Another thing to be grateful for is the great programming that we have been having lately.  Last month David Knight of Monterey Energy Group gave a great talk on Net Zero Construction.  This month John Kuehl, the City of Monterey building official, will be explaining the new CalGreen Building Code.  This will be very important to many of you so please plan to attend on September 15^th (see flyer).  And thank Machell Sterbick, who has continued to bring super-high quality programs like this for the last several years.  It's a ton of work and she is doing it for free!

SO those are the positives.  I also need to fill you in on a not-so-positive.  In an effort to create the value for your membership dollar that you need, we have re-instituted the lunchtime Contractors Roundtable Series.  The first one featured Richard Rudisill talking about pending legislation, and was pretty well attended.  This month we had David Leary from the Contractors State License Board talking about enforcement against unlicensed contractors and Heidi Niggemeyer talking about new storm water runoff rules for construction sites.  Both speakers were very good and had important things to talk about (see article below to learn more).  Unfortunately, nobody was there to hear them.  Including Richard and I, there were only 5 attendees.  Several people r.s.v.p.'d but weren't able to attend.  We are trying hard to bring you the information that will help you excel in your business and we need your support.  I know we are all really busy, but please try to attend these programs.  If you plan to attend but can't, please try to give us a heads-up.  I would imagine that this was embarrassing for Richard and we are going to lose him as a resource if we don't support his efforts.

O.K., thanks for letting me get that off my chest.  The Contractor's Roundtable will resume starting in October.  It will always be from noon to 1:30 on the Wednesday after the general evening meeting.  It will always be at Graniterock's upstairs conference room.  Stay tuned for the announcement on October's guest presenter.  We are working on finding someone to talk about how to make you contracts more effective.

There's a new Deputy in Town...Monterey's CSLB Enforcement Representative

Did you know that we have something that not many areas do?  An actual person assigned to control illegal contracting activity.  David Leary works for the Contractors State License Board's Department of Consumer Affairs...and he does it right here.  Since February 2009 David has been assigned here, spending most of his time finding and shutting down unlicensed contractors who are a bane to those of us working legally.  In other parts of the state, a complaint of unlicensed contractor activity may take days or weeks to be followed up.  And when it is it will likely only get an administrative citation, which, while expensive, are not the deterrent that immediate arrest can pose.

At the last Contractors Roundtable, where David spoke, he told us that complaint calls here go straight to his cell phone.  And he usually responds immediately.  Additionally, David runs an average of one sting operation per month in our area.  Besides David, Department of Insurance representatives, District Attorney Investigators, and Police Officers staff the sting house.  Unlicensed contractors are often handcuffed on the spot, with the first two offences bringing probation and a $500 fine, and the third a mandatory 90 days in jail and a $5000 fine.  In addition to the unlicensed contractors arrested, David says that 40% of the respondents at the stings are wanted felons, and that they have captured 15 sexual predators to date.

David says that part of the reason he was assigned here is that the District Attorney is interested in controlling this type of crime, and that public support will keep him interested.  So if want unlicensed contracting enforcement to continue, let the DA know you appreciate his efforts.  Also, David is always looking for houses to use for the stings.  If you want to report unlicensed activity you can reach David at (831) 233-1877 on his cell or (831) 620-1548 by FAX.  All communication can be anonymous.

New Storm water Pollution Prevention Rules Will Affect Your Jobsite

The other speaker at this month's Contractors Roundtable was Heidi Niggemeyer, Program Manager for the Monterey Regional Storm water Program which is administered through the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWCA).  Perhaps you have heard that there are new rules for managing storm water on construction sites that are greater than one acre in size?  Well that's true but I have learned that there are implications for site under one acre as well.  At the Contractor's Roundtable Heidi invited me to another informational meeting hosted by MRWCA where I learned that one acre is the threshold where state agencies get involved, but that the local jurisdictions are also interested in any construction project and whether it is set up to avoid the discharge of polluted storm water.

For a project of over one acre conformance with the new regulations is likely to be complicated and costly, so if you do a project like this you will need to educate yourself.  Here I will just mention that you will be required to have a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) and that failure to conform could possibly result in huge fines (like everything else).

On smaller job site you should employ Construction Site Best Management Practices. These include Perimeter controls (e.g. wattles and silt fences), isolated washout areas for all cementious materials, a roll out to clean the tires of vehicles moving from the site to the roadway, and many others.  You can get more information by going to www.MontereySEA.org or by calling (831) 645-4621.  Part of the reason that the local jurisdiction are cracking down on us is that the state is cracking down on them.  While there is always the chance of toxic materials being dumped on the ground and entering the runoff, the two things that the jurisdictions are really trying to prevent is the runoff of sediments and of materials that raise the Ph of the runoff water (e.g. cement, stucco).  They are more interested in these two things because that are the really big problems.