU. THE BOARD THE BETTER. ONE
THING THAT èC S¼ A B DOES
FANTASTIC IS SENIOR SCAMMERS. I
WAS GONNA SAY ALL OF YOU EVERY
YEAR IN YOUR DISTRICT I'VE HAD I
HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE AND HONOR
OF SPEAKING TO HUNDREDS OF
SENIORS AND THE EDUCATING THEM
FROM A CONTRACTOR'S PERSPECTIVE.
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR SO I
WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME
TO YOUR DISTRICT. AND TO GIVE
YOUR DISTRICT UH, A FRANK
CONVERSATION ON HOW TO PROTECT
THEMSELVES. THE ONLY THING I WAS
GOING TO SAY WAS WAS TO
CONGRATULATE OR OR OR THANK YOU
ALL, UH, COMMEND YOU FOR THAT
FOR THOSE EVENTS. UM WE DO THEM
ON EVERY YEAR. THEY'RE ALWAYS
ONE OF THE MOST WELL ATTENDED
EVENTS. WE HAVE SO REALLY
APPRECIATE YOU ALL FOR DOING
THAT. AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS ONE
IS A HOT TOPIC FOR US. WE'RE
INTERESTED IN IN MORE IDEAS AND
MORE SUGGESTIONS, SO I'M GONNA
MOVE ON TO MY SECOND QUESTION
BECAUSE MY CRYSTAL BALL SAYS
THIS MIGHT COME UP FROM SOME OF
THE FOLKS BEHIND YOU. DOES THE
BOARD HAVE ANY OPINION ON
WHETHER ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION
IS NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT
CONTRACTORS IN COMPLIANCE WITH
ALL OF THE IMPORTANT PROVISIONS
OF THE LICENSURE LAW LIKE
MAINTAINING A SURETY BOND
PROVIDING WORKERS COMPENSATION?
AND OPERATING IN FAIR, LEGAL AND
ETHICAL MANNER, HAVE SOME
RECOURSE IN THE EVENT THAT THEY
FACE A SMALL, UNINTENTIONAL
LAPSE IN LICENSURE OR OTHER
MINOR AREA OF NON COMPLIANCE AND
ARE THEN SUED FOR THE SUM OF A
CONTRACT DUE TO THAT LAPSE. YES
UM, THE BOARD HAS TAKEN THE
APPROACH THAT THAT HAS BEEN AN
ISSUE AND WAS AN ISSUE AND THE
BOARD. UH CREATED A SITUATION
BEING SUBSTANTIALLY IN
COMPLIANCE. AND SO BY DOING SO,
IF THERE WAS A TEMPORARY
PAPERWORK GAP, OR, UH, THERE
WERE SOME, UH, INSURANCE
PAPERWORK. THEY DIDN'T GET
RATHER PROPERLY. SO THE INTENT
OF THE LAW ON THIS I BELIEVE IS,
UH, 7031 IS TO MAKE SURE THAT
CONTRACTORS THAT ARE NOT IN
COMPLIANCE THEY HAVE NÓ
PAPERWORK ARE SEVERELY ARE ARE
SEVERELY TREATED. UM UH, THAT
THEY CAN HAVE ALL THEIR FUNDS
REMOVED, BUT THERE ARE
CONTRACTORS THAT HAVE THE
PAPERWORK CAP. THAT ARE BEING
PROTECTED AND AS A MEMBER OF A G
èC OF CALIFORNIA. I REMEMBER
THIS COMING UP, UH, AT AT OUR
BOARD MEETING, UH, ABOUT
CREATING LEGISLATION TO MAKE
SURE THAT PUBLIC WORKS
CONTRACTOR WEREN'T FACED WITH A
CITY SAYING, AH HèA. YOUR
LICENSE IS EXPIRED. WE'RE GOING
TO TAKE ALL THAT MONEY BACK AND
CREATIVE A HARDSHIP FOR A SMALL
BUSINESS OR A LARGE BUSINESS. SO
THERE THERE ARE THE èC S¼ Ó B
