AGC Shows Off Renovated Facility

On Wednesday evening last week, the AGC officially opened our renovated facility with an Open House that was attended by over 300 members and guests. The AGCSD facility has been undergoing significant renovation for the last six months, and from the reaction of those that attended, the facility is now…. outstanding.  An AGC carpentry class, utilizing the new hands on training facility, demonstrated the building’s flexibility.  The guests watched the class work on a hands-on exercise building a variety of forms…..an experience that was restricted before the renovation because of space limitations.  The new hands on safety area was also a hit…..a complete scaffolding demonstration area donated by Arise Waco and a forming system to teach safe climbing techniques donated by EFCO Forms impressed the crowd.  The AGCSD Board of Directors will name this area of the building after Arise Waco and EFCO in honor of their significant contributions in making the room a reality. In addition, demonstrations were conducted in each of the six new classroom areas detailing the capabilities of the extensive audio visual system that allows the class instructors to teach with the latest equipment available.

AGCSD President Thomas L. Brown, Sierra Pacific West, former AGCSD EVP Bill Burke, and current AGCSD EVP Jim Ryan addressed the attendees and thanked the AGCSD Board, the Apprenticeship Trustees, the AGCSD Building Committee, as well as Architects Hurkes/Harris Design Associates, General Contractor Soltek Pacific, and over 30 subcontractors and suppliers that made up the construction team.

The evening was sponsored by Cement Cutting and ABD Insurance Services
The following member subcontracting firms that worked on the project were:

A-1 Fire Protection, Inc.
Anderson Audio Visual
Arnie’s Doors & Installation Services
B & B Acoustics, Inc.
Bergelectric, Corp.
Burch Construction Co.
D & M Shelley’s, Inc.
Davis Mechanical
DFS Flooring
D.L. Olsen & Associates, Inc.
Geotechnics, Inc.
Modern Masonry
Pecoraro, Inc.
R.J. Lanthier Company
Rossin Steel
Sim J. Harris
T.B. Penick & Sons, Inc.
TMT Corporation
We’re Innovative

Members that were unable to attend are invited to drop by anytime for a tour.  Photos will be posted on our website in a few weeks.

 

Schwarzenegger Wins….Now What?

As the press has reported endlessly during the past few days, the Governor moved to the center after last year’s disastrous special election and the voters responded.  The Governor’s move to the center involved a fairly complete revamping of his staff eliminating many of the former Wilson administration staff and more important to AGC…..support for Propositions 1A-1E…the infrastructure package that was a compromise between the Governor and the Democratic and Republican leadership in the legislature.

So…we have a Governor that just won a landslide election victory…has four more years in office and probably no more political ambitions. The Presidency is not an option and term limits restrict the Governor from running for another term. We expect there will be no shortage of ideas concerning causes that the Governor can champion.

Well….we would like to submit a couple right now.

An editorial in the Union Tribune yesterday called for the Governor to use his unique political position to solve the redistricting problem that the State has been facing.  The problem….in 2000 the Democrats and the Republicans in the legislature with then Governor Gray Davis’ blessing reapportioned the political districts in the State to create virtually all safe Districts for the Legislature and for the Congressional Districts. This results in many of these districts having elections that are decided in the primary elections …..and more often than not, the Democratic districts end up with candidates that are very left of center, and the Republican districts end up with candidates that are far right of center.  Same thing happens with the congressional Districts.  We then end up with deeply divided legislative bodies that have a difficult time accomplishing much. 

There have been two Propositions in recent years trying to solve this, but the electorate and the Democrats saw the Propositions as too one sided and fought them with millions in campaign funds.  The UT suggested that the Governor work with Senator Dianne Feinstein, who at 73 will probably not run again, to join together and come up with a bipartisan Proposition in 2008 to correct this difficult situation. There is no question that the construction industry and infrastructure investment would benefit from a more centrist legislature.

The other suggestion for the Governor would be to lead the charge to allow all public entities to opt for bond issues that require a 55% voter approval margin.  Currently, only school districts that have a two-thirds approval of the local school board for the bond issue and also create an independent citizens oversight committee to oversee the spending may use a 55% instead of a 66 2/3% voter approval rate to pass the issue.  We feel all other public entities should be able to take advantage of this concept.  As the population ages, it will become nearly impossible to pass bond issues in future years….the aging baby boomer generation will probably turn against these issues as they retire, leaving a real gap in infrastructure investment……and besides, it never did make sense to allow 1/3 of the population to dictate their wishes on the other 2/3….which is what the 66 2/3% super majority votes effectively accomplish.

