Board votes 3-2 to authorize negotiations on Community Workforce Agreement for Measure K projects

The Anaheim Union High School District Board of Trustees voted 3–2 on Aug. 5 to authorize district staff to enter negotiations on a Community Workforce Agreement for projects funded by the Measure K general-obligation bond.

Board President Guerrero said the agreement is intended to “allow us, help ensure that our projects are built by skilled workers, that prevailing wage requirements are followed, and that we prioritize local hire practices.” The vote followed extensive public comment from union representatives who urged the board to approve the CWA as a way to secure apprenticeship pathways and local hiring, and questions from trustees about potential cost impacts and implementation details.

Trustees debated whether to table the item to request more project-level cost estimates. Trustee Hochi and Trustee O’Neil moved to table and to seek additional data, arguing the board needed modeling of cost increases for large projects before negotiating. The motion to table failed, and the board then approved authorizing staff to negotiate the CWA and return with proposed terms. The roll-call vote to enter negotiations was 3–2: Trustee McCullough, Trustee Randall Trejo and the board president voted to authorize negotiations; Trustees O’Neil and Hoshi voted no.

Legal counsel and outside advisors described potential trade-offs during discussion — citing administrative monitoring costs (an example figure of roughly $390,000 for a prior contract-monitoring vendor) and summarizing independent studies that have shown mixed results on price impacts. Counsel also identified negotiation levers the board could use to limit exposure, such as setting project-size thresholds and specifying which projects would be subject to the agreement.

Multiple union speakers urged passage. Andrew Gonzales of the Building and Construction Trades Council told the board that the CWA would guarantee prevailing wages, apprenticeship access, and local-hire priority without higher labor costs, while other union leaders emphasized workforce development and stable wages for on-site workers.

The board directed staff to begin negotiations and return with a proposed agreement outlining thresholds, monitoring, and impact projections for the board’s future consideration.