asce oc january 09 newsletter

Orange County BranchNewsletter

Published Monthly By the ASCE, Orange County Branch

by

Kenneth Rosenfield, PE

CONTACT ASCE:OC Branch

www.asceoc.org714-258-8390

Los Angeles Sectionwww.ascelasection.org

714-258-8306ASCE Nationalwww.asce.org

1-800-548-ASCE

Celebrating 55 years of Service“Winner of the 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Regions 8 & 9 Awards for Outstanding Branch and Newsletter”

In ThisIssue

Newsletter Editor:Joshua Nelson, PE

[email protected]

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

JANUARYNOTICE

January 2009

President’s Message ........ 1,2Board of Directors................ 2Secretary’s Column ............. 3Calendar of Events .............. 4Letters to the Editor ............. 4New Advertising Rates ........ 4Branch News ....................... 5K-12 Outreach......................6YMF News............................7Photo Album ........................ 8Sustainability News ............. 9California Symposium........ 10Luncheon Flyer .................. 11Professional Practice......... 12Law & Civil Engineering..... 13Leadership ......................... 14Civil Engineering is Local .. 15Student Assistance FundDonors .......................... 17-19Membership Info ................ 20

continued on page 2

PAY YOUR DUES!

Happy New Year! It is the time to renew your ASCE dues for 2009 and you should act now to make that payment!

Keeping your dues current is the best way for you to keep pace with your profession and, most importantly, in these challenging economic times, to keep in contact with fellow professionals as a network to identify employment and project leads. When times are tough, a good offense can be the most advantageous approach to take. In this regard, your dues keep you in touch with international, national and local trends in Civil Engineering and your Branch is the key to this information. Your dues statement includes the overall Society fees and a small contribution to the Los Angeles Section of ASCE. It is through this latter contribution that the Orange County Branch is able to function and continue to provide you with excellent monthly programs, active contact with students of all ages, public communications and legislative tracking that furthers understanding of our local circumstances and Civil Engineering. Our operating income is derived in large part from our share of the Los Angeles Section dues. These dues are re-distributed to all of the Branches in this Section. Being one of the largest Branches in the Section, much of your contribution comes home to the Orange County Branch and is used to enhance the Branch services to you. Please take a few minutes today to complete and return your dues payment to the Society.

We are fortunate in Orange County to have a local sales tax dedicated to transportation improvements and an organization, the Orange County Transportation Authority,

which is efficient in distributing the funds and getting projects completed. The first Measure M will sunset in April 2011 after its 20 year life and after raising an estimated $4 billion for transportation infrastructure. The second Measure M, “M-2,” will raise an estimated $12 billion over the next 30 years to continue the good work done to date on the transportation system in this County. Many public agencies will need your help in developing projects for M-2. These massive funds will help bridge the economic downturn being experienced in the development community for privately funded improvements. However, the local funding it is still not enough. The Transportation infrastructure is only one part of our infrastructure funding need and substantially more investment is required.

ASCE has been a champion of infrastructure investment for a very long time and has been successful in raising the public’s awareness of the short falls in this arena. The Orange County Branch first rang the alarm bells on a lack of infrastructure spending with the issuance of the 2002 Infrastructure Report Card, renewed in 2005, and currently being updated again. I recently attended a steering committee meeting for the update of the Orange County Infrastructure Report Card where more than a dozen of your fellow professionals in both the private and public sectors are dedicating substantial volunteer time to keep this document current and they deserve our thanks. You may be called upon to help with the data collection of our current infrastructure. As a result of efforts such as these, infrastructure investment entered

Thursday, January 15th, 2009 TOPIC: The Civil Engineer in an Emergency – The Yorba Linda Fires SPEAKER: Mark Stowell, PE, Director of Public Works/City Engineer, City of Yorba Linda

LOCATION: The Costa Mesa Hilton, Costa Mesa, CA TIME: 11:30 a.m. – Social 12:00 p.m. – Lunch 12:30 -1:10 p.m. – Program See flyer included on page 11 of this newsletter for details!

2 ASCE OC-Newsletter • January 2009

Ken Rosenfield, PE 949.707.2655President 949.707.2633 FAX

[email protected] Shinkai, PE 714.435.6369Vice President 714.424.2263 FAX

[email protected] Y. Mazboudi, PE 949.234.4413Treasurer 949.493.1251 FAX

[email protected] Nelson, PE 626.333.0336Secretary 626.336.7076 FAX

[email protected] Adrian, PE 714.939.1030Past President 714.938.9488 FAX

[email protected]

OC BranchAmerican Society of Civil Engineers

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Yazdan Emrani,PE 949.855.8300Awards/Nominations 949.855.0800 FAX

[email protected] Elkins 714.481.7920Continuing Education 714.545.8883 FAX

[email protected] Meier, PE 714.550.7551History & Heritage 714.550.7551 FAX

[email protected] Emrani, PE 949.855.8300Infrastructure Report Card

949.855.0800 [email protected]

