Here we are, coming to an end for 2020. Nearly everyone agrees 2020 sucked. Conservatives lament Trump losing to Biden because they believe that socialism will take over the USA. Yes, it sucks. Liberals lament Trump appointing Supreme Court Justices who they feel will ruin people’s lives. Yep-that sucks. Folks that did not want any sales taxes in Sonoma County got a lot of them. Folks that did want sales taxes wanted a few more “business friendly” candidates to win and they did not. That so sucks! Fire victims have good reason to claim that 2020 sucked. For those working at fire debris cleanup and rebuilding, 2020 doesn’t suck as much for them. Those that have lost jobs say 2020 sucks because of COVID-19. Those that have not lost jobs, say 2020 sucks because of COVID-19 19. Finally-agreement of sorts. It all sucks.

Bottom line-everyone I know is looking forward to the end of 2020.

I remember how bad high school basketball practices sucked under coach Russ Peterich when I was a lot younger. He would turn the thermostat up to 95 degrees in the gym and make us run lines to get us used to the heat. It gave us an advantage over other teams that came to our gym to play. They wilted in the 4^th quarter because he kept the heat up so high. It sucked, but we learned to appreciate the suck because it made us stronger.

We learned to EMBRACE THE SUCK!

Look-we have survived fires, floods, drought, power blackouts, pandemic, shelter in place, COVID-19 shutting us down, shutting us in and shutting us out, and yet, we survived. We got challenged in a big way, and we kind of came through it. Most of us still have our health, our families, and our jobs. To be sure there are those that have had it worse than me, and that sucks. Maybe I should reach out to them and help them a bit more. Just like our ECA members have stepped up and done for me. The members have opened their wallets and given the ECA some revenue that was unexpected back in April of 2020. The Auction was a big success. The Golf Tourney was way better for the ECA than we had anticipated. We asked for help, and we got it. In a way, 2020 helped us get stronger. I feel we can survive anything now.

I am thankful for our members. Thankful for what we got through in 2020. I am thankful for Mary and thankful for Cheryl working through tough times and getting things done. I am learning and adapting from the challenges of 2020 and I know a lot of other people are too. Josh and I are starting our planning for ECA’s 2021 and our future is bright. The future does not appear to be suckworthy.

I am going to stop complaining about 2020 and embrace the suck. I am going to roll up my sleeves and help chart a course for the ECA that makes the organization stronger and better for its membership in 2021. I am going to figure out a way to listen better to our membership and make certain we are communicating to our members better than we have. I am energized and motivated from the suckiness of 2020.

Yeah, that’s it.

That’s All Folks!

John

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Fire Cleanup News for Wallbridge, Meyers, and Glass Fires:

The ECA decided to come out with our Newsletter one day early in order to provide information on the wildfire debris cleanup operation which publicly started December 1, 2020. The first step in cleaning up after the fires have been extinguished, is the Household Hazardous Waste sweep done by the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (CDTC). To understand more about the first process that is required prior to private or public fire debris cleanup, the link below explains it-

California Wildfire Cleanup & Recovery in 2020 | Department of Toxic Substances Control

There is a Town Hall virtual meeting to be held at 5pm Tuesday, December 2, 2020 and the information can be found below. If you are a contractor seeking to participate in the publicly assisted wildfire debris cleanup program, Cal Recycle is managing the cleanup and their information is listed below as well. If you have questions regarding what protocols are required for ash removal (regarding Hazwopper certification and PPE), the safety protocols for homeowners, recycling, trucking, and private contractors can be accessed in the link below.

https://socoemergency.org/recover/debris-removal-requirements-after-wildfire/

California Office of Emergency Services has authorized Cal Recycle to administer to the publicly aided fire debris cleanup of the Wallbridge/Meyers/Glass Fires in Sonoma County. The public debris cleanup began yesterday, December 1, 2020. To get the latest information from Cal Recycle on the wildfire debris cleanup, click on this link below-

Wildfire Debris Cleanup and Recovery (ca.gov)

For more specific localized information on wildfire debris cleanup for both homeowners and contractors alike, the Sonoma County Office of Emergency Services has a very good website, and the information can be accessed below-

https://socoemergency.org/recover/glass-wildfire/debris-removal/

There is a virtual own Hall Meeting being held for victims of the Wallbridge and Glass Fires December 2, 2020 at 5pm. Information on how to participate is included in this link—

Virtual Recovery Town Hall for Meyers, Walbridge and Glass Fire debris removal | Press Releases | County Administrator’s Office | County of Sonoma (ca.gov)

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Let’s Sway!

Can we sway? I just have to say-with all the technical challenges that a virtual auction presented, we had a great time Saturday night. You did not have to spend a dime to enjoy the experience. And who is responsible for making it so fun? Tom Boylan and Keith Woods. Hands down. Our two guest auctioneers were allowed to “riff” and play off of each other and it was a sight to behold. If you have not seen it, you still can on our YouTube channel by typing in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2HUwRN9y1k. It has not been edited so begin at 13:10!

Thank you to Senator Mike McGuire for giving us a video sendoff that framed the evening so well. Some of the big thanks have to be shared: Mary and Tony Cabrera hosting not one, but three parties at their house-the ECA got three bids of $1,800 each from their generosity! How about Julia Dodge and her husband? They put up two auction items that brought in over $2300 to the ECA. Guess we need to remind ourselves who Rod and Donna Stevenson are right? They were so generous they donated 5 nights in their SF condo and 3 nights at Ft Bragg that generated $5,300 for the ECA. Thank you Rod and Donna and Stevenson Supply! Can any auction go without acknowledgement of Kevin Ghilotti? Not only did he serve on the Committee and Team Ghilotti was a top sponsor, but he also bid items up and bought a lot of stuff too! Thank you to Ron Palmieri with Syar donated a romantic four-night stay in Carpinteria for 2. The hunters enjoyed bidding on John Serres’s Hog Hunt with Matt Randall the high bidder. PACE Supply donation of the famous Nick’s Cove Getaway was a hit! And BoDean stepped up big time-from donating a Josh Cleaver crab fishing expedition, to bidding on several items, BoDean got it done! Ghilotti Construction not only sponsored, but also donated a fabulous 49er game that is “Top Shelf”, but they also bid on a lot of items and got a few too! And thank you to the ECA Board members for the always favorite Board Wine Replenish your Cellar! RCX will be in good hands with Jim Persons Safety Classes and he included Cal-OSHA COVID-19 Plan, Workplace Exposure Checklist and other Forms to the company that buys the safety training.

