Orange County Branch Newsletter

July 2023

ASCE OC Government Relations

ASCE Region 9 Legislative Day

By Marionne Lapitan, EIT, ENV SP | Publications Committee Editor-In-Chief



On June 14th, ASCE Region 9 (California), in partnership with APWA California, conducted a Legislative Day program in Sacramento, California, to participate in the legislative process and advocate for infrastructure.

2023 California Legislative Day Attendees in front of the State Capitol Building

The event's morning session began at the Sutter Club with a light breakfast and an introduction from ASCE and APWA leaders - Anne Ettley, Ken Rosenfield, and Lisa Rapp. The event sponsors, Ardurra, Transtech, and Willdan, were also recognized for supporting the event. 

Ken Rosenfield, during the Legislate Day's Opening Remarks

Richard Markuson, Shane Silsby, and Ken Rosenfield discussed talking points and resources in preparation for the afternoon appointments with State Senators and Assemblymembers' staff. Together, ASCE and APWA, supported:

  • Governor Gavin Newsom's Executive Orders to enhance and accelerate project delivery
  • Timely distribution of the IIJA funds to local agencies
  • Workforce Development by supporting STEM and MESA programs
  • Legislative Bills
    • AB 334 Public contracts: conflicts of interest.
    • AB 400 Local agency design-build projects: authorization.
    • SB 444 Community colleges: Mathematics, Engineering, Science, Achievement (MESA) programs.
    • SB 617 Public contracts: progressive design-build: local and regional agencies.
    • SB 706 Public contracts: progressive design-build: local agencies.
  • Emergency Response Preparation

Presentations from the morning session also included:

  • Advocacy 101 Training presented by Anna Decke of ASCE
  • Legislative Analyst's Office Report on CA Government by Ross Brown of LAO
  • Legislator's View from the Capitol by Assemblyman Vince Fond 
  • Logistics and Attendee Assignments by Ken Rosenfield and Richard Markuson

For the rest of the day, attendees arrived at the Swing Space for their Appointments with the State Senators and Assemblymembers' Staff.

 

Marionne Lapitan (ASCE OC YMF/APWA SoCal), Rusty Rapp (APWA SoCal), and Maryn Santiago (ASCE LA YMF) after they met with CA State Assembly Josh Lowenthal and CA State Senator Lena Gonzalez's staff.

After the day's activities, the event was debriefed at Yard House amongst attendees. Overall, it was another successful legislative day with many insightful discussions to further build resilient infrastructures for our local communities. Thank you to all the volunteers; we hope to see you all again in the future!

About the Author:

Marionne Lapitan is a the Traffic/ITS Engineer at Jacobs. She recently graduated from the MSCE program at Cal Poly Pomona and is a CSU Long Beach Alumni. She is the ASCE OC Publications Committee Editor-In-Chief and the ASCE OC YMF Communications Committee Co-Chair. Actively involved in various professional organizations, she is passionate about designing and building communities, both structurally and socially. She aims to make a difference in the world through civil engineering to build a brighter future for the next generation. She also enjoys traveling, graphic designing, and reading books in her free time. Marionne can be contacted via marionne.lapitan@mbakerintl.com or LinkedIn.

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