Job No. 1 - Advocacy
for Our Members
EGCA PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
By Mike Shaw,
President, EGCA
In a discussion with Debbie Day, we
were listing those services most important
to the membership. The number one
service is the advocacy provided by EGCA
with public agencies for issues that affect
both public and private works. Our association
is not big with lots of glitter, but
rather small and focused. We are not an
everything-to-everyone group. We provide
limited and very specific services to a certain
type of contractor and its supporting
affiliates. And the job of providing these services is well done.
A great example of this is the recent determination by the City
of San Diego that will allow aggregates generated from cobble
rock formations to be used in A.C. mix design for city projects.
The city’s specification for years has limited the aggregate source
to the hard-rock type quarries, which is in very limited supply. The
local cobble rock quarries did not make spec. A concentrated effort
by EGCA and interested members over the last several years in
working through this issue led to the change allowing the use of the
cobble aggregate. This was not a simple process in that it required
the navigation of a significant bureaucratic “maze” to come to a
desired resolution.
Another example is the current status of the diesel regulations.
The CARB will address mandated legislative changes that will
provide significant front-end relief from these regulations at a time
when we need all the help we can get. These changes came about as
a direct result of endless hours of work by industry and EGCA staff
and members fighting for what is right and against what is wrong.
EGCA is currently working with a number of other associates
and groups to try to find solutions to the aggregate shortage in San
Diego County. This is a tough problem. The process to finding good
solutions will be long and hard. This is a bureaucratic and environmental
mindfield. And this is the type of industry issue that EGCA
can tackle and be effective at resolving.
The message is that you, as a member, need to understand that
if you have a situation—regardless of how “big” or “small”—that
you believe needs to be addressed by the industry, you need to bring
it to the attention of the EGCA staff. The best way to do this is to
contact Debbie Day directly, explain the issue and probably set up a
meeting with Debbie and perhaps other members who might share
your concern. The issue can be discussed in a safe environment
and, if it merits action, strategies can be laid out to tackle the issue.
These issues can be problems such as getting paid in a timely
manner, difficult, unfair, or poor inspection, specifications that don’t
make sense or could be better, inconsistent bidding procedures, etc.
Or you might just see a better way to accomplish the job.
This resource is the most underutilized resource offered by the
EGCA. Take advantage of this helping hand. It is one of the primary
reasons the EGCA exists, and it is your resource to use when you
need it.
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