HAS WORKED AGGRESSIVELY TO
CORRECT THAT. UH, LOOK, UH,
REGISTERED FOLKS, YOU KNOW, JUST
REALLY QUICKLY JUST TO KIND OF
FURTHER. UH WHAT WHAT MIGUEL
SAID THE LAW WAS CHANGED A FEW
YEARS AGO. OR WE CAN
RETROACTIVELY RENEW A LICENSE
AND THAT WAS HUGE BECAUSE THE
LICENSE WOULD EXPIRE AND THEN
AND THE, UH, THE STATUTE SAYS
THAT YOU'RE THEN UNLICENSED, SO
WE ARE ABLE FIX THAT THAT HAD A
HUGE IMPACT IN CORRECTING THE
PROBLEMS THAT WE SAW. THIS LAW
IS VERY POWERFUL IN PROTECTING
CONSUMERS THAT ARE TAKEN
ADVANTAGE OF BY SOMEONE THAT'S
UNLICENSED, BUT CERTAINLY WE'RE
VERY CAREFUL WHEN WE LOOK AT THE
DIFFERENT SITUATIONS WHERE A
CONTRACTOR HAD JUST MADE A
ROUTINE ERROR IS NOT IS NOT
PENALIZED BECAUSE OF IT. AND SO,
MIGUEL SAID, IS A SUBSTANTIAL
COMPLIANCE DOCTRINE WAS ALSO
SOMETHING THAT WAS LOOKED AT.
IT'S VERY EFFECTIVE. DID A
CONTRACTOR REALIZE THERE WAS A
PROBLEM WITH THEIR LICENSE AND
DID THEY TAKE QUICK STEPS TO
RESOLVE? THAT PROBLEM, AND IF SO
, THEN THEY WOULD BE ENTITLED TO
PAYMENT. WE HAVE NOT SEEN. I
HAVE NOT PERSONALLY HAD THE
COMPLAINTS THAT I HAD MORE THAN
THREE YEARS AGO IN THE LAST
THREE YEARS REGARDING THAT, THAT
STATUTE SENATOR ROTH. WELL, OF
COURSE, WHAT THE CONTRACTORS
STATE LICENSE BOARD DOES CAN BE
DIFFERENT THAN WHAT A SUPERIOR
COURT DOES SOMEWHERE
INTERPRETING THE STATUTES THAT
WE HAVE ON THE BOOKS. SO IN THE
CASE OF AN INADVERTENT LAPSE,
GOOD FAITH, APPLYING WHATEVER
STANDARD YOU WANT TO, AND I
ASSUME YOU ALL WOULD SUPPORT
THEN A CHANGE TO BUSINESS
PROFESSIONS CODE SECTION 7031 B.
WHICH CURRENTLY SAYS A PERSON
WHO UTILIZES THE SERVICES OF AN
UNLICENSED CONTRACTOR MAY BRING
AN ACTION IN ANY COURT OF
COMPETENT JURISDICTION IN THE
STATE TO RECOVER ALL
COMPENSATION PAID SO IN THE
EVENT OF AN OF A LAPSE DURING
THE PERFORMANCE UNDER A
CONTRACT. THE PERSON WHO IS
BRINGING THE ACTION OR IS BEING
SUED AS A DEFENSE. COULD CLAIM
THAT NÓ COMPENSATION WAS DUE AT
ALL FOR THE WORK PERFORMED EVEN
WORK PERFORMED DURING THE TIME
THAT THE CONTRACTOR COMPLIED
WITH ALL OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF
THE CONTRACTOR'S LICENSE. YEAH
THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE
LOOKED AT A FEW YEARS AGO. I
MEAN, THE THEORY BEING THAT ARE
YOU NOT ENTITLED TO PAYMENT AT
SUCH TIME AS YOU HAD A VALID
LICENSE AND OUR BOARD THOUGHT,
WELL, YES, YOU SHOULD BE. AND SO
YOU'RE DOING IT, BUT WE DO NEED
TO CHANGE THE STATUTE WOULD YOU
AGREE, AND THAT IS SOMETHING OUR
BOARD LOOKED AT PREVIOUSLY, AND
IT MIGHT BE MAYBE AN OPPORTUNITY
TO MEET WITH INDUSTRY AND LEGAL
LEADERS AND LOOK AT THAT AND SEE
HOW IT COULD BE MORE EQUITABLE.
