Welcome to CSLB's New E-Newsletter

CSLB is pleased to bring you its first online edition of the quarterly California Licensed Contractor (CLC) newsletter. This CSLB e-publication will continue to provide you with valuable information on a broad range of subjects, and you can sign up to receive it automatically by "opting in" on any page of CSLB's website where you see this icon:

CSLB is hopeful that the transition from a printed, mailed publication to one on the Internet will prove to be easy and convenient. Posting the newsletter online provides both a cost-saving opportunity and enables us to provide you with more timely information.

The page display for this newsletter may appear different when viewed from different web browsers or computer platforms. We will continue to fine-tune glitches and improve reaadability with each future issue.

As the new Board Chair, I want you to know that CSLB's priorities include a continued and solid commitment to quick license renewal processing, unlicensed activity prevention through multiple enforcement initiatives, and consumer education about hiring legitimate, state-licensed contractors.

Even in the wake of extreme budget cuts and furlough days, CSLB's staff has done a remarkable job of keeping up with the renewal workload and there is currently no application backlog. As a licensed contractor, I deal with a lot of government agencies that tell me they don't have the resources for timely turn-around. At CSLB, we realize that getting past this economic crisis means that we have to get people back to work—legitimately!

While we have to watch expenses more closely than ever, CSLB has become more creative in its enforcement operations and has teamed with other state agencies and the Economic and Employment Enforcement Coalition to achieve record numbers of construction sweeps and unlicensed activity stings.

I am especially pleased with our "Check The License First" consumer education campaign to help make people more aware of their rights and responsibilities when contracting for new construction or improvement projects. Educated consumers who hire licensed contractors with a professionally managed business that includes workers' compensation insurance and other protections is paramount in our ability to weather these tough economic times.

It is a privilege and an honor to serve on the Contractors State License Board. What we all need to remember is that for every unflattering story about a contractor, there are thousands of success stories from people who are careful whom they hire, check the license, rely on solid references, and who contract with true professionals like you.

Respectfully,

Lisa Miller-Strunk

© 2010