Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wildfire Response topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CSLB reports wildfire outreach and enforcement activity in Los Angeles County; $529,000 reimbursement reported
Summary
CSLB staff described disaster-recovery center staffing, debris-removal sweeps with partner agencies, planned webinars, an updated fast-facts bulletin and $529,000 in general fund reimbursements for disaster-response costs.
The Contractors State License Board’s executive committee on April 11 received an update on wildfire outreach, education and enforcement in Los Angeles County, including staffing at disaster recovery centers, interagency sweeps focused on hazardous-material handling, outreach webinars and an update to guidance for contractors and residents.
Registrar David DeVoe said SWIFT investigators staffed two disaster-recovery centers (DRCs) seven days a week and that staffing had recently been scaled back to a single investigator at the centers. Staff are performing field sweeps in burned areas in partnership with the Department of Insurance and the Employment Development Department (EDD). DeVoe said many complaints and leads relate to improper handling of hazardous materials during debris removal and that some crews lack required training and safety equipment.
“We have contractors out there that don't have the hazardous material certification, and this relates to the debris removal,” DeVoe said. He said staff have set up an interagency referral process with Cal/OSHA for unsafe conditions and that Cal OES will do a ride-along with investigators to gather footage for outreach materials.
DeVoe said CSLB is updating outreach material and planning a webinar focused on debris removal scheduled for April 22; he also said the board will reissue a fast-facts bulletin emphasizing the classifications authorized to do debris removal, the hazardous-materials certification requirement, and restrictions on progress payments and upfront deposits. DeVoe said the updated bulletin is expected on or before April 16.
The registrar said CSLB has a list of contractors with the appropriate classifications and that staff plan to share that list with Los Angeles County officials and post it on the CSLB website or the disaster-help center page.
Budget manager Stacy Paul reported that CSLB has received $529,000 in general-fund reimbursement to offset disaster-response costs incurred while staffing DRCs. The committee thanked staff for their on-the-ground work and planned outreach, and members requested that workers’-compensation and independent-contractor abuses be addressed clearly in the revised bulletin.
Ending: Staff will release updated outreach materials and the fast-facts bulletin, continue DRC staffing and interagency sweeps, and coordinate with local prosecutors and Cal/OSHA on enforcement and public-safety messaging.