GOOD. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
MADAM CHAIR. I THINK YOU'VE
TOUCHED ON SOMETHING. I THINK MY
COLLEAGUE BUT IN THE REAL ESTATE
INDUSTRY, THERE ARE DISCLOSURE
FORMS. MAYBE IN THE IN THE
CONTRACT FROM THE CONTRACTOR TO
THE CONSUMER THAT IT INDICATES
MY LICENSE NUMBER IS AND IT IS
DUE TO EXPIRE ON THIS DATE,
WHICH LET'S SAY 24 MONTHS,
HOWEVER, THE JOB WILL CONSIST OF
AND IT WILL TAKE TWO MONTHS TO
FINISH, SO THERE'S PLENTY OF
WINDOW SO NEVER AN EXPIRATION
QUESTION, BECAUSE THE CONSUMER
KNOWS THAT IT'S A 60 DAY JOB.
BUT HIS LICENSE IS STILL GOOD
FOR TWO YEARS, WHATEVER, AND
IT'S A SIMPLE FORM. MAYBE YOU
OUGHT TO THINK ABOUT THE
ASSOCIATION DEVELOPING A
STANDARD FORM LIKE WE HAVE IN
THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY. THE
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF
REALTORS HAS LOTS OF FORMS.
BELIEVE ME, AND MAYBE IF YOU HAD
SOME ADOPTED FORMS THAT ARE
PRETTY STANDARD ACROSS THE STATE
THAT ARE CONSUMER PROTECTED.
ALSO. THE CONTRACTOR AS WELL.
BUT DISCLOSURE UPFRONT. MY
THOUGHT. THINK THE ISSUE HERE IS
WHETHER OR NOT 7031 NEEDS A
SLIGHT MODIFICATION OR NOT. SO
JUST AS WE LISTEN, MAYBE YOU CAN
HELP US WITH THAT, ALL RIGHT?
WE'RE GOING TO TURN TO PUBLIC
COMMENT THEN AND I'M GONNA ASK
FOLKS TO BE SUCCINCT AND BRIEF
AND, UH, NOT REPETITIVE. THANK
YOU, MADAM CHAIR DANNY IN
CALIFORNIA CONFERENCE OF
CARPENTERS. THANK YOU FOR THE
DISCUSSION. WE SUPPORT YOUR
RECOMMENDATION OF TAKING A LOOK
AT THAT STATUTE IF I MAY TAKE
ONE SECOND TO ASK ABOUT YOUR
FIRST QUESTION. AFTER THE 1989
LOMA PRIETA EARTHQUAKE CENTER.
ASSEMBLYWOMAN DELAYING EASTON
CARRIED A BILL FOR US TO MAKE
FRAUDULENT CONTRACTING DURING
EMERGENCY CIRCUMSTANCES. A
FELONY DIDN'T PASS THAT WAY, BUT
IT DID RAISE THE PENALTIES. IT
MIGHT BE WORTH TAKING ANOTHER
LOOK AT THAT THIS, UH, FIRES ARE
JUST RIDICULOUS, AND IT'S TIME
TO CLAMP DOWN ON THAT. THANK
YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK
YOU. WELCOME. GOOD AFTERNOON.
