Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Debris Removal topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances bill to limit post‑disaster debris removal to licensed, HAZWOPER‑trained contractors
Summary
The Assembly Emergency Management Committee voted to send SB 1263 to Appropriations; the bill would limit post‑disaster residential debris removal to specified licensed contractor categories and require HAZWOPER hazardous‑materials training. Supporters said the changes protect workers and communities; industry groups requested technical clarifications.
Assemblymembers on the Emergency Management Committee advanced SB 1263, sending the measure to the Committee on Appropriations. The bill would restrict post‑disaster residential debris removal work to licensed general engineering, general building, earthwork and paving, and building‑moving/demolition contractors and require applicable HAZWOPER training when hazardous materials are involved.
Chris Snyder, political director of Operating Engineers Local 3, urged passage and described unsafe cleanup work after past fires, saying licensed, trained contractors reduce risks to workers and surrounding communities. “When properly trained and licensed contractors perform debris removal, workers are better protected from injury and exposure,” Snyder said. David Foad, Registrar for the Contractors State License Board, told the committee the bill would expand eligible license classifications to about 135,000 licensed contractors statewide and add roughly 5,585 contractors in certain Northern California rural counties who could obtain Hazardous Substance Removal Certification.
Opponents including the Southern California Contractors Association said they were ‘opposed unless amended’ but reported ongoing negotiations with the author’s staff and expected to move toward a support position after clarifying scope and definitional language. Committee members noted emerging hazards — including lithium‑ion battery disposal from electric vehicles — as part of the bill’s timeliness and passed SB 1263, as amended, to Appropriations on a recorded vote.