Anyway…the Governor has some unique opportunities to make contributions that will last for decades during the next 4 years….our guess is that he will deliver!!!

 

California 2006 Election Results - Voters Show Their Independence
By Dave Ackerman, AGC’s Legislative Advocate

After being bombarded with thousands of political TV ads, radio ads, direct mail pieces, phone calls, door knob hangers and yard signs – the California voter again demonstrated the ability to sift through the issues and vote issue-by-issue and candidate-by-candidate.

The Governor’s Race – A big win for Arnold

Contrary to national trends, Arnold Schwarzenegger confused the political pundits who try to classify California as a lean-to-the-left “blue” state.  Schwarzenegger bucked a national trend and beat his democratic opponent by a whopping 17%, but at the same time he didn’t create a “coat-tail effect” that would sweep other Republicans into office.  Way back at the end of last year, Schwarzenegger was 4 points down in a hypothetical match-up with his eventual opponent, Phil Angelides, and the Governor’s rebound was the result of a well executed and funded campaign that pitched bipartisan cooperation and accomplishments.  The Governor was able to run on his record of legislative accomplishments while denying his opponent the ability to define himself.  The Governor effectively defined Angelides as a “Tax and Spend Democrat” – someone voters were uncomfortable with.

In the other statewide races, Republicans will now hold the Office of Insurance Commissioner with Steve Poizner defeating Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante.  Republican Secretary of State Bruce McPherson was narrowly defeated by State Senator Debra Bowen from Los Angeles, and current Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi was a narrow winner over State Senator Tom McClintock.  Current Democrat Attorney General Bill Lockyer was an easy winner for State Treasurer, and former Governor and Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown coasted to victory as California’s new Attorney General.  In a hard fought battle for State Controller, Democrat John Chiang easily defeated Republican challenger Tony Strickland.

The Ballot Measures

The Governor again demonstrated that he can generate a “coat-tail” effect with California voters when it comes to issues.  Thanks to the Governor’s focus on the infrastructure bond package during the last three weeks of the campaign, Propositions 1A through 1E were able to benefit from the constant bipartisan campaigning with Senate Democrat Leader Don Perata.  Prop. 1A guarantees that approximately $1.4 billion in state gasoline sales tax revenues must be spent annually on transportation programs, while Props. 1B through 1E will generate nearly $37 billion in public works construction dollars ranging from highways, housing, schools, and flood control projects.

All of these Propositions passed by comfortable margins ranging from 76.8% for Prop. 1A to 56.5% for the school bond (Prop. 1D).  AGC and its members contributed over $3 million to the successful infrastructure campaign.  Voters also agreed with the recommendations adopted by AGC in approving Prop. 84, the Clean Water measure; and rejecting Prop. 87, the oil tax; Prop. 88, the property parcel tax; Prop. 89, a tax increase on business to finance political campaigns; and Prop. 90, which would have negatively impacted public works projects.

The Legislature

With the exception of one Senate seat, there were no surprises in any of the state legislative races.  Due to a reapportionment deal made years ago, most legislative districts are either safe Democrat or Republican based on party registration figures.  The real legislative contests took place four months ago during the primary elections, and for the most part, the November elections are a formality.  Due to term limits, 38 of the 80 members of the Assembly will be new to the Legislature, the largest single turnover in the history of the Legislature.  In the Senate, 13 new members will be sworn into office for 2007, though 12 of the 13 previously served in the Assembly and are not new to the legislative process.

Three Assembly Members in San Diego County were termed-out of office after six years (Jay La Suer, Juan Vargas, and Ray Haynes), while Assembly Member Mark Wyland (also termed-out of the Assembly) moved over to the Senate and replaced termed-out Senator Bill Morrow.  In the Assembly, Joel Anderson was elected to replace La Suer; Mary Salas was elected to replace Vargas; Martin Garrick was elected to replace Wyland; and Kevin Jeffries was elected to replace Haynes.

Money Talks – Money Walks

If anything, this election was about money.  The construction industry, including organized labor, raised over $11 million to support the infrastructure campaign.  The business community, including the development and home builders, contributed another $5-6 million.  Several other Propositions attracted massive spending as well.  Prop. 87, promoting a tax on oil refining to finance alternative energy, saw the oil industry spend over $80 million opposing the measure, while proponents, led by Hollywood Producer Steven Bing, contributed nearly $50 million.  Prop. 86, increasing taxes on tobacco products to finance hospitals, saw the tobacco companies pour in over $80 million against this measure, while the proponents spent nearly $40 million in pushing the tax initiative.