MADAM CHAIR MEMBERS. JAMES,
DIRECTOR OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE
COUNCIL OF LABORERS APPRECIATE
THE DISCUSSION. UH, WE REPRESENT
ABOUT 80,000 MEN AND WOMEN WHO
WORK IN THE HEAVY CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRY THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
SO WE PROUDLY, UM SUPPORT. UH Tð
S¼ LB AND ITS ENFORCEMENT OF
STATE CONTRACTING LAWS AS WELL
AS ITS EFFORTS IN LEVELING THE
PLAYING FIELD FOR CONTRACTORS
WHO ACTUALLY PLAY BY THE RULES.
UM WITH THAT, UH, THERE ARE
THERE'S A RECENT STUDY THAT THAT
NOTES THAT ONE IN 10
CALIFORNIANS HAVE BEEN FALLEN
VICTIM OF A CONTRACTOR SCAM THAT
GOES TO SENATOR LET US POINT, SO
WE DO ENCOURAGE THE STATE TO
CONTINUE SUPPORTING èC S¼ LB IN
THESE EFFORTS TO COMBAT THAT.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MADAM
CHAIR, HØI. HOW YOU DOING?
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, ROB
CAREY. I'M WITH THE OPERATING
ENGINEERS LOCAL THREE. WE ARE IN
FAVOR AND SUPPORT. THE
RECOMMENDATIONS AND EVERYTHING
THAT IS BEING PROPOSED IN THE
SUNSET BILL AND IN PARTICULAR
HOW THE BOARD IS MADE UP TODAY,
AND, UH IT WORKS WELL WITH THE
WAY THAT THINGS ARE PUT TOGETHER
TODAY WITH THE BOARD, SO WE
APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU.
THANKS. NICE TO SEE YOU, MR CAR.
GOOD AFTERNOON CHAIR MEMBERS.
I'LL BE VERY QUICK. I PROMISE.
MY NAME IS ANNALISE CRO WITH
CALIFORNIA TROUT. I'M HERE IN
REGARDS TO èC S¼ LB. ITEM
NUMBER EIGHT THE ISSUANCE OF
CONTRACTOR LICENSES TO TRIBES
AND TRIBALLY OWNED BUSINESSES.
UH, CAL HAS ALMOST 80 LARGE
SCALE ON THE GROUND RESTORATION
PROJECTS. AND IT'S ABSOLUTELY
CRITICAL THAT WE HAVE THE
ABILITY TO CONTRACT WITH TRIBAL
CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES IN ORDER
TO MEET THE AMOUNT OF
RESTORATION WORK THAT WE HAVE
LINED UP SPECIFICALLY, WE WORK
WITH THE TRIBAL CONSTRUCTION
COMPANY. I WOULD LIKE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO FURTHER EXPAND
THAT WORK, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE
AMOUNT OF PROJECTS BEING DONE IN
THEIR ANCESTRAL LAND. SO AS
SUCH, WE SUPPORT THAT UPDATE AND
CODE THANK YOU. YES, REALLY
IMPORTANT POINT. THANK YOU. HØI
CHAIR MEMBERS. THANK YOU FOR
HAVING US HERE TODAY. I'M
LARISSA PRU. I'M A POLICY AND
RESEARCH ANALYST AT NORCAL
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY COMPLIANCE
OR COMPLIANCE ORGANIZATION THAT
HELPS TO ENSURE A LEVEL PLAYING
FIELD IN CONSTRUCTION,
ESPECIALLY IN PUBLIC WORKS, AND
WE JUST WANT TO SPEAK IN FAVOR
OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE
SUNSET BILL, PARTICULARLY THE
RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING BP èC
759. WE REALLY WANT TO SEE
CONTRACTORS HAVE THE APPROPRIATE
LICENSES ON THE JOB, AND WE WANT
TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THE
CONTINUATION OF THE èC S¼ LB
BOARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE. GOOD
MORNING. MY NAME IS PHIL
VERMEULEN. I HAVE REPRESENTED
THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY FROM