Grace A. Lee 714.327.1600K-12 Outreach Co-Chair

714.327.1601 FAX [email protected]

Chao-Chun Yang 949.753-8111x246K-12 Outreach Co-Chair 949.753.0775 FAX

[email protected] Legislative Chair FAXTed McConville, PE 949.673.4475Life Member Forum

[email protected] Ly, PE 661.316.8355Membership 661.852.2194 FAX

[email protected]. Bathala, PE 949.724.2994OCEC Liaison 949.724.2995 FAX

[email protected] Dybel, PE 949.499-7874Professional Practice 949.499.7430 FAX

[email protected] Wolfe, PE 714.402.9645Programs 714.731.8551 FAX

[email protected] Nielsen 714.834.4786Publicity

[email protected] Trinh 714.327.1600Student Groups 714.327.1601 FAX

[email protected] Vaglienty, PE 949.855.0754Younger Member Forum 949.837.8007 FAX

[email protected] Ali, PE 714.751.7373Sustainability 714.545.8883 FAX

[email protected] Hoolihan, PE 949.453.5553Webmaster 949.453.0228 FAX

[email protected]

TECHNICAL GROUP CHAIRPERSONS

Khashayar Hadipour PhD, PE 818.226.6900Transportation

[email protected]

Eric Akiyoshi 949.453.5552Hydrology & Hydraulics 949.453.5354 FAX

[email protected]

COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

continued from page 1

the national dialogue in the Presidential Debates and is currently in the news on almost a daily basis. As reported by the Associated Press, President-Elect Barack Obama is working with a team of economic advisors to craft “the largest U.S. public works spending program since the creation of the interstate highway system a half-century ago. That could bolster the economy by putting thousands of people to work building schools and other construction projects.”

The buzz is in the air that substantial funding is just around the corner after the January 20th inauguration of our next President. I have been contacted by no less than four separate agencies asking for the City’s list of projects that could be under construction within 180 days or less in an effort to spur economic activity. We, and other agencies, are dusting off shelf ready projects for an influx of funds. This is great news for Civil Engineers. Having said that, I suggest that caution is the watch word. If every agency in every State developed a wish list of funding needs for public infrastructure, as surely they are, the need will far outweigh the one-year capacity of the Federal Government to provide the funds. I am confident that some funding will come soon but probably not in as great an amount as some are anticipating. Further, given our State’s continuing budget problems, the funds may get diverted or delayed. Nevertheless, Civil Engineers stand ready to aid in this economic recovery.

In order to spend Federal funds in a quick manner, some regulations will need to be relaxed. While we must be good stewards of the environment, properly manage the expenditure of funds, and produce the desired result, the existing morass of Federal Regulations relating to Public Works projects can cause even the simplest of projects to be delayed for over six months and more complex projects to be delayed for several years. Some

streamlining of the Regulations should be a part of an economic stimulus plan. Only in that way can the funds hit the street in a timely manner and have the desired effect of pulling this nation out of recession sooner than later.

You can help get the economic stimulus plan enacted by contacting your Congress member and telling her/him that infrastructure investment creates jobs and helps to maintain the quality of life that we enjoy. As a Civil Engineer, you are an expert in this topic and can also be a resource to answer questions posed by decision makers. Further, Congress should be reminded that infrastructure investment has lagged the need for decades and the short-term infusion of funds should be followed with a long-term commitment for infrastructure renewal throughout this country. As you make contact with elected officials, please share your experience with us so we can maintain these contacts over time.

Please take care of your dues commitment and remember that together, we can build a better community.

Happy New Year

ASCE OC-Newsletter • January 2009 3

SECRETARY’S COLUMN

ADvERSITY BREEDS INNOvATION

I recently got the opportunity to hear aeronautical superstar (and a graduate of my Alma Mater Cal Poly San Luis Obispo)

Burt Rutan speak at Autodesk University (www.autodesk.com/au). You may have heard of his recent project SpaceShipOne which won the ten million dollar Ansari X-Prize on October 4, 2004 when it became the first private manned spacecraft to exceed an altitude of 328,000 feet twice within the span of a 14 day period. You all probably remember one of his earliest famous projects - the Voyager – which was the first plane to fly around the world non-stop non-refueled in the mid 80s. His upcoming project is the appropriately named SpaceShipTwo. Mr. Rutan gave an excellent talk that covered his predictions for the space industry (he believes the private sector will surpass the military’s capabilities in the next 15-20 years) as well as some points about innovation. What he said about innovation caught my attention. He said that most innovation occurs during periods of adversity. Adversity forces you to look at your processes and see where you can be more efficient. He was excited to see what will come out of the current economic downturn we are experiencing. When everything is going smoothly and you have lots of work and you are busy, you don’t have time to change the way you do things or look at better ways of doing what you do. It is when times are tough that you start to look for more efficient ways of completing a task. A Civil Engineering example of this is the Hoover Dam. That engineering marvel was built during the great depression. I realize the government issued the largest single contract of any kind to get it built, but it truly had many innovative construction methods and techniques to get it built as quickly as it did.

