Meeting

The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) was established in 1929 at the request of the building industry to protect consumers. Today, the Board continues to protect consumers before and after they hire building contractors. A fifteen-member board appoints the CSLB executive officer, or Registrar, and directs administrative policy for the 450 Board staff members who work from a headquarters office in Sacramento and field offices throughout the state. The board includes nine public members, five contractors, and one labor representative.

The CSLB licenses and regulates contractors in 42 license classifications, investigates complaints against contractors, and through SWIFT (Statewide Investigative Fraud Team), works to eliminate the number of unlicensed contractors working in California.

The Contractors State License Board has established a Statewide Investigative Fraud Team (SWIFT) that focuses on the underground economy and on unlicensed contractors. These units conduct stings and sweeps to help curtail illegal contracting by citing those who are not licensed. We are pleased to have Karen Nicely, a Senior Investigator on the SWIFT Team as our guest speaker for the June meeting. Ms. Nicely promises to bring a plethora of nightmare stories to share and discuss with the group.

Expert witnesses are also appointed for arbitration cases handled by the CSLB. When a state appointed expert is used, both parties receive a copy of the report of the expert witness after the dispute is referred to the arbitration forum. Either party may use the appointed expert witness at the arbitration hearing or hire and pay separately for a non-appointed expert. Information will be available on the CSLB use of experts and questions will be taken on this subject.

DID YOU KNOW:

Contractors: 278,000 licensed contractors in California

Homeowners: 6.1 million

CSLB savings to the public: $27 million

Complaints: 26,000

Common complaints: poor workmanship, contracting without a license, job abandonment, no building permits pulled, violations of home improvement contract

Citations: 775 citations issued against licensed contractors

Revocations: 702 licenses revoked

Suspensions: 587 licenses suspended

Unlicensed citations: 1,585 citations issued against unlicensed contractors


	WestCon Tribune June 2002
	Contractors State License Board Construction Fraud - Horror Stories Speaker : Karen Nicely, Senior Investigator, Contractors State License Board
	The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) was established in 1929 at the request of the building industry to protect consumers. Today, the Board continues to protect consumers before and after they hire building contractors. A fifteen-member board appoints the CSLB executive officer, or Registrar, and directs administrative policy for the 450 Board staff members who work from a headquarters office in Sacramento and field offices throughout the state. The board includes nine public members, five contractors, and one labor representative. The CSLB licenses and regulates contractors in 42 license classifications, investigates complaints against contractors, and through SWIFT (Statewide Investigative Fraud Team), works to eliminate the number of unlicensed contractors working in California. The Contractors State License Board has established a Statewide Investigative Fraud Team (SWIFT) that focuses on the underground economy and on unlicensed contractors. These units conduct stings and sweeps to help curtail illegal contracting by citing those who are not licensed. We are pleased to have Karen Nicely, a Senior Investigator on the SWIFT Team as our guest speaker for the June meeting. Ms. Nicely promises to bring a plethora of nightmare stories to share and discuss with the group. Expert witnesses are also appointed for arbitration cases handled by the CSLB. When a state appointed expert is used, both parties receive a copy of the report of the expert witness after the dispute is referred to the arbitration forum. Either party may use the appointed expert witness at the arbitration hearing or hire and pay separately for a non-appointed expert. Information will be available on the CSLB use of experts and questions will be taken on this subject. DID YOU KNOW: Contractors: 278,000 licensed contractors in California Homeowners: 6.1 million CSLB savings to the public: $27 million Complaints: 26,000 Common complaints: poor workmanship, contracting without a license, job abandonment, no building permits pulled, violations of home improvement contract Citations: 775 citations issued against licensed contractors Revocations: 702 licenses revoked Suspensions: 587 licenses suspended Unlicensed citations: 1,585 citations issued against unlicensed contractors
	BULLETIN BOARD, MENU, REVIEW, PAST ISSUES Published monthly by WESTCON (Westcon Consultants Association) for general membership and friends. Publication of original articles or reprinted material does not imply approval or endorsement. Submitted material becomes property of WESTCON. Not responsible for accuracy of content. Views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of editors of WESTCON. Send submittals to Rikki Field at Box 305, Ross, CA 94957: (415) 451–4897

WestCon Tribune