THE BUILDERS EXCHANGES TO THE
FENCE. CONTRACTORS FLASH A
BARRICADE ASSOCIATION THE WHOLE
GAMUT, SO I'VE WORKED CLOSELY
WITH THE CONTRACTORS BOARD FOR
THE LAST 43 YEARS AND, UH, THE
MISSION IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
THE UNDERGROUND ECONOMY IS
KILLING US, AND WE'VE GOT TO DO
MORE TO GO AFTER THOSE GUYS AND
GALS. I MEAN, IT'S BAD NEWS. LET
ME TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT 70 THREE
ONE, BECAUSE I KNOW A THING OR
TWO ABOUT IT. UH, I DO A LOT OF,
UH, EXPERT WITNESS FOR A LOT OF
CONSTRUCTION LAW FIRMS. AS A
MATTER OF FACT, I TWO DIFFERENT
DEPOSITIONS TO GIVE ON 700 THREE
ONE CASES NEXT WEEK. UM ONE OF
THE MOST EGREGIOUS TO SHOW YOU
HOW BAD SEVEN AND 31 IS THE
JACOBS DECISION, AND I WAS
INVOLVED IN THIS CASE. IT WENT
ALL THE WAY UP TO THE CALIFORNIA
SUPREME COURT IN THE JACOBS IS
ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONTRACTORS
IN CALIFORNIA AND THEY'RE IN
HOUSE ATTORNEY DECIDED THEY HAD
TOO MANY CONTRACTOR LICENSES, SO
HE MERGED ALL THE LICENSES
TOGETHER. THE PROBLEM WAS JACOBS
WAS DOING FOR THE COURT SYSTEM
REMODELING SO PUBLIC WORKS JOBS.
SOMEHOW THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
CAUGHT THAT THE LICENSE NUMBER
THAT THEY CONTRACTED WITH JACOBS
FOR WAS NOT THE RIGHT ONE. IT
WAS DIFFERENT. THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA WENT AFTER JACOBS
ENGINEERING OVER 70 THREE ONE
JACOBS AND WENT ALL THE WAY TO
THE CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT.
THEY LOST $25 MILLION, ALL
BECAUSE OF A LICENSE NUMBER. SO
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT DRACONIAN 70
THREE ONE COULD BE EXTREMELY
DRACONIAN. AND UH, I SEE A LOT
OF IT. SO YEAH, WE ABSOLUTELY
HAVE TO ADDRESS THAT THIS YEAR,
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING
WITH YOU WITH THAT. THANK YOU.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THAT'S IT FROM THE PUBLIC. ALL
RIGHT? VERY GOOD. THANK YOU ALL
SO MUCH. HEY NICE WORK. WE DID.
THAT'S PRETTY GOOD. HIGH FIVE.
OK ALL RIGHT. I WANNA THANK ALL
OF THE MEMBERS. AND OF COURSE I
COLLEAGUES THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE AND EVERYBODY WHO PROVIDED
TESTIMONY AND TO THE PUBLIC. YOU
DID A GREAT JOB BEING SUCCINCT
AND FEEL LIKE WE LEARNED A LOT
TODAY AND WE ARE OFF AND READY
TO GO IF YOU WERE NOT ABLE TO
TESTIFY IN PERSON TODAY, PLEASE
SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS OR
SUGGESTIONS IN WRITING TO THE
SENATE BUSINESS PROFESSIONS. AN
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
OR THE ASSEMBLY, BUSINESS AND
PROFESSIONS COMMITTEE OR VISIT
THE COMMITTEE'S WEBSITE. YOUR
COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS ARE
IMPORTANT TO US, AND WE WANNA
MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE INCLUDED.
THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL
VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR
PATIENCE AND COOPER OPERATION
AND MOVE THROUGH A HEARING TODAY
, AND, UH, THAT'S IT. WE ARE
ADJOURNED. WELL DONE.