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STARTING NEXT WEEK - AGC's Annual Blood Drive - Schedule an Appointment Today!

The 14th Annual AGC Blood Drive will run July 8-19 at multiple member locations. Your donation is crucial when the blood supply is at its critical low. Schedule your appointment now and make a difference!



Monday, July 8

Sundt - 8:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. - Mission Valley

Tuesday, July 9

Dynalectric - 6:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - El Cajon

Hensel Phelps - 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. - La Jolla

Wednesday, July 10

Countywide Mechanical - 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. - El Cajon

Hawthorne Cat - 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Rancho Bernardo

Hazard Construction - 8:00 a.m. -1:30 p.m. - Lakeside

PCL Construction - 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Southwestern College

Swinerton - 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Rancho Bernardo

Thursday, July 11

Balfour Beatty - 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Sabre Springs

C.W. Driver - 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Mission Valley

FILANC - 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Escondido

PRAVA Construction - 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - San Marcos

TC Construction Co. - 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Santee

Friday, July 12

AGC - 8:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Lakeside

PCL Construction - 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. - UTC

Sherwood Mechanical - 8:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Sorrento Mesa

Monday. July 15

Erickson-Hall Construction – 7:30 – 1:30 p.m. - Imperial Valley

Tuesday, July 16

Erickson-Hall Construction - 7 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Escondido

Wednesday, July 17

Erickson-Hall Construction - 7:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Garden Grove

Thursday, July 18

Erickson-Hall Construction - 7:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Riverside

Friday, July 19

Erickson-Hall Construction - 7:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Murrieta

We know you have it in you to SAVE A LIFE!

SHARE THIS FLYER WITH YOUR TEAM!

The Results are in...Again!

By Dustin Steiner, Vice President Government & Industry Relations

In September 2023, the La Mesa City Council unanimously approved a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for all city construction projects over $1 million. Last week, we got our first glimpse of this brave new world. The City put out to bid Phase 6 of its Inflow and Infiltration Mitigation Project, an $8.2 million project according to the engineer’s estimate.

There were two responsive bids. One was 182% over and the other 225% over that engineering estimate! At the time, Councilmember Patricia Dillard called the deal a “win-win.” On the other hand, AGC San Diego testified that government-mandated PLAs limit the number of bidders and increase prices. I’ll let you be the judge.

AGC San Diego opposes mandatory PLAs because they reduce bidders, increase costs, disproportionately harm local businesses and workers, and go around standing Collective Bargaining Agreements. La Mesa is not alone. The first PLA project at SANDAG had one responsive bid, which was 42% above the engineer’s estimate. SANDAG’s analysis of this delta suggested one of the possible reasons was the “First SANDAG project to have a Community Benefits Agreement [Read: PLA].” San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) is in the same boat with its first PLA - one responsive bid was 16%-48% above the engineer’s estimated range. SDCWA is now looking to increase rates by nearly 39% over the next three years. The City of San Diego’s PLA goes into effect today, July 1.

Stay tuned!

California’s Environmental Streamlining Tested in Court

By Mike McManus, Director of Engineering Construction & Industry Relations

We all know that the State of California’s water supply is a continuous news story. We suffer through long droughts followed by winters with atmospheric rivers that bring storms with historic levels of flooding. Most of those flood waters flow into the Pacific Ocean because the state has not added any water storage capacity for over 50 years. We are reducing our storage capacity by removing three large dams on the Klamath River.

Many needed water infrastructure and housing projects are tied up in endless lawsuits based on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); however, there is one new reservoir in the planning stage that just passed a significant milestone:  the proposed Sites Reservoir that will be constructed northwest of Sacramento. This reservoir is also the first test of the state’s recently enacted CEQA streamlining statute that is intended to speed up approvals of needed state infrastructure projects.

Last year, Governor Newsom signed into law several bills aimed at streamlining and accelerating the construction of critical infrastructure projects backlogged by many years of environmental challenges. Among the several bills was SB 149, CEQA legislation that amended the Public Resources Code. SB 149 makes certain energy, transportation, water, and semiconductor projects eligible for expedited judicial review under CEQA. Projects must meet certain criteria to be eligible for a Governor’s Certification.

Last month, the Sites Reservoir project cleared a major hurdle after the Governor certified that the project was eligible for CEQA streamlining. The CEQA streamlining law enabled the project to overcome a CEQA challenge and gain full approval from the Yolo County Superior Court, where the lawsuit was filed to block the project.

Under SB 149, the law requires that courts must decide CEQA challenges within 270 days to the extent feasible.  The recent decision in Yolo County occurred within 148 days.

