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County/City COVID-19 Permitting Process Survey
Regarding Slow Permitting Process This survey is intended to document the slow pace at which local building projects are being permitted and approved. Please submit your responses to these questions in order for our various trade organizations to collectively make the case for proactive measures in the State Legislature. While you should identify any city or county by name, your identity will remain confidential, and not associated with any governmental entity or project. All responses will be aggregated in order to make a compelling case. |
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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 2021February 2021
2,473 legislative bills have been introduced this year, the first in a two year (biennial) session. Of these, 28 impact subcontractor’s businesses. We are reviewing them according to their particular subject matters. If you are a subcontractor or supplier, membership with BASA/ASAC/ASA is a necessity and vital to protecting your business, and we welcome you to take a seat at the table with the goal to sustain subcontractor/supplier protections. ASAC is also pursuing the delays in permitting with the CA Association of Local Building Officials. We will be sponsoring a resolution in the Senate regarding same. Your survey answers will greatly help, please take the very short, 4 question survey here. Approving change orders is a huge problem, as always. However, we haven’t been provided sufficient hard data from subcontractors to pursue a legislative fix on that, so we’ll be circulating a survey to gather hard evidence…please keep an eye out for it. All bills may be amended numerous times as lobbyists and constituents weigh in on them. ASAC is adept at changing language in bills, supporting some and opposing others. But, when we ask for your help we’re not crying wolf, our calls to action mean we are reaching out to you, subcontractors to support your business. There’s strength in numbers, without this protection of your business could be abrogated! At less than $75/mo. become a member here. End of Legislative Year 2020…This is the final report on bills that ASAC monitored and/or lobbied during 2020.
The pandemic really disrupted the legislative process this year, as you probably know. But, rather than dwell on the virus and California’s responses to it perhaps this short overview will tell the tale:
Fortunately, construction was deemed “essential” and allowed to proceed. Unfortunately, many bills that were important and beneficial to subcontractors didn’t proceed through the process. This was initially due to edicts by the Senate and Assembly leadership for authors to cull out bills that were not “covid related” in order to focus on coping with the virus. However, hundreds of bills that weren’t covid related snuck their way through policy committees and onto the floor for vote anyway. This clogged the work load and wasted valuable time for construction bills to be heard. For instance, I waited 4 hours to virtually testify on a measure that had 300 people in line to speak. In-person lobbying was almost nonexistent and communications were solely by cell phones and email. The construction bills that failed to move dealt with housing and density zoning, bonds, change orders, bidding, construction defects, career technical education (CTE), substitutions, license renewals, unlicensed activity, insurance coverage for business losses caused by Covid, design build, employee wages, independent worker status, attorney fees, illegal dumping, cement, false claims, and retention. In other words, all the issues that ASAC typically weighs in on. The bills that we supported and which were signed into law follow: SB 865 (Senator Hill, D): This bill follows up on his prior bill and improves the “call before you dig” process. It underwent several amendments and ASAC supported the measure in writing and during testimony in committee; the Governor signed it as Chapter 307, Statutes of 2020. More specifically, SB 865 requires all new subsurface installations after January 1, 2023 to be mapped using geographic information systems (GIS) and maintained as permanent records of the operator. (“Operator” means any person, corporation, partnership, business trust, public agency, or other entity that owns, operates, or maintains a subsurface installation. An “operator” does not include an owner of real property where subsurface installations are exclusively located if they are used exclusively to furnish services on that property and the subsurface facilities are under the operation and control of that owner.) It exempts from the GIS mapping and record keeping requirements any oil and gas flowlines three inches or less in diameter that are located within the administrative boundaries of an oil field. It defines “flowline” to mean any pipeline that connects an oil, gas, or natural gas liquids well with a gathering line or header. It requires an excavator discovering or causing damage to notify the Regional Notification Center (RNC) within 48 hours of discovering or causing the damage. The two RNCs are Underground Service Alert of Northern California and Nevada, also known as USA North 811; and, Underground Service Alert of Southern California, also known as DigAlert. Collectively, the two centers are commonly referred to as 811 centers. SB 1189 (Senator McGuire, D): The bill establishes a license for remodelers as it’s been shown that many “fixers” failed to properly construct or reconstruct portions of homes that were damaged in the wildfires; these “poachers” undermine the licensed subcontractors. We worked closely with the Contractors State License Board on this measure. It is Chapter 364, Statutes of 2020 and takes effect January 1, 2021. SB 1159 (Senator Hill, D): Existing law establishes a workers’ compensation system, administered by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers’ Compensation, to compensate an employee for injuries sustained in the course of employment. Existing law also creates a disputable presumption that specified injuries sustained in the course of employment of a specified member of law enforcement or a specified first responder arose out of and in the course of the employment. Existing law also governs the procedures for filing a claim for workers’ compensation, including filing a claim form, and provides that an injury is presumed compensable if liability is not rejected within 90 days after the claim form is filed. Existing case law provides for how certain presumptions may be rebutted. This bill would define “injury” for any employee to include illness or death resulting