SACRAMENTO — Politics have entangled the adoption of new building and fire codes for California, with Republicans charging Tuesday that two of Democratic Gov. Gray Davis' appointees to the Building Standards Commission are too beholden to labor to vote fairly on the issue.
At a Capitol news conference, Assemblyman John Campbell (R-Irvine) called for the removal of Sidney Cavanaugh, a special representative to the United Assn. of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumping and Pipe Fitting Industry, and Barry Broad, a lobbyist who has represented the plumbers' union. Campbell also said he would strip money for the 11-member commission from Republican budget proposals.
The commission, with six employees, costs roughly $700,000 a year.
"Building standards codes should be set on the basis of trying to get the best safety for the lowest cost," Campbell said, "and they shouldn't have special-interest lobbying involved or lobbyists involved."
The commission is poised to choose between two sets of building and fire codes as part of California's triennial review of construction standards.
One set, written by the International Code Council, is endorsed by structural engineers, architects and building officials. The other code book, written by the National Fire Protection Assn., is supported by plumbers and firefighters unions and the state fire marshal.
The code books govern such things as how many windows and doors a building should have and the fire resistance of materials used in hallways. The association whose approach is adopted gains the opportunity to sell sets of code books and training seminars to the hundreds of California cities and counties that would have to comply with the codes.
On a 3-2 vote after an eight-hour subcommittee hearing two weeks ago, Cavanaugh, Broad and Commissioner Tim Brink voted to recommend that the entire Building Standards Commission adopt the union-backed codes.
The commission will hear more testimony about the two proposals today and vote sometime before October, said commission Executive Director Stan Nishimura.
Broad called Campbell's news conference "pure political theater and intimidation" and said it was "outrageous" to suggest that, because he represented labor unions, he could not vote fairly on selection of building codes.
"I'm trying to weigh all this testimony and figure out what's right for the state," Broad said.
