California Transportation Commission Chairman Carl Guardino stepped to the microphone last week at a Lake Tahoe Hotel conference room on a mission: to provide a gathering of asphalt industry leaders provocative insight on transportation planning and trends in California and beyond.

Noting that much has been achieved on the transportation front in recent years, he acknowledged that there is "a lot more to accomplish." And then he went on to say, "That's why my goal this morning is to focus on three key choices each of us must make to further ensure California's continued success. So, choice number one, is we can choose to be engaged, or we can choose to be enraged. Choice number two, we can fight over the crumbs, or we can grow the pie. And choice number three, we can show up and speak up, or we can be shut down."

The audience was listening so intently that you could hear a bird chirp outside.

Guardino's compelling keynote speech came during the heart of the CalAPA "Summit at the Summit" Executive Leadership Forum June 11-13 that brought together more than 60 industry executives and influencers to assess the state of the asphalt industry in California, hear the latest about regulatory challenges, opportunities and trends. As marketing for the event promised, insight, inspiration and fun were in abundance at the popular and scenic resort destination.

As one of the top transportation officials in the state, Guardino (pictured) has served on the CTC since he was appointed to the commission in 2007 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and has since been reappointed by governors Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom, burnishing his legendary consensus-builder reputation. His work on "self-help" funding for transportation in Santa Clara County, when he was longtime executive director of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, helped establish the template for local transportation funding statewide. His official bio is HERE.

In his talk, Guardino went on to stress to the receptive audience the importance of engagement in policy development, which often helps establish the parameters that guide the spending of billions of dollars of transportation funding made available by SB1, the $50 billion Road Repair & Accountability Act of 2017, and other transportation improvement funds. Those policy development guidelines often flow through the CTC, including the recently updated "Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure," which has been added to the myriad of other alphabet-soup planning documents (STIP, SHOPP, ITIP, etc.) that bureaucrats consult when developing project planning, scoping, funding and scheduling documents.

In wedging the "Summit" speaking engagement in between his many personal and professional commitments (and charging stops for his electric vehicle), Guardino later wrote event planners "what an honor it was to be with you and your CalAPA colleagues" at the Summit and added, "Please thank the members of CalAPA for their engagement in our mutual efforts to improve the mobility options for all Californians."

Guardino's uplifting message of collaboration was bookended by remarks delivered by Reed Ryan, former executive director of the Utah Asphalt Pavement Association who was recently named executive director of the Asphalt Pavement Alliance, a national cooperative venture supported by the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the Asphalt Institute and state asphalt pavement associations, including CalAPA.

In highlighting the asphalt industry's many successes over the years in innovation, sustainability and engagement, Ryan delivered a pointed message for his California audience: "Stop apologizing." He went on to explain how there is growing national recognition that California is helping lead the nation in innovation and sustainability, and should not be apologetic about it, as it engages with industry representatives in other states, nationally and even internationally.

His remarks were soothing balm after other presenters provided candid and sometimes harsh assessments of the difficult regulatory and political environment faced by the industry in the nation-state of California, which has long posed challenges for the industry to keep pace with rapid change and avoid potentially ruinous red tape.

Scott Metcalf with Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, the 2024 CalAPA Chairman, kicked off the formal program of the Summit on June 12 on behalf of the Board of Directors, which provided the vision for the Summit, a new event on CalAPA's calendar. Chris Gerber, owner of G3 Quality and a CalAPA Board Secretary, also delivered welcoming remarks on June 13. The three-day event at the lakefront Hyatt Regency Hotel, Spa and Casino in Incline Village, NV, included a golf outing, CalAPA Board and Foundation meetings, a Women of Asphalt California Branch "Line Dancing" event and other activities. The board's vision was to blend compelling and essential information for c-suite executives with a family-friendly environment to reinforce the association's commitment to promoting a healthy work-life balance.

Past CalAPA Chairman Scott Fraser gave the group an update on the work of the newly launched California Asphalt Research & Education (CARE) Foundation, which was formed earlier this year to push workforce recruitment and development and other activities. Information about the Foundation, which recently sought its charitable designation from the IRS, is HERE. CalAPA's Sophie You highlighted the many activities of the indefatigable Women of Asphalt California Branch, which is co-chaired by Mimi Le with MCK Services and Cathrina Barros, chief of the Caltrans Office of Asphalt Pavement. More information about the Women of Asphalt California Branch is HERE.

