CA Electrician Certification Renewal UPDATE!!!!

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e57

e57

Senior Member
Location
San Francisco, CA
I hope all goes well!


And I'm glad to see Mike Holts people are on the ball...
http://www.mikeholt.com/previewstatecourses.php?id=14

(Although if you go through the WECA offering of essentially the same thing you get a certificate from them.)

Also remember that the DAS wants you to get it in early. Or at least they were requesting a month earlier than expiration date - but that note was replaced with the one mentioning they screwed over a bunch people again.
 
e57

e57

Senior Member
Location
San Francisco, CA
Karl H said:
Has anyone tried to re-test without taking the CEU's? I've been so busy with
design work that I actually forgot I'm due 5-30-09.
Click to expand...
Ummmmm - That sucks........ You have to do BOTH CEU's AND pay double...

IMPORTANT: You are REQUIRED to have:
  • 1) Renewal fee of $100.00;
  • 2) 32 hours of continuing education and;
  • 3) 2,000 hours in the industry in the previous 3 years. If your certification expired before you can renew, you must pay an additional fee of $100.00 and have to retake the certification exam (i.e., Renewal fee = $100, but if your certification is also expired, you need to retake exam at an additional cost of $100. Total fee = $200.00
Click to expand...
http://www.dir.ca.gov/DAS/ECU/ECP_forms.htm
The idea is not to let you off the hook for the CEU's and to change the rules constantly so it cost you more money and be force to join one of the silly organizations if you don't keep up with all their crap! (Sorry venting...)

They also recently changed the form to explain this... Now - if you can find the older version of the form - it was much more ambiguous about this would not need to provide 'proof' of CUE's, but I am also not your lawyer.... Because since they only changed the form last week or so - they are still accepting the old ones - so I have heard..... And apparently under the old way with whatever goes, we got your money - penalty of perjury crap.

I'll search my hard drive - but I don't think I have one... I looked - I don't....
 
K

Karl H

Senior Member
Location
San Diego,CA
E57,

Did you ever find a number for DAS where you were able to talk to
a living human being? The recordings at the DAS number is as painful
as pulling teeth with the string and door knob method.
 
ibew441dc

ibew441dc

Senior Member
Karl H said:
E57,

Did you ever find a number for DAS where you were able to talk to
a living human being? The recordings at the DAS number is as painful
as pulling teeth with the string and door knob method.
Click to expand...

I have there contact emails if you want to get in touch....
 
K

Karl H

Senior Member
Location
San Diego,CA
DAS just called me back and the lady I spoke with said "If I choose to
re-test I need to pay 200.00 bucks and no CEU's are needed."
I asked if my LIC were to expire due to the fact I'm due 05/30/09
I would still need to pay 200.00 and re-test no CEU's needed.
 
K

Karl H

Senior Member
Location
San Diego,CA
So why take CEU's? Well, let's say why should we as NEC forum members
that take CEU's 24/7 because we are pro's pay for a class when we can just
re-test, which all of us would pass? I'd rather re-test every three years
than sit in a class on-line or not when I spend hours daily on this site
with REAL pro's.
 
e57

e57

Senior Member
Location
San Francisco, CA
Karl H said:
DAS just called me back and the lady I spoke with said "If I choose to
re-test I need to pay 200.00 bucks and no CEU's are needed."
I asked if my LIC were to expire due to the fact I'm due 05/30/09
I would still need to pay 200.00 and re-test no CEU's needed.
Click to expand...
REALLY!
This is definately NOT what I heard the last time I looked into this - maybe 6 months ago - and not what the new application for renewal implies. I had some phone numbers and I going to call again. When I find 'em I'll post 'em.... (Lets see how many different stories we can get!)
 
ibew441dc

ibew441dc

Senior Member
E c c c

E c c c

e57 said:
Fire away - I'm not sure if you put them in a different post....
Click to expand...

e57...All that time spent on research and you don't have their emails???;):grin:

Electrician Certification Curriculum Committee (ECCC)

Glen Forman - Acting Chief, DAS Chair, Electrician Certification Curriculum Committee GForman@dir.ca.gov

Barry Noonan - Representing California Community Colleges (don't know email but i'm guessing....BNoonan@dir.ca.gov )

John Dunn - Representing Department of Education (don't know email but i'm guessing...JDunn@dir.ca.gov)

Luisa Martinez - Senior Consultant, DAS LMartinez@dir.ca.gov
 
K

Karl H

Senior Member
Location
San Diego,CA
e57 said:
REALLY!
This is definately NOT what I heard the last time I looked into this - maybe 6 months ago - and not what the new application for renewal implies. I had some phone numbers and I going to call again. When I find 'em I'll post 'em.... (Lets see how many different stories we can get!)
Click to expand...

