NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITION:
ONE (1) REGION GOVERNOR FROM THE SAN DIEGO SECTION
AND SOCIETY PRESIDENT-ELECT
ASCE Region 9 invites nominations for one (1) Region 9 Governor from the San Diego Section for a three-year term beginning October 1, 2021. To be considered for this position, you must be a Society member in Good Standing and have an Address of Record within the Region being represented. It is encouraged that nominees also have prior service as a Branch, Section or Institute officer, member of a Section or Branch committee, or a member of a Society-level Committee with demonstrated leadership skills. This position is subject to election during the annual ASCE election cycle.
To apply for this positions, submit the following documents by the deadline of December 1, 2020, to 1) Yazdan Emrani, P.E., Region 9 Nominating Committee Chair, at
YEmrani@GlendaleCA.gov and to 2) Patricia Montgomery, Managing Director, Executive and Board Operations, ASCE, at
PMontgomery@ASCE.org:
• A Letter of Intent to apply for this elected office
• Signed Governor Commitment document (contact Yaz Emrani for form)
• Biographical Statement, not to exceed 200 words
• Vision Statement, not to exceed 200 words
• Any endorsements
• Color head shot photograph
Nominees will be requested to attend an interview before the Region 9 Board of Governors in January 2021, at a location (or by virtual means), time and date to be set. For questions or application templates, please contact Yaz Emrani at
yemrani@glendaleca.gov Separately, nominations are open for the position of Society President-Elect for the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year. Nominations are due as of November 1, 2020. Please contact Patricia A. Montgomery,
pmontgomery@asce.org, for further information.
Legislative Update
By Richard Markuson
Region 9 Legislative Advocate
Recently, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled California’s second attempt at a comprehensive plan to reopen. Gone is the county “monitoring list” system, which has been criticized as confusing and fragmented. In its place is a framework that sorts each of the state’s 58 counties into a tier, which will determine how much businesses are restricted.
August also saw the end of the strangest Legislative session in my more than 30 years of advocacy. We saw the Legislature approve a broad authority for Coronavirus response in March – and then go on recess through July. Then, despite Leadership directives that the remaining focus be on Coronavirus, homelessness, and disaster response, we witnessed hours of floor debate on a variety of issues that didn’t fit into any of those three areas.
Legislation. Update on bills that went to Governor (or died).
AB 310 (Santiago D-Los Angeles) would have established the Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank Commission DEAD.
AB 2285 (Committee on Transportation) Transportation. Makes various non-controversial changes to transportation-related statutes. ENROLLED
AB 2560 (Quirk D-Hayward) Requires the State Water Resources Control Board to post on its internet website and distribute through e-mail that it has initiated the development of a Notification Level (NL) or Response Level (RL) for a contaminant and the draft NL or RL along with supporting documentation. ENROLLED
AB 2800 (Quirk D-Hayward) Eliminates the sunset on the Climate-Safe Infrastructure Working Group. Senate Natural Resources and Wildlife Committee. ENROLLED ASCE position: Support
AB 2932 (O’Donnell D-Long Beach) Allows the City of Long Beach to use the design-build contracting process to award contracts for curb ramps that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. ENROLLED.
AB 3005 (Rivas, Robert D-Hollister) Expedites permitting and contracting requirements in order to facilitate the replacement of the Leroy Anderson Dam and Reservoir (Anderson Dam). ENROLLED
SB 414 (Caballero D- Salinas) would have created the Small System Water Authority Act of 2019 and state legislative findings and declarations relating to authorizing the creation of small system water authorities that will have powers to absorb, improve, and competently operate noncompliant public water systems. DEAD
SB 559 (Hurtado D-Sanger) requires DWR to report to the Legislature, no later than March 31, 2021, on federal funding approved by the United States Congress in its 2021 Congressional Budget Resolution and related appropriations bills or otherwise provided to the Friant Water Authority or other government agency to restore the capacity of the Friant-Kern Canal. ENROLLED
SB 758 (Portantino- La Cañada Flintridge) would have extended the deadline for hospital buildings to be brought into substantial compliance with seismic standards until January 1, 2032, and require the office to revise its regulations to reflect the revision of the deadline as emergency regulations. DEAD
CEQA Exemptions
SB 55 (Jackson D-Santa Barbara) until January 1, 2025, would exempt from the requirements of CEQA emergency shelters or supportive housing projects meeting certain requirements. ENROLLED
SB 288 (Wiener D-San Francisco) would provide a CEQA exemption to sustainable transportation projects — public transportation, bike safety, and pedestrian projects. ENROLLED
SB 757 (Allen- Santa Monica) establish specified procedures for the administrative and judicial review of the environmental review and approvals granted for the Twenty-Eight by ’28 Initiative pillar projects located in the County of Los Angeles. ENROLLED
SB 974 (Hurtado D-Sanger) Exempts from CEQA projects that primarily benefit a small disadvantaged community water system by improving the water system’s water quality, water supply, or water supply reliability; by encouraging water conservation; or by providing drinking water service to existing residences within a disadvantaged community where there is evidence of contaminated or depleted drinking water wells. ENROLLED
SB 995 (Atkins D-San Diego) Extends for four years the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2011 (AB 900) until 2025; and makes housing projects that meet certain requirements, including specified affordable housing requirements, eligible for certification under the Act. DEAD
New Reports of Interest
The Legislative Analyst’s Office released “Improving California’s Response to the Environmental and Safety Hazards Caused by Abandoned Mines,” it finds that cost of remediating “an estimated 47,000 abandoned mines” in California “is likely to be in the billions of dollars,” while funds are “limited” and “spread across multiple agencies,” recommends legislature create a single state agency responsible for prioritizing cleanup projects and a new funding stream that “could be supported by state and federal dollars.”
The AB 1755 Partner Agency team, led by the Department of Water Resources, released an updated AB 1755 Implementation Journal, which details the “implementation strategy and accomplishments to date” for AB 1755, the Open and Transparent Water Data Act, which was signed into law in 2016 and allowed for the creation of a statewide integrated water data platform that would integrate existing water and ecological data information. Its most recent update includes “numerous links to water and ecological data resources,” including a user interface survey that “seeks input to help ongoing implementation efforts.”
The Legislative Analyst’s Office released “What Threat Does Sea-Level Rise Pose to California?,” it found “Climate scientists have developed a consensus that one of the effects of a warming planet is that global sea levels will rise,” forecasts “between $8 billion and $10 billions of existing property in California is likely to be underwater by 2050, with an additional $6 billion to $10 billion at risk during high tides,” also says, “higher ocean water levels could force up the water levels underneath the ground as well, leading to flooding, saltwater intrusion into fresh groundwater supplies and toxic contamination by carrying hazardous materials to the surface.”
The Public Policy Institute of California has released its report, “Making the Most of Water for the Environment: A Functional Flows Approach for California’s Rivers,” recommends making policy decisions that follow “components of a river’s flow that sustain the biological, chemical, and physical processes upon which native freshwater species depend,” without mandating “restoration of natural flows or the maintenance of historical ecosystem conditions,” but rather focusing on “preserving key functions — such as sediment movement, water quality maintenance, and environmental cues for species migration and reproduction — that maintain ecosystem health.”
Appointments of Interest
By Governor:
To the California Transportation Commission: Michele Martinez, 40, Santa Ana, Democrat, founder and consultant at Emergent P4 Advisors since 2020.
To the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors: Nancy Miller, Sacramento, partner at Renne Sloan Holtzman Sakai LLP since 2015; Lynn Schenk (reappointed), San Diego, lawyer in private practice and chief of staff to Gov. Gray Davis from 1999 to 2004; Anthony Williams, Orange, legislative affairs secretary in the Office of Gov. Gavin Newsom since 2019.
To the Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists: Rossana D’Antonio, Malibu, deputy director at the Los Angeles County Public Works Dept. since 2016.
Sustainability Advocacy in these COVID Times
by Mark R. Norton, P.E., LEED AP, ENV SP
Chair, ASCE Region 9 Sustainability Committee
My, what a year, 2020, has been! Who would have expected that the tides of public attention to sustainability, resilience and climate change response would be so subsumed by such an all-encompassing concern as the COVID-19 virus as well as sweeping social justice concerns across the world. It was only about a year ago, we were celebrating the 2019 International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructure (ICSI) in Los Angeles. The event was intended to really ramp up our efforts to build new coalitions, develop stronger messaging and expand implementation of sustainability practices by designers, architects, engineers, managers, contractors, suppliers, and policy makers everywhere. We sought to accomplish this by designing a program of dynamic speakers and leaders, a focused pre-conference summit with industry and public agency leaders and a unique interaction program called “Let’s Connect…in LA” bringing engineers, technical experts, policy makers, academia, developers, infrastructure investors, asset managers, philanthropy, social impact investors, and the insurance industry together to explore new business opportunities. Overall, the planned events went very well combined with the conference sponsorship funding which went far to support the ASCE Foundation which far exceeded our expectations and goals. For those who attended the conference last November, everyone considered it a great success. It was a tremendous pleasure serving as chair of this event.