But again-from the initial time of the first auction item when we were having technical trouble, Tom Boylan and Keith Woods kept up the energy nonstop. From Keith’s opening salvo to Tom where he “wished Tom was wearing a mask because you are so ugly that the mask would cover half your face”, to Tom’s nonstop chatter about crab “goo” and putting his “balls in the pond” descriptions of auction items, it was comedy at its best. My favorite part was when the two of them paused for a moment and the bids kept coming in, and Keith realized it and said “Tom, maybe we do better if we just shut up for a few minutes”, as he said this, they were both swaying in unison, and I think Tom said- “sure Keith, let’s just sway for a while”. We found ourselves swaying with them at home and we actually belly laughed. The other fave moment for me was when they were auctioning off a wine barrel table made by Donny McEachern donated by Ritchie Bros, and one of them said “Randy Cochran is not going to stop bidding because since he was a little boy, he dreamt of owning a wine barrel table”. I don’t know. Maybe it is just me, but that kind of humor resonates.

I cannot thank Keith and Tom enough. You guys were great!

Thanks to all the volunteers, donors, sponsors, and bidders. Mary was sweating bullets, but Don Mills and his team with Sound Ideas calmly guided us through troubled waters Mary deserves a lot of credit for pulling this virtual auction off as RCX and others bid us right up to the finish line in a successful auction. We had a great time. If you did not join us, please watch the YouTube video and you will see what I am talking about! Good stuff.

Thank you again to our Sponsors!

Team Ghilotti – Platinum Dozer Sponsor

Ghilotti Construction – Platinum Dozer Sponsor & Live

RCX Inc. – Excavator Sponsor

Ghilotti Bros. Inc – Backhoe Sponsor

Northwest General Engineering – Backhoe Sponsor

Soiland Co. Inc – Skid Steer and Roller Sponsor

Engelke Construction – Skid Steer Sponsor

V.Dolan Trucking – Roller Sponsor

Cabrera & Associates – Live Auction Sponsor

Stevenson Supply – Live Auction Sponsor

USI Insurance – Live Auction Sponsor

Boylan Point – Donation

PACE Supply – Live Auction Sponsor

Serres Corporation – Live Auction Sponsor

Syar Industries – Live Auction Sponsor

BoDean – Live Auction Sponsor

Ritchie Bros. – Live Auction Sponsor

A personal appeal from your EVP

Please participate! All of us have benefitted, and continue to benefit from the efforts of the ECA staff and operations We the staff have had to make big sacrifices to continue those benefits for 2020 without the benefit of our usual events that traditionally cover over 35% of our operating costs. Covid 19 sucks and it certainly has for us. Yet we are going to finish the year in a healthy economic status thanks to staff cost cutbacks and generous help from many of our ECA family! One last way all of you can help out is to participate in this Auction. We know it will be fun, and we know you appreciate the ECA. Please find some time for us and enjoy what Mary has worked so hard to put on for all of us with her “crack committee” helping her all the way-Tom Boylan, Kevin Ghilotti, Jenah Smith, Corinna Fernandez, Kathleen Smith & Wayne Settle.   

This Auction and Donation opportunity is a big deal for us. Can you imagine how tough it is for a restaurant to stay in business without being able to have paying customers in their restaurant? That is what it has been like for us not having events. We have continued to work, continued to host free webinars, continued to push for funding of work (Yay Measure DD!) that benefits all of our ECA firms, and we have done so without being able to host our usual events that are so necessary to our survival. It has not been easy, and some of you have stepped up in a BIG way to help us out with donations, “Ask” responses, and auction items to offer to everyone. If you have not been able to participate because of your own hardships, we understand. This Auction is one final way to support the ECA that has been in continuous existence since 1976 and your help and participation is not only very necessary, it is also very appreciated. Please make Mary happy by logging on, spreading the word, and bidding on some items while perhaps even hitting that “Donate” button for us!

The Live Auction (201-214) itself will take place on December 5, from 5:30-7:30 but you can get your account set up, make a donation if the spirit moves you, and read and see about the live and start or continue bidding on the silent auction items that are on the site right now!

I know I enjoyed reading about the five-night getaway in San Francisco courtesy of Rod and Donna Stevenson, and the great lunch event offered at the St. Francis Yacht Club donated by Julia Dodge. There is something for everybody here and the Auction Committee and Mary have worked very hard to set up the virtual auction such that it will be fun, easy, and there are some very good items to bid on. We realize how challenging the Covid 19 has made all of your lives, as it has affected everybody. This is a chance to support local companies by bidding on items, enjoying the special video that has been created by Don Mills and his adept crew at Sound Ideas, and if nothing else, you can click the Donate Button (as I have), to contribute directly to the ECA so we can continue our good work in these times where we are all trying to be safe and the usual events we rely on cannot be held. We appreciate your support, and we ask you to spread the word to others outside the ECA such that they might participate in the Auction and perhaps be moved by the accomplishments of the ECA this year! Guest auctioneers Keith Woods, Tom Boylan, and Yours Truly will be auctioning off on December 5, so now is the time to get on the site by clicking the link below, and getting your card registered. I am registered, I have donated, and I have started bidding on the silent auction items already. After all, it is a good way to do some Christmas shopping! Click on the link below to get started! Please acknowledge and appreciate all of the sponsors and donors as you look through the items online.

There are many ways to help us out and we have tried to acknowledge all of those generous ECA Members that have done their part! Please do business with them! Don Mills and Sound Ideas can help your company out and I used them to help with my Dad’s “Celebration of Life” recently. I am glad I did. Please utilize these fellow ECA firms! It is the epitome of buying local!!

That’s All Folks!

John

Last week 13 Counties in California were in the “Purple Tier” for COVID-19. This week there are 41 Counties in the “Purple Tier”. To see which Counties are now in the purple category, click on this link

The Public Health Director issued a limited shelter at home order effective November 21, 2020 that eliminates all non-essential activities cease between 10pm and 5am for those Counties in purple. To see which activities are affected, you can click on this interactive site and type in the activity to see if it is allowed or not. link

As we prepare to gather for Thanksgiving, each and every one of us will decide what proper precautions to take for ourselves and our gathering. My hope is that you and your family remain COVID-19 free and you can safely share time with each other during Thanksgiving next week. Please be safe!

