Contractors

City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo announced Wednesday that his office has filed 30 criminal cases as part of a crackdown on unlicensed contractors for abandoned or shoddy work.

You headline that two former top managers of the Santa Margarita Water District are accused of illegally accepting gifts from contractors. Shouldn't the contractors be equally subject to legal violation? LUCILLE KUEHN Corona del Mar

Reporting from Fresno A shout-out from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last Thursday for somebody to give Fresno hero Victor Perez a job led to something perhaps even better: a full scholarship to contractors school. "All my uncles are in construction. I'll get this license, then maybe we can put ourselves to work," said Perez, an unemployed construction worker who last week chased down an alleged kidnapper and rescued an 8-year-old girl. The story caught the nation's attention and thrust Perez and his cousin Flor Urias, who had spotted the alleged kidnapper's truck, into the media spotlight.

A county grand jury has indicted three Los Angeles Unified School District maintenance workers and two painting contractors on 20 felony charges of taking bribes and embezzling thousands of dollars in federal and school repair funds. A sixth defendant is to be arraigned Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, said Thomas Krag, a deputy Los Angeles County district attorney. He declined to provide a name or say whether the person is a contractor or school district employee.

Regarding "Governor's Solar Plan Is Generating Opposition," June 27: The article incorrectly characterized C-46 (solar) contractors as being poorly trained in comparison with C-10 (electrical) contractors. The training and the technical or trade portion of the examination for state licensing for C-10 has nothing do with solar energy. On the other hand, 50% of the C-46 test is PV (solar electric) related. The move to exclude solar contractors is simply a bold move by electrical unions to funnel the solar dollars to their own members; it is not a technical/training issue, whatsoever.

A sweeping inspection of Metro Rail subway construction conditions found 131 alleged health and safety violations that together carry fines of more than $250,000, according to a final report Tuesday released by Cal/OSHA. In a joint weeklong audit by state and federal occupational safety agencies last month, inspectors reported inadequate shoring around trenches and numerous electrical hazards.

Three men were charged with of working as unlicensed contractors on Friday, after they were arrested during a sting operation at a North Hills home damaged during the Northridge earthquake. An investigator with the state Contractor's Licensing Board posed as a homeowner March 2 and summoned the three men to the home to make repairs, Deputy City Atty. Don Cocek said. All three were charged with contracting without a license after preparing estimates during the sting, Cocek said.

The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday approved three contractors who have been selected to oversee business improvement districts in Chatsworth, Northridge and Granada Hills--moving proposed economic revitalization plans a step closer to realization. In July, the council set aside $225,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds for consultants who would assist in the planning and development of BIDs in the three communities.

In an ongoing sweep of unlicensed contractors profiting off the earthquake-ravaged Southland, Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn filed criminal charges Monday against three San Fernando Valley residents and two others allegedly found working illegally as unlicensed contractors. All five men were charged with contracting without a license after the declaration of an emergency, which is punishable by a $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail.

Before you sign a contract or hand over a deposit for work, ask to see the contractor's license, and make a copy of it. California law requires anyone who contracts work valued at $500 or more to hold a valid license from the Contractors State License Board. With this in mind, check the information with the board at www.cslb.ca.gov, the Better Business Bureau and the local building inspector and ask if any complaints have been filed against the contractor.