By Peter Tateishi
As an essential industry foundational to California’s future, the construction industry must ensure its voice is heard. For over 100 years, AGC of California has been that voice on behalf of our members. Our collective voice represents every facet of the construction industry, and, together, we fight for our diverse and inclusive members to be heard – inside our industry and out.
This issue of California Constructor magazine focuses on how AGC of California uses our collective voice to advocate for our industry to the outside world. Construction is complex, and decision makers, whether elected or appointed, have little understanding or appreciation of the work you do. But there is power in numbers, and because of your membership (with over 900 companies), AGC of California is able to elevate our collective thoughts and concerns and educate decision makers on the impacts of their policies and regulations.
To that end, our industry needs to help elect candidates who support the construction industry and acknowledge the important role of the contractor. AGC of California’s political action committee (PAC) works hard to raise money that can help us in this endeavor. Unfortunately, the contractor community continues to be outspent by most industries across the state, including labor. If we want to make a real impact on the state’s future, we have to advocate for, and financially support, better candidates. That is both a responsibility and a duty of every contractor in the state. The PAC is your industry’s vehicle to make change in the state legislature and at local, city and county governments. You can read more about the PAC, its contribution to our industry and how to support it in the feature article, “AGC-CA Shifts to Political Offense to Advance Industry Interests,” on page 8.
AGC of California’s advocacy goes beyond elected officials and to the decisions makers they appoint. This includes boards and commissions like the Water Resources Board, which is currently pushing through a readoption of the Construction General Permit that, in its current form, will be detrimental to the construction industry. AGC of California, with our partners, has been diligently working with the Department of Water Resources to provide comments and feedback on this permit. Unfortunately, these appointed officials are not addressing these concerns, and we stand ready to take this issue to litigation if a workable permit cannot be negotiated. AGC of California is committed to both protecting the environment in which we work while also advocating for workable regulations that allow efficient and effective work. A story on the new Construction General Permit on page 12 details the confines of the new permit.
Advocating for the construction industry and your future is AGC of California’s constant endeavor. We welcome your participation in all of our efforts, whether through the Legislative Committee, PAC, liaison meetings, Safety and Health Council, or other working groups so we can make our voice, our needs and our concerns heard throughout the state of California.
Kindest Regards,
Peter Tateishi, CEO
