Project Labor Agreements - Scourge of Corrupt Districts -- California School Bonds Clearinghouse
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Project Labor Agreements - Scourge of Corrupt Districts

The purpose of this page is to shine a light on, perhaps, one of the most corrupt practices that has been made legal by the California Legislature.

However, just because it's "legal" for some circumstances doesn't mean its "legal" for the purposes of Proposition 39 bond funds.

Of course, the school bonds cartel is in cahoots with all the parties involved. It's a corrupt system of cronyism where everyone scratches each others' backs.

What Is a Project Labor Agreement

It's gotten a bad name in recent years, so the parties have come up with new euphemisms for the same dirty trick on taxpayers. The currently favored moniker is a Community Workforce Agreement. That sounds all warm and fuzzy, doesn't it?

No matter what it's called, it's purpose remains the same -- to make it prohibitively expensive for local, non-union contractors to bid on public works projects, like those made possible with Proposition 39 bond funds. It doesn't just affect the contractors themselves, it also affects their rank and file employees who are forced to have union dues and fees deducted from their paychecks, even though they are not members of the union and will never benefit from the forced payroll deductions.

The agreement has all kinds of high-sounding language about employing local workers, local workforce training, and keeping the money in the community. None of that language is enforceable. The only parts that are enforceable are the parts that guarantee the gifts to the union contractors and their union workers. While school districts are notorious for ignoring mandates in state law, the districts typically hire another firm at great taxpayer expense to enforce the agreements so that the unions don't lose a penny. It's just pure corruption. See what happens when anyone tries to enforce the independent oversight statutes and agreements. It's just a sick joke.

Most obviously, this is a gift to the participating labor unions, despite the fact that public agencies are prohibited from making gifts to anyone with taxpayer money.

It's especially egregious for Proposition 39 bond funds because the taxpayers are forced to foot the bill, not only for the 15% to 20% premium that these agreements add to the cost of the project, but also the interest on that premium (because it's borrowed money).

Who Can You Do?

Plenty!

These agreements are implemented under cover of darkness. Exposing the outrageous, knowing waste of money means bad public relations. Often, the only thing that corrupt government officials fear is bad public relations.

I can't reveal all the proven tactics here, publicly. So contact me, if this is an area that you feel needs some local attention.

Who Are the Perpetrators?

With almost a thousand school and college districts in California, and no state reporting requirement, it's very difficult to gather this information. Two watchdogs that help to maintain this list are Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction and Labor Issues Solutions, LLC. This site has joined with them in exposing this taxpayer fraud.

As you can see, every one of these perps is using Proposition 39 bond funds to make these gifts of taxpayer funds. Not a single bond measure in the list told the voters that their taxes would be used to make these gifts. Perhaps, even more importantly, these agreements were not disclosed in the bond disclosure documents when the bonds were issued or as part of the mandatory continuing disclosure. It's outright fraud.

Project Labor Agreements
List contains 74 districts.
County District Years Implemented Last Bond
Measure
Date
Alameda Alameda Unified 2016 I 2014-11-04
  Albany City Unified 2005 E 2016-06-07
  Berkeley Unified 2011 I 2010-11-02
  Chabot-Las Positas CCD 2007, 2010 A 2016-06-07
  Fremont Unified 2016 E 2014-06-03
  Hayward Unified 2009, 2015 H 2018-11-06
  Oakland Unified 2005, 2016 J 2012-11-06
  Ohlone CCD 2013 G 2010-11-02
  Peralta CCD 2009 G 2018-11-06
  San Leandro Unified 2007, 2012 J1 2016-11-08
Contra Costa Antioch Unified 2013 B 2012-11-06
  Contra Costa CCD 2012, 2017 E 2014-06-03
  John Swett Unified 2009 Q 2016-11-08
  Mt. Diablo Unified 2006 J 2018-11-06
  Pittsburg Unified 2004 P 2018-11-06
  West Contra Costa Unified 2000 E 2012-11-06
Los Angeles Antelope Valley CCD 2017 AV 2016-11-08
  Azusa Unified 2016 K 2014-11-04
  Bassett Unified 2015 V 2014-11-04
  Centinela Valley Union High 2009 LP 2016-11-08
  Cerritos CCD 2015 G 2012-11-06
  Compton Unified 2005, 2015 S 2015-11-03
  El Monte Union High 2013 HS 2018-11-06
  Hacienda la Puente Unified 2013 BB 2016-11-08
  Inglewood Unified 2012 GG 2012-11-06
  Long Beach CCD 2016 LB 2016-06-07
  Los Angeles CCD 2001, 2017 CC 2016-11-08
  Los Angeles Unified 1999, 2003 Q 2008-11-04
  Lynwood Unified 2013 N 2016-11-08
  Mountain View Elementary 2017 SS 2016-11-08
  Norwalk-La Mirada Unified 2017 G 2014-11-04
  Palmdale Elementary 2017 PSD 2016-11-08
  Pasadena Unified 2012 TT 2008-11-04
  Rio Hondo CCD 2005 A 2004-03-02
  San Gabriel Unified 2010 A 2008-02-05
  Santa Monica-Malibu Unified 2017 SMS 2018-11-06
  Whittier City Elementary 2015 Z 2012-11-06
Marin Marin CCD 2008, 2013, 2017 B 2016-06-07
Monterey Hartnell Joint CCD 2004 T 2016-11-08
  Salinas Union High 2015 B 2014-11-04
Orange Anaheim Union High 2017 H 2014-11-04
  Centralia Elementary 2017 N 2016-11-08
  Rancho Santiago CCD 2003, 2014 Q 2012-11-06
  Santa Ana Unified 2000, 2017 I 2018-11-06
Riverside Coachella Valley Unified 2016 X 2012-11-06
  Riverside CCD 2010 C 2004-03-02
Sacramento Sacramento City Unified 2005, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2017 R 2012-11-06
San Bernardino Rialto Unified 2001 Y 2010-11-02
  San Bernardino CCD 2014 CC 2018-11-06
San Diego Chula Vista Elementary 2016 VV 2018-11-06
  Grossmont-Cuyamaca CCD 2016 V 2012-11-06
  San Diego Unified 2009, 2011, 2012 YY 2018-11-06
  Southwestern CCD 2013 Z 2016-11-08
  Sweetwater Union High 2016 DD 2018-11-06
San Francisco San Francisco CCD 2005 A 2005-11-08
  San Francisco Unified 2008, 2013 A 2016-11-08
San Joaquin San Joaquin Delta CCD 2004 L 2004-03-02
San Mateo San Mateo County CCD 2003, 2007, 2016 H 2014-11-04
  San Mateo Union High 2002, 2009, 2011 O 2010-11-02
  South San Francisco Unified 2011 J 2010-11-02
Santa Clara Alum Rock Union Elementary 2009, 2013 I 2016-06-07
  Berryessa Union Elementary 2015 L 2014-11-04
  East Side Union High 2003 Z 2016-11-08
  Foothill-De Anza CCD 2008, 2011 C 2006-06-06
  Fremont Union High 2009 CC 2018-11-06
  Milpitas Unified 2012 AA 2018-11-06
  San Jose-Evergreen CCD 2006 X 2016-11-08
  West Valley-Mission CCD 2013 W 2018-11-06
Solano Fairfield-Suisun Unified 2017 J 2016-06-07
  Solano CCD 2004, 2013 Q 2012-11-06
  Vallejo City Unified 2001
Sonoma Sonoma County JCD 2017 H 2014-11-04
Ventura Oxnard 2015 D 2016-11-08
  Oxnard Union High 2013 H 2004-11-02

 


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