The June 12 program also included a first-ever cross-committee panel discussion featuring leaders of the CalAPA Environmental Committee, Scott Taylor with Taylor Environmental Services, and Scott Cohen with Sespe Consulting, plus Legislative Committee Chair Steve Ward with Pavement Recycling Systems, and Technical Advisory Committee representative (and newly minted Board Member) Phil Reader with the George Reed Co. Past CalAPA Chair Jordan Reed added a national perspective of the many ways CalAPA intersects with the interests of national organizations.

Since the event was targeted at a c-suite audience, the exclusive CalAPA asphalt market forecast for California was prominent on the program, with an insightful presentation delivered by report co-author Crystal Howard with Crystal Waters Consulting. She is also a member of the CARE Foundation Board of Directors.

Jodie Muller, COO of the powerful Western States Petroleum Association, provided a gripping presentation on the regulatory environment being faced by the energy sector, and noted that California is the world's third largest energy market, behind only the United States and China.

Amlan Mukerjee, Ph.D., P.E., Director of Sustainability for WAP Sustainability, Inc., provided the very latest information on the state of play for Environmental Product Declarations in California and across the nation. His presentations at the NAPA events, and earlier this year at the CalAPA Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference in Ontario, were so highly rated that CalAPA members demanded a return engagement, and he was gracious enough to accept despite some travel challenges.

Interspersed between the high-quality content the event included a gala sundown reception on the shores of Lake Tahoe featuring McAvoy Layne, the famed "Ghost of Mark Twain" impersonator, who charmed attendees young and old, and posed for plenty of "selfies" with those newfangled smart phones that were unheard of in Twain's day. "I love my asphalt people," he was overheard to say more than once.

The event dinner held overlooking the lake featured a spectacular surf-and-turf menu that had participants raving and also featured A-list entertainment by comic "Chicago" Steve Barkley, who kept attendees in stitches. Barkley joined many event attendees at the hotel casino later for an impromptu "after party" and later texted event organizers, "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to perform in front of your association," and added, "Great group of people! I thank you from the bottom of my heart!" His website is HERE. It is a certainty that those who attended the performance will never look at the airport, or Col. Sanders, the same way again. Special thanks to Travis Milner, an up-and-coming Northern California comedy promoter and friend of the asphalt pavement industry, for securing Barkley's gig on behalf of the association. His partner is Eric Somers. Their soon-to-be-launched website is: ComediansToGo.com .

The "Summit at the Summit" was sponsored by CalAPA members Valero, CRH, Sully-Miller and Martin Marietta. Other support for the event was provided by BoDean Co., a CRH Company, Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, DeSilva Gates Materials, Mercer-Fraser Company, Pavement Recycling Systems and San Joaquin Refining. Special thanks to CalAPA member Construction Marketing Services, which produces CalAPA's magazine and annual directory, for providing marketing assistance and photography services for the event. A snappy promotional video produced by CMS for CalAPA about the event is HERE. Photos of the event appear on CalAPA's various social media channels, including the association's Facebook page HERE.

Based on the enormous popularity of the event, including from those who could not attend this year but hoped it would be reprised next year, the CalAPA Board of Directors indicated the association will put on another "Summit" in 2025. The 2024 Summit event page, which has details of the event, timed agenda, list of attendees and more, is HERE.

A CalAPA-opposed bill to upend the already complex process in which transportation planning results in road-improvement projects, potentially stopping some projects entirely, was derailed at the state Capitol last week.

AB6, by Assemblymember Laura Friedman, D-Burbank, who was formerly the chair of the influential Assembly Transportation Committee, was pulled from the legislative calendar at the last minute as it was moving through the state Senate's policy committees. The bill had already cleared the Assembly, carried aloft by endorsements by scores of environmental groups, including a half-dozen with "Climate" in their titles.

Along the way, the bill picked up a broad array of opponents like burrs on hiking socks, including CalAPA and the CalAPA-supported "Transportation California" coalition of organizations representing the construction industry, business, manufacturing and trade unions.