from the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) under specified circumstances, until January 1, 2023. The bill would create a disputable presumption that the injury arose out of and in the course of the employment and is compensable, for specified dates of injury. The bill would require an employee to exhaust their paid sick leave benefits and meet specified certification requirements before receiving any temporary disability benefits or, for police officers, firefighters, and other specified employees, a leave of absence. The bill would also make a claim relating to a COVID-19 illness presumptively compensable, as described above, after 30 days or 45 days, rather than 90 days. Until January 1, 2023, the bill would allow for a presumption of injury for all employees whose fellow employees at their place of employment experience specified levels of positive testing, and whose employer has 5 or more employees. We interpret this to include construction employees. According to Senator Hill, “This bill will extend a COVID-19 rebuttable presumption to both public and private sector workers. While the Governor's Executive Order was temporary, COVID-19 will be with us beyond that date.” The purpose of the bill is to provide presumptive workers' compensation benefits to those who are "subjectively" infected at work, but who may have difficulty proving this fact. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute. On an important matter, as noted in our prior Legislative Report …the need for millions of affordable homes to be built… While it, and homelessness in general, were the cornerstones of Governor Newsom’s inaugural address, the dozens of bills offering mechanisms to commence the construction brought out vociferous arguments for and against. Lenders, union skilled workforce vs. non-union labor, State vs. Local zoning and density oversight, tiny homes vs. high rises, developer vs. mom and pop auxiliary units and garage makeovers, etc. all collided and literally nothing was agreed upon. Indeed, evictions and foreclosures rose to the top of the “must do” list and that is still very controversial, as a deal was cut late in the night with the Governor to pass something; it provides for another temporary reprieve from eviction. Incidentally, Senate Judiciary Chairwoman Hannah Beth Jackson (D) launched into a blistering attack on the banks for not stepping up to the plate in the discussion; stay tuned for more on this in January! ASAC will convene its annual meeting in the Capitol building among 15+ construction lobbyists in early 2021 to share plans for new bills. We’ve brought the group together for many years prior to bill introduction deadlines in order to “work together”. ASAC’s Mission is to “Represent Subcontractors” and these gatherings demonstrate our efforts to accomplish that mission! ASAC’s GR Committee now has a Co-Chair. Tracy Berry from Cagwin & Dorward. She is an enthusiastic volunteer who reads the bills, opines in a timely manner and truly brings experience to the table. She and Dan McLennon Esq., GR Chair, have literally done a lot of work for all Subcontractors and are to be thanked! If you have questions about any bill, please contact me! Respectfully, Skip Daum ASAC’s Advocate Capitol Communications Group Sacramento, CA |
2021 EVENTS UPDATEall California events are currently webinars
Prequalifications – A Single Form
Developing & driving a single prequalification form The construction industry is encouraged to join this free event! Date: Tuesday, June 8, 2021 Presented by: Bespoke Metrics and Gallagher Global Construction Services Time: 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm Prevailing Wage Compliance
Date: Thursday, July 15, 2021, date to be announced Presented by: Roger Mason, Esq., Sweeney, Mason LLP Time: 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm Watch for registration Claims & Claim Mitigation
Date: Tuesday, September 14, 2021 Presented by: Kent Winger, Principal, McMillen Jacobs Associates & Daniel F. McLennon, Esq., Smith, Currie & Hancock Time: 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm Watch for registration Meet Your Lobbyist
Who, What, When, Where, Why & How your business is affected in Sacramento & locally Date: Tuesday, October 12, 2021 Presented by: Skip Daum, ASAC’s Advocate with Capitol Communications Group Time: 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm Watch for registration Business Practice Interchange (BPI)
A valuable tool for Subcontractors Date: November 9, 2021 Lead by: Daniel F. McLennon, Esq., Smith, Currie & Hancock Time: 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm Watch for registration Law & Libations
presented by Smith, Currie & Hancock Date: Thursday, December 9, 2021 (tentative) Presented by: The fabulous Attorneys with Smith, Currie & Hancock Time: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, followed by Holiday celebration Watch for registration SUBExcel 2022
Onward! Moving forward into our futures… Date: March 2-5, 2022 Location: Miramar Beach, Destin, Florida, on the Gulf! Family Friendly winter get-away for sand and surf! 
March 9 - 12, 2022
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WHY BASA?
ADVOCACY
BASA, ASAC & ASA National are a united voice dedicated to improving the business environment in the construction industry, representing subcontractors before all branches (executive, legislative, judicial) and levels (federal, state, local) of government, to organizations representing other parts of the construction industry, to the news media, and others.
MEMBERSHIP
Any person, firm or corporation that in the normal course of business furnishes subcontract labor and/or materials to the construction industry or provides a service to such subcontractors or material suppliers is eligible for regular membership in the association
EDUCATION
BASA, in conjunction with ASAC (ASA of California) & ASA National, offer subcontractor-tailored events and education including Members-only educational resources ranging from model contract language to risk management and marketing tools. We also offer in-person and distance-learning educational events – open to members, some free and some for greatly reduced fee. Some events that have additional option for non-members to attend - at a higher fee.
NETWORKING
BASA is working hard to offer a balanced calendar of events that serves as educational and social – to provide connection between like-minded individuals and companies that stimulate the subcontractor’s, supplier’s and contractor’s business community. Easy technology formats also link our members to better serve their current needs.
The official educational journal of the American Subcontractors Association
