The ASCE San Francisco
575 Market St, Suite 400 | San Francisco, CA 94105
415-546-6546 | htpp://www.asce-sf.org
February 2021, Volume 70, No. 2
ASCE COVID-19 Resources
The world has changed but civil engineering work doesn't stop. During these difficult times, ASCE is committed to supporting the entire civil engineering community and has a dedicated online resource offering ways to stay informed and stay connected in these unprecedented times.
 
Visit ASCE Collaborate to hear from colleagues about how they are handling their new surroundings.

San Francisco Section Congratulates
2021 ASCE Honor Award Recipients 

The SF Section is excited to announce that two local projects have been selected to receive the Society’s OCEA Honor Award and also are including in the group competing for the 2021 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) award.
The Moscone Center Expansion project in San Francisco, has been selected to receive an ASCE Honor Award, and in is the running for the 2021 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) award. Even more exciting, this year, Mr. John Noguchi, Director of Convention Facilities in San Francisco will be honored during ASCE’s 2021 Convention at the esteemed Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) event, Friday, October 8, 2021, in Chicago.

Completed in 2019, the project includes multiple key components: Moscone North, which has been renovated for contemporary use; Moscone South, a new three-story structural steel building; a pair of pedestrian bridges connecting the north and south superstructures; and an expansion and connection of the subterranean portion of the site below Howard Street. 

The design of the project, centered on flexibility, longevity, and sustainability, enables the center to continue to grow as a major venue for conferences and large-scale gatherings.
Mr. Peter Bryan, Vice President of Construction and Development Golden State Warriors has also been selected by the American Society of Civil Engineers as an Outstanding Civil Engineering (OCEA) Achievement Honor Award to receive an Honor Award, and possibly, the 2021 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) award for the project “Chase Center.”
 
With an emphasis on providing a premium experience for all guests, the design of Chase Center includes the largest scoreboard in the NBA, giving fans access to rich content, expanded stats, real-time shot charts and more, a lowered upper bowl to bring fans closer to the game, a premium club space for every seat in the arena, a unique food and beverage program that offers freshly prepared and made from scratch options and an extensive art program with works by local, national and international artists including Seeing spheres, an interactive sculpture by international artist Olafur Elliason. Upon its completion in 2019, Chase Center became the only privately financed arena or stadium project built on private property in the modern era of sports.
 
Awards will be announced during ASCE’s 2021 Convention on Friday, October 8th in Chicago.
by Richard Markuson, Region 9 Legislative Advocate

The Legislature delayed their return to Sacramento until Monday, January 11, 2021, as many regions are still in lockdown due to the Pandemic. The Assembly kept Anthony Rendon as Speaker and the Senate re-elected Toni Atkins as President Pro-tempore.

Governor Gavin Newsom picked Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) as his designated candidate to replace Alex Padilla as Secretary of State (SoS) when he becomes California’s junior U.S. Senator once Kamala Harris is sworn in as Vice-President (this will all have taken place by the time you read this). Newsom was under pressure by various interest groups to pick a Senator from one group or another. This decision to choose a Hispanic for Senate and an African American as SoS should mollify these two groups.

These choices seem to short-circuit or at least dampen the political aspirations of two other Assembly Members (David Chiu and Lorena Gonzales). They had previously announced plans to run for SoS in 2022 when Padilla was termed out. Weber has already announced she plans to run in 2022 – so will Chiu or Gonzales challenge her – or pick other races?

The advancement of Shirley Weber will set off a special election to fill the remainder of Weber’s term in the Assembly – her daughter Akilah Weber has already announced plans to run for her seat when the Governor calls a special election. The younger Weber is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and leads the Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology Division at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and serves on the La Mesa City Council since 2018.
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by Kenneth H. Rosenfield, P.E., F. ASCE, ENV SP
ASCE Region 9 Director
Chair, Region 9 Board of Governors

Communication is key, but what does that mean? We must communicate clearly, consistently and sufficiently to provide the information needed to convey an idea, lesson or concept. This is true in everything we do and also true for all of our member advancement activities at ASCE. But, how really do you communicate? There is an art to getting your message across.
 
Early in my career, I worked for a public agency and they engaged the employees in a communications training class. The intent, of course, was to improve the public’s view of the quality of the agency’s customer services. The class emphasized the importance of being a good listener before responding to inquiries, complaints or general communications from the public. One of the simple concepts utilized to reinforce this recommendation was based upon the observation that since we have two ears and one mouth, it is incumbent upon us to be good listeners, confirm what you have heard, and only then offer a response. This concept follows the parable, “seek to understand before seeking to be understood.” This phrase is attributed to Stephen Covey from his book, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People." I have read that book and it provides great life and communications lessons. In my own life experience, I have found it to be most effective to be a good listener before offering an opinion or solution to an issue being raised. This is a personal choice approach to communicating and I find it works well for me at an interpersonal level.

by Eugene Bass

Civil Engineers often work closely with contractors and should be generally aware of the laws relating to contractors.

The State Contractor's License Law provides that a contractor must be properly licensed at all times during the performance of the work in order to sue in court for collection money due. If proper licensing is not maintained, the merits of the case do not matter. Even if the owner hired the contractor knowing that the contractor was not properly licensed and with the intent of not paying the contractor, the contractor is still unable to use the courts to sue for the amount agreed in the contract or due to the contractor. The message is simple and direct “No license, No pay!” And, the law is even more punitive than “no license, no pay” in that it allows a lawsuit against an unlicensed contractor for return of any money that had been paid without any credit for completed construction.
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