California Legislative Democrats Are Looking for Stimulus without Gutting Environmental Laws

I am wondering how this stimulus will be utilized, when the funds become allocated. Though there are many great green projects there is much planning and engineering that goes into many projects. So it is fair to expect that the projects will not flow when the spigot is turned.

One of my friends reminded me that of the time on a project, the planning and design can take up more time than the actual construction. That being said these are some of the least resource intensive parts of the project. The majority of the money is spent when the project is executed. The people working in the field stimulate the economy.

Here is what Speaker Bass and Senate President Steinberg put forward:

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg jointly proposed expediting the spending of $2.3 billion in bond funds on "green" projects that secure environmental permits.

"There is no better time to move that money than in the midst of a struggling economy," Steinberg said.

Money for the construction would come from infrastructure bonds passed by voters in 2006. Projects could not be funded, however, until the state passes a budget to ease its projected $40 billion shortfall over 18 months.

The Democratic plan does not identify the projects to be funded, but it allocates sums for specific kinds of improvements - including water, public transit, flood protection, affordable housing and street pothole projects.

Bass and Steinberg said their "green economic stimulus" package would create more than 40,000 new jobs. The focus is on projects that are environmentally clean or curb greenhouse gas emissions.

"There is no need to gut environmental laws and risk public health and safety to get these projects going," Bass said.

Currently the governor wants to waive environmental regulations on $1.2 billion dollars of work on highway projects. The Democrats have rebuffed the proposal.

This story was reported in the SacBee.

San Diego Unified School District Moves Forward with Project Works Agreement

Last night the San Diego Unified School District moved forward with negotiating a Project Works Agreement for the $2.1 billion Proposition S program. The Public Works Agreement more than likely will have many of the components of a project labor agreement.

It was a great meeting, with the exception of two board members saying that they "supported labor", but could not support this agreement. There were about 400-500 union supporters in attendance at the meeting. It is a huge step forward for the district and could mean thousands of local jobs over the course of the program.

Let it be known, Labor has got game in San Diego.

The Voice of San Diego wrote an article about the meeting and the vote.

The San Diego Unified school board late Tuesday night opted to hash out a work agreement with a union coalition on how $2.1 billion facilities bond that voters approved in November is spent.

The move was widely seen as a sign of union prowess on the San Diego Unified school board, which tilted in November to a new majority that is more sympathetic to labor. Its new members include Richard Barrera, a labor organizer who ran unopposed, and John Lee Evans, a child psychologist who was strongly backed by the teachers union in his bid against incumbent Mitz Lee. Both voted along with school board President Shelia Jackson to begin negotiating the agreement, in opposition to board members John de Beck and Katherine Nakamura.

Union proponents contend that the agreements can actually save money by improving workplace safety and avoiding labor disputes, and could encourage more union shops to bid for jobs. They marshaled hundreds of supporters to combat their opponents' claims. Roy Grimes, the president of the Sacramento City Unified school board, said that a similar agreement in his district saved money and improved the quality of work, as did a former school board member from Los Angeles Unified. Some framed the agreement as a social justice issue and an investment in the future of San Diego.

Though this process is just beginning, I think that the local building trades and the district and make that "win-win" for the community.

Labor Agreement for San Diego Unified School District?

Tonight the San Diego Unified School District will take up a resolution to ask the district to engage in negotiations with the San Diego Building Trades for a Project Works Agreement.

I am simply amazed that this is happening. It is a real positive step for the district. Specifically there is discussion of social justice provisions in the agreement. While I was administering the Maritime and Aviation Project Labor Agreement (MAPLA) for the Port of Oakland, I took a lot of pride in helping to introduce careers to people that have been excluded from traditional pathways to construction.

The MAPLA's success speaks for itself:

Local apprentice participation was 75% higher than in 2004. In calendar year 2005, local workers made up 67% of all construction workers used on Port construction under MAPLA. Local apprentices made up 13% of the overall workforce during 2005 (three year-high), and comprised 86% of all the apprentice project hours.

Social Justice provisions are more and more a part of labor agreements. The San Francisco Public Utilities Hetch Hetchy project, Los Angeles Unified School District and the redevelopment agencies in Los Angeles.

Typically the San Diego AGC and ABC are having tantrums about the issue. The venom here is palpable and totally unprofessional. Read it here.

The Union Tribune published a story on about this.