Union leaders and instructors urge board to bring building and construction academy to Santa Paula

Several union leaders and apprenticeship instructors used public comment time to press the board to support bringing a building and construction academy to Santa Paula.

"My name is Mike Gutierrez, and I'm the general vice president for the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. I was born and raised in Santa Paula... So for me, it was really important to bring this building and construction academy back to Santa Paula so that the students from the community that I was born in can have an opportunity to succeed in life," the presenter said, describing his own pathway from apprentice to journeyman and union leader.

Speakers detailed the hands‑on nature of apprenticeships, the certifications students could earn (OSHA, boom‑lift), and the range of crafts represented by union trade partners (painters, glazers, floor layers, drywall finishers). "Students that enroll in this academy will 100% have an advantage over people that come into the trades later on," an apprenticeship instructor said. A local painting contractor, Efren Fajardo, said the program would give students opportunities "to advance in life and learn more about trades."

Speakers asked the board to support the facility, curriculum build‑out and the involvement of apprentices and instructors to teach and mentor students. The comments were recorded during the meeting’s public comment segment and were offered as community input; no formal board action on a construction academy was on the agenda.