Agenda Item #13.6
For Council Meeting of: April 7, 2026
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: DAN HENNESSEY, DIRECTOR, TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF ADDITION OF SUBCONTRACTOR TO CONSTRUCTION PROJECT– GARAGE HOIST PURCHASE AND INSTALLATION (C02354) AGENDA ACTION: RESOLUTION
RECOMMENDATION
The Transportation and Public Works Department recommends that the Council, by resolution, approve the addition of subcontractor, Sonoma Marin Electric, Inc of Sebastopol (an IBEW Local 551 Journeyman Electricians and Apprentice Electricians Union subcontractor), at no additional cost, to the Garage Hoist Purchase and Installation project (C02354) with Power Builders Inc. of El Granada, California. This item has no impact on current fiscal year budget.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This motion will approve the addition of subcontractor, Sonoma Marin Electric, Inc of Sebastopol (an IBEW Local 551 Journeyman Electricians and Apprentice Electricians Union subcontractor) (“Sonoma Marin Electric”), at no additional cost, to the Garage Hoist Purchase and Installation project (C02354) (“Project”) with Power Builders Inc. of El Granada, California (“Contractor”). The contract for the Project requires Contractor to comply with the requirements of the Community Workforce Agreement. The addition of the subcontractor resolves local union concerns regarding Project compliance with the Community Workforce Agreement.
GOAL
This item relates to Council Goal #2 - Invest in the Development and Maintenance of the City's Infrastructure by replacing four (4) non operable automotive lifts and improving fleet maintenance management capabilities.
BACKGROUND/PRIOR COUNCIL REVIEW
On April 9, 2024, the Council, by resolution, amended the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 adopted budget by increasing appropriations to fund one-time projects, including the In-ground Vehicle Lifts – Fleet Building.
On May 13, 2025, the Council, by motion, approved contract award to Power Builders Inc, of El Granada, California, approve a 15% contract contingency and authorize a total contract amount of $1,831,950 for the Garage Hoist Purchase and Installation project, including the base bid and completion of Additive Alternates 1 and 2.
ANALYSIS
After the City issued the Notice to Proceed for the Project, Contractor raised concerns about compliance with the Community Workforce Agreement (“CWA”). A March 2, 2026, letter from IBEW Local 551 Journeyman Electricians and Apprentice Electricians Union (“IBEW Local 551”) on the Project – attached hereto as Attachment 2 – states:
During the project’s “mark-up meeting” it was disclosed that there was a conduit run, wiring, and disconnect to be installed. That work was assigned tentatively to the millwrights/ carpenters’ union. The required craft for this work is the electrician’s signatory to Local 551 Santa Rosa, and the change is reflected in the attached letter.
Contractor is a general contractor and a member of the millwrights/carpenters’ union for the purposes of the Project. The local unions state that Contractor cannot self-perform the subject electrical scope of work, but Contractor did not list in its bid an electrical subcontractor that is signatory to IBEW Local 551. Contractor met and conferred with IBEW Local 551, and they identified an electrical subcontractor – Sonoma Marin Electric – that is signatory to IBEW Local 551 and that the local unions are satisfied can perform the electrical scope of work.
Public Contract Code section 4109 restricts Contractor’s ability to subcontract work where it did not designate a subcontractor in its bid. Section 4109 states:
Subletting or subcontracting of any portion of the work in excess of one-half of 1 percent of the prime contractor’s total bid as to which no subcontractor was designated in the original bid shall only be permitted in cases of public emergency or necessity, and then only after a finding reduced to writing as a public record of the awarding authority setting forth the facts constituting the emergency or necessity.
The proposed addition of Sonoma Marin Electric meets the requirements of section 4109. The addition will help resolve the CWA compliance issue described above and help ensure the Project’s compliance with the CWA. Contractor has represented to TPW staff that the addition of the electrical subcontractor is necessary for Contractor to perform the Project work. As a result, if Council does not approve the addition, the City would likely need to terminate the contract and rebid the work at issue. This would delay the completion of the project indeterminately.
The timely completion of this Project is critical for the safety and productivity of the City’s garage support services. The existing lifts are not operational, and the efficiency of the services provided by the garage is critically low. Additionally, there is a higher safety risk to facility staff due to the temporary solutions which have been implemented pending replacement of the lifts. Consequently, addition of the subcontractor qualifies as a public necessity under section 4109.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of this action does not have a fiscal impact on the General Fund.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5), the recommended action is not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it involves organizational and administrative activities of government that will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
In the alternative, the action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity may have a significant effect on the environment.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not Applicable.
NOTIFICATION
Not Applicable.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Location Map
Resolution / Exhibit A – IBEW Local 551 Letter
PRESENTER(S)
Dan Hennessey, Director of Transportation and Public Works Lisa Welsh, Supervising Engineer
Jose Mederos, Assistant Engineer
APPROVAL OF ADDITION OF SUBCONTRACTOR TO CONSTRUCTION PROJECT– GARAGE HOIST PURCHASE AND INSTALLATION (C02354) PAGE 3 OF 3