As I reflect on that event and our keynote speaker, Dr. Jared Diamond’s, UCLA Professor, and Pulitzer Prize author of Guns, Germs and Steel and the internationally recognized book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, talk, I believe it could not have been more appropriate in addressing our conference theme but also to the challenges that we face today. In his talk, he cited examples in the past in which science and industry have banded together to deal with world-wide challenges. For example, he described the challenge that our planet faced when a hole in the earth’s ozone layer was discovered by scientists in 1985. The hole was growing because of the unchecked use of chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. Collective and immediate action by all nations to deal with this severe environmental problem became clear. Soon after, the Montreal Protocol which banned the use of CFCs was signed and came into effect in 1989. Within two and half decades, scientific evidence showed that the ozone hole was beginning to close and we have effectively reversed course from a potential doomsday scenario. Another example Dr. Diamond described was the worldwide effort to eradicate polio from the planet. Due to the joint efforts of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative led by national governments, World Health Organization, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we have seen a decline in polio by 99% between 1988 and 2013 with four regions of the world certified as polio free—the Americas, Europe, South East Asia and the Western Pacific.
Dr. Diamond’s talk was referencing the need for a worldwide response to climate change at the time of the conference, but today, the COVID-19 virus is our clear and present danger which we must first overcome. Progress is being made across the globe and one day a vaccine will be developed and administered to the populace. Will life ever return to normal? Probably a new normal. Phrases that we once used and still use in adapting to the changing climate seem even more applicable as we see the world around us change forever.
So how is our progress towards world sustainability going despite the current viral crisis? As many of you probably have experienced, our work lives have changed with many still working remotely full time or part time. The face-to-face luncheons, conferences and summits have been replaced by Zoom or MS Teams virtual events. For some this has been a tremendous annoyance and set back but for others, with perhaps a more optimistic view, we may be entering a new business normal where face-to-face interaction will occur more often by computer interactions. I remember as a kid visiting the Bell Lab Picturephone exhibit at Disneyland and so looked forward to the day that we could see the other party on the phone by viewscreen. Developed in 1970, the ability to interact face-to-face by computer never really took off until now. Today it seems like second nature as we adapt to social distancing and virtual meetings.
Despite the hinderances, the cause of sustainability and resilience preparation continues and remains strong. Virtual meetings have had the unintended benefit of reducing our carbon footprint as less automobile transit occurs. The impacts of reducing the number of concentrated human gatherings may also have a positive impact on the environment and still need to be studied. Statewide, local Section and Branch sustainability committees are adapting now to virtual meetings and in some cases increasing the number of online participants compared to past conference calls. Many ASCE YMF’s who participate in these calls are also interested in knowing what more can be done to ensure social justice issues are being addressed. In August, the ASCE Los Angeles Section Sustainability Committee held a virtual event to share The Living Future Los Angeles (LFLA) Strategic Plan, a strategic 5-year plan to create a socially just, culturally rich, and ecologically restorative future for Los Angeles including equitable housing, zero-carbon buildings other equity programs. Awareness is increasing that the needs of disadvantaged and economically distressed must be a part of any sustainability solution.
The Institute of Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) is also still growing in membership and becoming less dependent on its original sponsoring organizations for support. To address an expanding membership in Canada, ISI, announced the French translation of the Envision v3 Guidance Manual will be this fall. To expand support for Envision and its new ongoing credential maintenance requirements, ISI is now offering free webinars reflecting Sustainability Educational Opportunities that qualify for Envision Credential Maintenance every two to three months. Meanwhile, our local sustainability leaders here in CA are still make great strides. Recently, the Engineering New Record awarded its 2020 Award of Excellence to LA Metro’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Dr. Cris Liban, who is always thinking of new ways to advance the cause of sustainability throughout the world. Cris Liban, who also serves as ASCE Committee on Sustainability Chair, along with other ICSI Steering Committee members worked to establish a new partnership with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy as part of the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure. The collaboration, announced in December 2019 at the U.N. Climate Change Conference COP 25, aims to advance practical solutions to adapt infrastructure to a changing climate, close the resilience investment gap and break down barriers to action across the globe.
As the ASCE Region 9 Sustainability Committee Chair, I also want to send a shout out to all those who are speaking up for a better world that is sustainable, resilient and safe. These worldwide goals are shared by so many ASCE members and non-ASCE members across the State of California who are working to promote and support sustainability in their profession and society. If you would like to be involved and want to learn more about what ASCE is doing, sustainability committee events in your area or Envision certification, feel free to contact me, Mark Norton, Chair, ASCE Region 9 Sustainability Committee, at
mnorton@sawpa.org.
Outgoing Region 9 Director’s Message
by Kwame A. Agyare, P.E., ENV SP, M. ASCE
Outgoing ASCE Region 9 Director
and Chair, ASCE Region 9 Board of Governors
The October 28th American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2020 Annual Convention will mark the end of my term as your Region 9 Director, and Chair of the Region 9 Board of Governors. This will also represent the conclusion of my seven years on the Region 9 Board of Governors: four years as a Region Governor, and three years as Chair of the Board. October 28th will thus mark the conclusion of my extensive volunteer service with ASCE so far. Spanning more than 25 years, my volunteering with ASCE began as an ASCE student member at the University of Arizona, and continued with activities to help form the Southern Arizona Branch Younger Member Forum, and subsequently with service as the Phoenix Branch President, while also serving as the Chair of several important ASCE Society-level committees including the Committee on Younger Members, and the Committee on Leadership and Management. It has been a tremendous pleasure most recently however, serving members in the State of California and the four Region 9 Sections: Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, as your representative on the Society’s Board of Direction. I had no idea when my volunteer service began those many years ago that I would eventually serve ASCE at this high level.
I would like to sincerely thank all the current Region 9 Governors, Committee Chairs, Committee Members and the volunteer leaders of the Sections, Branches, Younger Member Groups and local Institutes for their hard work and support of ASCE. You have all greatly contributed to making my term on the Region 9 Board such a pleasant experience over the past total seven years, and the past three years as Society Director. I believe Region 9 has accomplished so much during that time in support of the Society’s strategic initiatives, all due in huge part to the fantastic volunteer officers that serve this Society.
Serving on the ASCE Board of Direction
The past three years serving on the ASCE Board of Direction have been a rewarding experience that has been a highlight of my civil engineering career. Despite the tremendous workload of having to be on travel almost 40 to 50 days out of the year, having to attend four in-person Society board meetings each year and participate on several task and standing committee, and seeking to accomplish all the necessary work to address and resolve some of the most critical issues facing civil engineers, it has been a great pleasure serving with the other 9 Region directors, 3 technical directors, 2 at-large directors, and the 3 presidential officers on the Society Board. I would like to think that both my career expertise and my volunteer experience provided good input towards many of the key decisions that the Society Board addressed during the 2017-2020 period, and helped in generating outcomes that would benefit the majority of ASCE members and the profession as a whole.
The mission of the Region 9 Board of Governors is almost fully intertwined with the ASCE Society Strategic Plan, and my primary role as Chair of the Region 9 Board was to help steer that board towards activities that assisted the Society Board achieve its strategic planning goals. As you may be aware, in October 2018, the Society Board of Direction approved a new Strategic Plan for the Society. This new plan can be found here:
https://www.asce.org/uploadedFiles/About_ASCE/Content_Pieces/ASCE_Strate... , adopted 6 new strategic goals that would replace the former 3 ASCE strategic initiatives which were Sustainable Infrastructure, the Grand Challenge, and Raise the Bar. These 6 new goals can be summarized as:
• Engage Participation by both Members and non-Members in ASCE
• Encourage Innovation and State-of-the-Art Practices
• Promote Safe, Resilient, and Sustainable Infrastructure
• Advance Educational and Professional Standards
• Promote Public Awareness of the Value of Civil Engineers
• Excel in Strategic and Operational Effectiveness
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California Infrastructure Symposium - In any typical year, one of the flagship events organized by the Region 9 Board in conjunction with one of the four California ASCE Sections (Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco), is the Annual California Infrastructure Symposium,
https://caisregion9.org/. The event rotates each year between these four Sections. The symposium is currently in its 14th year and was moved to a virtual event this year due to the disruption of all in-person events by the Coronavirus pandemic. The event typically reaches 300 members, and involves speakers from many agencies, consulting firms, and often prominent local and state officials. Key ASCE volunteer officers, including either the current or incoming Society President, typically attend and participate in this event as well. This year’s Region 9 collaboration was with the Sacramento Section, and was successfully held on September 25th, 2020 virtually. I would sincerely like to thank all of the four ASCE California Sections for their historic and ongoing collaboration with the Region 9 Board in this event, and for their stellar efforts in coordinating venues, programming, and other logistics towards the continued success of this worthwhile event that has experienced successively increasing attendance and revenue growth during my seven-year tenure on the Region 9 Board.