The ECA just had its annual General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, November 17, 2020. For those that participated, it was a celebration of what we have accomplished over the last decade in widening Highway 101. Generously sponsored by Argonaut, we had special guests Suzanne Smith, James Cameron, Doanh Nguyen from Caltrans, and the great State Senator Mike McGuire recount some of the innovative designs and construction practices that our ECA firms have incorporated on their projects. BKF, Ghilotti Construction, Ghilotti Brothers, and non ECA members OC Jones and CC Meyers were highlighted in the presentation. I thought it was a great way to head into Thanksgiving week and I thank Argonaut and all of those that worked so hard on the Highway 101 projects to provide us with some positive vibes!

Senator McGuire was effusive in his praise of the ECA and its backing of SB1 several years ago as well as our recent successful backing of Measure DD. The Senator called these Measures “game changers” and highlighted much of the upcoming work being contemplated, designed, and getting ready to go out to bid in the near future.

We have much to be thankful for. Our future is bright. We need to get through a few more months of COVID-19 as the vaccines become available, and we need to keep ourselves and our workers and families as safe as possible. Please use your time next week to consider how fortunate we are and offer a little bit of help to those that are not as fortunate as we are. A random act of kindness cannot hurt!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From John, Mary and Cheryl at the ECA

The ECA Annual General Membership Meeting is being held on Tuesday, November 17, from 12-1:30pm. President Dave Weller has decided to send this 2020 year out with a smile on our face! We will be unabashedly celebrating what we have accomplished over the last 10 years doing Highway work in Sonoma and Marin Counties. The guest speakers are highlighted by Senator Mike McGuire, Sonoma County Transportation Authority Executive Director Suzanne Smith, James Cameron who is the Director of Projects and Programming for the Sonoma County Transportation Authority, and Dina El-Tawansy, the Chief Deputy District Director for Caltrans, District 4-Bay Area.

Thank you to Argonaut for sponsoring the General Membership Meeting!

This program is free to ECA members, and costs only $35 to non ECA members. James, Suzanne, and Dina will be presenting unique photos and perspective on the decade of success we have had from 2010 to 2020 and will be including drone photos of the Big Pave up north, as well as the big projects we have had and are currently doing from Rohnert Park to the Marin County border. I have seen some of the photos and they are absolutely stunning. Cutting edge construction methods will be shown and many of the participants being highlighted are our very own members. If you want to leave 2020 feeling good, you do not want to miss this special Annual General Membership Meeting of the ECA.

Senator Mike McGuire will also be speaking to us about what to expect out of the State for funding programs for the next several years. Part of the hidden benefit of the local sales tax measures that voters just passed is that nearly every one of them has a component for the City or County to upgrade and repair their infrastructure. On top of the positive impact we will see from Measure DD (estimated to be close to a half a billion dollars over the 20 year period from 2025 to 2045!!), there will be substantial additional funds from the other 11 tax measures that Sonoma County passed November 3, 2020.

It is a very good time to be a Contractor, supplier, or service provider to the transportation infrastructure industry. We will also see opportunities for sitework for housing projects coming forward very soon as well. All in all, the November 17 meeting is intended to be a FEEL GOOD meeting and we hope you all appreciate and congratulate yourselves along with us that day!

That’s All Folks!

John Bly

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Here are some links so you can see how your favorite Measures and candidates fared.

Sonoma County Election Results:

https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CA/Sonoma/107135/web.264614/#/summary

Marin County Election Results:

https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CA/Marin/107124/web.264614/#/summary

Napa County Election Results:

https://www.countyofnapa.org/DocumentCenter/View/19413/Last-Unofficial-Election-Night-Report_1206?bidId=

Lake County Election Results:

http://www.lakecountyca.gov/Government/Directory/ROV/results.htm

Mendocino County Election Results:

https://www.mendocinocounty.org/government/assessor-county-clerk-recorder-elections/current-election-results

Solano County Election Results:

https://www.solanocounty.com/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=33168

State of California Election Results:

https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/

On Windsor’s meeting agenda for next week is to repeal its residential all-electric reach code. Link

Well-we survived election day. Some riots, some protests. Many surprises. Some victories. Some fails.

I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t completely surprised by the outcome of the sales tax measures. The ECA supported DD, and opposed Measure O in Santa Rosa, and otherwise took no position on the rest of the tax measures. There is an interesting article in the Press Democrat about the passage (apparently-votes are still being counted) of every single one of the tax measures in Sonoma County and the Cities in SOCO. I never would have thought the Petaluma voters would say YES to a 1 cent sales tax increase FOREVER. Not in the pandemic era. Not ever. But they did.

The big news for ECA members is that Measure DD, the continuation (with some modifications) of the successful Measure M ¼ cent sales tax that is set to expire in early 2025, has passed with 72% voting in favor. This was a controversial Measure inasmuch as our (ECA’s) usual “allies” (North Coast Builders Exchange, Farm Bureau, Santa Rosa Metro Chamber and North Bay Leadership Council banded together in an organized opposition to Measure DD and ALL sales tax measures on the ballot. The courage of our Board of Directors at the ECA, as well as some very generous and “risky” donations by ECA members, were enough for us to “go it alone” with some help from the Sonoma County Alliance to get the message out and successfully pass this critical tax measure. What does it mean to have passed Measure DD? To say that the ECA is in the good graces of the electeds of all nine cities and the County who all needed this revenue to continue fixing roads is an understatement. I am not one to spout hyperbole often, but our reputation for working with folks on the left and on the right in order to get DD passed, has never been better and we have cemented a good relationship into a great relationship with most of the elected officials in the County and in all nine cities of SoCo. Do we rest on our “win”? Nope. I will be advocating for expanding our government affairs outreach into Marin County so we can solidify relationships in Marin County and become more of a “player” in that area for a Return on Investment to our lang standing Marin ECA members. I would like to consider doing the same for Napa, Lake, and Mendo and our Govt Affairs Committee will be discussing the “how to” do that in the coming months. Suffice to say, bringing a stream of $16-26 million of funding opportunities for 20 years into our future is a very, very good feeling.

