A bill in response to last month’s deadly balcony collapse in Berkeley has stalled in the California Legislature.
The legislation would have required contractors to tell state regulators about felony convictions and settlements over construction defects – in hopes of preventing similar building collapses.
"This, in my view, is what shakes people’s confidence in government," says Sen. Loni Hancock (D-Oakland), one of the bill’s authors. "And I’m very, very disappointed."
But opponents argued that other factors may have led to the balcony collapse and that settlements do not include admissions of guilt.
"We need to take a look at this bill a little more thoroughly with a little more time and come up with something that I think is a much better work product," says Jamie Kahn, a lobbyist for the Associated General Contractors of California.
The measure stalled Tuesday in an Assembly committee. It’s still alive, but will likely not come up again before January.
Follow us for more stories like this
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.
Donate Today