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Region 9 Annual Awards Recognition Program – Held in conjunction with the California Infrastructure Symposium each year, the Region 9 Awards Recognition program serves to highlight the impressive work that civil engineers carry out during the year, both on an individual and project level, and also seeks to encourage civil engineers to recognize their peers for the great engineering work that they do on a daily basis. Having served as the Region 9 Awards Committee Chair for several years, I have had personal witness to the innovation, dedication, and pride that California civil engineers bring to their work, and it has been a passion of mine to help encourage ASCE members to seek to present their work for consideration for a Region 9 award. During my tenure of the Board, Region 9 sought to automate the entire awards selection process, from the Branch level through to the Region level, thereby making the awards submittal and evaluation process smoother. I would like to recognize the Orange County Branch, Los Angeles Section, and private contactor JubJub, Inc., for helping to facilitate the technology that made this possible. But my biggest thanks would go to Matthew Kennedy of GHD, the Awards committee chair who succeed me, for facilitating the full automation of this process between the Region and the Sections. I would also like to congratulate all the 2019 Region 9 individual and project awards winners who were recognized at a ceremony held virtually on September 24, 2020.
http://asceregion9awards.org/
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Region 9 2018 California’s Surface Transportation Report Card - Every 4 to 6 years or so, the Region 9 Board seeks to update its Report Card for California’s Infrastructure, to provide the public with a plain language assessment of the state of infrastructure and infrastructure funding within the Region. In 2018, ASCE played an increased role in the California infrastructure policy debate when we issued the California Surface Transportation Report Card just prior to the November 2018 elections. The report card was released at two simultaneous events in Los Angeles and in Berkeley
http://ascecareportcard.org/event-photos/. As Region Chair, I also authored the opposing view on a ballot measure that would have defunded previously authorized laws regarding increasing transportation funding in California. The Region 9 Board unanimously agreed that it was important that these funds be maintained, a position that was consistent with ASCE Public Policy statements. A summary of the report card can be found at
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Region 9 Statewide Infrastructure Report Card – In 2019, ASCE Region 9 updated its statewide Report Card for California’s Infrastructure, and upgraded the report from the previous 2012 version that comprised 8 categories of infrastructure, to encompass an evaluation of 17 different categories of infrastructure. This report card is typically issued by ASCE Region 9 every 4 to 6 years. The 2019 effort was a monumental task that required recruiting close to 100 volunteers from ASCE members in California, many who responded and agreed to participate in the process by the call to action put out by the conference co-Chairs in newsletters and emails, or from receiving a personal direct phone call. I am personally grateful to all these volunteers who stepped forward to apply their expertise towards evaluating all the required infrastructure categories. I would however reserve my greatest thanks to the two co-Chairs of the effort, Tony Akel of Akel Engineering, Inc., and John Hogan, of DEA, Inc., both former Region 9 Governors, who led and steered this task from inception to conclusion, with great expertise. Thank you, Tony and John, and also many thanks to the Report Card steering committee as well! The Region is grateful also to all the volunteer leaders who participated in the effort. The report card website can be found at
http://ascecareportcard.org/, and the report card summary brochure can be found at
https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/state-item/california/.
• Combined Report Card Release & Region 9 Legislative Day – The aforementioned 2019 Report Card for California’s Infrastructure was released during the annual Region 9 Government Relations Legislative Day visit to the State Capitol, in May 2019. ASCE 2020 President K.N. Gunalan was on hand to deliver remarks prior to the release of the report card. ASCE Region 9 continues to have one of the most active legislative advocacy programs in ASCE, and this event brought together many ASCE members to witness the unveiling of the report card, and to subsequently deliver copies of the report card to every single legislators office at the Capitol. This event was also held in conjunction with the annual Infrastructure Week events that occur nationwide each year, and that Region 9 seeks to be a participant in. The Region 9 Government Relations committee also seeks to annually participate with other engineering entities in California in celebrating Engineers Week every February. In 2020, a group of women engineers from the ASCE Sacramento Section and CSU Sacramento met at the State Capitol with State Assembly Member Rivas for the introduction of two Assembly Concurrent Resolutions to commemorate both Engineers Week and also Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day that occurred on February 20. I continue to applaud our California ASCE members advocacy efforts on legislation and in government relations, which I believe continues to positively impact issues surrounding infrastructure and the civil engineering profession. I strongly encourage all the ASCE groups at the local level who are engaged in such advocacy to continue their efforts, as it does make a positive difference!
• Region 9 Transportation & Development Committee - The Region also has a very active Transportation Committee that follows pending legislation that impacts the State’s transportation infrastructure. In addition to participating in the Legislative Day Fly-In, the Transportation Committee annually holds another visit to state legislators and representatives of state committees directly involved in transportation issues. The committee also provides significant input into the speaker schedule for the California Infrastructure Symposium. Many thanks to the various chairs of that committee, David Schwegel, Steven King, and Tapas Dutta for all your hard work in steering the efforts of this committee these past three years.
• Region 9 Water & Environment Committee - The Region 9 Water Committee, chaired by Xavier Irias, follows pending legislation impacting the state’s water resources and the environment. In addition to participating in the Legislative Day Fly-In, the Water Committee also annually holds another visit to state legislators and representatives of state committees directly involved in water issues. I appreciate all the hard work of that committee through the years, and a special call out to ASCE members Elizabeth Bialek, Mark Norton, and Darren Mack for your leadership.
• Region 9 Sustainability Committee – This committee focuses on activities to promote inclusion of all the tenets of sustainability in all civil engineering projects. As long-time Chair of the Region 9 Sustainability Committee, Mark Norton has sought to continuously developed this active committee which includes representatives of all four Sections. The Committee promotes the concept of sustainability and the new sustainability rating system, Envision version 3, for civil engineering projects to our members, legislators, and the public at large. The Committee also encourages members to obtain their Envision® Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) credential and seeks annually to host a workshop to provide the training for this certification. In November 2019, Mark successfully chaired the International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructure which was held in Region 9 in Los Angeles. By all accounts, this event was a resounding success and was very well attended by participants from all over the world! My many thanks to Mark, and all the committee members, for their stellar work.
• Region 9 Disaster Preparedness Committee - Chaired by Region 9 member Doug Taylor, this committee primarily seeks to train ASCE California members to be prepared to respond to calls from the State of California during the disaster response phase of natural and man-made disasters. Several hundred ASCE members have been training in the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) Safety Assessment Program (SAP) protocols, and this came into good use in November 2018 when about two dozen ASCE members assisted building officials from the Town of Paradise to perform rapid inspections to approximately 15,000 homes and commercial properties following the Camp Fire. I delivered a presentation on this stellar response by ASCE volunteers at the 2019 ASCE Annual Conference in Miami last year, and it was well attended and very well received by all participants. My many thanks to Doug and the committee for all your work.
• Region 9 History and Heritage Committee - Chaired by Chuck Spinks (former Region 9 Director), the committee seeks to recognize and promote awareness of the great civil engineering projects within the state of California. In 2019, the committee partnered with the ASCE History and Heritage Committee last year to jointly host a celebration commemorating the 150th anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in a ceremony in Sacramento. This symposium included sessions on the construction of the railroad and included a tour of some historic rail cars. Chuck and the committee continue to coordinate with the Sections and Branches on identifying worthy historic projects deserving of recognition, which helps to let the public know about the significant civil engineering projects that improve their quality of life. Kudos to this committee!
• Region 9 California PE Board (BPELSG) Committee – Region 9 continues to maintain a committee that endeavors to send a representative to every Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists Board meeting to show ASCE’s support of the board and to remain current on actions affecting professional Civil Engineers. In August 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed outgoing Region 9 Governor Rossana D’Antonio to the BPELSG board, and ASCE Region 9 is thrilled to have such representation on this important committee. Congratulations Rossana, on your appointment!