I want to thank our Government Affairs Committee of Antonio Mencarini, Dale Mahoney, Art Deicke, Dave Weller, and Jeff Okrepkie (and the late addition of Ross Liscum was also helpful). I want to give a huge shout out to the Board of Directors who decided to go way out on a limb and support Measure DD without much hope of success when it became clear there would be opposition. But in particular, I want to thank those firms that stepped up and contributed to the campaign which enabled us to raise $110,000 and mail out one flyer to over 156,000 households, make phone bank calls, send banner ads to all the local newspapers and to send out text messages to all voters in the last week that had not yet voted. I want to give a big high five thank you to President Dave Weller of RCX for all of his time and support helping us get through COVID-19 problems while also managing a major campaign effort.

And here is my last thank you-I love this stuff!  And all of the members, whether they believed in DD or not, contribute through dues, sponsorships, ticket sales, donations, etc. to enable the ECA (and yours truly) to devote a large chunk of my time for the last six months to be the Committee Chair and official Treasurer of the Measure DD campaign. I am very proud of our accomplishment and extremely grateful that whether you believed in DD or not, you continued to support the organization and its collective voice which is far more powerful than we were even one year ago.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Here are some links so you can see how your favorite Measures and candidates fared.

Sonoma County Election Results: link

Marin County Election Results: link

Napa County Election Results: link

Lake County Election Results: link

Mendocino County Election Results: link

Solano County Election Results: link

State of California Election Results: link

That’s All Folks!

John Bly

ECA Wins and Losses:

Cotati: ECA Endorsed Ben Ford, Laura Sparks, Susan Harvey ————ECA was 3 for 3!

Petaluma: ECA Endorses Kathy Miller, and Mike Healy——Close but ECA was 1 for 2!

Rohnert Park: ECA Endorses Jake Mackenzie——-ECA was 0 for 1

Sonoma: ECA did not endorse any candidate in Sonoma.

Sebastopol: ECA Endorses Diana Rich, and Evert Fernandez ——-ECA was 2 for 2!

Santa Rosa: ECA Endorses Jack Tibbetts, Chris Rogers, Jorge Inocencio, and Eric Christensen—-Close but ECA looks like we were only 1 for 3

Windsor: ECA Endorses Dominic Foppoli for Mayor—–ECA was 1 for 1

Healdsburg: ECA Endorses David Hagele, Ariel Kelly, and David Jones—-ECA was 2 for 3

Cloverdale: ECA did not endorse any candidate in Cloverdale.

State Ballot Measures:

ECA voted to OPPOSE California Ballot Measure Prop 15—-looks like ECA was 1 for 1

Local Ballot Measures:

ECA voted to ENDORSE Sonoma County Measure DD —–ECA was a HUGE 1 for 1 here!

ECA voted to OPPOSE Sonoma County Measure O, County of Sonoma, Mental Health, Addiction and Homeless Services Measure Transactions and Use Tax Ordinance–ECA was 0 for 1

ECA voted to OPPOSE City of Santa Rosa’s Measure Q, City of Santa Rosa, Sales Tax Extension—ECA was o for 1

ECA voted to take no position on any other State or Local Ballot Measures

Overall-ECA was 12 for 19 in our endorsements for 2020!

Plagiarized from The Construction Dive

In an attempt to avoid partisan rhetoric in the last few days of voting, I decided to try to highlight differences in the two Presidential tickets as it relates to our industry. With no editorializing by me, these comparisons came straight from The Construction Dive, a well-respected non-partisan industry publication. See what you think!

Federal Minimum Wage:

In June 2019, Trump said in an interview with Telemundo he would consider a federal minimum wage higher than $15 per hour.

Biden backs a $15 federal minimum wage and an end to the tipped minimum wage.

Paid Leave:

Trump’s fiscal year 2019 budget proposal included a paid family leave program that would have given new parents six weeks of leave through the unemployment insurance system. He also touched on the topic during his 2019 State of the Union address, touting a nationwide paid family leave program “so that every new parent has the chance to bond with their newborn child.” He also signed into law a provision granting emergency paid leave during the novel coronavirus pandemic; that mandate sunsets at the end of 2020.

Biden’s website calls for “legislation that will provide 12 weeks of paid leave for all workers for their own or a family member’s serious health condition.”

Federal Diversity Training:

Under Trump’s directive, federal agencies have been instructed to end anti-racism or anti-bias training sessions that encourage “government workers to believe divisive, anti-American propaganda,” according to a two-page Sept. 4 memo written by White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought. Trump expanded the mandate in a Sept. 22 Executive Order by including federal contractors and grant recipients among the groups barred from offering this kind of training. At the Sept. 29 presidential debate, Trump said the training represents “a radical revolution that was taking place in our military, in our schools, all over the place.”

During the Sept. 29 debate, Biden supported training on racial insensitivity. “People have to be made aware of what other people feel like, what insults them, what is demeaning to them,” he said. “Its important people know. Many people don’t want to hurt other people’s feelings, but it makes a big difference. It makes a gigantic difference in the way a child is able to grow up and have a sense of self-esteem.”

Infrastructure Spending

Trump has long advocated for rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, a cornerstone of his first presidential campaign. Based on previously released legislative goals, the Trump administration would likely advocate for passage of a comprehensive infrastructure package focused on improving America’s roads, highways, airports and smart grid, according to the National Law Review. President Trump’s proposed second-term agenda also indicates a focus on creating a national high-speed wireless internet network.

Other provisions of his plan include bolstering the country’s oil and gas industries and the continued rollback of environmental regulations that impede development.

Biden’s plan calls for $2 trillion of investments over four years in the country’s infrastructure, transportation and auto industries. It focuses on the role of unions to rebuild the country’s roads, bridges, water systems and electricity grids. He also wants to upgrade 4 million buildings, weatherize 2 million homes and spend $100 billion to modernize schools. Biden said that building work would create “1 million good-paying jobs.”

Biden’s proposals to markedly increase federal infrastructure spending would lift demand for construction, telecoms and utilities, said analysts at Moody’s in a recent report.

Immigration:

The Trump administration’s stance on immigration is perhaps best summarized by the “America First” ethos which seeks to promote American workers and businesses. Since taking over, through the actions of the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Customs and Immigration Services and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the administration has emphasized halting illegal immigration and slowing legal immigration, achieving the latter in part by increasing regulations and costs for employers and prospective immigrants.

