Building construction: contractors: discipline: reporting: building standards.

(1) Existing law, the Contractors' State License Law, provides for the licensure, regulation, and discipline of contractors by the Contractors' State License Board. Existing law requires the board, with the approval of the Director of Consumer Affairs, to appoint a registrar of contractors to serve as the executive officer and secretary of the board. Under existing law, protection of the public is required to be the highest priority for the Contractors' State License Board in exercising its licensing, regulatory, and disciplinary functions. Under existing law, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health has the power, jurisdiction, and supervision over every employment and place of employment in this state, which is necessary to adequately enforce and administer all laws and lawful standards and orders, or special orders requiring such employment and place of employment to be safe, and requiring the protection of the life, safety, and health of every employee in such employment or place of employment. Existing law requires the division to transmit to the Registrar of Contractors copies of any reports made in any investigation, as specified, and authorizes the division, upon its own motion or upon request, to transmit copies of any other reports made in any investigation conducted involving a licensed contractor. This bill would instead require the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, after consultation with the board, to transmit to the board copies of any citations or other actions taken by the division against a contractor, as defined. The bill would authorize the board to enter into an interagency agreement with any other state or local agency the board deems to be in possession of information relevant to its priority to protect the public. This bill would require a licensee to report to the registrar within 90 days of the date that the licensee has knowledge of the conviction of the licensee for any felony or any other crime substantially related to the qualifications, functions, and duties of a licensed contractor. This bill would require the board to consult with licensees, consumers, and other interested stakeholders in order to prepare a study of judgments, arbitration awards, and settlements that were the result of claims for construction defects for rental residential units and, by January 1, 2018, report to the Legislature the results of the study to determine if the board's ability to protect the public would be enhanced by regulations requiring licensees to report judgments, arbitration awards, or settlement payments of those claims. This bill would specify that participation in the study by licensees and consumers is voluntary. The bill would require records or documents obtained by the board during the course of implementing this study that are exempt from public disclosure to remain exempt from disclosure. (2) Under existing law, there exists the California Building Standards Commission. Existing law requires the California Building Standards Commission to, among other things, review the standards of adopting state agencies and approve, return for amendment with recommended changes, or reject building standards submitted to the commission for its approval, as provided. This bill, until January 1, 2018, would require the working group formed by the California Building Standards Commission to study recent exterior elevated element failures in the state to submit a report to the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature containing any findings and possible recommendations for statutory or other changes to the California Building Standards Code and would require the working group to review related documents and reports, as specified. However, if, at any time, it is determined by the working group that one or more changes to the California Building Standards Code are needed as soon as possible in order to protect the public, the bill would, until January 1, 2018, require the working group to submit the recommended changes to the California Building Standards Commission for consideration as soon as possible, as specified. (3) Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.