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California Architects Board enforcement staff report hiring, SME relaunch and online fraud problems
Summary
Enforcement staff told the committee they rehired an analyst, added a fingerprinting‑oversight analyst, relaunched the SME panel and issued roughly 130 citations this year; members flagged scams on platforms such as Fiverr and automated listings on Yelp as enforcement challenges.
Enforcement staff at the California Architects Board’s Enforcement Committee said they have strengthened the unit with returning and new staff, relaunched the subject‑matter expert (SME) program and are tracking a rise in online scams that impersonate architects.
Alicia, the enforcement lead, said Jasmine has returned full time and the unit added analyst Tirzah Phipps to oversee fingerprinting and case assignments. "Jasmine is back full time with us," Alicia said. Staff also identified Ryan as an office technician who helps open cases and coordinate meetings.
Staff described a large response to the SME re‑recruitment: about 125 applications were received, a writing exercise and oral interviews will narrow the pool, and the board expects to pair new SMEs with casework. The SMEs provide technical expertise on complex matters, the presentation said.
On enforcement metrics, staff said complaints fell by roughly 50 between the last two full fiscal years, closures were similar and average case‑closure days shortened slightly. In discussing citation volume, staff said, "We went ahead and we issued a 130 citations, and a 131 of those were final this year," language taken from the packet discussion. Staff characterized some of those increases as tied to continuing education audits and to focused advertising enforcement.
Committee members pressed staff on several patterns revealed in summary cases published in the packet. Mike, the enforcement analyst, said many published citations involved advertising a person or company as an architect who was not licensed, citing Business and Professions Code provisions and California Code of Regulations advertising rules. He listed recent examples—including a 62‑unit senior apartment project, a truck wash, and a commercial boba restaurant—as projects that require licensed design professionals.
The committee also discussed forged stamps and anonymous sellers on online gig platforms. "We've probably had 5 of these in the last year," Mike said, referring to Fiverr listings that advertised architectural services, sometimes showing forged stamps or copied project images. Staff said anonymity and foreign‑based platforms make enforcement and consumer recovery difficult; the board’s tactic so far has been to request platforms remove offending profiles and ask affected consumers and licensees to complain directly to the platforms.
Members recommended broader outreach. Several board members urged coordination with other regulated professions and with statewide associations (for example, the American Planning Association and the California Building Industry Association) to amplify complaints to platforms and to alert planning/building officials. Staff said they would explore referrals to the Attorney General’s office where platform‑level fraud rises to a statewide concern.
The committee did not take formal regulatory action on these enforcement items at the meeting; staff said outreach, SME training and continuing casework will continue and that the board would report back in future meetings.