The H-1B program, in particular, has been a target for reduction and other visa programs have seen changes leading to decreased applications or use. Industries such as agriculture and hospitality are particularly reliant on seasonal temporary work visas.

USCIS also has increased spending as the administration enacted policies to limit asylum and refugees at the border and deport undocumented immigrants. The administration also sought to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

The Biden platform for immigration vows to “take urgent action” to undo or reverse many of Trump’s actions, highlighting restoration of asylum, eliminating policies such as the “Muslim ban” and reforming temporary visa programs. He has cited immigration’s role in the economy and its value to U.S. employers.

“Trump has waged an unrelenting assault on our values and our history as a nation of immigrants,” his platform said. “It’s wrong, and it stops when Joe Biden is elected president.”

Job Creation:

Vice President Mike Pence in a recent debate said the administration has, since the start of the pandemic, added back 11.6 million jobs — about half those lost — “because we have a president who cut taxes, rolled back regulation and fought for free and fair trade.” The administration also saved 50 million jobs with the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), he said; “We literally have spared no expense.” The PPP estimate, however, has been called into question.

Sen. Kamala Harris, during the vice presidential debate, noted that Biden plans to create clean energy jobs as part of his climate plan. Biden’s plan also says he will “build a strong industrial base and small-business-led supply chains to retain and create millions of good-paying union jobs in manufacturing and technology.”

That should clear things up, right? LOL

That’s All Folks!

John Bly

On October 17, 2020, Cassius Ellsworth Bly, son of Elizabeth Menne Bly and Albert Moffitt Bly, set sail on his final journey to see his beloved wife, Pat.

Cass was born in San Francisco on February 6, 1930 and he liked to remind everyone that that was Ronald Raegan’s birthday. He also enjoyed telling everyone he was conceived in Wink, Texas on a sort of honeymoon trip taken by his parents. At age four, his parents moved to the beautiful beach town of Santa Cruz, CA, where they raised gladiolas in fields behind the Wrigley chewing gum factory for many years.

Cassius is survived by his two brothers, Robert Bly and Bert Bly, his daughter Debbie Groshong and her husband Scott, and son John Bly, Grandsons Chris Brown, Matthew Bly, Stephen Bly, and Granddaughters Hayley Bly and Tami Koens. Cass was lucky to have Great Grandsons Zane, Bennie, Brady, and Brian as well as Great Granddaughters Aliyah and Zuri.

Cass was a runner who excelled in track and field, and in particular, he ran the 440-yard race and set records at Santa Cruz High School before accepting a scholarship to Stanford University. In his Junior year, he allowed himself to be set up on a blind date with Patricia Johnson from Stockton, and after a one-week courtship, they were engaged to be married. They set the date for March 24, 1951 because Cass was to run in the Stanford-Cal Relays and then had a week Spring Break after the race that they could efficiently have a Honeymoon. And Cass was all about being efficient. As he crossed the finish line that day, winning the race of course, Cass was photographed by the San Francisco Chronicle with the caption “Headin’ For a Weddin’” and an article written by Art Rosenbaum. Later, Cass found out the article was so popular, his best friend Bill Geary got a copy of it while stationed in Korea. Cass left his teammates and drove to his wedding and thus begun his devotion to his soulmate Pat.

After 56 glorious years of marriage, Cass lost his beautiful Pat in 2006. He remained devoted to his Patsy and often said he certainly believed they would be reunited upon his passing. One of Pat’s favorite sayings was to “put a smile on your face and put your heart in gear”. She certainly always did that for her lifelong soul mate Cassius. Even during his last few days Cass remembered exactly what Pat wore the day they met on their blind date-a brown sweater and a plaid skirt.

Cassius graduated from Stanford with Honors in June of 1951 and went to work for W.M. Lyles building gas pipelines in the Central Valley. Cass was an early pioneer of using backhoes to excavate cross lines for the trenching machines that were commonly used to dig the utility trenches. After leaving Lyles to move to Santa Rosa and work for Peletz Construction, his coworkers included Marv Soiland and Jim Kirkwood. Cass and Jim decided to start their own company in Santa Rosa in 1959 called Kirkwood Bly, Inc. Cassius had a long and successful career building treatment facilities, pipelines and pump stations in Northern California, Marin County and Sonoma County until his retirement in 1998. Much of the infrastructure for Oakmont, and Bennett Valley, as well as the Spring Lake swimming lagoon are some of their local projects he was proud of.

A longtime supporter of the Santa Rosa Junior College, Cassius created a scholarship that benefitted students for many years at the SRJC. In his retirement years, Cass was driven by routine and could be seen walking his beloved dog Nina around the narrow streets of Proctor Heights and returning home to read, play his crossword puzzles and sudoku, while enjoying his Friday afternoon lunches with the Montana boys Bill Geary, Angus McPhee, Tom Kinney, Bruce McPhee, Ed Kinney, son John Bly and Tom Sullivan. Those Friday lunches were always highlighted by laughter, respect, and trip planning to visit Bill Geary’s cabin in the Big Hole Valley near Wisdom, Montana Cass also enjoyed travelling to Hawaii, Tahiti, and road trips to follow the path of Lewis and Clark as well as trips to the Grand Canyon.

He always wanted to travel through the Panama Canal and succeeded to that goal in 2018 with daughter Debbie Groshong and her husband Scott. He was a sweet man who developed a great deal of love and respect for his entire family and his longtime caretaker Lulu and her entire family.

Cassius was respected and universally liked by all he came in contact with. A Hall of Famer with the North Coast Builders Exchange, he was proud of his career at Kirkwood Bly, Inc. and wrote an Autobiography of his life published in 1998 titled “A Life of Love and Work” where he wrote in his easy style about his entire life. Cass and Pat enjoyed their weekly lunches at the Tides in Bodega Bay, and they got a lot of pleasure on their trips to the big Island of Hawaii as well as their houseboat they kept up on Lake Shasta. Christmas Eve with “Tutu and Grandpa” was always special for the family as fresh cracked crab, Cousteau French bread and deviled eggs were lovingly served for many years to those lucky enough to get an invite to the traditional meal. Cass loved those meals that allowed his Pat to show off her fancy table settings steeped in gold, crystal love and laughter.