After hearing Mr. Rutan talk about innovation, it seemed like I kept hearing more and more people bring up that same point. Another example of this theory is the dot com crash from 2000 to 2002 which put a lot of talented people out of work. Rather than sit around waiting for something else to pop up, a lot of these people created technologies and new ways of doing things because they had all this newfound free time. Things like blogs and podcasts all exploded into the world after that bubble burst. Mr. Clayton M. Christensen, a Harvard Business School professor who focuses on innovation, was recently interviewed by the Wall Street Journal and told them that the current economic downturn “will force innovators to not waste nearly so much money. One of the banes of successful innovation is that companies may be so committed to innovation that they will give the innovators

a lot of money to spend. And, statistically, 93% of all innovations that ultimately become successful started off in the wrong direction; the probability that you’ll get it right the first time out of the gate is very low. So, if you give people a lot of money, it gives them the privilege of pursuing the wrong strategy for a very long time. In an environment where you’ve got to push innovations out the door fast and keep the cost of innovation

low, the probability that you’ll be successful is actually much higher.” This is because you will move away from unsuccessful projects sooner than if you had a lot of money to throw at an unsuccessful strategy. Mr. Christensen believes we will see the homeruns from this downturn in about 5 years, but maybe some as early as 2 years from now.

So what can we as Civil Engineers take away from this? Well, I challenge you all to learn something new – learn about a new technology or piece of software. For those of you that are in a position to do this, I challenge you to find the creative innovative people in your organization and ask them what they would like to pursue. You probably all have a person or people within your company or organization that could complete this sentence: “If I had the time to do XXXXX, I think it would make YYYYY within our organization/company so much easier/faster/efficient/etc.” Find those people and sit them down and turn them loose on it. I know a lot of companies right now are implementing the latest Civil design software from Autodesk called Civil 3D. It definitely is an innovative new way to get the job done. Others are looking at how they can make their company more capable of putting out sustainable projects and innovative ways to make their projects more sustainable. I want to leave you with one quote from Mr. Rutan. He said “Your ability to innovate is inversely proportional to your client’s self-perceived sophistication.” You can replace “client’s” with “boss”, or “board of directors” or “company executives”, etc. – whichever is more appropriate to you. Basically this is saying that if someone is too sure or confident in their own sophistication, they won’t be willing to take a risk with something that is outside their level of expertise. Some would call this risk “thinking outside the box”. Thinking outside the box is the only way to be innovative. If you or someone else sets up too rigid guidelines it doesn’t allow you be creative. I would love to hear any comments you have on this, so please feel free to email me at [email protected]


CALENDAR OF EvENTS

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIvIL ENGINEERSOrange County Branch of the LA Section

DATE& DAY EvENT TIME LOCATION

January-09

13 Transportation Technical Group 11:30AM McCormick & Schmick’s, Irvine CA15 OC Branch Luncheon Meeting 11:30AM Costa Mesa Hilton Hotel, Costa Mesa, CA21 YMF Meeting 6:30-8:30PM TBD “Surviving the Recession Part Deux”27 OC ASCE Board Meeting 7:00 AM Gayle Stewart & Associates, Tustin, CA

February-09

5 Hydraulics and Hydrology Technical Group 11:50AM - 1:15PM Dave and Buster’s, Irvine, CA5-8 YMF Mammoth Ski Trip TBD TBD19 Branch Annual Awards Dinner 5:30PM Costa Mesa Hilton Hotel, Costa Mesa, CA

March-09

10 Transportation Technical Group 11:30AM McCormick and Schmick’s, Irvine, CA19 OC Branch Lunch meeting 11:30AM Costa Mesa Hilton Hotel, Costa Mesa, CA27 Seminar “Street Design” TBD TBD

New Advertising Rates(Effective January 2009):

Advertising Rates Old rate New rate

1/4 PAGE (3 3/4” X 4 3/4”) $150 $165

1/2 PAGE (4 3/4” X 7 1/2”) $200 $220

FULL PAGE (7 1/2” X 10”) $250 $275

Full Page Stuffer (non commercial)

printed 2 faces + insert $200 $220

printed 1 face + insert $250 $275

preprinted copies inserted $400 $440

Business Card (1” x 2 1/2”) $300 $330

Full Sheet Commercial Ad

2 sides $450 $495

1 side $450 $495

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Any thoughts or comments

about the newsletter?

Please email,

phone or fax to:

Josh Nelson, PESecretary, ASCE OC Branch

[email protected]

626.333.0336

or

Fax: 626.336.7076


BRANCH NEwS

DECEMBER LUNCHEON MEETING wITH ENGINEERS wITHOUT BORDERS

The branch was honored to host Engineers Without Borders at our December monthly luncheon. Our society has partnered with them at the national level so we were pleased to hold our first event with the Orange County Chapter. Gayla Fecher shared with us everything they are

currently working. The chapter hasn’t even been around for more than a year and they will already be implementing some of their project next year. Ms. Fecher shared with us some heart wrenching statistics about the children of the world. Out of every 100 children, 50 live in extreme deprivation, 29 have no adequate shelter, 23 have no access to sanitation, 18 lack safe drinking water, 13 have no healthcare, 6 have never gone to school, 4 are severely food deprived and 1 is affected by AIDS. They have 4 projects in progress outside of the United States. One will bring necessary healthcare facilities to 1200 people in Kenya. Another will bring a sustainable water to 8,000 people in El Salvador. And finally one will treat the water supply for 2,400 people in one part of Honduras and another one will advance education for more than 600 children in another part of Honduras.