Overall, business faired well in this election, and voters rejected clear power grabs by those who try to demonize the business community as “special interests.”  In the final analysis, California voters should be given credit for picking and choosing between candidates and issues not based on any trend, but based on the merits of the issues or the candidates.

 

Voters  Say “Yes” to Infrastructure  Investment  Throughout the  Country

According to an article by Dennis Cauchon in last Friday’s USA Today, voters clearly understand the importance of investing in infrastructure. 

State and local governments won approval for more than 88% of the $78.6 billion they asked to borrow in Tuesday's election, according to i-Deal, a New York company that tracked the results.  The money will be spent on schools, roads, sewers, fire stations and other projects.

In the past 60 years, voters have approved 74% of the money requested in bond issues, according to Thomson Financial, a research firm. This year's rate will approach the record of 91.4% approval in 2004.

“States have the capacity to handle this debt. I'm not worried,” says David Hitchcock, a credit analyst at the Standard & Poor's credit rating agency.  He says governments, especially in the booming West, must build infrastructure to handle growing populations.  Most bond issues are repaid from property taxes, and higher real estate values have made it possible to borrow more without raising tax rates, he says.

California voters approved the biggest chunk of debt: $43 billion for five bond issues for roads, schools, flood control, parks and affordable housing.  “California is now leading the country in seriously addressing infrastructure needs, and we'll continue that,” says Adam Mendelsohn, deputy chief of staff for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

AGC couldn’t agree more with Governor Schwarzenegger, and we will continue to hammer home the point that infrastructure investment needs to be a higher priority for our local, state, and federal officials!

 

A “Snapshot” of the Governor’s Trip to Mexico
By Brad Barnum, Vice President Government Relations

This time last year, I had an opportunity to travel to Hong Kong to assist with Governor Schwarzenegger’s trade mission to Asia, where he visited Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.  This year, I was honored to have been asked by the Governor’s Office to go to Monterrey, Mexico to do the “advance work” for the Governor’s three-day trip to Mexico.  Monterrey is the capitol of the State of Nuevo Leon (the eighth largest state in Mexico, highly industrialized, and home to CEMEX) and is located about 150 miles South of Laredo, Texas.

Governor Schwarzenegger led a delegation to Mexico City and Monterrey last week to meet with government officials and promote trade and tourism.  The delegation included over 50 legislative, government, and business leaders, and 18 members from the media.  Included in the delegation were Sunne Wright McPeak (Secretary of the Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency), Linda Adams (Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency), Rosario Marin (Secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency), and Alan Zaremberg (President/CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce).

As part of a six person advance team responsible for making the final arrangements for the Governor’s visit to Monterrey (he first visited Mexico City), we put together a trip that included a private meeting with Jose Natividad Gonzalez, the Governor of the State of Nuevo Leon, and the signing of a “Memorandum of Understanding”, which recognized the importance of exchanging information, promoting investment, and expanding commerce and trade.   Also included on the itinerary was a luncheon for the California delegates and government and business leaders from Monterrey and Nuevo Leon.

The Governor then stopped by the International Exposition and Convention Center, where he toured a Trade Expo highlighting California’s leading-edge environmental technology.  Nearly 30 California companies showcased their products and services that will help meet a growing demand in Mexico for energy and environmental technologies. 

A live taping of a cooking show with Mexico’s famous television chef, Lulu Pedraza, concluded the Governor’s trip to the Trade Expo and signaled the end of the visit to Mexico.  The trip couldn’t have ended any better (or funnier…the “Terminator” is also a comedian!), as the Governor hammed it up with Chef Lulu while she prepared a salad made with California ingredients.  Mexico has banned the importation of California grown spinach, and throughout the trip the Governor discussed efforts between California and Mexican officials to facilitate lifting that ban.

The Monterrey advance team spent two days preparing for a short six hour visit by the Governor!  However, I must tell you, those two days were busy ones…four visits to the Governor’s Palace, numerous meetings with Governor Gonzalez’s staff, as well as officials from the State of Nuevo Leon, a meeting with the US Consulate, and numerous “walk-thrus” with all involved (including security and Chef Lulu!). 

From all indications, the Governor’s trip to Mexico was a success.  I was honored to have assisted with the trade mission, and I would once again like to thank Jim Ryan and AGC’s Board of Directors for the memorable opportunity.

 

Welcome New Members

The AGC Board of Directors and the AGC Staff would like to welcome the following new members to the Association.

Remember….” It is Good Business to do Business with an AGC Member!”

