CMAA News

Welcome to another exciting year filled with opportunity as members of the CMAA Southern California Chapter. We have added three new Board members for 2008-2009: Natasha DeBenon of Hill International is the new Membership Chair, Dino D’Emelia of Willdan is the new Student Outreach Committee Chair and Gordon Follett of COMA Consultants will fill the role of Legislative Chair. Additionally, existing Board members will be filling new Director Positions on the Board in the upcoming year: Michael Baker of Atkinson, Anderson, et al will be this year’s Secretary, while Lisa Sachs of CCG is the new Treasurer and Michael McAlpine of DMJM Management is the Vice President.

2008 Chapter Awards
At the end of each year we come together to honor those member firms who have provided exceptional support to the chapter based on their contributions including event sponsorship and other monetary contributions, attendance at chapter events, enrollment in continuing education classes and service on committees, at events and on the Board. These awards receive high recognition in the CM industry, both locally and nationally.

2009 Board of Directors Named
On September 25th, the CMAA SoCal Chapter has its Annual Membership Meeting and Dinner. The following slate of nominees to the 2008 – 2009 Board of Directors was ratified by the membership.

Construction Manager in Training (CMIT)
Your fast track to becoming a Certified Construction Manager (CCM)
The CMIT program ensures that your career will take the quickest course toward earning your CCM!

ACE Los Angeles
Ricardo Zendejas graduated from UCLA in June 2008 with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil/Structural Engineering. He now is at Stanford, working toward a Masters Degree in Design/Construction Integration. Ricardo’s road into engineering has passed from Roosevelt High School in East Los Angeles, through two years at California State Polytechnic University Pomona, then on to two years at UCLA.

Successful Project Closeout
What does it take to successfully close out a project and why does it take the same amount of time to complete the 5% to 10% balance remaining on a project as it takes to build the first 90% to 95% of the same project?

Alternative Project Delivery Systems - Airports
Increased travel and the heightened need for security have spurred a plethora of airport construction and expansion projects. A host of challenges, however, can make successfully completing airport projects harder than ever.

The CMAA So Cal Chapter is proud to announce that it has surpassed the 750 member mark and currently has 766 active members as of September 5, 2008. Thank you to all our members who have renewed their memberships, demonstrating your continued support, and to those that have recently joined us as this support has allowed our chapter to continue to grow.

SFantasy football drafts are a memory, the air is a little cooler, the BCS buzz is in the air and there we’re down the stretch with the hopes of a Southern California freeway World Series!

The Impact of Green Building Initiatives on Construction Defect and Design Claims
Construction managers and design professionals are now being confronted with a new set of issues raised by green building initiatives and green construction practices. The emergence of new technologies, stricter regulations and a rapidly evolving standard of care for design professionals will present novel challenges.

Government Code Claim Requirements – Some Sanity At Last
Attorneys representing construction contractors on public works projects almost universally advise their clients to file a Government Code claim with the public entity before filing suit, even if the contractor has previously submitted the same claims to the project owner through the parties’ contractual claims process. That is because a contractor’s failure to comply with the Government Code claim presentation requirement is usually fatal to the Contractor’s claim.

California Contractors Beware: You Must be Properly Licensed at ALL times!
Earlier this year, the California Court of Appeal barred a corporate contractor from recovering the damages a jury awarded because the contractor was not licensed. Great West Contractors, Inc. v. WSS Industrial Construction, Inc., 162 Cal.App.4th 581, 76 Cal.Rptr.3d 8 (2008). The court barred the corporation, WSS Industrial Construction, Inc. from recovering notwithstanding its President and Responsible Managing Officer held an individual license, a related WSS partnership held a license, and it had not installed any work on the project before it received its license.

California’s Statewide “Green” Building Code
New Challenges and Opportunities
In July of 2008, the California Building Standards Commission unanimously adopted the nation’s first statewide “green” building code. The California “Green” Building Standards Code will be Part 11 of Title 24, which is commonly known as the California Building
Standards Code.

LACCD: Helping Build the Bridge Between Today's Green Jobs and Tomorrow's Careers
It's no secret that the construction industry has experienced, over the past couple of years, a green evolution which has led to new opportunities for development and growth.

Construction Management
Certification Institute Newsletter
News from the Construction Management
Certification Institute

CCM Standards of Practice Course this Fall – Session Host Needed
Your Southern California CMAA Chapter wants to help you get your Certified Construction Manager Certification, and we are working with CMAA National to provide another CCM Standards of Practice Course in November or December.

I have a P.E. - Why should I get certified as a CCM??? (editorial)
CMAA membership in the Southern California chapter cuts across all segments of the construction industry, as indeed the educational background of our members spans an equally broad.

CCM of the Year
Atul Apte, CCM, is a Construction Manager with APSI Construction Management, located in Irvine, CA. With a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, and 10 years accumulated industry experience, he has capped off his professional resume by becoming a Certified Construction Manager.

Upcoming Events

October 12 - 14, 2008
CMAA National Conference & Trade Show
Hyatt Regency Embarcadero Hotel
San Francisco, California
For more information, please visit: www.cmaanet.org.

Thursday October 16, 2008
LAUSD's New $7 Billion Bond Measure
Downtown LA Marriott. 5:30 - 8:30 pm
Click here to download event flier.

Wednesday October 22, 2008
Water / Waste Water Night - Captial Program Updates
The Grand Conference, Long Beach. 5:30 - 8:30 pm
Click here to download event flier.
Click here to download Sponsor Form.

Monday October 27, 2007
Annual Golf Classic Fore the Scholarship Fund
Black Gold Golf Club, Yorba Linda
Tournament is SOLD OUT
Click here for SPONSOR INFORMATION.
Click here for Golf Brochure.

Wednesday October 29, 2008
LACCD's $3.5 Billion Bond Measure
Downtown LA Marriott. 5:30 - 8:30 pm
Click here to download event flier.

Thursday November 06, 2008
CAL OSHA Regulatory Update
The Grand Conference, Long Beach. 8:00 - 10:30 am
Click here to download event flier.

Thursday November 13, 2008
Southern California Regional Rail Authority - Metrolink Capital Program Update
Downtown LA Marriott. 5:30 - 8:00 pm
Click here to download event flier.

The Mission of CMAA is "to promote and enhance leadership, professionalism, and excellence
in managing the development and construction of projects and programs."

The Vision of CMAA is "to be the Authority in the Management of the Construction Process."