[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6162996,"mediaKeyId","5436771-5e1cf99f4527d9526db3744e94ac5292","parentId",5436771,"title","Board hears public comment on AB 825, ticketing challenges and notification-center updates","audioSeconds",7238,"startMs",312000,"endMs",7550000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5436771-5e1cf99f4527d9526db3744e94ac5292&start=312&end=7550","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5436771-5e1cf99f4527d9526db3744e94ac5292/thumbnail_312000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6162996/California/Board-hears-public-comment-on-AB-825-ticketing-challenges-and-notification-center-updates","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6162996-20b8fa58424a281e699920a9ca42158d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770788924&Signature=PD8eDGBl3oiqRl6IV8OSDjDVarNgnjCWnehO0K0xC05BCg~B7MABPUzdU3xCU~rWTOgVDhGZeo8CxFFUilqTlQndgHFwKsZ2sb6GeFBMyqTW6FjojJVcTiMSvq0qzgtYijGM9QS5lXn6pojtM7h3Lh8B-XEMG57DMtg43WwaOMbbnxQglzgSdYf-AqKNOnYpT2gZ~bLAAw-pgWTfS9qxQ0tbFlMi6RLU23KvGPvPJaREYMdtIOkiUTZNcsRNl~7H006D8CEkNCZ86PL0-ehQrmz12IBTXvVgBh1yOtZxFksjffaRv5LlDOf2W6MaxKR7S0AeBero9qNKV4PDyS7TQw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety","date","2025-07-22T04:15:04.137Z","article","At its July 14 meeting the California Underground Safety Board heard public comment on pending state legislation and received updates from the regional notification centers (Dig Alert/Big Alert and USA North). The board also completed routine business including election of a vice chair and assignment of a member to the ticket-processing committee.

Public comment focused on AB 825 and operational burdens that may follow if the Legislature enacts requirements for additional ticket types and tribes' pre-excavation access to information. Mike Donlin, a consultant for United Contractors, told the board that the legislation \"sounds like it's gonna make there'll be cases where contractors will have to pull a ticket more than 48 hours prior to digging\" and urged clarity to avoid excessive complexity for small excavators: \"we gotta make this clear or it's just not gonna work.\" Todd Bloemstein of the Southern California Contractors Association described the bill as having \"essentially 3 parts\": tribal access to information, regulatory requirements for high-volume ticket situations, and creation of a separate \"design ticket\" for engineers and designers outside the 8-1-1 system.

Board procedure items: the board elected Member Lawson as vice chair (roll-call vote adopted as recorded in the meeting minutes). The board also addressed committee membership and assigned the newest board member, John Simonian, to the ticket-processing committee after members discussed committee balance. Industry commenters voiced concern about committee composition: James Wingate of USA North urged the board not to place two utility-operator representatives on the same ticket-processing committee and said, \"I think 1 of them should be an excavator in my opinion.\" Board members discussed tradeoffs between staff facilitation of workshops and the desire for excavator perspective on committees.

Notification-center and outreach updates: Dig Alert and USA North reported year-to-date ticket volume increases and described operational changes:

- USA North said ticket volume was up 10.9% year to date through June 30, and noted staffing challenges that temporarily lengthened average speed of answer; the center recently hired additional agents.

- Dig Alert/Big Alert said new-ticket volume is up about 6% versus last year through June, and noted that many tickets are created online; staff highlighted an automatic \"no-response\" process (a 05:00 daily auto-response when no electronic positive response has been received) that affects reporting of online ticket totals.

Both centers described outreach and education efforts. USA North highlighted a Spanish-language outreach specialist and a joint pipeline-safety presentation program with Paradigm for first responders; they also noted community outreach at events such as the LA County Fair and a San Jose Earthquakes soccer match. Board members asked whether the northern notification center's outreach model could be replicated in Southern California; staff and industry representatives cited budget and staffing constraints as the primary barrier.

