Upcoming CalCIMA Chapter Meetings.

The American Planning Association's California Chapter is holding their Annual Conference in Carlsbad, CA Nov. 1-4.  The conference will feature a presentation by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) regarding aggregate availability in San Diego County. 

California's High Speed Rail Authority Moves One Step Closer in Deciding Which Section to Build First.

The Feds recently announced the first national emissions and fuel economy standard for heavy trucks that include concrete mixers.

Read the article.

Want to find out what County and City employee salaries are? Check out the new database of California city and county salaries and other compensation, as reported to the State Controller's Office.  This database will also list those city and counties that have failed to file or filed noncompliant reports.

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) secured $350 million  at the end of October to accelerate the construction schedule for several regionally important transportation projects on I-5, I-805 and the coastal rail corridor.

Don't Forget to Vote. 

Send a letter to a Senator to encourage long-term infrastructure funding at the national level.

Information on the importance of having a long-term infrastructure plan click here.

Sample Letter.

Housing Starts

In September, total California housing starts decreased for the first time in five months.

The California Department of Finance reported that Housing Permits rose in July but decreased 28% from August to September.  Further, housing permits in September 2010 are 15% lower than they were in September 2009.  Housing permits have declined steadily since 2005/6, but as the graph below indicates, the rate of decline is slowing and we are may be bouncing along the bottom.

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Construction Employment

The California Department of Finance also reported that the number of people employed in construction fell nearly 2.5% in September.  Construction employment is now only 3.82% of total nonfarm employment.  This is the lowest level in over a decade.

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For the full California Department of Finance October 2010 Economic Update.

UCLA Economic Forecast for the Inland Empire

In October, the UCLA Anderson Forecast economists predicted double-digit unemployment in the Inland Empire to continue until 2014.  In addition, the economists stated that the housing market in this region has stabilized but has not shown signs of a turnaround. For the full report click here.

Permitting is a Hassle

I have been involved with permitting for mining projects for more than 30 years and have witnessed a substantial change in the way permitting is handled across the country.  My experiences have shown that the permitting process has become more onerous with a substantial increase in the amount of regulatory requirements.  During this period I have worked with a variety of regulatory systems in a number of different jurisdictions.  Some processes are weighted towards political outcomes, while other depend on a rigidly establish regulatory framework.  Through it all, we work with people to get our projects approved.  This article shares a number of observations I have gathered from my experience in this industry. Read more here.

By Warren Coalson

We hope you enjoy The Miner Details - Construction Aggregate Industry Newsletter. We are committed to providing you with the most up-to-date information on technical issues, regulation, news and events in California that may impact your business. Please feel free to contact us at crystal@enviromineinc.com with any comments or suggestions.

Sincerely,

Warren Coalson