Congratulations!To Hall and Foreman, Inc.

For being chosen the recipient of the 2008 Employer Recognition Awardby the Committee of Younger Members ofThe American Society of Civil Engineers

So, how can you help?

1. First you can check out our local chapter’s website at http://www.ewb-oc.org/. There you can find information about how to help support them. They don’t just need money, they need people to donate even as little as one hour of time.

2. Please consider adding $40 to your ASCE Membership dues for Engineers Without Borders. If you have already paid your dues, you can login at www.asce.org to add the “Engineers Without Borders Supporting Membership” or you can call (800) 548-2723.


K-12 OUTREACH

When you ask teenagers about their career aspirations, there is a pretty good chance that any form of “engineering” is

not anywhere near their future goals. As a matter of fact, most young adults that I have encountered do not even have the slightest clue with regards to what an “engineer” is. The term “engineer” often brings up the image of a guy driving a train or a mechanic fixing a car to these young inexperienced minds. Typically, it is not until college students are curiously researching majors or becoming acquainted with actual engineering students that the basic understanding of what engineering comes to actual fruition. This void of understanding within student culture is adding to, if not the primary reason for, the possible future deficit of talented entry-level engineers that will be needed to fill our industry in the next few decades.

OC-YMF recognized that this problem needed to be addressed and on October 30 and November 14, OC-YMF members helped assist SWE-OC with their Speakers’ Bureau Program at Mendez Fundamental Intermediate School and Garden Grove Lake Intermediate School, respectively. The SWE-OC program provides presentations by very accomplished women that love to share their experiences which inspire and hopefully lead students into the fascinating world of science and engineering. In addition to their presentation, SWE-OC conducts a fun and educational half-hour activity, such as constructing paper towers or penny bridges that give students a hands-on look at engineering. Amanda Nash, the program coordinator, has done an excellent job

coordinating and setting up meetings with various schools throughout Orange County.

In our past outing, the students had a lot of fun and it’s so amazing to see what kind of out-of-this-world, who-would-a-thunk-it ideas these kids come up with! During the penny bridge contest, one the team rolled the paper into a tube,

clipped the sides with paper clips, slid the pennies inside, and “voila” instant winner. Talk about completing a project ahead of schedule! And on another note, another 6th grade student in one of the paper bridge tower teams kept screaming, “Come on guys! We gotta make the foundation stronger! Get more tape! The foundation has to be strong!” I

was so proud. I’m a shy guy, so I just smiled and nodded my head in appreciation. But if I were an outgoing person, I would have said, “Yeah baby!” and bumped forearms with him. Either way, win or lose, these kids are all great and seeing them in action is such a great experience. So if you are a women engineer or an engineer looking to spread the love that is engineering, please contact Amanda Nash at [email protected] and volunteer to help the keep our profession stacked with engineers ready to go out of the box... or college at least.

Special thanks to OC-YMF and SWE-OC members: Sonalee Myneni, Linn Moisan, Lisa Truong, Amanda Nash, Jeannette Lindemann, Marie Trinh, Aileen Dao, Paola Chavira, Tran Nguyen, and Kendrick Jackson.

SHAPING THE FUTURE


YMF NEwS

YMF HELPS COLLECT FOOD FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY RESCUE MISSION

On December 6th, members of the Orange County Young Members Forum

woke up early on a Saturday to help collect food for the Orange County Rescue Mission. The Rescue Mission is a resource for the homeless in Orange County. It offers transitional housing for entire families at the Village of Hope in Tustin, emotional support for youth and vocational training at their Mustard Seed Ranch near Warner Springs. OC-YMF was there for a food drive to help supply the Village of Hope. We got to the Village of Hope at 8:30, where the staff issued us fliers and bags to pass out to people as they went into grocery stores around Orange County. Inside the stores, people filled the bags with groceries and as they left they dropped them off with us. We were able to cover two stores, an Albertsons in Santa Ana and a Ralphs in Irvine. It started out kind of slow, as we waited for people to finish shopping, but after the first hour, the pace really picked up. We were amazed at people’s generosity! One woman came up with a whole shopping cart full, said, “Here you go,” and walked off. By the end of three hours we had collected

eleven shopping carts full of groceries. Tom, the photographer/graphic designer from OCRM, came by and snapped some photos of us for their newsletter, so if you check out http://www.rescuemission.org/ you might see us on the internet. We were all done at the stores by noon, and by 12:30 we

had dropped off our donations at the Rescue Mission. They were really appreciative, but I think that we got more out of it than they did. They got some food, but we got the chance to connect with those less fortunate than us right here in our own county. We’ll be having more community service events throughout the year, but if you have a suggestion, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]. If you would like more information about the Orange County Rescue Mission, check out http://www.rescuemission.org for ways to get involved.

Ben Stanphill


PHOTO ALBUM

Surveyor’s Benchmarks and Monuments

Do you have any Civil Engineering related photos from your travels around the world that you found interesting? If you

would like to share them with us for a future newsletter, please email them to [email protected].