• Region 9 Younger Member Forum Committee – Following on from the stellar work accomplished by previous Chair Gidti Ludesirishoti, current YMF Committee Chair Guy Hopes has worked to create a viable and energetic committee that has sought to keep the Region 9 Board informed of the various activities of the younger member forums, thus allowing the Region 9 Board to be proactive in supporting their activities. The committee is currently in the process of transforming their operations into a Younger Member Advisory Council framework that will mirror similar operations in other Regions. I wish to express my many thanks to Guy and all the Section YMF representatives on this committee for your participation.
• Region 9 Monthly Newsletter Articles – Region 9 continues to provide each of the four ASCE California Sections with over 20 newsletter articles each year, for publication in their own Section newsletters. The Region 9 Board continues to believe that this collaboration is an effective way of communicating ASCE and civil engineering matters to ASCE’s California members.
• Region 9 Board Student Conference Participation – There are 21 ASCE Student Chapters within California, and students in these chapter belong either to the Pacific Southwest Student Council or the Mid-Pacific Student Council. In most years, either one (or both) of these Student Council’s hosts their student conferences in California. The Region 9 Board continues to provide direct support to these student conferences either by helping to solicit sponsorships for the events or in seeking judges to help judge their student competitions. Last year, I attended both student conference events, held at Cal Poly SLO and San Jose State University, and also served a judge in the ASCE National Concrete Canoe Competition held in Melbourne, Florida, where Region 9 made a good showing. The Region 9 Board will continue to support all the ASCE Student Chapters to facilitate student transition into full ASCE membership upon graduation.
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Region 9 Social Media Channels – In addition to maintaining several Region websites to improve the dissemination of information to Region 9 members, the Region 9 Board administers several social media channels with the help of the chair of the Region 9 Committee on Communications with Sections and Branches, Elizabeth Ruedas. These include our Facebook Account,
https://www.facebook.com/ASCERegion9, our Twitter Account,
https://twitter.com/asceregion9, and our Instagram account,
https://www.instagram.com/asce_region9/ . These channels allow the Region 9 Board to better connect better with all ASCE California members, but especially with younger members and students.
• Region 9 Board Multi-Regional Leadership Conference Participation – Region 9 Governors participate each year in the Multi-Regional Leadership Conferences which are typically held at the beginning of the year. This year’s MRLC was held in San Francisco and was attended by a record number of California ASCE members. Over 550 members from Regions 8 and 9 participated in the event in which Region 9 Governors assisted the effort by moderating sessions and by participating in breakout groups and networking events.
Beginning on October 28th, 2020, Kenneth Rosenfield, the current Vice Chair for Region 9, will become the Director of Region 9 and will serve on the Society Board of Direction. I have the greatest confidence that he will continue the great work being done by our committees and members and will move our Region forward in providing benefits to our members.
Also, I could not have been successful in my role as Chair of the Region 9 Board of Governors without the support of Region 9 Administrator Anne Ettley, and Region 9 Legislative Advocate, Richard Markuson of the Pacific Advocacy Group. My sincere thanks to both of you for your excellent assistance to me and the Region 9 Board of Governors.
Lastly, I would like to thank all the Region 9 Governors I have worked with during my tenure as Region 9 Director. It has been a pleasure collaborating with all of you during these past three years.
I have no definitive plans for my future involvement in ASCE, but I know that I will continue to support our organization in any way. Civil engineers must continue to exhibit bold leadership during uncertain times, and I urge all of you to do your part to help build a better quality of life for your fellow citizens. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me at:
agyare.kwame@gmail.com or my cell phone at (602) 481-8663.
Legislative Update
By Richard Markuson
Region 9 Legislative Advocate
Governor Gavin Newsom released a final version of his Water Resilience Portfolio. The Administration’s blueprint is intended to ensure California can cope with more extreme droughts and floods, rising temperatures, declining fish populations, over-reliance on groundwater and other challenges. The portfolio outlines 142 state actions to help build a climate-resilient water system in the face of climate change. The actions tie directly to Administration efforts to carry out recent laws regarding safe and affordable drinking water, groundwater sustainability and water-use efficiency. State agencies are expected to track and share progress on portfolio implementation with an annual report and stakeholder gathering. For more information, visit www.waterresilience.ca.gov.
Legislation. Update on bills that are moving.
AB 310 (Santiago D-Los Angeles) [Gut and amend] Would, among other things, establish the Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank Commission and place the I-Bank under the supervision of the commission. The bill would require that the commission be comprised of the Governor, the Treasurer, the Controller, or their designees. The bill would require the commission to appoint members of the bank board, as specified. The bill would eliminate the I-Bank Fund spending limit with respect to educational facilities, environmental mitigation measures, and parks and recreational facilities. Senate Governance and Finance Committee
AB 2285 (Committee on Transportation) Transportation. Makes various non-controversial changes to transportation-related statutes. Specifically, this bill: 1) Extends the requirement for a person driving a vehicle to slow down and move over for certain stationary vehicles displaying flashing amber or emergency lights on the freeway to also apply on local streets and roads; 2) Extends the pilot program for alternative license plates and vehicle registrations issued by the DMV until January 1, 2023; 3) Continuously appropriates interest earnings derived from revenues deposited in the RMRA to Caltrans for maintenance of the state highway system or purposes of the SHOPP; 4)Extends by one year, until January 1, 2022, the requirement that CARB dedicates 20% of California Clean Truck, Bus, and Off-Road Vehicle and Equipment Technology Program (Clean Truck Program) to support early commercial deployment of existing zero- and near-zero-emission heavy-duty trucks. Senate Transportation Committee
AB 2800 (Quirk D-Hayward) Climate change: infrastructure planning. Existing law requires the Natural Resources Agency to update its climate adaptation strategy, known as the Safeguarding California Plan by July 1, 2017, and every three years after that, by coordinating adaptation activities among lead state agencies in each sector. This bill eliminates the sunset on the Climate-Safe Infrastructure Working Group. Senate Natural Resources and Wildlife Committee. ASCE position: Support
AB 2932 (O’Donnell D-Long Beach) Allows the City of Long Beach to use the design-build contracting process to award contracts for curb ramps that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Senate Consent Calendar.
AB 3005 (Rivas, Robert D-Hollister) Expedites permitting and contracting requirements in order to facilitate the replacement of the Leroy Anderson Dam and Reservoir (Anderson Dam). Senate Natural Resources and Wildlife Committee
SB 995 (Atkins D-San Diego) Extends for four years the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2011 (AB 900) until 2025; and makes housing projects that meet certain requirements, including specified affordable housing requirements, eligible for certification under the Act. Assembly Natural Resources
CEQA Statutory Exemptions
Three bills were “gutted and amended” to create new CEQA statutory exemptions.
SB 55 (Jackson D-Santa Barbara) until January 1, 2025, would exempt from the requirements of CEQA emergency shelters or supportive housing projects meeting certain requirements. The bill would require an agency that determines that an emergency shelter or supportive housing project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to these provisions to file a notice of exemption with the Office of Planning and Research.
SB 288 (Wiener D-San Francisco) would provide a CEQA exemption to sustainable transportation projects — public transportation, bike safety, and pedestrian projects.
SB 974 (Hurtado D-Sanger) Exempts from CEQA projects that primarily benefit a small disadvantaged community water system by improving the water system’s water quality, water supply, or water supply reliability; by encouraging water conservation; or by providing drinking water service to existing residences within a disadvantaged community where there is evidence of contaminated or depleted drinking water wells.
New Reports of Interest
CALPIRG Education Fund released an updated “interactive map” of results reported by schools from tests of lead found in their drinking fountains, finds “more than 2,100 school drinking fountains tested positive for lead at 1,300 schools in the state over the past three years,” also finds “nearly 18 percent of all California schools required to test have still not reported results.”
The California Transit Assn. has released “Transit is Essential: Recommendations for the Future of Transit,” finds transit agencies “are facing and existential threat that jeopardizes the economic, social and physical well-being of the communities in which they operate,” recommendations include: “direct riders to wear face coverings; support installation of protective barriers for operators where feasible… provide emergency funding to transit agencies.”
Legislative Analyst’s Office has released its “Supplemental Report of the 2020-21 Budget Act,” which outlines “statements of legislative intent that were adopted during deliberations on the 2020-21 budget package,” including California Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s “Prison Infrastructure Improvement Strategy,” in which by January 10, 2022, the department “shall submit to the budget committees of each house and the Legislative Analyst’s Office a report containing an assessment of all special repair/deferred maintenance projects estimated to cost over $5 million and all major capital outlay projects that are likely to be needed over the next ten years or more.”
Appointments of Interest
By Governor:
To North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board: Shaunna McCovey, McKinleyville, director of natural resources and governmental affairs for Resighini Rancheria since 2020.
