CalAPA's lobbying efforts took on a higher level of urgency last week as dwindling transportation funds and talk of a thaw in partisan gridlock at the state Capitol coincided with the association's annual "Fly-in" to Sacramento.

The two-day Fly-in featured member meetings with new members of the Legislature as well as key players in the transportation arena,

Assemblyman Eric Linder, R-Corona, lays out his position on road funding last week.

including Assemblyman Jim Frazier, D-Oakley, the chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, and state Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, who is chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.

The amped up discussions come on the heels of Gov. Jerry Brown's acknowledgement in his "State of the State" speech in January that the state's transportation system is falling apart and may need $66 billion to restore, to the subsequent announcement in February by Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, of an ambitious plan to "fix the future" with a series of short-term and long-term proposals to infuse $2 billion per year to repair the state's deteriorating roads and bridges. Atkins' proposals included recapturing nearly $1 billion in

Assembly Transportation Committee Chair Jim Frazier, D-Oakley (center) flanked by Brian Handshoe of Kenco Engineering (left) and Len Nawrocki of Valero Energy.

truck weight fees that have been diverted to bond debt service, and a potential road user charge, a position long advocated by CalAPA.

Several other ideas are floating around the Capitol that could boost state and local road funding by billions, but getting a plurality of the Legislature to rally behind a plan continues to be difficult.  

Nevertheless, during meetings last week legislators representing different parts of the state were united in their dismay over the deteriorating road system in California. CalAPA members helped brief new legislators about what the asphalt industry does, its link to jobs and the economy, and press veteran lawmakers to take immediate action on the state's infrastructure funding crisis. 

CalAPA's "Fly-in" delegation included Len Nawrocki with Valero Energy, CalAPA's Political Action Committee Chairman; Don L. Daley Jr., president of California Commercial Asphalt and a member of CalAPA's Executive Committee; Marc Mitchell with Alon Asphalt Co.; Brian

The 'Transportation Funding Fiscal Cliff' was among CalAPA's talking points.

Handshoe of Kenco Engineering; and Crystal Howard with EnviroMINE.

Daley said it is important for CalAPA members to stay engaged in the legislative process to keep industry issues on the front burner of the policy debate. 

For a more detailed report of last week's activities, please see the "Member Alert" that was sent Friday to all CalAPA members. Photos of the Fly-in can be viewed on CalAPA's Facebook page HERE. CalAPA members are encouraged to contact their elected officials to let them know how important adequate investments in transportation are to their businesses and California's quality of life. CalAPA's "Legislative Action" page of grass-roots resources and fact sheets on transportation funding can be found HERE.  

Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Jim Beall, D-San Jose (seated at right) meets last week with the CalAPA delegation.

California's increasingly complex storm-water regulations and how they impact construction activities are the focus of the next CalAPA Southern California Contractors' Dinner. The dinner will take place Tuesday evening, April 7 at the Dal Rae Restaurant in Pico Rivera. Click HERE for details and to reserve your spot.

California construction regulations and reporting requirements, especially the California Industrial Storm-water Regulations, are

Ken Barker

getting more complex. Of particular concern, many of the reports required today must be input into on-line databases that can be viewed by anyone with an internet connection. Ken Barker, Environmental Manager for Sully-Miller Contracting Co., will discuss the changes to the storm-water permit requirements and how to manage them, risks, best practices and more.

Barker, a graduate of Notre Dame with a degree in business management, has worked in all phases of construction, operations, estimating and administration. He started working in the environmental field full time when the Underground Storage Tank regulation came into effect in 1992, which was quickly expanded into Industrial Storm-water.

In the early 1990s Barker joined the CalAPA Environmental Committee and the Southern California Rock Products Association. He is still an active participant in CalAPA's Environmental Committee and is a past Chairman of the CalCIMA Environmental Committee.  

"If we can we must."