All images on this page are licensed under a Creative Commons license. Creative Commons is a non-profit that offers an

alternative to full copyright.creativecommons.org

Photo by Flickr user Nemo's great uncle

Disneyland

“Bentmark” (get it?) – Photo by Flickr user Dawn Endico

“corner marker” by flickr user ikes

“Four Corners Benchmark” by Flickr user Travis S.jpg

“Benchmark” from the UK By Flickr User windyharbor.com

US Army Corp Monument in North Carolina By Flickr

User jdj150

By Flickr user luistxo eta marije

Thank you to Rich Maher with KDM Meridian for helping us find these photos.


SUSTAINABILITY NEwS

wHAT IS THE SUSTAINABLE SITES INITIATIvE AND HOw IS IT DIFFERENT THAN LEED?

By: Sam Ali, PE LEED-AP Psomas, Chairman Sustainability Committee

The Sustainable Sites Initiative is an interdisciplinary effort by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the United States Botanic Garden to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction and maintenance practices.

Sustainable Sites Initiative Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009A compilation of current research, technology and practices to provide technical guidance and performance benchmarks for sustainable land development and management practices.

Sustainable Sites Initiative Rating System (target publication date 2011)Sustainable landscape performance benchmarks with weighted credits and a recognition system.

Sustainable Sites Initiative Reference Guide (target publication date 2012)A user guide containing information from pilot projects that will explain credit requirements and provide resources to aid in creative problem solving.

Guiding Principles of a Sustainable Site• Do no harm.• Precautionary principle.• Design with nature and culture.• Use a decision-making hierarchy

of preservation, conservation and regeneration.

• Provide regenerative systems as intergenerational equity.

• Support a living process.• Use a systems thinking approach.• Use a collaborative and ethical approach.• Maintain integrity in leadership and research.• Foster environmental stewardship.

Ecosystem ServicesThe goal of a sustainable site is to protect, restore and enhance such ecosystem services

wherever possible through sustainable land development and management practices:

1. Global climate regulation2. Local climate regulation3. Air and water cleansing

4. Water supply and regulation5. Erosion and sediment control6. Hazard mitigation7. Pollination8. Habitat functions9. Waste decomposition and treatment

10. Human health and well-being benefits11. Food and renewable non-food products12. Cultural benefits

Ecosystem Services Matrix1. Site Selection

• Selection locations to preserve existing resources and repair damaged systems.

2. Pre-Design Assessment and Planning• Plan for sustainability from the onset of

the project.3. Site Design – Ecological Components

• Protect and restore site processes and systems.

4. Site Design – Human Health Components

• Build strong communities and a sense of stewardship.

5. Site Design – Materials Selection• Reuse/recycle existing materials

and support sustainable production practices.

6. Construction• Minimize effects of construction-related

activities.7. Operations and Maintenance

• Maintain the site for long-term sustainability.

For more information about The Sustainable Sites Initiative visit the following web site:

www.sustainablesites.org


CALIFORNIA SYMPOSIUM

American Society of Civil Engineers

ORANGE COUNTY BRANCH

Thursday, January 15, 2009 JANUARY LUNCHEON MEETING

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ken Rosenfield, PE, President

Kathereen Shinkai, PE,VicePresident

Ziad Mazboudi, PE, Treasurer

Joshua Nelson, PE, Secretary

Darren Adrian, PE, Past President

TOPIC: The Civil Engineer in an Emergency – The Yorba Linda Fires SPEAKER: Mark Stowell, PE, Director of Public Works/City Engineer, City of Yorba Linda

Mark Stowell is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton and started his career in civil engineering as an intern at the City of Brea. He moved into development engineering working for Willdan & Associates, but quickly realized his passion for public agency projects. He spent the next 5 years at BSI / Berryman Henigar working on Public Works projects. Mark has since worked for Hall & Foreman, the City of Corona and the City of Irvine before becoming the Director of Public Works / City Engineer for his hometown of Yorba Linda. Mark has been married 17 years to his high school sweetheart, Lori, and has two teenage kids, Jillian and Kyle. On November 15th a wildfire known as the Freeway Complex Fire broke out in Corona along the 91 Freeway. Within hours, the fire tore through Yorba Linda burning down over 120 homes and causing the evacuation of approximately half the City’s residents. Emergency Operations were implemented. As a result of the fire, over nine miles of wild land interface between Chino Hills State Park and the northern boundary of the City of Yorba Linda was stripped of all vegetation exposing the hillsides to extensive erosion during rain storm events. Since the fire, the City of Yorba Linda has experienced three major rain events. With each rain, the debris and mud flows have inundated the City’s infrastructure and neighborhoods. The discussion will cover the event of the fire, the mobilization of the City’s resources, the subsequent FEMA declaration of a national emergency, the City’s preparations for the debris and mud flows, working with the County of Orange and the State Office of Emergency services, and describing the methods a contract City utilizes in managing an emergency of this magnitude.