Why it matters: AB 825, as discussed by commenters, would add obligations the board will eventually need to implement through rulemaking if enacted. The committee assignment discussion matters because ticket-processing rules are the subject of the anticipated regulatory work the board will carry out to implement any statutory changes and to manage high-volume ticketing problems cited by industry.

Next steps: staff said it will continue to coordinate with operators and notification centers on public education, will report back on committee membership adjustments if needed, and will track AB 825 as it moves through legislative committees. The board recessed and planned to reconvene the next morning to finish its agenda.

Ending: the board emphasized outreach and education (including Spanish-language materials) and signaled that committee composition will be revisited if industry feedback shows a need for stronger excavator representation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Underground Safety Board Meeting - 7/14/25","oneSentenceSummary","Public commenters and industry representatives told the board that AB 825 and high ticket volumes will require clearer regulations. Regional notification centers reported ticket-volume increases and introduced an automatic no-response feature; USA North and Dig Alert outlined outreach and Spanish-language education efforts.","taxTitle","Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety, Other State Agencies, Executive, California","taxId",16242,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6163000,"Underground Safety Board finds violations across multiple excavation cases, orders education and fines",0,1673000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5436771-5e1cf99f4527d9526db3744e94ac5292&start=1673&end=1673","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5436771-5e1cf99f4527d9526db3744e94ac5292/thumbnail_1673000.jpg","/articles/6163000/California/Underground-Safety-Board-finds-violations-across-multiple-excavation-cases-orders-education-and-fines","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6163000-103d5357b7cf169e9f310348522c7b81/orig.mp4?Expires=1770788924&Signature=P5J4rOMsZH2CtoVhUJ-AlJGkh5MSbdP3qwuI-wmopavdUWK4ruWs6uCvA0KkXlhwv5ll~2ImNBojEfhVU3O9GjbV8Z9qJzl0KgXMAfPtr8n5c2S3KeJAiYiO2GYKmhP6Q72O98arWcSfA2lYY0zYKD0WJ-5~pZldiiW6AR89ZCUSvWgANFUiwP7wbYvg9VobBSEHfL0wiQbU2GD3kbl~1BadFqx6ezH8WlAF9B0EKWmoQCWKoptO1WM16R71rhO59b1ImhfsaICQJ1gQjf7MqJIGoYK1Gw283hzvkKlWbj63JDHT34Ezhe~kqoW3hYChBQHHa71bnXM9A~299hTn6w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The California Underground Safety Board on July 14 found multiple contractors and excavation firms in violation of state excavation rules and recommended educational and monetary sanctions to the Contractors State License Board.

The board considered more than a dozen separate enforcement cases involving failures to notify the regional notification center before digging, and failures to contact emergency services after damaging subsurface installations. In every case the board recommended that the contractor complete the board’s required education course; in most cases it also recommended a monetary penalty ranging from $1,000 to $8,000. The board’s findings will be forwarded to the Contractors State License Board for final action.

Why it matters: the violations involve the core safety practices of the state's \"call before you dig\" system (California Government Code section 4216 and implementing Title 19 regulations). Board members emphasized that even small projects and residential ADU work can put neighbors and first responders at risk when statutory steps are skipped.

The board opened its enforcement docket by finding violations in a small-business case brought by Artistry Development (Investigation N2424954). Owner Cody Moore addressed the board in person and said, \"I came here just to take responsibility for the matter. I've never had an issue like this happen before.\" The board found two violations (failure to notify the regional notification center before excavating and failure to call 911 after damaging a gas service) and recommended completion of the board education course with no fine at this time; that recommendation was adopted by the board.

Across later cases the board generally followed staff's sanction recommendations. Examples discussed and the board's recommendations included (summary; final discipline will be set by the Contractors State License Board):

Votes at a glance: the board recorded and adopted motions for each case summarized below. Vote counts shown are the roll-call results announced during the meeting and were read into the record by the secretary before each motion was adopted.

