The Contractors State License Board received a detailed enforcement update that included a contractor license revocation, a criminal guilty verdict in a Tubbs Fire debris removal prosecution, and continuing pressure from a rising number of ADU and residential solar complaints.

Staff said an industry expert found work on a San Jose home deviated from approved plans; corrective costs were estimated "just under $100,000," and an accusation led to revocation of the contractor’s license effective July 3, 2024. The presentation did not identify the licensee beyond the business name referenced in the packet.

Board staff also reported a criminal prosecution stemming from work after the 2017 Tubbs Fire. According to the packet and the staff report, homeowners hired Ruben Roncancio, who the presentation said was a revoked licensee, to perform debris removal. Roncancio invoiced $16,683; the homeowners paid $14,000 and later disputed additional invoices. The matter was referred to the Napa County District Attorney’s Office, and a jury returned guilty verdicts Oct. 4, 2024 on charges including contracting without a license, filing a false document with a government agency and perjury. The report said Roncancio was sentenced in November 2024 to 90 days in jail and two years’ formal probation.

Enforcement staff stressed rising complaint volumes: for the period Jan. 1–Oct. 31, 2024 the packet lists complaint totals in the presentation text (text in the packet reads "18,000 297" complaints). Staff projected more than 20,000 consumer complaints for the calendar year and said the enforcement division’s optimum caseload is 4,860 pending complaints; the actual pending caseload was reported at 5,919 as of Nov. 7, 2024.

The Statewide Investigative Fraud Team (SWIFT) was cited as an active enforcement tool: from Jan. 1–Oct. 31, 2024 SWIFT conducted 38 undercover operations, participated in sweep days, and staff said those efforts helped close 2,750 cases arising from operations, with 831 cases resulting in administrative or criminal legal action and 981 advisory notices issued for relatively minor violations.

Staff named several firms under heightened scrutiny in the ADU market. The packet noted Anchored Tiny Homes’ license was revoked Nov. 8, 2024. Next Generation Builders and Multitasker Construction were described as generating dozens of complaints; staff highlighted an Oceanside family that reportedly paid over $193,000 to Multitasker for an ADU project that had not begun nearly two years later.

A member of the public asked whether any fund exists to make consumers whole when contractors go out of business; staff replied that licensed contractors carry a $25,000 bond but said there is not a general CSLB or district attorney fund that automatically restores consumer losses in such cases.

The board treated the enforcement update as informational; enforcement leadership said they will convene the enforcement committee early next year to review prioritization guidelines and pursue aggressive action against multiple offenders.