Cass enjoyed a life that was devoted to his beautiful wife Pat. In his last few days Cass had things done the way he wanted-he was in his home, visited lovingly by Tami, Jake, Zane, Zuri, Debbie, Scott, John, Matt, Steve, Hayley, Bennie, Brady, Brian and Katie. Always by his side was also his faithful and loving caretaker Lulu. Grandson Matt read to Cass excerpts from his own book and Great Grandson Brady repeatedly and patiently explained to Great Grandpa Cass about his Buzz Lightfoot and Woody characters from Toy Story. It was quite a sight with Cass in his bed, Murphy the yellow lab on his bed with Brady and John and Debbie, and Cass surrounded by love in his last few days. I know he appreciated it and that was the ending to a great life that could not have been better for his terms.

A Covid 19 celebration of life will be held via Zoom on November 8, 2020 at 2pm and friends and family are encouraged to email John Bly at John@nceca.org to get instructions on how to participate.

SUMMARY OF WHAT AND WHO ECA Endorses!!!!

Cotati: ECA Endorses Ben Ford, Laura Sparks, Susan Harvey

Petaluma: ECA Endorses Kathy Miller, and Mike Healy

Rohnert Park: ECA Endorses Jake Mackenzie

Sonoma: ECA did not endorse any candidate in Sonoma.

Sebastopol: ECA Endorses Diana Rich, and Evert Fernandez

Santa Rosa: ECA Endorses Jack Tibbetts, Chris Rogers, Jorge Inocencio, and Eric Christensen

Windsor: ECA Endorses Dominic Foppoli for Mayor

Healdsburg: ECA Endorses David Hagele, Ariel Kelly, and David Jones

Cloverdale: ECA did not endorse any candidate in Cloverdale.

State Ballot Measures:

ECA voted to OPPOSE California Ballot Measure Prop 15

Local Ballot Measures: 

ECA voted to ENDORSE Sonoma County Measure DD 

ECA voted to OPPOSE Sonoma County Measure O, County of Sonoma, Mental Health, Addiction and Homeless Services Measure Transactions and Use Tax Ordinance

ECA voted to OPPOSE City of Santa Rosa’s Measure Q, City of Santa Rosa, Sales Tax Extension

ECA voted to take no position on any other State or Local Ballot Measures

Disclaimer-I am not stating anybody’s opinion other than my own in this column. This is not an ECA position. It is a John Bly opinion that I hope you find provocative.

This is not a political Soapbox. I just found the decision by Southwest Airlines to be so refreshing, I had to talk about it. As we all know, everyone has been impacted by Covid-arguably, none more severely than the airline carriers. Part of what has been on the negotiating table between the Dems and GOP, has been another stimulus package that would have had major support to those airline carriers. For whatever reason, the two parties have not been able to get the stimulus package out. So, the airline companies, who have been publicly telling us that dire decisions are about to be made, have to act.

Both United Airlines and American Airlines warned over the summer that they would start furloughing thousands of workers on October 1 if that date passed without an extension of the federal aid to airlines that the government approved in April. That date has passed. No extension of federal aid to airlines has happened.

Now, you might support the idea of another airline aid package, and you might not.

But at Southwest, which lost $17 million each day during the third quarter, when revenue dropped 70 percent, CEO Gary Kelly did something a bit different. To read the article on what Gary Kelly proposed instead of layoffs and furloughs, click on the link here—

This week, Kelly recorded a video for employees in which he said Southwest will continue its streak of not having had layoffs or furloughs for its entire corporate history, at least until the end of the year.

After that, however, while Kelly would of course welcome federal aid, he said he’s no longer counting on the government. Instead, he wants Southwest to cut its own corners.

He’s starting with himself: Kelly says he’ll go without a salary until the end of 2021, and that other senior executives will take a 20 percent pay cut during that time.

Other non-union employees will see a pay cut of 10 percent, starting on January 1.

As a result, Kelly promised, there would be no layoffs through the end of 2021, for any non-union employees — and their salaries will “snap back” — meaning regain the 10 percent pay cut — after one year.

Now, comes the sticky point: Kelly said he’ll also be asking unions to match the pay cuts.

“My goal has been, and it remains, no furloughs,” Kelly said in the video. “If we fail to reach agreement on reasonable concessions quickly, that will have to be the last resort.”

Making this announcement, and basically putting the ball in the unions’ court, is an interesting move. Both of the unions representing Southwest Airlines flight attendants and pilots poured cold water on the idea of voluntary cuts.

The flight attendants union sent a statement saying that it had “made it clear to the company in previous conversations that our members are not interested in making concessions to a contract that took decades to obtain.”

And, the union representing pilots told The Wall Street Journal it had agreed to hold discussions with the company, but also told members in a letter: “Agreeing to discussions is very different than agreeing to concessions.”

So, what happens next? I guess it’s likely one of three things.

First, if the unions agree to the cuts, there are no layoffs, and Kelly keeps Southwest’s streak going.

Second, if the unions won’t agree to the cuts, Kelly moves ahead with furloughs — but he’s basically put the onus on the unions for the losses.

Finally, if somehow Washington does come to the rescue with a stimulus package after all, regardless of what the unions do, then Kelly is off the hook again–as the whole issue becomes moot, at least for now.

I’ve been wondering since the start of the pandemic which is the smarter course for companies facing temporary tough times–cut staff or ask everyone to take a pay cut to save jobs.

I think it’s one of the toughest decisions any business owner has to face, especially now. This hits pretty darn close to home as Mary and I have taken pay cuts rather than cut our job altogether and hope we come back to the ECA sometime in the future. We are very thankful to all of you who have responded to our “ASK” and helped out the ECA during these tough times where we have not been able to hold paying events. You all are the BEST!

Back to leadership strategies- What is the right way to do things?

Altruistically, it seems pay cuts might be best, but that happens to fly in the face of advice that Harvard Business School professor Christopher Stanton and some of his colleagues gave a few years ago. They say lay people off instead of cutting salaries; otherwise you risk your top performers moving on, leaving you with a demoralized workforce that sticks around only because they can’t get better offers elsewhere.

Of course, these aren’t normal times. So, if those are the normal rules, maybe they don’t apply.

So how do you feel about the two strategies? One is to have massive layoffs/furloughs, and the other is to ask for pay cuts but don’t ask your employees to take a pay cut without the top “brass” taking a pay cut as well.