MEETING PLACE: The Costa Mesa Hilton, 3050 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 TIME: 11:30 a.m. – Social 12:00 p.m. – Lunch 12:30 – 1:10 p.m. – Program COST: Members $38 prepaid; $40 at the door (with reservations); Non-members and walk-ups $45; Students $20 MEAL: Grilled Soy Ginger Glazed Salmon, salad and dessert. Vegetarian meal

available. PARKING: Validated parking for adjoining structure included in luncheon cost. RESERVATIONS: RSVP by January 8, 2009, at 12 noon

Include the names of all persons attending. Your advance reservations, made and honored, are essential to fulfilling our catering commitment. No shows will be billed. You can now pay with credit card via the branch website.

REGISTRATION: You can register (and pre-pay for lunch) by accessing the website at

www.asceoc.org. Registration can also be by emailing your name, company name and membership status (member, non-member, or student) to [email protected] or by fax at 714-258-8391, or by phone at 714-258-8306 or by mail:

ASCE Orange County Branch, 1405 Warner Avenue Tustin, CA 92780

Display Booth Space is available for this event at cost of $100. For space bookings please call 714-258-8306 or Email: [email protected]


Phone: (562) 427-6899

Presented by:

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:Friday - FEBRUARY 27, 2009 Huntington Beach

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA:Friday - MARCH 6, 2009 Concord

For more information visit: www.greggdrilling.com

1-DAY CPT SHORT COURSE

Earn Professional Development Hours (PDH’s)Register Early & Save

Go to www.greggdrilling.com/seminars.htm to enroll on-line today.It’s fast, easy and secure.

• ON-LINE REGISTRATION NOW AVAILABLE •

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

The Order of the Engineer Ceremony 2008

By Brad Dybel, PE, GE, CEG

Thanks and congratulations to the civil engineering practitioners and students who participated in the Orange County

Branch’s fourth Order of the Engineer ceremony at the November dinner meeting. The professional participants in this year’s ceremony included in alphabetical order: Edward Kao, Sal Mian, and Christopher Poli. Student members Mark Beltran, Erin Cabanero, and Alexander Chung represented University of California, Irvine. Student member Steven Marquez from CSU Long Beach also participated. Special thanks go to ASCE Los Angeles Section Governor, Shahn Ahmad, who was our master of ceremonies.

Want to complete your winning RFP Team?

SBE & WBE CERTIFIED

The Moote Group is currently supporting Planningand Design Firms with the following services:- Cost Estimating - Infrastructure and Vertical Building- Dry Utility Consulting and Coordination- Technology Applications & Utility Search, Utility Conflict Report- Bid Administration for Public and/or Federal Work- Construction Management in the Field- Inspection Services and Construction Verification- Applicant Designs- Air Quality Analysis Support for VMT-PM10-CEQA-EPA- Claim Analysis, Third Party “Neutral”, Expert Witness

Contact: Marji Knitter, President Mike McGovern, PE, FASCE

www.moote.com(714) 751-5557

Paul A. Moote & Associates, Inc.


LAw & CIvIL ENGINEERING

A question that engineers often ask is “what is the standard of care must be followed to avoided being negligent in the practice of

civil engineering.” That question, unfortunately, cannot be answered with precision. Rather, the answer is “it depends.” Failure to meet the standard of care is one of the elements of negligence. Performing in accordance with the applicable standard of care, however, can present conflicts in the practice of engineering. For example, compliance with the standard of care may require that a more extensive investigation be conducted than was originally anticipated in the original contract. A proper investigation will cost more money and therein lies the potential for conflict. “You get what you pay for” is not an absolute legal defense against failure to meet the standard of care. The standard of care is a moving target. It is a relative term and it’s determination involves experience, insight and common sense. In a trial involving the question of professional negligence the jury is instructed as to the law that must be applied to the facts. The instructions given to the jury can serve as a general guide to enable an engineer to help define the standard. The law provides that an engineer performing professional services for a client, owes that client the duty to have that degree of learning and skill ordinarily possessed by reputable civil engineers, practicing under similar circumstances. The engineer also has the duty to use the care and skill ordinarily used in like cases by reputable members of the profession practicing under similar circumstances. Also, the engineer has the duty to use reasonable diligence and best judgment in the exercise of skill and the application of learning. The failure to perform any one of these duties is defined as negligence. If an engineer purports to be a specialist, the standard of care applicable to specialists will apply. It is the duty of an engineer who holds himself

THE STANDARD OF CARE - A MOvING TARGET Written by Eugene Bass, Esq.

or herself out as a specialist in a particular field of engineering, to have the knowledge and skill ordinarily possessed, and to use the care and skill ordinarily used, by reputable specialists practicing in the same field under similar circumstances. Prior jury instructions used to include “...in the same or a similar locality...” as an element defining duty. The modern rule, however, is that the standard of care is the reasonable degree of skill, knowledge and care ordinarily possessed and exercised by members of the profession under similar circumstances. Geographical location may be a factor in evaluating the similarity of circumstances but not a determining one. Finally, the law provides that a jury must determine the standard of professional learning, skill and care required of the defendant only from the opinions of the an expert engineer and the engineer defendant who may have testified as expert witnesses as to the standard. The jury is instructed that should consider each such opinion and take into consideration the reasons given for the opinion, the facts relied upon by the witness, and the relative credibility, special knowledge, skill, experience, training and education of the witness. An engineer should always be seeking to determine the applicable standard of care and should bear in mind that it will be changing with the times and the circumstances.

