Sacramento’s Big Build, the name given to the construction of the area’s new, state-of-the-art airport terminal, has received an award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of California.

The award, called the Golden State Award, recognized not only the scope of the project undertaken (approximately $1.1 billion) but also the engineers’ ability to deliver the terminal on time and under budget. It was the largest design-build contract ever executed by Sacramento County and also the largest capital improvement program in the county’s history.

Originally posted at www.liberaloc.com
Now that recall petitions have been certified in Fullerton for the recall of three conservative Republican city council members in Fullerton, we anticipate three distinct slates of candidates to emerge.  The first is simply the No Recall slate that aims to keep council members Dick Jones, Pat McKinley and Don Bankhead in power on the Fullerton City Council.  Expect a Tony Bushala funded slate of conservative Libertarians to challenge the targeted council members whcih could include school board member and paid-recall consultantChris Thompson and perhaps planning commissioner Travis Kieger, who would certain owe any election victories to Mr. Bushala.

Investments made in juvenile detention may have California Counties in a better position to handle a realignment of services. According to the San Francisco-based Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, nearly a half of a billion dollars have been spent in the last 15 years to modernize juvenile detention facilities, and they have the capacity to absorb the offenders in state custody.

Under Governor Brown’s plan, the state’s juvenile detention centers will be phased out. In 2013, the state will accept no further juvenile detainees, and in 2014 the centers will be closed completely. That will leave the counties responsible for the underage offenders.

Already, the number of incarcerated youths has dropped by nearly 90 percent. In the 1990s, the state housed nearly 10,000 juveniles. Now that number is loser to 1,100.

Each week, Louis Dettorre will provide the PublicCEO Staff Report of the Week. Nominate yourself or a colleague by e-mailing ldettorre@publicCEO.com This e-mail address is being Protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The most recent Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Santa Clarita and the Santa Clarita Community College District was signed in 1999. This MOU which formed the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at the College of the Canyons is set to expire on June 30^th, 2012. Among other items, the MOU outlined availability of the PAC for the community’s use and recognized the City’s contribution of $2.4 million towards the construction of the Performing Arts Center.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation studied four plans for Shasta Dam and Lake Shasta – they varied from do nothing to increase the height of the dam by as 18 feet. The study determined that increasing the total height of the dam would be both feasible and justified.

The increase in height would have some repercussions, however, for some of the areas surrounding the lake. The rising water would inundate some homes, businesses, and resorts. Additionally, the Winnemem band of Wintu Indians says that religious and cultural sites would be underwater.

The cost for raising the dam could be $1.1 billion, but it would increase the amount of water available for 2 million Californians and 3 million acres of California agricultural lands.

Our region has faced unique challenges in this recession. Construction and state government—two of our largest sectors—have shed thousands of jobs. We need to develop other employment sectors to lead our economic recovery. Our new economy must be more efficient and create environments in our region that are more cost-effective places for private industry to grow. Our draft Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (MTP/SCS) is looking at how to do more for our transportation system with fewer resources and plan strategically for the needs of our region going forward.

With all the coming’s and going’s in California local government, it can be hard to keep track of where your friends are or what’s happening in your neighboring municipalities. But Trackdown Management helps keep the state up-to-date with their newsletter.

PublicCEO presents his Picking Up the Pieces:

Willdan Senior Vice President of Business Development Frank G. Tripepi, a retired veteran City Manager, serves on the Board of Governors of the Rose Institute of State and Local Government. The Rose Institute conducts and publishes research on California government and politics.

Fortuna City Manager Duane Rigge has served the city for 9-years. Before coming to Fortuna, Duane was the Blue Lake’s City Manager and the General Manager of the Manila Community Services District.

A man who led the city of Hawthrone for nearly two decades will likely be remembered more for a passion for pizza that caused him to illegally procure a commercial strength mixer from the school district where he worked.

Larry Guidi has pled guilty to charges that he stole the mixer in 2010. At the time, the LA Deputy District Attorney said that Guidi took the mixer because he needed it for his backyard pizza oven. However, a security camera caught him walking out with the appliance, worth $1,300.

In exchange for his plea, Guidi will receive 1 year probation and have to work 100 hours of community service.

Nearly $30,000 of technology was purchased on the credit card of a former Los Altos IT Manager, and then reimbursed by the city when he allegedly forged documents.

The Mac computers and iPads, however, never made it to the city. Some were apparently sold, others were kept for personal use. Whatever the case, these allegations caught some at the city off guard. The alleged wrongdoing came to light after several expense reports struck the IT Manager’s boss as being odd. After a bit of investigation, the realized that the trip was not actually what it seemed.

Now the city is investigating its purchasing processes with the help of a CPA firm, to try to stave off future wrongdoing.

In the Los Angeles Harbor, some of the yachting traffic isn’t simply for pleasure. According to L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa, one of the boats is there on official business.

A 73-foot yacht named the Angelena II  is an official tool of the Port of Los Angeles, a government agency. At a cost that can reach well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, the boat is used to usher VIPs, stakeholders, and policy leaders around the port to highlight the inner workings of the heavily trafficked shipping center.

Reports allude to nearly $750,000 in planned maintenance costs this year. It caused some, including the LA Weekly Blog and CBS to ask the Mayor, should the money be spent on a yacht during though economic times? The answer, much like the defense of the Redevelopment Agencies, is that the port is a revenue generator for the city, and therefore isn’t costing taxpayers.