Outgoing Region Governor’s Perspective
By Yazdan T. Emrani, P.E., M.ASCE
ASCE Region 9 Governor from the Los Angeles Section
This will be my last official communique as the outgoing Region 9 Governor from the Los Angeles Section. It has been an honor and privilege serving members of ASCE Region 9 and especially the Los Angeles Section, and all I can say is wow, how time flies!
Region 9 has a very strong Board consisting of Governors representing the four sections of Region 9, which include Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Sacramento, as well as two At-Large Governors and a Director. Additionally, serving on the Board are the presidents of the four sections and chairs of the various Region 9 committees that provide invaluable updates and input.
I was fortunate to have served in various roles during my tenure on the Region 9 Board including serving as the Vice Chair of the board last year. Additionally, my role has included serving as the Chair of the Infrastructure Policy Committee (IPC). I have also served as the Chair of the Nominating Committee, where I am happy to report that we were able to nominate a very good candidate, Tapas Dutta, who was recently voted in by the membership, and whom will be replacing me as the incoming Los Angeles Section Governor, starting on October 1, 2020. I wish Tapas the best and am confident that he will do a great job.
In reflecting on my ASCE service, although I had been involved with ASCE since college, this involvement became much more pronounced after I moved from Texas to California over 20 years ago. I found my local Orange County Branch to be a vibrant and active community and decided to transition into a much more active role; first through my involvement with the Orange County Infrastructure Report Card and then joining the Orange County Branch Board and eventually becoming the President of the Branch in 2007.
My first involvement with Region 9, however, came in January 2006, when I was asked by the great Carl Blum, the first Director of the newly formed Region 9 Board, to take on the role of Co-Chair for a first ever state-wide infrastructure report card. This was a daunting task and something that had never been done before in California. There had been a handful of other statewide report cards done at that time, but California is unique and we wanted to make sure that our final product is comprehensive, accurate and can withstand any arrows that are thrown at it. To add to the pressure, earlier, in May of that year, California lawmakers approved a series of bills that would place a record $42 billion public works spending plan before voters in November. Our goal was to educate the voters on the condition of the infrastructure in California in a credible, comprehensive, and defendable manner, so they could have all the facts at their disposal to help with their voting decision.
I appreciated the confidence placed in me by Carl, and together with my other Co-Chair, Mike Kincaid, was able to put together a great team of almost 100 volunteers to get this done and release the first ever California Infrastructure Report Card (CAIRC) in September 2006. The report card generated a lot of publicity on the condition of the infrastructure in our state, especially since the grades were not what people expected. The report card release was a great experience but it was made much sweeter a few weeks later, when California voters approved the infrastructure bond package.
My involvement with Region 9 continued as the Co-Chair of the Infrastructure Report Card Committee and in 2012 Mike Kincaid and I were able to bring a lot of the veterans of the original CAIRC back plus we added new volunteers to update the 2006 CAIRC. The 2012 update of the CAIRC was released in September 2012, almost six years to the date of the original report card. I continued my service on the Region 9 Board as the President of the Los Angeles Section in 2014 and eventually was elected to my current position in 2017.
Speaking of the Region 9 Board, we have accomplished a lot over the last three years. These have included releasing the 2019 California Infrastructure Report Card, which was an update to the 2012 CAIRC, thanks to the efforts of John Hogan and Tony Akel, and their great team of volunteers. We hosted the annual Legislative Day events at the Capitol Mall in Sacramento. The Region Board also continued holding its annual main event, the California Infrastructure Symposium & Region 9 Awards Dinner, each year, partnering with the local Sections including San Francisco in 2018, and San Diego in 2019. Our 2020 event was scheduled to be held in Sacramento earlier this year, however, it had to be postponed unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. But fear not; where there is a will, there is a way, and as engineers we always find a solution to any challenge. In this case, we will be holding a virtual symposium on September 25, 2020. The 2020 Symposium Chair, Mike Konieczki and the entire Symposium Committee have done a great job putting together an excellent program. This year’s symposium is packed with great speakers from across the state and promises to be a very informative program that you can participate in, from the comfort of your own office or home!
Region 9 has also continued to advocate for infrastructure related bills that are of interest and value to our membership and to that end the Government Relations Committee has continued to do a great job leading this charge. I would like to thank Richard Markuson of Pacific Advocacy Group, the Region Board’s legislative advocate. Richard has done a great job in his legislative liaison work, outreach, and reports. One of the great benefits of serving on the Region 9 Board is that you get to meet a lot of different ASCE members from across the state. I have especially enjoyed meeting a lot of students and YMF members over these past few years and I am very excited to see the continued level of enthusiasm and involvement across Region 9.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity and thank my fellow Governors and Board members for their dedicated service, friendship and comradery. There are couple of folks that I would like to specifically thank; first being Kwame Agyare, our outgoing Director, for his leadership, especially in the active role he took on the ASCE National Board of Direction policies and initiatives. Next would be Anne Ettley, our Region 9 coordinator extraordinaire! She has been great at making sure we are all on task with all things Region 9 and to top it off, she has spoiled us with her fantastic cupcake baking skills! Last but not least, I would like to welcome our incoming Director, Kenneth Rosenfield who will be taking office on October 1st. I have no doubts that Ken will do a great job and will continue the tradition of excellent leadership for Region 9.
In closing, although my role as Region 9 Governor is ending, my involvement will not. I am looking forward to continuing my service to Region 9 as the Chair of the IPC and to help promote Region 9’s message on policy issues especially in support of the need for continued infrastructure investment. If you would like to help or volunteer with any of our efforts, please feel free to contact me at yazemrani@gmail.com.
Government Relations Committee Update
ASCE Region 9
Kenneth H. Rosenfield, P.E., F.ASCE
Chair, ASCE Region 9 Government Relations Committee
The Government Relations Committee (GRC) of Region 9 exists to monitor State legislative activity emanating from Sacramento with an interest in evaluating and acting upon legislation that will impact our profession, infrastructure, regulatory controls and other State initiatives. The GRC is also actively engaged in the annual ASCE advocacy day in Sacramento.
The legislative year begins each January and this year started true to typical form in that many legislative bills of interest were initiated. These bills ranged from efforts to enhance building seismic preparation requirements, setting up some additional infrastructure funding through bonds, and clarification of the definition of surveying, among many others. The GRC held monthly teleconference meetings with interested committee members and reviewed and monitored legislation in January, February and March, recommending positions on legislation for Board approval. During this time, however, the Covid-19 pandemic hit the State and the legislature adjourned without taking action on any but a few emergency legislative bills. While both houses of the Legislature held routine hearings early in March, it became apparent by the third week of that month that business as usual was no longer “business as usual.” As of March 20th, both houses recognized that pursuant to the Governor’s March 4th proclamation of a state-wide emergency related to Covid-19, and his subsequent orders to prohibit large public meetings, there was an urgent need to approve, and the Legislature passed, an emergency $1.1 billion spending authorization for Covid-19 response. The legislature then recessed their sessions.
By mid-May, with the June 15th State constitutional requirement to pass a budget in mind, the Assembly briefly returned to sessions to hold budget hearings. In large part, this was in response to the Governor’s “May budget revision” that called for significant cuts to state spending based upon projections of major reductions in state revenue, exacerbated by the decision to delay most April 15th tax payments until July. The Senate also returned to sessions and both legislative houses eventually passed a perfunctory budget by the deadline that was “balanced” upon a number of assumptions of Federal support and drawdowns of the State’s reserve funds. Later in June, the Assembly passed a handful of budget cleanups and headed back home until the middle of July, the Senate soon followed suit. The legislative houses returned to sessions in Sacramento as of July 27th. No significant legislation on infrastructure or civil engineering is expected to move forward by the legislative deadline of August 31st. The Governor has until September 30th to approve or veto legislation. The GRC, comprising about a dozen active members, continued to meet monthly and have diligently volunteered their time to assist the process of legislation review. I thank them for their commitments and efforts.
Our signature advocacy event is our Sacramento fly-in, our advocacy day. This is typically held during the second week of May. The committee is responsible for coordinating the annual Region 9 Legislative Fly-In and the follow up local visits, which are intended to encourage an ongoing dialogue between ASCE members and their legislators on issues of importance to ASCE. This year, following a year in the planning and coordination, we were scheduled to have a joint advocacy day with members of ACEC and members of APWA. This collaborative effort was conceived and planned to break down barriers between our groups and to strengthen the impact engineers would have when calling upon their elected officials to make infrastructure funding and other issues a priority. ACEC was kind enough to spend significant staff time to set up the event for the benefit of all. Unfortunately, this event had to be cancelled due to Covid-19. We will seek to set up this important event again as soon as it is safe to do so and will also plan to open it up to participation by other like-minded professional organizations.