- Artistry Development (Investigation N2424954): Found to have violated Gov. Code \u0000\u0012216.2(b)\u0000\u001a and 4216.4(c)(1); recommended mandatory board education course; no fine recommended. Vote: adopted (5-0).

- Drain Aid Plumbing (Investigation 247255): Violations: 4216.2(b) and 4216.4(c)(1); recommended education course and $1,000 fine. Vote: adopted (5-0).

- Desert Escape Management (Investigation 23NTS0015): Violations: 4216.2(b) and 4216.4(c)(1); recommended education course and $1,000 fine. Vote: adopted (5-0).

- Sciala Construction Inc. (Investigation 2247224): Violations including failure to notify before excavation and failure to call 911; recommended education course and $6,000 fine. Vote: adopted (4-1).

- Phase 3 Communications (Investigation C241500002): Violations: excavating without an active ticket and failure to cooperate with investigation (Title 19); recommended education course and $1,000 fine. Vote: adopted (5-0).

- Breach Concrete Construction (Investigation cited in packet): Violations found; recommended education course and $1,000 fine. Vote: adopted (5-0).

- Framework Construction & Remodeling (Investigation 02/1961): Violations found; recommended education course and $1,000 fine. Vote: adopted (5-0).

- Sullivan Ramirez Plumbing (Investigation M2427573): Violations found; recommended education course and $2,000 fine. Vote: adopted (5-0).

- HTA Construction & Development (Investigation 02/1941): Violations found; recommended education course and $2,000 fine. Vote: adopted (5-0).

- RV Plumbing (Investigation N242980054): Violations found; recommended education course and $1,000 fine. Vote: adopted (5-0).

- Fairway Landscape & Irrigation (Investigation N24284): Violations found; recommended education course and $2,000 fine. Vote: adopted (5-0).

- FK Design & Construction (Investigation 02/2694): Large-damage incident involving a two-inch gas main and an ignition; the board recommended the education course and an $8,000 fine, reflecting the severity and the operational risks in that event. Vote: adopted (5-0).

- Labor Concrete Construction (Investigation 02/1941): Violations found in an ADU project; recommended education course and a $5,000 fine. Vote: adopted (5-0).

- Action Power Inc. (Investigation C241570001): Violations found; recommended education course and an $8,000 fine. Vote: adopted (5-0).

- Dynamic General Construction (Investigation 23NTS0016): Violations including failure to notify and failure to report excavation damage within two hours in compliance with Title 19; recommended education course and a $5,000 fine. Vote: adopted (5-0).

Board deliberations and rationale: board members repeatedly stressed that the statutory duties under Government Code section 4216 ' to request locates before breaking the plane of the ground ' and the obligation to contact emergency services if a line is damaged, are not discretionary. Several members said they considered education mandatory in every case and imposed monetary penalties where the record showed failure to cooperate with investigators, willful disregard for established practice, use of heavy equipment, or repeated/elevated risk to the public.

The board also noted a frequent context for incidents: residential ADU work and other small excavation projects where contractors or homeowners do not consistently use the notification system. Several members urged outreach and training targeted at operators who perform small-scale, frequent work in neighborhoods.

What happens next: the board's motions recommend sanctions and are advisory to the Contractors State License Board. Staff will forward the board's findings and recommended sanctions to CSLB for final enforcement action. Several respondents had already taken corrective steps or submitted remedial plans during or after the investigation; the board asked staff to attach those documents to the CSLB referral.

Ending: the board scheduled continuation of its agenda for the next day and directed staff to prepare formal referral packages for all adopted enforcement recommendations.","At its July 14 meeting in Sacramento, the California Underground Safety Board found violations in more than a dozen excavation incidents, ordering mandatory educational courses in every case and financial penalties in most. The board forwarded recommendations to the Contractors State License Board for final discipline.","actionData","errors"]

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Board hears public comment on AB 825, ticketing challenges and notification-center updates

Underground Safety Board finds violations across multiple excavation cases, orders education and fines