Compliance Report — August 2020

This past month the Compliance Department participated in annual bond project meeting updates from Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles Community College District.  As you know, the majority of the work at these District’s is covered by Project Labor Agreements and are a key generator of work opportunities for IBEW Local 11 members.

LAUSD- On August 4, 2020, the LAUSD Board of Education voted to place a $7 billion school construction bond issue on the November ballot which would allow LAUSD to continue its multi-year effort to upgrade school facilities. LAUSD Procurement Manager Mark Hovatter shared that LAUSD’s facility upgrades needs surpass the funds available from the past bond measures.  LAUSD current project list includes over 2100 electrical and lighting projects in over 740 schools to be paid for by bond dollars from prior bond measures.  Mr. Hovatter thanked the Unions and attributed LAUSD’s success in the area of safety largely in part of the PLA and the union partnerships.  He noted that while Covid-19 posed many challenges, LAUSD found it essential that they continue their construction program.  As a result, they have made the most amount of progress and many of their projects have made up time or are now ahead of schedule.

LACCD- LACCD introduced their new Chief Facilities Executive, Dr. Rueben Smith.  Dr. Smith most recently served as the Senior Vice Chancellor, Facilities, Public Safety, and Risk Management for the San Francisco Community College District where he previously served as Vice Chancellor, Facilities, Planning and Construction. The Build- LACCD staff, who is responsible for the bond program projects, shared that of the CC Bond monies LACCD is currently expending at their nine campuses, 13% has been allocated towards security upgrades and 6% towards energy efficiency projects.  Additionally, close to $400 million will be spent towards IT and security infrastructure upgrades in the near future.  The Build-LACCD staff also thanked that the unions for their cognizance in elevating safety measure amongst its members. This attention has been noticed in recent months and has also enabled LACCD to safely get ahead of schedule on many of its projects.

Veronica Martinez
IBEW Local 11 | Director of Compliance
297 N. Marengo Ave. Pasadena CA 91101
Office/Cell: (626) 660-4950
Email: Martinez@ibew11.org
Web: www.ibew11.org