Company	Type of Work	Contact	Phone	email
The Catering Group	Catering	Patrick Lipe	(858) 673-1728
Cal United	Carpentry/concrete	Manal NoFal	(714) 348-1563	calunitedgrp@yahoo.com
El Camino Asphalt Paving	Paving	Diana Silva	(714) 997-9357	Harvey@elcaminoasphalt.com
GDL Construction, Inc.	Carpentry	Francisco Lopez	(562) 907-7640
Imac Construction, Inc.	Concrete	Soloman Stoll	(951) 520-9755	sol@imacconstruction.com
JC Framing, Inc.	Carpentry	Janet Villalobos	(951) 506-1464	janet@jaegerconstruction.net
MCG Construction, Inc.	GC	Samuel McCuskey	(760) 740-1395
Merlin Johnson Construction, Inc.	Underground Pipe	Merlin Johnson	(909) 794-7702	Mj.mjc@verizon.net
Pro-Craft Plumbing	Plumbing	Nina Fajardo	(909) 790-5222	nina@procraftplumbing.com
RW Meler Consulting	Consulting	Ron Meler	(619) 540-6502	rwmelerconsulting@cox.net
Roy Allan Slurry Seal, Inc.	Slurry seal	Lance Allan	(562) 864-3363	lance@raslurry.com
TDS Engineering	Electrical	Elisha Wuertz	(805) 371-4639	Elisha@tdsengineering.com

                           

The AGC Specialty Contractors Council & Affiliate Members Council announce the 2006 Member Awards Nominations

Click Here to find nomination forms for the 2006 AGC Annual Awards.  Also included, is a summary sheet explaining the award categories.  The awards will be presented during the AGC Installation Dinner on January 23, 2007 at The Hilton La Jolla, Torrey Pines.  The program will also include the installation of the 2007 AGC Board of Directors, the AGC Apprenticeship graduation and the Construction Safety Excellence Award (CSEA) winners.

The award nomination forms are due in the AGC office no later than December 8, 2006.

Those nominated will be required to complete a questionnaire concerning their qualifications. 

If there are any questions please contact Rae Krushensky directly at (858) 731-8157 or (raek@agcsd.org).

 

AGC Annual Construction Safety Excellence Awards (CSEA) – Deadline Nov 22- by 12:00 noon

For a CSEA application, please request a copy from Marcy at mknopman@agcsd.org. 

 

AGC Holiday Dinner Dance at the Hotel Del Coronado

Room Block is Full!!!

Although the AGC room block at the Hotel Del is now full, they are still accepting reservations on a first come first served bases.  For those that want a room for Saturday night December 2, we urge you to call now before they sell out.  The number to call is 1-800-468-3533. 

You can mail or fax your RSVP with payment information to (858) 558-8444, or you can contact Rae Krushensky at (858) 731-8157, or e-mail to raek@agcsd.org with any questions.

 

“iSqft Randy’s” iSqFt Tip of the Week & Obscure factoid

iSqFt Tip of the Week:

The iSqFt/AGC Internet Plan Room not only provides Subcontractors the ability to search new projects, it allows you to be even more selective on the jobs you bid, Tthus, increasing your profitability on the work you do!

Obscure Factoid:

Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918.  In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress approved legislation making Nov. 11 a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

 

NOVEMBER CLASSES
November 21 – Project Engineering – 7:00 AM
November 15 – Trenching & Excavating – 7:00 AM
November 15 – Construction Estimating Boot Camp- 8 AM – Last chance to register- See attached flyer
November 15 – Blue Print Reading Class – Session #3 – 1:00 PM
November 16 – SPT Program – Session #4 – 7AM
November 16 – Project Mgmt Course- Session #6 – 7:00 AM
November 17 – OSHA 10 Hour – 7:00 AM
November 29 – CPR/First Aid – 8:00 AM

 

All meetings will be held at AGC unless indicated otherwise. 

NOVEMBER MEETINGS
November 15 – Public Building Liaison Meeting – 7:00 AM
November 16 – Specialty Contractors Council – - LOCATION FOR THIS MEETING @ AGC 7:00 AM
November 16 – Airport Authority Liaison Committee Meeting- LOCATION FOR THIS MEETING @ AGC – 11:00 AM
November 28 – County of San Diego Liaison Committee Meeting – 1:00 PM
November 29 – City of San Diego – 1:00 PM

 

Save The Dates: 
December 2 – Holiday Dinner Dance at Hotel Del Coronado
December 13 – AGC Annual Meeting – Mission Bay Hilton
January 23, 2007 – Installation Dinner – Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines
(Installation of Officers & Directors, AGC Membership Awards, Safety Awards, & Apprentice Graduations)