I personally had to do this when I owned Kirkwood Bly back in the day. My experience is that when you take the pay cut in order to save someone’s job, that breeds one heckuva lot more loyalty than laying them off. What I totally disagree with is the union’s response that seems to say, “we are not going to accept any concessions”. That makes no sense to me. It is clear to me, that the CEO at Southwest cares more about those employee jobs than the unions do that represent them.

There you have it. An opinion piece that is mine, not the ECA’s. I do not pretend to speak for all of the ECA members with this Soapbox. Just speaking for me and I hope you find this provocative and you can examine your own firm and ask yourself what would you do?

That’s All Folks!

John Bly

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SUMMARY OF WHAT AND WHO ECA Endorses!!!!

Cotati: ECA Endorses Ben Ford, Laura Sparks, Susan Harvey

Petaluma: ECA Endorses Kathy Miller, and Mike Healy

Rohnert Park: ECA Endorses Jake Mackenzie

Sonoma: ECA did not endorse any candidate in Sonoma.

Sebastopol: ECA Endorses Diana Rich, and Evert Fernandez

Santa Rosa: ECA Endorses Jack Tibbetts, Chris Rogers, Jorge Inocencio, and Eric Christensen

Windsor: ECA Endorses Dominic Foppoli for Mayor

Healdsburg: ECA Endorses David Hagele, Ariel Kelly, and David Jones

Cloverdale: ECA did not endorse any candidate in Cloverdale.

State Ballot Measures:

ECA voted to OPPOSE California Ballot Measure Prop 15

Local Ballot Measures: 

ECA voted to ENDORSE Sonoma County Measure DD 

ECA voted to OPPOSE Sonoma County Measure O, County of Sonoma, Mental Health, Addiction and Homeless Services Measure Transactions and Use Tax Ordinance

ECA voted to OPPOSE City of Santa Rosa’s Measure Q, City of Santa Rosa, Sales Tax Extension

ECA voted to take no position on any other State or Local Ballot Measures

Bits and Pieces:

The website for Measure DD has recently been revised. It is up and running and we would appreciate you visiting the site, endorsing the Measure, and sharing the messaging on social media. www.gosonomaact.com

Sign locations: The Yes on DD Campaign, needs sign locations to mount “Yes on DD, Keep Us Moving” on private property. Specifically, frontages along Highway 101, Highway 12, and Lakeville Highway are desired. I know some of you have property along these roads. If you contact me, I will give you the information on where the signs are now. There are 4’x8’ signs available and 3’x5’ signs available. We did not make any small front yard signs. All signs are currently stored at Operating Engineers Offices in Rohnert Park. We ask that you pick up the signs, let me know how many you picked up, and where your sign locations are that you are mounting them at. If you have no means to pick the signs up and mount them, I can make arrangements to do that for you. Please help us help you!!

So far, I have heard from Ghilotti Brothers, Ghilotti Construction, Mark Soiland, Aaron Sykes, and Erik Fowler who have provided sign locations. We would like to hear from some others!!

Funding: The Campaign could use some funding. We have commitments or checks in hand from the ECA, Ghilotti Construction, Vulcan/Shamrock, BoDean, BKF, Operating Engineers Local 3, Ghilotti Brothers, Soiland Company, Inc., and the Sonoma County Alliance.

We have endorsements from many folks including, but not limited to: The ECA, the Sonoma County Alliance, the Operating Engineers Local 3, the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, Friends of Smart, the Petaluma Chamber Advocacy Committee, and the Press Democrat Editorial Board (their article is included here–)

This Measure is such a big help to our ECA members and working families. Please take the time to read up on the Measure on the website www.gosonomaact.com and help “Keep Us Moving”!

SUMMARY OF WHAT AND WHO ECA Endorses!!!!

Cotati: ECA Endorses Ben Ford, Laura Sparks, Susan Harvey

Petaluma: ECA Endorses Kathy Miller, and Mike Healy

Rohnert Park: ECA Endorses Jake Mackenzie

Sonoma: ECA did not endorse any candidate in Sonoma.

Sebastopol: ECA Endorses Diana Rich, and Evert Fernandez

Santa Rosa: ECA Endorses Jack Tibbetts, Chris Rogers, Jorge Inocencio, and Eric Christensen

Windsor: ECA Endorses Dominic Foppoli for Mayor

Healdsburg: ECA Endorses David Hagele, Ariel Kelly, and David Jones

Cloverdale: ECA did not endorse any candidate in Cloverdale.

State Ballot Measures:

ECA voted to OPPOSE California Ballot Measure Prop 15

Local Ballot Measures: 

ECA voted to ENDORSE Sonoma County Measure DD 

ECA voted to OPPOSE Sonoma County Measure O, County of Sonoma, Mental Health, Addiction and Homeless Services Measure Transactions and Use Tax Ordinance

ECA voted to OPPOSE City of Santa Rosa’s Measure Q, City of Santa Rosa, Sales Tax Extension

ECA voted to take no position on any other State or Local Ballot Measures

Bits and Pieces:

The website for Measure DD has recently been revised. It is up and running and we would appreciate you visiting the site, endorsing the Measure, and sharing the messaging on social media. www.gosonomaact.com

Sign locations: The Yes on DD Campaign, needs sign locations to mount “Yes on DD, Keep Us Moving” on private property. Specifically, frontages along Highway 101, Highway 12, and Lakeville Highway are desired. I know some of you have property along these roads. If you contact me, I will give you the information on where the signs are now. There are 4’x8’ signs available and 3’x5’ signs available. We did not make any small front yard signs. All signs are currently stored at Operating Engineers Offices in Rohnert Park. We ask that you pick up the signs, let me know how many you picked up, and where your sign locations are that you are mounting them at. If you have no means to pick the signs up and mount them, I can make arrangements to do that for you. Please help us help you!!

So far, I have heard from Ghilotti Brothers, Ghilotti Construction, Mark Soiland, Aaron Sykes, and Erik Fowler who have provided sign locations. We would like to hear from some others!!

Funding: The Campaign could use some funding. We have commitments or checks in hand from the ECA, Ghilotti Construction, Vulcan/Shamrock, BoDean, BKF, Operating Engineers Local 3, Ghilotti Brothers, Soiland Company, Inc., and the Sonoma County Alliance.

