Good Afternoon Folks,

Schools out!!! Time to play, or get a job. I must admit, I am somewhat envious of the old summer beach days. But we are here in the real world with its unlimited challenges. I was reminding some members of the reasons why they joined the Desert Valleys Builders Association. First, we are a legislative advocacy organization that supports the new construction industry, often focusing on, but not limited to, residential housing for all economic levels. We also have commercial and industrial builders as members, and those that create renewable energy.



Federal case law and the California Mitigation Fee Act are our primary tools to assure an equitable field of play. Before these laws and legal decisions cities often charged new construction user and services fees to balance or pad their balance sheets, or indiscriminately charged new development excessively for being the first or last in new developable regions.

For the most part, the desert region has predominantly educated and transparent administrators running our local agencies. But we still find the occasional ignorant person at the permit counter. Staff turnover, policy, and practice changes are usually the reason for some inequities in permitting costs. But, when there is an issue that affects the industry, and not project-specific, the Desert Valleys Builders Association is here to assist.

The Desert Valleys Builders Association has secured its final Public Officials Luncheon of the calendar year in November. Our quest speakers will be the General Manager and key staff members of the Imperial Irrigation District. The cities and county have been busy working with IID to fill the gaps in electrifying the Coachella Valley.

Please check out our partner’s Greater Palm Springs Business News Report from Friday.

Greater Palm Springs Business News

Best wishes,

James Brownyard

Executive Director

Mission Statement The DVBA is an association of building industry professionals, representing all levels of the construction industry and committed to ensuring that building of all types remain vibrant and strong in our region. We are dedicated to providing excellence in community development while protecting the natural beauty of the Coachella and Imperial Valleys.



Vision Statement To be an industry sector leader and collaborative partner in the complex economic and regulatory environments of the Coachella and Imperial Valleys.

Upcoming Events

Community Blood Drive Hosted by MSA Consulting, Inc.

MSA is Excited to Host a Community Blood Drive on Thursday, June 11th from 10:00-3:00 pm.

Every Donation has the potential to help save lives, and we are grateful to everyone who takes the time to participate.

Whether you are a first-time donor or a regular, your contribution can make a meaningful difference for patients in need.

To reserve a donation time, please scan the QR code in the flyer and select your preferred appointment slot.

WE appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you there!

UPCOMING EVENTS: SAVE THE DATE

Friday, August 21

14th Annual

Bowling Bash

Location:

Fantasy Family Bowling Center

5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Registration Open!

Click here to register now

Want to see your business featured here? Contact vickie@thedvba.org

Latest Industry and Legislative News

Businesses and some lawmakers urge state leaders to reject the governor’s budget proposal to permanently limit R&D tax credits.



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The top-two primary was supposed to change California politics. Did it flop?

California voters approved a top-two primary election designed to encourage moderation. But in most races, it ends in a conventional Democrat vs. Republican. Some are ready to scrap the top two.

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Five takeaways from California’s election, from Congress to the governor’s race

California’s wild and wide-open primary election came to a close Tuesday with voters consolidating behind leading candidates for their parties.

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Highest Paid Occupations in Construction in 2025

Workers in the residential construction industry continue to earn higher average annual wages than workers in general industry.

The median wage of payroll workers in construction was $61,370 in 2025, with the top 25% earning at least $83,480. In comparison, the U.S. median annual wage was $50,980, while the highest paid 25% earned at least $80,520.

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Top OSHA Violations of 2025; No Increase in Penalties for 2026

In 2025, improper fall protection was once again the most-cited violation of OSHA jobsite rules. A failure to protect against falls also featured prominently in three other violations in the top 10.

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California State Legislative Bills 
DVBA is Tracking

 These bills are Job or Housing Killers Provided by CalChamber

These bills have NOT made it out of the Appropriations Committees / Dead for the session:

Labor and Employment

• AB 1898 (Schultz; D-Glendale) Onerous Notice Requirement. Requires public and private employers of all sizes to issue a voluminous number of notices regarding even the most routine technologies and for those notices to include confidential and proprietary information. The bill also effectively gives all employees and independent contractors veto power over the employer deploying new technology.

• AB 2027 (Ward; D-San Diego) Creates Barriers to Technology Investment and Job Growth. Its sweeping provisions effectively prohibit creating or improving technology used in the workplace, impacting everything from simple scheduling tools to life-saving technology developments in health care.

• AB 2064 (Sharp-Collins; D-San Diego) Significantly Limits Ability to Consider Criminal History in Employment. Exposes California employers to costly litigation and liability by adding “criminal history” as a protected class under both the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the Fair Employment and Housing Act, stripping businesses of the ability to make reasonable hiring and customer-service decisions based on an individual’s past criminal conduct.

Product Regulation

• AB 2034 (Addis; D-Morro Bay) New Costly Regulatory Structure. Establishes extensive, state-specific regulatory structure regarding food additives that will significantly impact supply chains and increase food costs.

CEQA

• AB 2170 (Boerner; D-Encinitas) CEQA Expansion. Proposes to eliminate CEQA exemptions and ministerial review processes if certain types of projects are sited near “overburdened communities” and forces all environmental review documents to be translated into other languages, thereby exposing lead agencies and project applicants to new litigation liability.

• AB 2569 (Hart; D-Santa Barbara) CEQA Expansion. Significantly expands California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) environmental impact report requirements, which will increase litigation exposure and costs for a permitting process that already causes some of the longest and most costly project delays in the country.

Food and Agriculture

• AB 2447 (Bauer-Kahan; D-Orinda) Infeasible Mandates on Nitrogen Fertilizer Application. Imposes scientifically unsupported, legislatively mandated deadlines on California farmers before the State’s own expert panel has finished determining what is even achievable — threatening thousands of agricultural jobs, driving up food costs for California families, and dismantling the very programs currently providing safe drinking water to affected communities.

Taxation

Assembly Appropriations postponed a hearing on a bill that will increase taxes significantly for international businesses, AB 1790 (Connolly; D-San Rafael). The bill remains eligible for a vote at a later time.

If adopted, AB 1790 would eliminate the water’s-edge election, forcing all taxpayers to file on a worldwide combined reporting basis. Requiring businesses to report revenues from international affiliates would subject income generated in foreign countries to taxes and risk retaliation by trading partners.

Make sure to check out the NAHB Membership Savings program for numerous discounts!

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