In the meantime, in the short term, as face to face visits are not recommended for health reasons, it is important for all of us to become virtual advocates for our profession and infrastructure. I recommend that you maintain contact with your elected officials through their websites and any virtual town halls they may hold. And, very importantly, I recommend you become a key contact of ASCE. This helps the Society to advocate at the Federal level and it is simple to do. Volunteer to become a Key Contact at https://www.asce.org/keycontacts/
The ASCE Region 9 Government Relations Committee actively monitors and recommends positions on statewide legislative and regulatory proposals that affect civil engineers and support the standing policies of ASCE. If you would like to learn more about the activities of the Region 9 Government Relations Committee or join this committee, please contact me at KRosenfield@lagunahillsca.gov.
By Richard Markuson
Region 9 Legislative Advocate
May saw the return of committee hearings in the State Capitol – but in an entirely new format. Eschewing the usual setting in multiple hearing rooms, the Legislature met exclusively in 4202 and 4203 and on the floor of the two houses. While some in-person witnesses were accommodated – most testifying occurred via telephone.
Assemblyman Jim Frazier, chair of Assembly Transportation Committee, responded to the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s 2020 Business Plan — “Once again, it seems the High-Speed Rail Authority has released in the 2020 Draft Business Plan a proposal for its future that it can’t afford and that won’t deliver what is promised. Every version of the Business Plan has increased costs and reduced scope and no longer resembles the vision promised in the 2008 ballot measure. Despite efforts by myself and some of my colleagues, the Authority continues to propose electrifying a segment of a train line in the Central Valley that will add billions of dollars to the project and provide little or no benefit. I believe there is a way to rescue this project from failure, but I think it requires honest evaluation and true cost-benefit analysis, neither of which the Authority has ever been able to provide. Every iteration of the business plan comes with new promises without results. It is going to take a lot of explanation for me to believe that, this time, the Authority’s cost and ridership estimates are legitimate and this is something the state should continue to invest in.”
Legislation update
AB 2038 (Committee on Transportation) Transportation: omnibus bill. Transportation omnibus bill. This bill makes several non-substantive, non-controversial changes to provisions of law related to transportation. Specifically, this bill: 1) Makes conforming changes in language related to parking offenses; 2) Removes a reference to an obsolete code section and replaces it with a relevant reference; 3) Deletes an obsolete reporting requirement; 4) Repeals provisions related to a two-year pilot program. Approved by Assembly Transportation. (Y:15 N:0 A:0)
AB 2285 (Committee on Transportation) Transportation. Makes various non-controversial changes to transportation-related statutes. Specifically, this bill: 1) Extends the requirement for a person driving a vehicle to slow down and move over for certain stationary vehicles displaying flashing amber or emergency lights on the freeway to also apply on local streets and roads; 2) Extends the pilot program for alternative license plates and vehicle registrations issued by the DMV until January 1, 2023; 3) Continuously appropriates interest earnings derived from revenues deposited in the RMRA to Caltrans for maintenance of the state highway system or purposes of the SHOPP; 4)Extends by one year, until January 1, 2022, the requirement that CARB dedicates 20% of California Clean Truck, Bus, and Off-Road Vehicle and Equipment Technology Program (Clean Truck Program) to support early commercial deployment of existing zero- and near-zero-emission heavy-duty trucks. Approved by Assembly Transportation. (Y:15 N:0 A:0) (P)
AB 2560 (Quirk D) Water quality: notification and response levels: procedures. Requires the State Water Resources Control Board to post on its internet website and distribute through e-mail that it has initiated the development of a Notification Level (NL) or Response Level (RL) for a contaminant and the draft NL or RL along with supporting documentation. Approved by Assembly E.S. & T.M. (Y:9 N:0 A:0)
AB 2800 (Quirk D) Climate change: infrastructure planning. Existing law requires the Natural Resources Agency to update its climate adaptation strategy, known as the Safeguarding California Plan by July 1, 2017, and every three years after that, by coordinating adaptation activities among lead state agencies in each sector. This bill eliminates the sunset on the Climate-Safe Infrastructure Working Group. Approved by Assembly Natural Resources Committee (Y:8 N:3 A:0) ASCE position: Support
AB 3213 (Rivas, Luz D) High-Speed Rail Authority: high-speed rail service: priorities. This bill would require the High-Speed Rail Authority, in directing the development and implementation of intercity high-speed rail service, to prioritize projects based on specified criteria. Approved by Assembly Transportation Committee (Y:15 N:0 A:0)
AB 3256 (Garcia, Eduardo D) Economic Recovery, Wildfire Prevention, Safe Drinking Water, Drought Preparation, and Flood Protection Bond Act of 2020. Proposes the Wildfire Prevention, Safe Drinking Water, Climate Resilience, Drought Preparation and Flood Protection Bond Act of 2020 (Bond), subject to voter approval in the November 3, 2020, statewide general election. This bill proposes the issuance of $6.98 billion in general obligation bonds to implement its provisions. Approved by Assembly Natural Resources Committee (Y:7 N:1 A:3)
AB 3278 (Patterson R) High-Speed Rail Authority: passenger train service. Clarifies that the prohibition contained in Proposition 1A of 2008 on operating subsidies for passenger train service applies to high-speed train service using the high-speed train system owned by the CHSRA, regardless of whether the service is provided directly by HSRA or provided by a third party under a lease agreement with HSRA. Approved by Assembly Transportation Committee (Y:12 N:1 A:2)
SB 795 (Beall D) Economic development: housing: workforce development: climate change infrastructure. This bill allocates $10 billion over five years to several existing housing, homelessness, and pre-apprenticeship programs, as well as creating two new infrastructure financing programs at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (Go-Biz) Approved by Senate Housing Committee (Y:8 N:2 A:1)
SB 974 (Hurtado D) California Environmental Quality Act: small disadvantaged community water system: exemption. Exempts from CEQA projects that primarily benefit a small disadvantaged community water system by improving the water system’s water quality, water supply, or water supply reliability; by encouraging water conservation; or by providing drinking water service to existing residences within a disadvantaged community where there is evidence of contaminated or depleted drinking water wells. Approved by Senate EQ Committee (Y:6 N:0 A:1)
SB 1238 (Hueso D) Department of Transportation: highways and roads: recycled plastics study and specifications. This bill requires Caltrans to conduct a study to assess the feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and life-cycle environmental benefits of including recycled plastics in asphalt used as paving materials, and, depending on the findings, authorizes Caltrans to develop specifications for the use of recycled plastics in asphalt. Approved by Senate Transportation Committee (Y:12 N:0 A:2)
New Reports of Interest
Caltrans released a report on the Business Logo Sign Program, that evaluates the program, which was established in 1978 to allow businesses to place their logos on freeway signs in rural areas, “defined as populations of less than 5000.” Once the population surpasses 10,000, Caltrans replaces business logos with generic signs unless the logos were placed before January 1, 2003, or were placed through legislation. The report finds there are 38 areas in the state with populations over 10,000 where logos for 236 businesses are on freeway signs and two of those areas, one along Hwy. 65 in Lincoln and the other along Hwy. 80 in Truckee, were established by legislative exemption. The report recommends allowing the areas established through legislation to sunset on January 21, 2021, and to not expand the program to other areas.
The Legislative Analyst released “The 2020-21 Budget: California’s Spring Fiscal Outlook,” that presents “two potential scenarios – a somewhat optimistic ‘U-shaped’ recession and a somewhat pessimistic ‘L-shaped’ recession – and assumes a baseline level of expenditures.” The report finds there would be an $18.1 billion deficit under U-shaped recession and a $31.4 billion deficit under L-shaped recession; either way, “budget deficits persist until at least 2023-24 with multiyear deficits summing to $64 billion in the U-shaped recession and $126 billion in the L-shaped recession.”
The DWR released its’ final Agreement in Principle for the State Water Project Contract Amendment for the Delta tunnel. It sets forth terms of an agreement between state water project public water agencies and DWR for amending supply contracts to pay for construction and maintenance of tunnel; topics include how public water agencies may opt-out of costs and benefits and how an agency may assume additional costs and benefits.