The Site's Reservoir will capture water when it rains and store it during drier seasons. Unlike other reservoirs, it is not built to dam up a river; instead, it will pump water from the nearby Sacramento River. According to project documents, it will hold up to 1.5 million acre-feet of water, enough for 3-million households’ yearly usage. It has received a total of $47 million in early funding from the state, mostly for planning. In all, the total project cost for Sites is estimated at $4 billion. 

Generally, to receive the statute’s streamlining benefits, a private applicant must agree to pay trial and appellate court costs, and costs of the expedited record preparation required for the streamlined proceedings in any CEQA litigation challenges to the certified projects. In addition, applicants for energy infrastructure, semiconductor, microelectronic, or transportation-related projects must fund Greenhouse Gas (GHG) analyses and meet stringent GHG reduction requirements. 

The streamlining provisions for governor-certified projects include a 270-day judicial review period for a CEQA case, including all appeals, as feasible, and a requirement that public agencies concurrently prepare the record of proceedings and the administrative process.

According to a press release by Governor Newsom’s office, "by streamlining permitting, cutting red tape, and allowing state agencies to use new project delivery methods, the new CEQA streamlining laws will maximize taxpayer dollars and accelerate timelines of projects throughout the state, while ensuring appropriate environmental review and community engagement. The package will take full advantage of an unprecedented $180 billion in state, local, and federal infrastructure funds over the next ten years while creating an estimated 400,000 good-paying jobs."

Many of those jobs will be in the construction industry.

Spring Golf Tournament Results

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's annual AGC Spring Golf Tournament at Steele Canyon Golf Club. 

And for all the marbles....our tournament team winners! 

1^st Place Low Net (Peoria) - Ken McKown & Gary Libsack

2^nd Place Low Net (Peoria) - James Billburd & Nick Vosberg

1^st Place Gross - Aaron Vallejo & Claudell Anderson

2^nd Place Gross - Jase Hamilton & Shay Kulkarni

We also want to congratulate the golfers who came in like pros and took the contest wins:

Longest Drive: 

Women's - Amber Davalos 

Men's - Shaun Paul

Closest to the Pin: 

Canyon 3 - Eric Iglesias

Canyon 5 - Stacy Williams

Canyon 7 - George Gutierrez

Ranch 4 - Andy Guzenski

Ranch 8 - Chris Jadwin

While the courses occasionally felt treacherous, we couldn't have made this event as successful as it was without the generosity of our title sponsors, RDO Equipment Co. and Vulcan Materials Company; our lunch sponsor, Finch, Thornton & Baird, LLP; and our cart sponsor, Ferguson Waterworks!

Click here for all our sponsors and exhibitors who made this tournament all the more fun with swag and tags alike! 

Thanks to all who participated and to our committee for their dedication to the tournament. We'll see you at Affiliate Day Golf!

2024

July 8-19, 2024 - AGC Blood Drive - AGC Member Locations

July 9 - TECH TALK - AGC Lakeside HQ

July 26, 2024 - Day at the Races - Del Mar Racetrack

August 9, 2024 - Affiliate Day Golf - Singing Hills Golf Resort - Sycuan

September 19, 2024 - Public Agency Showcase - San Diego Yacht Club

October 7, 2024 - AGC Fall Golf - Country Club of Rancho Bernardo

October 17, 2024 - CLC Car Show & Mixer - AGC HQ Lakeside

October 30, 2024 - Save the Date - TECH TALK

December 14, 2024 - Holiday Dinner Dance - Hotel Del Coronado

JULY MEETINGS

July 10 - 1:00 p.m.- County of San Diego @ County Operations Center

July 19 - 11:00 a.m. - Technology Committee - Virtual

July 23 - 11:30 a.m. - Affiliate Council - Lakeside

July 24 - Joint Safety Committee Meeting with AGC of California - Skanska - Riverside office

July 24 - 11:00 a.m. - Airport Liaison @ Airport Design & Construction office

About Monday Morning Quarterback

AGC San Diego Chapter's Monday Morning Quarterback is a "hot off the press" and to the point Monday morning briefing on the important issues facing San Diego's construction industry. It is prepared by AGC Chief Executive Officer, Eddie Sprecco, and Vice President Government & Industry Relations, Dustin Steiner.

Please contact Eddie Sprecco or Dustin Steiner with your comments, or with information that should be conveyed to the industry through this service. Well over 3,000 individuals employed by AGC member firms are part of this system.

AGC San Diego Chapter, Inc.

The VOICE of Construction

(858) 558-7444

agcsd.org

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