This article is intended to provide general information regarding legal issues. It is not to be relied upon as specific legal advice or in place of the need to seek competent legal advice on specific legal matters. Eugene Bass is an attorney and registered Civil Engineer. He has offices in Redwood City and can be reached at 650-361-1199.


LEADERSHIP

MONEY SECRETSby Steve Kaye, Ph.D.

Here are three uncommon ways to regard money.

1) Your Financial Responsibility

Do this: Divide the annual gross income for your company by the number of employees.

Then repeat this calculation for all of the companies in your industry. Compare the number for your company with the numbers for your competition.

Result: You now have a handy comparison for employee effectiveness (and efficiency) in producing revenue.

Larger numbers are good, and smaller numbers are bad.

Who thinks about this: Your top management. They use these numbers to justify layoffs and reorganizations. They also consider these numbers when planning acquisitions (i.e., buying other companies) and liquidations (i.e., selling assets).

Your next step: Use these numbers to plan your career. For example, you might consider them when deciding which job offer to accept. You can also use them to make general predictions about future events (specifically changes) in your company.

And, of course, the number for your company shows how much is expected of you. Thus, use your time well. Avoid common time wasters such as pointless meetings, water cooler chit chat, and surfing the net.

2) Your Speaking Fee

Do this: Calculate the cost of your next presentation. It will be the product of the number of people in the audience, the length of your talk, and the average labor cost for those attending. Then add to this any logistical costs, such as room rental, supplies, and equipment.

As a rough estimate, you can use a labor cost of $100/hour, which is a conservative cost for business professionals in major corporations. And so, if you spoke for an hour to 20 people, your speaking fee is at least $2,000.

Who thinks about this: Your boss and other executives who are in your audience. Leaders want a positive return on their investment. Specifically, they want presentations that help them make decisions.

Your next step: Realize that you are doing more than just giving a presentation. You are inspiring people to take actions that can change your business. And so,

make sure that you prepare appropriately.

Thus, determine the goal for your presentation, interview key attendees to learn about their expectations, and rehearse your presentation. Make sure that you present new, thought provoking, valuable ideas.

3) Your Financial Future

Do this: Calculate how much you must save each month in order to retire with a million dollars.

You will need a financial calculator, a spreadsheet, or the help of a financial planner.

And to help, here are a few possibilities:

* Save $60/month at 10% for 50 years

* Save $160/month at 10% for 40 years

* Save $450/month at 10% for 30 Years

Some of you may be thinking:, “So what. It’s too late.”

And it may be too late to accumulate a million dollars if you have only a few years.

But consider this: do you know a teenager? Or do you know someone who is just starting a career? Because that fifteen-year-old could easily retire with a million dollars by saving only $60/month.

Note that I used a return on investment of 10%, which is less than the average growth of the DOW over the past 100 years. This strategy has the greatest likelihood of success when using standard mutual funds, instead of get-rich-quick stocks, which can drop in value faster than you can say, “Aw, nuts!”

Who thinks about this: Rich people.

Your next step: A small, methodical savings plan can make a huge difference over long time. If you are young, this could be the key to having a financially comfortable future. And if you know young people, you may be able to offer this as priceless advice.

- - -

Steve Kaye helps leaders achieve results. He is an author, speaker, and IAF Certified Professional Facilitator. His workshops and meeting facilitation create success for everyone. Call 714-528-1300 for details. Visit http://www.stevekaye.com for a free report.


San Clemente beaches attract over 2.5 million visitors each year, but to reach the sand those visitors had only a few legal access points

across one of the busiest rail corridors in the country. Many people chose to cross or walk along the rail line—an illegal and dangerous situation. To improve coastal access and public safety, the City recently completed construction of a multi-use pedestrian trail which was almost a decade in the making.

The Rail Corridor Pedestrian Trail (referred to as the “Beach Trail”) extends from North Beach south to Calafia Beach, and for most of its 2.3 mile length is located at the base of coastal bluffs and within the existing rail corridor right-of-way. The trail itself is a 5- to 10-foot wide compacted decomposed granite path that has been treated with a binder to provide a durable but natural looking surface. To safely traverse a natural pinch point at Mariposa Point, an approximately 1,000 foot long, 8 foot wide elevated walkway was constructed using a number of prefabricated bridge span segments. Smaller bridges were used to span two drainage channels near the southern end of the project. Five signalized pedestrian at-grade rail crossings were added along the project reach for improved beach access, two of which included wooden stairways over the existing rail embankment riprap down to the beach. Due to sight lines and space constraints, a pedestrian tunnel was constructed for beach access at Mariposa Point. This tunnel consisted of prefabricated concrete sections and was constructed using an open cut trench method.

CIvIL ENGINEERING IS LOCAL

Do you have a local (i.e. Orange County) Civil Engineering project that you would like highlighted in the next newsletter? If so, please send your project info and pictures if available to [email protected] and

look for your project in a future newsletter. We are looking for both public and private projects.