We have endorsements from many folks including, but not limited to: The ECA, the Sonoma County Alliance, the Operating Engineers Local 3, the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, Friends of Smart, the Petaluma Chamber Advocacy Committee, and the Press Democrat Editorial Board (their article is included here–)

This Measure is such a big help to our ECA members and working families. Please take the time to read up on the Measure on the website www.gosonomaact.com and help “Keep Us Moving”!

It has come to my attention that there are disparities in getting paid by different agencies in Sonoma County and in Marin and other Counties. Rather than have individual issues addressed by the ECA, where we try and discuss the protocol of each agency in dealing with a specific contractor or supplier of services, it may be time for a more “global” approach. The intent of a global approach is to collaborate with the agencies, not criticize them. The underlying consideration going in to the process is that there should be clear rules, mostly the same from agency to agency, and the vendors (us) should be able to depend on a specific time line of receiving payment IF WE HAVE DONE THE PROTOCOL/PROCESS CORRECTLY FROM OUR END. I believe that agencies want to be a preferred vendor, and if they have adequate protection in safeguarding their progress payments, they will want to be considered fair and efficient in their handling of monthly progress payment applications. As a former Contractor, I was acutely aware of who was difficult to deal with in their arguing/debating over minor items like “materials on hand but not installed”, what % of mobilization was reasonable to be paid, counting the number of manholes installed, and submission of certified payroll by all subs and by prime contractor in a timely manner. If we did all those things correctly, why could we not see a very quick turnaround in our payment application vs some arbitrary waiting period of up to 60 days sometimes?

Here is an idea for a more global approach:

1. Research the protocol of each major agency in our geographical area. That would be, at a minimum, 13 Marin County Cities, 9 Sonoma County Cities, and several in Napa, Mendo, and Lake Counties as well. This is daunting. I think I would recommend starting with four entities to see how it goes-Sonoma County, City of Santa Rosa, City of Rohnert Park, and the City of Petaluma to start with.
2. Ask our membership to chime in on the agencies they have experience with. Some will be good, some not so good. All of the opinions from our members will be their perspective, not the perspective of the awarding agency. All of the opinions would be protected so the agency would not know where or who they came from, and I would demand the opinions be constructive rather than just a “whine session”.
3. Try to schedule several Zoom meeting/workshops with the stated intended outcome to be a more uniform means of submitting, processing and receiving progress payments by contractors and suppliers. These sessions would be give and take and I would expect the outcome would be very constructive.
4. Collaboration, cooperation, and honestly looking in the mirror would have to be done by both sides. Contractors and suppliers must recognize that some protocols are important to the awarding agency, and the awarding agencies must recognize they need to remove ambiguous or confusing procedures and all we are asking for is a fair and dependable time line if we “toe the line”.

What do you think fellow ECA Members? If you would participate in this endeavor, please contact me and I will start working on it. If you think it is a waste of your valuable time, tell me and I will “stand down”. If you think it is important to get paid in a timely manner, then let’s do something so you can get paid when you are “Working for A Livin”.

That’s All Folks!

John Bly

********************************************************************************************************************

SUMMARY OF WHAT AND WHO ECA Endorses!!!!

Cotati: ECA Endorses Ben Ford, Laura Sparks, Susan Harvey

Petaluma: ECA Endorses Kathy Miller, and Mike Healy

Rohnert Park: ECA Endorses Jake Mackenzie

Sonoma: ECA did not endorse any candidate in Sonoma.

Sebastopol: ECA Endorses Diana Rich, and Evert Fernandez

Santa Rosa: ECA Endorses Jack Tibbetts, Chris Rogers, Jorge Inocencio, and Eric Christensen

Windsor: ECA Endorses Dominic Foppoli for Mayor

Healdsburg: ECA Endorses David Hagele, Ariel Kelly, and David Jones

Cloverdale: ECA did not endorse any candidate in Cloverdale.

State Ballot Measures:

ECA voted to OPPOSE California Ballot Measure Prop 15

Local Ballot Measures: 

ECA voted to ENDORSE Sonoma County Measure DD 

ECA voted to OPPOSE Sonoma County Measure O, County of Sonoma, Mental Health, Addiction and Homeless Services Measure Transactions and Use Tax Ordinance

ECA voted to OPPOSE City of Santa Rosa’s Measure Q, City of Santa Rosa, Sales Tax Extension

ECA voted to take no position on any other State or Local Ballot Measures

Bits and Pieces:

The website for Measure DD is up and running and we would appreciate you visiting the site, endorsing the Measure, and sharing the messaging on social media. www.gosonomaact.com

Sign locations: The Yes on DD Campaign, needs sign locations to mount “Yes on DD, Keep Us Moving” on private property. Specifically, frontages along Highway 101, Highway 12, and Lakeville Highway are desired. I know some of you have property along these roads. If you contact me, I will give you the information on where the signs are now. There are 4’x8’ signs available and 3’x5’ signs available. We did not make any small front yard signs. All signs are currently stored at Operating Engineers Offices in Rohnert Park. We ask that you pick up the signs, let me know how many you picked up, and where your sign locations are that you are mounting them at. If you have no means to pick the signs up and mount them, I can make arrangements to do that for you. Please help us help you!!

So far, I have heard from Ghilotti Brothers, Ghilotti Construction, Mark Soiland, and Erik Fowler who have provided sign locations. We would like to hear from some others!!

Funding: The Campaign could use some funding. We have commitments or checks in hand from the ECA, Operating Engineers Local 3, Ghilotti Brothers, Soiland Company, Inc., and the Sonoma County Alliance.

We have endorsements from many folks including, but not limited to: The ECA, the Sonoma County Alliance, the Operating Engineers Local 3, the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, Friends of Smart, the Petaluma Chamber Advocacy Committee, and the Press Democrat Editorial Board (their article is included here–)

This Measure is such a big help to our ECA members and working families. Please take the time to read up on the Measure on the website www.gosonomaact.com and help “Keep Us Moving”!

*********************************************************************************************************************

Eric Christensen is running for City of Santa Rosa Council. Eric would be the first businessperson to serve on the City Council for many years. He owns his own business, it is local, and he needs our help. The ECA has teamed up with several other organizations to hold a drive through event to help Eric out. Please take a moment to read the attached Flyer and take the additional time to support a true business friendly candidate!!!