What the heck is your name? :smile:

That is what the woman at DAS told me on the phone two hours ago.
I asked numerous times "This a expired Lic and no CEU's as CEU's weren't
available until last year. She told me pay 200 bucks and re-test, you will be
compliant and issued a new lic." Don't get me wrong E57 I also think this
is a scam. Due to the that fact NO ONE ENFORCES this LIC in California!
 
e57

e57

Senior Member
Location
San Francisco, CA
Karl H said:
What the heck is your name? :smile:

That is what the woman at DAS told me on the phone two hours ago.
I asked numerous times "This a expired Lic and no CEU's as CEU's weren't
available until last year. She told me pay 200 bucks and re-test, you will be
compliant and issued a new lic." Don't get me wrong E57 I also think this
is a scam. Due to the that fact NO ONE ENFORCES this LIC in California!
Click to expand...
Mark Heller - swore that was in my profile? :confused:

Anyway - in case you haven't noticed I have made a freakish hobby of this dang thing over the last 8 years or so. I used to keep up with it VERY regularly a few years ago - especially in 2001-2003, back when this thing had a pretty good chance of being tabled IMO. After testing resumed - AND I HAD A KID - I kinda gave up/laid off once this thing was on its way (Had to take the test myself...) - and then advocated to get anyone who needed to get certified informed and one the way to testing. I did not want to miss the boat, and I did not feel anyone else should either. For that matter I STILL get emails from people who have only just heard of this law...

Over the last few years I haven't been keeping up with the changes like I used to - and even in the last few months there have been quite a few. They diverge in to something really loose - then return to a rigid stance - like the requirement for "APPROVED" sources of CEU's - then PROOF. Some completely contrary to what the original intents of the law were. That said, there are a few things outside of this law that have changed that in concert that bring back the original conspiratorial fears of those who advocated against it at the very beginning... (See below)

As for the enforcement thing... Not sure how much PW work you do? But there is a law that was passed at the same time as this one - tied to it intimately - that requires apprentices on PW work. It also requires "Certified Journeymen" to supervise them on a one to one basis with a ratio of 1-5 (currently) - some contracts require more. Awarded contractors are REQUIRED to request dispatch of apprentices and you need to list all the certified journey labor which is subject to review of the DSLE.

The last PW job I looked at was a C-10 only contract a few months ago - so it was very 'electrician specific'... The "Labor Compliance Officer" gave a little 'pep talk' about how "If you don't got the right labor for this job - don't bid, because I'll make sure you regret it..." (I'm going to leave out some other political details.) BUT - he was very clear that he would require "Certification status letters" to be filed for any labor that set foot on site, and even any labor that touched anything pre-fabbed off-site. I had heard of this previously, so I was not surprised - but I was shocked at the microscope that was going to be put on that jobs labor compliance paperwork... To include the promise that this guy would also show up on-site to monitor compliance. So yes - there is some enforcement. :rolleyes: At the very least in SF and Marin county.
 
ibew441dc

ibew441dc

Senior Member
Karl H said:
What the heck is your name? :smile:

That is what the woman at DAS told me on the phone two hours ago.
I asked numerous times "This a expired Lic and no CEU's as CEU's weren't
available until last year. She told me pay 200 bucks and re-test, you will be
compliant and issued a new lic." Don't get me wrong E57 I also think this
is a scam. Due to the that fact NO ONE ENFORCES this LIC in California!
Click to expand...

Careful thinking that way, C-10's are subject to audit by the Contractors State License Board....they get audited you get found out. Somebody gets ticked off at a contractor and finds out they are in non compliance....you bet heads are gonna role and you know which way crap roles....downhill, right where all of us are.
 
K

Karl H

Senior Member
Location
San Diego,CA
I'm all for electrician certification in California just like the rest of the states
that require it. Yet California's Cert program is a scam. I've asked numerous
electrical inspectors if they enforce or check cards,the reply I recieved
everytime was,"No, That's not my job." In the six years that I've held my card
I've been asked once for my number,and that was before I started a project
on the Navy SEALS base here in San Diego. I'm setting up my test date
Monday and I have no problem paying the $200 bucks due to the fact that
I've had my card since 2003 when the Certification didn't even go into law
until 2006. The way I look at it I'm just paying my 2006 renewal, so I'm getting my 2009 to 2012 card for free without having to pay for CEU's
that already do on my own time everyday. :smile:
 
K

Karl H

Senior Member
Location
San Diego,CA
On another note, for all CA-C10's out there when hiring a new electrician
make sure to check the DAS to verify their Cert#. I've seen the counterfit
cards from Mexico,and as much as I hate cheats, I was impressed how
authentic it looked.
 
sandsnow

sandsnow

Senior Member
Location
Southern California
ibew441dc said:
The following is copied from an email that I immediately sent to Luisa Martinez, the Electrician Certification Manager, Division of Apprenticeship Standards Electrician Certification Unit ........I know I left some other good places out but it wasn't intentional, I should have listed AVO, Tom Henry's stuff, Mark Shapiro's stuff ect. I didn't think of them until afterwords( I'm sure there's others also)



She responded to me and stated that she would forward this to the Chief of the DAS.......we'll see what happens????

I recommend anyone that this may be of concern to, shoot an email to the DAS Electricians Certification Unit.
Click to expand...

So nothing yet?????
I'll ask my mole to look into it next week.
 
ibew441dc

ibew441dc

Senior Member
sandsnow said:
So nothing yet?????
I'll ask my mole to look into it next week.
Click to expand...

No response yet. Luisa Martinez basically said she couldn't address this and would forward it to Glen Foreman(Chief of DAS).

It is a shame that they can't pull their head out long enough to do something reasonable.
 
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