CSLB public affairs outlines plain-language push and website updates, proposes renaming 'Find My License Contractor'

The Contractors State License Board Public Affairs Committee on May 15 reviewed steps to simplify board communications and make the CSLB website more user friendly, and discussed renaming the website’s contractor lookup tool.

Chief of Public Affairs Catherine White told the committee that “public affairs staff are regularly reviewing press releases, industry bulletins, and newsletters to determine where language edits need to be made,” and that the office has also reviewed outreach presentations and licensing workshop materials to make them more conversational and easier for stakeholders to understand.

The committee heard that CSLB is working with the Department of Consumer Affairs on a broader website redesign to make site appearance and navigation more uniform across boards and bureaus. As one example of a content change, staff said the Disaster Help Center was made more prominent on the CSLB home page following recent Los Angeles County wildfires; the Disaster Help Center now includes current debris-removal information, consumer-protection tips and a list of contractors who have indicated interest in bidding for wildfire recovery work.

Catherine White told the committee staff plan to survey general building contractors with a Los Angeles Basin business address; committee materials said CSLB plans to contact more than 50,000 general building contractors to identify those interested in wildfire debris-removal bidding and to add interested firms to the Disaster Help Center listing.

Committee members also discussed renaming the site feature now labeled “Find My License Contractor.” Catherine White explained the page was launched in January 2018 to help consumers and contractors find licensed firms and subcontractors. She said the page allows searching by ZIP code, address and license classification and is among CSLB’s most-used site features. Staff gave two usage figures during discussion: one slide stated the page was viewed “nearly 2,000,000,000 times” in 2024; later in the discussion staff said the tool was used “2,000,000 times” in 2024. Committee members noted the discrepancy and staff did not reconcile the two numbers during the meeting.

White said changing the label to “Find a Licensed Contractor” would require updates beyond the single page because results and references to the feature appear elsewhere on the public data portal and in other site locations. “It would not be the name change only… it’s gonna require extra steps,” she said. Committee Chair Diana Love said she will ask that the proposed renaming be placed on the full board agenda for consideration.

There were no public comments on this agenda item.

The committee did not take a formal vote at the advisory session; staff will return information and, if directed by the full board, implement site and branding changes.

Less critical details: staff said one accessibility goal is to change the Find My License Contractor label to make clear whether users are searching for a current contractor or a new contractor they want to hire. The Disaster Help Center’s contractor listing includes classification and hazardous-materials certification fields for contractors who have volunteered to bid on debris removal.