The California Energy Commission released “Energy Insights” to show “changes in supply and demand since March.” The findings include: “1) Average weekday demand for electricity in California declined by more than 4 percent in late March and 9 percent in April compared to the same time last year. 2) Residential energy use by customers in the three investor-owned utilities increased by 8.9 to 12.4 percent for 2020 year-to-date compared to the same period last year, but this was offset by substantial reductions in commercial and industrial demand. 3) Natural gas demand during April 2020 was up about 6 percent, compared to April 2019. 4) In the Pacific Gas & Electricity service territory, natural gas demand for electricity generation was up about 12 percent for April 2020 compared to April 2019. 5) Gasoline production declined 47.5 percent; jet fuel production dropped 68.3 percent; and diesel production decreased 33.2 percent.”
Pacific Research Institute released a study titled “Legislating Energy Prosperity.” It finds “California implements 218 different energy efficiency regulations, incentives, and tax programs that reduce job and income growth across the state,” also finds CO2 emissions “peaked in 2007” and have since “fallen over 14 percent nationally but only by 9 percent in California;” recommends changing California’s approach to “unlock potential economic opportunities that include more affordable gasoline, more affordable electricity, badly-needed new job opportunities, and higher family incomes while still achieving the same goal of lowering GHG emissions.”
Appointments of Interest
By Governor:
As deputy director of the State Water Project at the California Department of Water Resources: Ted Craddock, El Dorado Hills, acting deputy director since 2019.
The Committee on Preparing the Future Civil Engineer and the Engineer Tomorrow Initiative
By Kenneth H. Rosenfield, P.E., F.ASCE
Vice-Chair, ASCE Region 9 Board of Board of Governors
Region 9 Director-Elect, ASCE Board of Direction
Member, ASCE Committee on Preparing the Future Civil Engineer
There is an awareness among many that the knowledge base civil engineers must now acquire to keep up with the world’s complexity and increasing regulatory and standards growth cannot be accomplished in a four-year baccalaureate degree. While mentored experience and on the job training is a significant contributor to enhancing knowledge, postgraduate education is typically required in order to meet several of the recommended outcomes in the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge, third edition (CEBOK3). This advanced level of education may be obtained through a master’s degree program or through alternative learning options. In either case, we, as a profession, must recognize that the future of the profession will require more education.
The ASCE Board of Direction (BOD) has approved the following definition of this issue:
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), as the acknowledged leader of the civil engineering profession, has a responsibility to establish and advance standards to fulfill its mission to protect the public health, safety, and welfare. This responsibility includes the establishment of a body of knowledge (BOK) to describe the minimum knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for the future professional practice of civil engineering. ASCE has determined there is a gap between the CEBOK and the current educational and experiential requirements for professional licensure in civil engineering. Additional education and relevant experience is required for the future civil engineer. Otherwise, civil engineering is at risk of losing relevance and its place as a learned profession.
To address the issues identified in this statement, the BOD designated a new committee, the “Committee on Preparing the Future Civil Engineer” (CPFCE). Encompassing the former Raise the Bar committee and its associated initiative, the new charge statement is the Committee “shall advance the Society’s educational qualifications and professional standards for the practice of civil engineering.” This Committee's function is fully aligned with ASCE Goal No. 4 which states, “ASCE advances the educational and professional standards for civil engineers.” The BOD has refreshed the efforts on the importance of all civil engineers striving to meet the outcomes of the CEBOK3
(see https://www.asce.org/Civil_Engineering_Body_of_Knowledge/) and to identify new pathways for future civil engineers to be recognized for the attainment of those outcomes. Among the specific tasks assigned to the CPFCE were updating Policy Statement 465 (see https://www.asce.org/issues-and-advocacy/public-policy/policy-statement-465---the-civil-engineering-body-of-knowledge-and-the-practice-of-civil-engineering/), developing a new brand and creating a communications plan to inform the membership of this new direction. It is an exciting time of new energy being invested into this important effort, recently branded as “Engineer Tomorrow.”
The Engineer Tomorrow initiative has an emphasis on early outreach to all student and younger members and, as well, to inform all membership levels. CPFCE members are available to speak with your group and to share the goals and benefits of the Engineer Tomorrow initiative.
Informed by the services of a marketing consultant, the CPFCE communications team finalized a formal communications plan in late 2019 to build awareness around the evolving initiative.
Within this plan, The CPFCE has identified the following objectives as essential to fulfilling its purpose:
• Increase awareness of the need for post‐graduate education and mentored experience for CEs to fulfill the necessary body of knowledge
• Increase the percentage of CEs enrolling in post‐graduate educational programs
• Underscore the positive impact of higher educational standards on the profession as a whole
• Empower individuals to take responsibility for the future of the CE profession
• Highlight the opportunities and successes of ASCE members with advanced education
• Prompt members with advanced degrees to mentor and encourage others to gain additional skills, knowledge, and education
A task committee of CPFCE has also completed a robust evaluation of if and how professional certification could be used to acknowledge attainment of the CEBOK3. In 2019, the task committee presented an interim report to the BOD which included research on certification processes and programs offered in other fields and how aspects of these systems may be applied to credentialing within the civil engineering profession. The committee also reviewed the available certifications relevant to civil engineering practice, including those offered by ASCE via Civil Engineering Certification, Inc. (CEC) and by other organizations. Data gathered confirmed that no single existing certification is universally recognized as the qualifier of the appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes for the practice of civil engineering, including its specialty areas, at the professional level, and meeting the outcomes of the CEBOK3. The task committee has concluded that this may present an opportunity for ASCE to develop such a system, informed by the success primarily evidenced in the medical profession’s model. More recently, the task committee worked with a market research consultant to gather data from various stakeholders within the engineering industry related to the desirability, feasibility, and viability of a certification program. The results of this research are currently being evaluated and will be presented to the BOD before any decision is made on creating a certification program.
For more information on the Engineer Tomorrow initiative and to schedule a presentation to your group, please contact ASCE’s Manager of Professional Advancement, Jennifer Hofmann at JHofmann@asce.org, or you may contact me, Kenneth Rosenfield, Region 9 Director-Elect, at krosenfield@lagunahillsca.gov.
ASCE’s Battle of the California Sections
By Chuck Spinks, P.E., M. ASCE,
Chair, Region 9 History & Heritage Committee
And Dan Cronquist, P.E., M. ASCE,
President, Los Angeles Section
Did you ever wonder why Fresno is part of the San Francisco Section and not the Sacramento Section? The story starts on October 5, 1937, when the ASCE Board of Direction adopted new by-laws that stated all of North America was to be divided into Sections. The By-laws stated in Article VII:
“All existing Sections shall re-define the boundaries of their areas of influence with due attention to covering all the natural or state areas so that all members within these areas may come within suitable zones of influence…”
California had four sections in the principal cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Sacramento. The sticky question became, what was the “zone of influence” for each city? A “battle” ensued between the Sacramento and San Francisco Sections over who had the zone of influence over and controlled the San Joaquin Valley.
The battle opened with letters on October 11, 1937 from George Seabury, representing the ASCE Board of Direction, to each of the four Section Presidents in California. The first shot was fired by the Sacramento Section, which opposed the recommendation that the new Sacramento Section boundaries be “All of California north of the south lines of Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Sacramento, Amador and Alpine Counties.” All of San Joaquin Valley was to go to the San Francisco Section. Sacramento claimed that their area of influence included the San Joaquin Valley, and that San Francisco Section should take all of the North Coast counties.
Thomas Stanton, District 13 Director, recommended that the Los Angeles Section boundary be Latitude 36 with the addition of Inyo and Mono Counties and southern Nevada with the small town of Las Vegas (about 7,000 people). Los Angeles Section accepted those boundaries.
That left the two northern California Sections to work it out. The issue centered not just on the areas of influence of each section, but also the number of members to be gained with the new boundaries. San Francisco Section claimed that the Sacramento Section was going to get a huge influx of new members because, quoted from a letter:
1. When the Bay Bridge work is completed, quite a group of Engineers will undoubtedly return to Sacramento.
2. The trend is to concentrate all state offices in Sacramento.
3. The headquarters of the Central Valley Project will be in Sacramento.
4. If the PG&E Feather River Project goes ahead it will place many engineers on this job.
Thomas Waddell, the Sacramento Section President, responded with Sacramento’s own arguments. First, they noted that if the San Joaquin Valley was added to the San Francisco Section, they would have 710 members, compared to Sacramento Section’s 233 members. Sacramento also noted that “all points in the San Joaquin Valley counties in question are closer to Sacramento than they are to San Francisco.” Also, the employees working on the Central Valley Project in the San Joaquin Valley will be tied closer to Sacramento, the project’s headquarters. Finally, Waddell said that civil engineers in San Joaquin Valley would “derive as much or more from this Section as they would from San Francisco Section,” because Sacramento Section holds weekly meetings, about 50 each year, while San Francisco Section holds only quarterly meetings.