Friedman, who is running for Congress in the 30th District, promoted the bill as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and congestion by requiring transportation planning agencies to prepare and adopt regional transportation plans that include GHG-reduction targets and other presumed climate-improvement strategies. It was originally introduced in 2023, and was held over to this year as opposition to the measure picked up.

Transportation California, a powerful business-labor coalition that was one of the prominent backers of Senate Bill 1, the $50 billion Road Repair & Accountability Act of 2017, raised numerous objections to AB6 on behalf of its coalition members. Among concerns raised was that the bill would diminish the "fix it first" emphasis of SB1 to reduce or eliminate transportation improvements that are desperately needed to improve safety and reduce congestion. A coalition letter joined by CalAPA earler this month stated the bill was "problematic" and made transportation planning more complex, including new players, without adding value and depriving communities of investments in local transportation network improvements to improve mobility. Reasonable amendments to the bill offered by transportation advocates were largely ignored.

One of the major red flags identified by bill opponents was that it would give the California Air Resources Board unprecedented new powers in transportation planning, including the power to veto transportation decisions, which could have a major impact on transportation and housing projects.

Piling into the opposition were a number of formidable organizations, including the American Council of Engineering Companies, the California Alliance for Jobs, the Rebuild SoCal Partnership, various associations representing contractors and trade unions, local government representatives and several transportation planning agencies. CalAPA identified AB6 as one of its priority bills for engagement this legislative session. More information on the bill can be found HERE.

CalAPA's lobbyists and other pro-transportation interests continue to press the Newsom administration and Legislative leaders over a budget-balancing diversion of state highway funds that could total more than a half-billion dollars, potentially delaying some transportation improvement projects. A previous Asphalt Insider article on that topic is HERE. To learn more about CalAPA's legislative advocacy program, click HERE. A recent magazine article about CalAPA's Legislative Committee Capitol lobbying efforts earlier this year is HERE.

Brandon Milar, P.E., Director of Technical Services for CalAPA, was recently named co-chair of the Greenbook Asphalt Task Force. His bio is HERE.

The "Greenbook," formerly known as the "Greenbook Standard Specifications for Public Works Construction," was created by local agencies in Southern California in the 1960s and is used widely by local agencies in the region. The published specifications are under the oversight of Public Works Standards, Inc. A longtime Greenbook participant, Erik Updyke, formerly with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works and now with the City & County Pavement Improvement Center at UC Davis, was inducted into the CalAPA "Hall of Fame" in 2019.

Joining Milar as the other co-chair of the Asphalt Task Force is Krishna Nadaraja, a senior civil engineer with the Orange County public works department (OC Public Works). The two will help spearhead discussions on reviewing and updating various asphalt-related specifications in the reference book.

For more information about the Greenbook, click HERE.

Each week we highlight a word, acronym or other term commonly used in the asphalt pavement industry in California.

ROCK: From which crushed stone, sand, and gravel are made; the rock most suitable for making good aggregates.

Each week we highlight a key point or best practice of interest to asphalt paving crews, inspectors and others working in the field. We welcome suggestions. More tips can be found in our "Asphalt Parking Lot Construction Checklist" HERE. Information on the CalAPA "Quality Paving Certificate" program is HERE.

TONNAGE CALCULATION: Are there enough trucks on the run to haul the mix needed to complete the job? If you have five trucks on the round each carrying 25 tons = 125 tons per round. If each round takes one hour to make, then the production rate is 125 tons per hour. If the job requires 1,000 tons at 125 tons per hour = eight hours to get the mix to the job.

Each week we highlight a term that is specific to climate-change issues related to the asphalt pavement industry. This feature is intended to raise awareness of the asphalt industry's climate-change initiatives and the specialized terminology that goes with them. More information on "The Road Forward" asphalt industry climate initiative can be found HERE.

GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG): A gas that heats the earth because it absorbs infrared radiation.

"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot."

– Michael Altshuler

We hope you enjoy CalAPA's Asphalt Insider newsletter. We are committed to providing you with the most up-to-date information on technical issues, regulation, news, analysis, people, events and trends in California that is of interest to the asphalt pavement industry and our various agency partners. To subscribe to the newsletter, click HERE. For comments, questions or to suggest a story idea, click HERE.

Sincerely,

Russell W. Snyder, CAE

Executive Director

The California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA)®