from Timothy A. Murphy, Chief Executive Officer, Sacramento Regional Builders Exchange
CAL/OSHA REVERSES CONTROVERSIAL MASK REGULATION
Reversing themselves for the second time in a week, Cal/OSHA suggested late Wednesday that it will move to allow fully vaccinated employees to stop wearing masks while on the job, putting proposed health rules in agreement with recommendations issued by federal and state health officials.
The revised rule would have allowed workers to forego masks only if every employee in a room is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Withdrawing that worksite rule allows the board to consider changes at its June 17 meeting and potentially have them go into effect by month's end.
Under those rules, he said, "a vaccinated person would not have to wear a mask at work."
Those close to the action say that Governor Gavin Newsom is getting a lot of pressure to "clean up the mess" and that he wants to avoid having to issue an Executive Order considering the recall is just months away. So, he is leaning hard on the Standards Board to work it out. Candidates running against Newsom are already raising the issue of masks and a real opening of the state in the recall. But Newsom’s core constituency is making it difficult for him to navigate.
CSLB ADDS LICENSE CLASSIFICATIONS; MAKES UPDATE
The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) is adding two new license classifications and updating requirements for one classification. C-49 Tree and Palm Contractor is added; currently Tree Service is a limited specialty class (D-49). Because of the danger of tree work CSLB wants to assure that tree service contractors have the same business and skill knowledge as other licensed contractors. Existing D-49 Tree Service contractors will be grandfathered into C-49.
B-2 Residential Remodeling Contractor is a new class for contractors who don't have the provable work experience to qualify for a B General Contractor license. B-2 contractors must still contract for jobs with three trades, but are limited to very minor electrical, mechanical and plumbing work.
HUD is now requiring training for C-47 General Manufactured Housing contractors. CSLB is proposing this training can be done online, making it easy for contractors who qualify to add the C-47 classification.
SENATORS FLOAT INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN WITH NO TAX HIKES
A bipartisan group of senators wants support for a fresh infrastructure proposal that would not entail tax increases. Additional approaches to the project are being sought and some are said to be in development, now that talks on the Biden administration's proposal have ended without agreement, but how the plan would be financed without increasing taxes remains a major point of contention.
HOUSE PANEL MOVES AHEAD ON WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
A $50 billion bill to fund five years of water infrastructure projects has cleared the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The legislation, which includes a record $40 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, comes as Democrats and Republicans remain at odds over a sweeping infrastructure package.
TURNER OVERTAKES BECHTEL AS THE COUNTRY'S TOP CONTRACTOR
With more than $14 billion in revenue, Turner Construction has overtaken Bechtel as the largest contractor by revenue, according to Engineering News-Record's Top 400 contractors list for 2021. Bechtel had held the top spot for the past two decades.
Aggregate revenue for the top 400 reached $414.88 billion, up from $414.38 billion the year before. Median revenue for the top contractors reached $501.9 million last year, up from $492 million in 2019.
Fluor, Kiewit and Whiting-Turner rounded out the top five contractors on the list. Fluor was absent from the list in 2020, as it was conducting an internal audit after a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into its financial reporting. Granite Construction was also absent due to an SEC investigation last year, but returned in 2021, earning the 25th spot with roughly $3.6 billion in revenue.
Timothy A. Murphy, Chief Executive Officer
Sacramento Regional Builders Exchange
5370 Elvas Avenue ǀ Sacramento, CA 95819
Telephone: 916.442.8991 | Direct: 916.465.8340
Email: tmurphy@srbx.org ǀ www.srbx.org