In the end, the two Sections could not come to an agreement. Thomas Stanton, the District 13 Director, wrote a letter dated November 19, 1937 to ASCE Headquarters suggesting the approval of the San Diego and Los Angeles Section boundaries, but added:
“The balance of California to be divided between San Francisco and Sacramento Sections along lines to be decided upon after thorough discussion before the Board of Directors at its January meeting.”
Looking at today’s Section boundaries, the Board apparently decided to split the difference, and give about half of San Joaquin Valley to Sacramento and half to San Francisco. And that’s why today the Fresno Branch is part of the San Francisco Section. Figure 1 depicts the disputed areas in 1937 and Figure 2 depicts the current Section boundaries in California.
Disaster Preparedness Update
by Doug Taylor, P.E., M.ASCE
Chair, ASCE Region 9 Disaster Preparedness Committee
What do COVID-19 and Earthquakes Have in Common?
You can hardly watch an hour of television these days without some mention of the heroes (doctors, nurses… even grocery store workers!) who are working to help us all despite risking their health and even their lives. Well guess what… someday California is going to have another big earthquake and YOU are going to be the hero of the day. That is IF you get trained and certified as a Safety Assessment Program (SAP) Evaluator. Hundreds of licensed civil engineers will be needed to rapidly assess homes and commercial buildings so people and businesses can get back to normal life (sound familiar?). If you think “stay at home” orders make life difficult, imagine the hardship when families can’t go back into their homes and have to live in FEMA shelters until their home is inspected (rapidly assessed)!
It’s SO easy to get trained and certified… once the COVID-19 orders to stay home are lifted, that is. Right now, there are no training sessions due to the “stay at home” orders.
But wait! Cal OES just approved online training so you can participate in a webinar to get certified. SAP Trainers can now set up these webinars and give them in one, 6-hour session, or two, 3-hour sessions or… you get the idea. Following the webinar training, Cal OES will send an exam to participants. Once they have completed the exam, they will scan and email the exam back to Cal OES who will grade and process the certificates. The exam is open book so the odds of passing are pretty good (but you have to pass with a 70% score or better, and no re-takes allowed).
Now I’m going to make this really easy for you. I’m setting up a webinar for Saturday, June 20th from 9 am to 3:30 pm (a half hour for lunch) and you can be one of the 30 people to register. Best of all… IT’S FREE. And you get to take it from the comfort of wherever. Just email me at
dtaylor@outbackmaterials.com and give me your full name and cell phone number. I’m only registering licensed PEs for this session (no EITs for now).
I hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity. Then you’ll be ready to help when people who don’t have your skills will need you desperately.
Region 9 Water Committee Hot Topics –
Water and Wastewater in the Time of Covid-19
By Xavier Irias, P.E., M. ASCE
Chair, ASCE Region 9 Water and Environment Committee
It’s simply not possible to write this year’s Water article without talking about the coronavirus pandemic which continues to impact us. February seems a distant memory: a time when we all commuted to work, when grocery stores were fully stocked, when the news was about something besides a virus and its impacts on society, when we weren’t all wearing masks.
While relatively few of us have been sickened by the virus, many of us know somebody’s who’s been sick and a few of us have lost a loved one to the virus. All of us have been greatly affected in our personal and professional lives by the many changes brought about by the shelter-in-place mandates.
These difficult times have a way of reminding people which things are really important; Health care, Food and Water. In fact, while water is essential in its own right, it’s also essential to the function of all 15 of the other “critical sectors”. Without water, you can’t produce food, power, or fuel. And you can’t run a hospital. Note that when we say water, we mean wastewater too; what good is a truckload of toilet paper unless there’s a way to flush?
In accordance with their essential nature, water and wastewater utilities throughout the State have remained open during the pandemic even though many other activities have been shut down to control the virus’ spread. While some water sector workers can telecommute to a degree, the basic work of running treatment plants and repairing pipes requires a physical presence. Those front-line workers in the water and wastewater sectors are fulfilling a role every bit as important as that of medical workers, i.e., keeping the basic underpinnings of modern society intact. For some water sector workers, this means coming to work more or less as usual; for others, it requires juggling home-school duties or elder care; and for still others, it’s a more drastic change in lifestyle. For example, the operators of the San Diego County Carlsbad desalination plant are living in rented RV’s at the plant, seeing their families only by web chat; this isolation ensures that the plant can stay running and keep water flowing to customers.
So far, the complex engine that is our economy continues to run, albeit with a sputter. And thus, with the exception of a brief hiccup in carbon dioxide availability, the basic staples needed to keep water flowing have continued: fuel, treatment chemicals, electrical power, financial services. However, as the pandemic continues, there is growing concern about the economic impact of the pandemic. In a recent AWWA survey, most water utilities reported either experiencing a financial pinch or expecting to do so as a result of the pandemic. These survey results came as no surprise, given the hardships being endured by individuals and businesses that will continue to ripple through the economy. In California, water (and power) utilities have generally announced that they are suspending disconnections for failure to pay; while this is an appropriate step, it will not be without impact.
Even before the pandemic, affordability of water and wastewater service was a top-tier issue facing the industry, as rate pressure caused by aging infrastructure, combined with other economic pressures such as the high cost of housing, posed a huge challenge to industry professionals tasked with somehow providing safe, reliable service while controlling rate increases. The pandemic will exacerbate that affordability challenge, as it places greater pressure on individuals who were already struggling, which in turn places pressure on water and wastewater utilities. One doesn’t have to be Nostradamus to foresee that utilities might face some pushback if they seek even “normal” rate increases in the next several months. That’s even if the State “reopens” in the very near future, i.e., eases the many restrictions put in place since March.
As I write this column, there are indeed high hopes for a rapid reopening of the State. Opinions vary as to exactly how this ought to be done, and how quickly, reflecting the basic fact that rebooting an economy is a tricky thing, and trickier still with a virus still at large. The stakes – our lives and livelihoods – couldn’t be higher. Historical analogues are always an imperfect match, but they certainly suggest that challenges lie ahead. Fortunately, on one hand, Covid-19 has a far lower case mortality rate than that of the bubonic plagues – those plagues not only shut down, but utterly transformed, medieval European society. On the other hand, our highly interconnected modern society has a fragility that a medieval community didn’t have. The speed of economic recovery will not be all about government action or lack thereof, regardless of how quickly the government moves, it may be some time before we see full restaurants, ballgames, concert halls, etc., and even when we do, we need to remember that Mother Nature bats last and may upend our recovery plans.
Fitting Covid-19 into the appropriate historical context will take some time; if it’s typical of most major events, the lessons observed from the same basic set of facts will vary greatly among observers, as each person’s unique circumstances, expertise, and perspectives color their interpretation of events. For some water/wastewater utilities and consultants, the pandemic may confirm the validity of lessons already learned well. Those organizations and individuals that had taken to heart the many pandemic wake-up calls of the past twenty years, and made appropriate investments in telecommuting capability, respirator stockpiles, and continuity planning have seen those strategies resoundingly vindicated. Some organizations, even if caught flat-footed by Covid-19, will learn the value of preparedness and will face future crises on surer footing. But there will no doubt be others that learn the wrong lessons, whether it’s a blame transferal (“other people should have planned better”), a false sense of invincibility (“we got through this, we can get through anything”), or an overly narrow learning (“let’s refocus our emergency plans on pandemics and de-emphasize other hazards”).
Even as we’re still trying to interpret the lessons of Covid-19, many of us in the water industry have been, or will be involved, in compliance with America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA). AWIA requires drinking water utilities to update their vulnerability assessments by specific due dates, and then within six months update their emergency response plans. Large utilities have already updated their vulnerability assessments (due date was March 31), while mid-size utilities have until December 31, and small utilities have until June 30, 2021. This means that utilities of all sizes are at some stage of assessing their vulnerabilities and-or updating their emergency plans.
No doubt the lessons of Covid-19 will inform the ongoing AWIA work; the challenge will be learning the right lessons. As we assess a utility’s readiness and response to Covid-19, at most utilities we will see some hits and some misses. The most disciplined among us will be able to perceive gaps in our readiness and outline remedial measures that not only improve our resilience for future pandemics, but for other hazards as well. Those other hazards – the ones that, but for Covid-19, might have been a feature in this article – are still important to us as water professionals. Hazards like earthquakes, climate change, power outages, wildfires. Economic shock; oh, that one’s included with Covid-19, never mind.
Here’s looking forward to next year’s article when we get to return to talking about hazards other than Covid-19, along hopefully with progress on advancing infrastructure funding, and continuing discourse on water and environment policy.
If you wish to learn more about the Region 9 Water & Environment Committee please contact me at
XIrias@woodardcurran.com .
