HomeMy WebLinkAbout4/19/2022 Item 6d, Hill
Wilbanks, Megan
From:Craig S. Hill <
To:Wilbanks, Megan
Subject:Council Agenda Report Item 6d for 04/19/2022
Attachments:AgendaItem6dLtrToCityCouncil_04-17-2022.pdf
Good morning Megan,
Would it be possible to withdraw my letter submitted on April 15, 2022 regarding Council Agenda Item 6d – CWA; we
were not aware that the letter would be made public. If at all possibly, could I substitute the attached letter in place of
the original letter? Sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you in advance for the Cities consideration in this matter. If you
could confirm please I would appreciate it.
Best regards,
Craig S. Hill, PE
President, CEO
720 Aerovista Place, Suite A - San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 781-0112 ext 110 Direct: (805) 234-9410
chill@earthsystems.com
From: Wilbanks, Megan <mwilbanks@slocity.org>
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2022 3:04 PM
To: Craig S. Hill <chill@earthsystems.com>
Subject: RE: Council Agenda Report Item 6d for 04/19/2022
Security Warning!This message is from outside the Earth Systems Organization.
Good Afternoon,
Thank you for reaching out to the City Council; your message has been provided directly to them. Additionally,
your comments have been archived as Agenda Correspondence for the April 19, 2022 Council Meeting.
Sincerely,
City Clerk's Office
City Administration
990 Palm, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-3249
E cityclerk@slocity.org
1
T (805) 781-7100
From: Craig S. Hill <
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2022 2:42 PM
To: E-mail Council Website <emailcouncil@slocity.org>
Subject: Council Agenda Report Item 6d for 04/19/2022
This message is from an External Source. Use caution when deciding to open attachments, click links, or respond.
Please find our submittal for your use and consideration at the upcoming City Council Meeting to be held on April 19,
2022. Thank you.
Craig S. Hill, PE
President, CEO
720 Aerovista Place, Suite A - San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 781-0112 ext 110 Direct: (805) 234-9410
chill@earthsystems.com
2
Via E-mail Only
emailcouncil@slocity.org
April 17, 2022
Attn: Mayor and City Council
City of San Luis Obispo
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, California 93401
SUBJECT: Council Agenda Report Item 6d for 04/19/2022
Community Workforce Agreement
In Support of Staff’s Report to Exclude Soils and Material Testing and Inspection Services
from any CWA
Dear Honorable Mayor and City Council:
Earth Systems Pacific (“Earth Systems”) appreciates this opportunity to submit our comments to Council
related to evaluation of a Community Workforce Agreement (“CWA”) for the City’s public works projects
as part of the City’s goal for Economic Recovery, Resiliency & Fiscal Sustainability. Additionally, we would
like to express our deep appreciation to Council’s Staff on their extensive efforts to solicit and incorporate
stakeholders’ interest and input on this subject matter as part of their very thorough and comprehensive
report on a topic as complicated as a CWA.
Should Council direct Staff to proceed with negotiations towards a CWA implementation, we urge the
Council to adopt its Staff’s recommendation to exclude inspection and materials testing from coverage by
a CWA for the reasons set forth in Staff’s report.
Based on Council’s Economic Recovery, Resiliency & Fiscal Sustainability, enhancing local employment
opportunities for local residents remains a top priority. However, if the City’s CWA includes testing and
inspection services, this will reduce the City’s goal for local hire by eliminating the potential awards of these
contracts to local non-union firms that perform testing and inspections services such as Earth Systems.
Earth Systems is a local geotechnical, materials testing and special inspection firm with offices in San Luis
Obispo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. We have had the incredible opportunity to work
with the City of San Luis Obispo and service the City’s projects for over 35 years. Earth Systems is proud to
support the local economy by having our largest regional office and the company’s corporate headquar ters
located within the City of San Luis Obispo. As such, we can proudly state that the employees of Earth
Systems that would be assigned to the City’s projects would be considered part of the local workforce living
and working within the City or County of San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara, including the administrative
support team that work behind the scenes.
However, even though our Technicians and Inspectors are local residents of the City or County of San Luis
Obispo or Santa Barbara, we have determined that we still cannot fairly compete under the encumbrances
posed by a CWA when it covers testing and inspection services, and therefore cannot bid on projects
April 17, 2022
Page 2
subject to CWAs. Council will find, and as confirmed in the Staff’s report, that other local non-union firms
that provide the same or similar services as Earth Systems share the same concerns and as a result m ay
decline to bid on projects subject to a CWA. However, in the absence of any CWAs, all local firms providing
testing and inspection services, including unions, can elect to bid on the project.
If Council’s adoption of a CWA results in eliminating the participation of local non-union firms from bidding
on its public works projects, this will most likely lead to the City falling short and far below its desired goal
of increasing local hire and supporting its local economy. This will clearly have a negative impact to this
community when local non-union firms do not have the opportunity to employ their employees on the
public works projects because of CWAs.
Should Council seek additional information of the role of our engineering field Technicians and Inspectors
on a typical construction project to help demonstrate why such services are not suitable f or CWAs, we
would be happy to provide such information for your review.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Earth Systems Pacific
Craig S. Hill, PE
President/CEO