Greetings CALBO Community, 

It definitely sounds cliché, but time really does fly by.  It seems like just yesterday that I was contemplating what a run for the CALBO Board could do for the organization, and the next moment, I find myself nearing the halfway point of serving as your President.  This year is no exception and is certainly going by quickly.  During these past several months, I’m proud to say that CALBO has been hard at work on many fronts especially as we fight the fight on legislation that would impact our industry and work to create professional development opportunities so you can continue to excel in your careers.  I hope you have taken note of how busy your Board and staff have been and at the same time, you continue to see the value in CALBO’s day-to-day work.  

Our efforts with legislation have been vigilant as we’ve worked to represent your voice, the voice of building departments, in Sacramento. CALBO flagged over 30 bills we deemed high priority at the beginning of this legislative session and now only ten remain.  This significant reduction speaks volumes to the work the Legislative Team has been completing on your behalf.  Two high-priority bills that remain are AB 42, which would prohibit local enforcement agencies from requiring fire sprinklers in transitional housing for homeless or at-risk homeless individuals, and AB 468, which would allow local enforcement agencies to enforce building code requirements in substandard housing regardless of zoning designation or approved use of a building.  CALBO continues to advocate for public safety in the built environment and is very concerned about AB 42 but is supportive of efforts like AB 468 to further increase compliance with the necessary fire-life-safety measures in residential housing.  Admittedly, and as many of you know, I’m a legislative junkie so I enjoy sharing these details with you.  For the most up-to-date information about CALBO’s high-priority bills, please click here. 

On the professional development front I’m proud to tell you that this May, the CALBO Training Institute (CTI) hosted the Building Officials Leadership Academy (BOLA) class of 2023-2024 in Costa Mesa.  Twenty students participated in the week-long core curriculum courses and engaged in the discussion-based format with a variety of instructors and lunch speakers.  Each student will complete their BOLA electives at the Education Weeks making them eligible to graduate at our upcoming 2024 annual business meeting in Indian Wells.  Thank you to the instructors, guest speakers and mentors for your contributions for the BOLA core curriculum week. 

Also, as you may have noticed, CTI Education Weeks are right around the corner.  I hope you will join us – officially – for our 2023 CTI Education Weeks at our two NEW training venues in Burlingame and Costa Mesa.  We are once again bringing in a professional production team, so you can experience your training either in-person or virtually at either location.  If you are joining us virtually, we have a subject matter expert awaiting in the chat box to answer any questions you may have during the course.  If you are attending in-person, don’t forget to visit our industry partners showcasing their latest innovations and services during one of the 5 breaks offered each day.   Our exhibitor program sold out in a matter of days, and if that isn’t an indication of Ed Week participation, I don’t know what is.  Course and registration information can be found here.  I hope to see you there in just a few weeks. 

As I mentioned, our CTI Education Weeks are right around the corner.  I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank those who were working to make these events happen.  Thank you to the CTI Commissioners for creating an excellent line-up of courses.  To the instructors, subject matter experts and moderators – thank you for dedicating your time to providing this top-notch training.  And a special thank you to our CALBO partners, sponsors and exhibitors for your support and participation. 

There is a lot to look forward to as the summer continues on and we move into the fall events.  I hope you’ll continue to look to CALBO as a resource for you and your jurisdiction and I sincerely look forward to seeing many of you at one of our upcoming events soon.  

Sincerely, 
Brad Wungluck
Deputy Director, Development Services Department
City of Manteca