This required careful coordination and scheduling to complete the tunnel installation within the maximum two-day rail traffic closure window required by the rail agency. Finally, the trail project included landscaping and a “see through” cable rail fence for much of its length to help direct beach visitors to the new legal crossing points.

Planning for the trail began in 1999 with the formation of a diverse stakeholder group that included community, environmental and business representatives, railroad agencies, City Council members and staff, California State Parks, Orange County Transportation Authority (the railroad corridor owner), along with others. Design began in late 2000, and the last of many agency approvals was received in mid-2004. The project was constructed in two phases, with the first phase completed in mid-2007 and the second phase completed in late 2008. The total project cost of about $15 million was funded with local City funds and a number of Federal and State grants.

The Beach Trail has become extremely popular amenity and is enjoyed by walkers, joggers, and bicyclists. The trail and its beach access features provide protected routes to and along the coast from North Beach to Calafia Beach, making for a much safer and enjoyable experience for beach visitors.

Contributed by Tom Bonigut, P.E., Assistant City Engineer.

CITY OF SAN CLEMENTERAIL CORRIDOR PEDESTRIAN TRAIL PROJECT

Installation of beach access stairway landings.

Installation of the pedestrian underpass tunnel.

An elevated walkway bridge section being set in place.


Draw the path that best suits your goals.

41715 Enterprise Circle N, Suite 103Temecula, CA 92590

951.252.8028

EOE M/F/D/V

Leighton has immediate openings for registered professionals for geotechnical and environmental services. Forward your resume to

[email protected]

Irvine | Los Angeles | Temecula | Rancho Cucamonga | Palm Desert | Santa Clarita | Ventura | Bakersfield | San Diego

Leighton Consulting, Inc.

$6,277 - $8,831/monthly plus 5% Civil Engineer registration pay and City paid PERS 2.5% at 55 (formula effective 7/01/2010).

The scenic seaside community of Laguna Beach seeks a competent, team oriented professional for the position of Associate Engineer. This is a new position and is set to be filled March 1, 2009.

Reporting to the Assistant City Engineer, the Associate Engineer works independently in managing design consultants and construction contractors and is responsible for overseeing the design and construction of a variety of capital improvement projects, including streets, parks, sewer system, drainage, and other public facilities improvements.

Minimum Requirements: equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree with major course work in civil engineering or construction management plus four years (full time or cumulative part-time) of civil engineering experiencewith at least 3 years working on the design or administration of public works projects. Municipal agency related engineering experience and experience with AutoCAD and ArcView is highly desired.

License/Certificate Requirements: Current registration as a Civil Engineer in the State of California is required. Due to the performance of some field duties, which may require the operation of a personal or City vehicle, a valid California Driver’s license and an acceptable driving record are required.

Application/Resume Submission: Applications and accompanying resumes will be accepted until 5:00 p.m., Monday, January 19, 2009. Visit .lagunabeachcity.net to review detailed position and benefits information and to complete your online application and resume submission. City of Laguna Beach Personnel Division, 505 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach, Ca 92651, (949) 497-0730.

City of Laguna BeachAssociate Engineer

City of Laguna BeachAssociate Engineer

$6,277 - $8,831/monthly plus 5% Civil Engineer registration pay and City paid PERS 2.5% at 55 (formula effective 7/01/2010).

The scenic seaside community of Laguna Beach seeks a competent, team oriented professional for the position of Associate Engineer. This is a new position and is set to be filled March 1, 2009.

Reporting to the Assistant City Engineer, the Associate Engineer works independently in managing design consultants and construction contractors and is responsible for overseeing the design and construction of a variety of capital improvement projects, including streets, parks, sewer system, drainage, and other public facilities improvements.

Minimum Requirements: equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree with major course work in civil engineering or construction management plus four years (full time or cumulative part-time) of civil engineering experience with at least 3 years working on the design or administration of public works projects. Municipal agency related engineering experience and experience with AutoCAD and ArcView is highly desired.

License/Certificate Requirements: Current registration as a Civil Engineer in the State of California is required. Due to the performance of some field duties, which may require the operation of a personal or City vehicle, a valid California Driver’s license and an acceptable driving record are required.

Application/Resume Submission: Applications and accompanying resumes will be accepted until 5:00 p.m., Monday, January 19, 2009. Visit www.lagunabeachcity.net to review detailed position and benefits information and to complete your online application and resume submission. City of Laguna Beach Personnel Division, 505 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach, Ca 92651, (949) 497-0730.


2008-2009 STUDENT ASSISTANCE FUND DONORS

YOUR BUSINESS CARD

HERE



Traffic, Civil and Electrical Consulting Engineers

LIN Consulting, Inc.

1432 Edinger Avenue, #230, Tustin, CA 92780-6293Tel (714) 258-8411 ext. 202 Fax (714) 258-8511

E-mail: [email protected]

Mohammad Qureshi, Ph.D.Senior Project Manager



Q U A L I T Y T R A N S P O R T A T I O N S O L U T I O N S Newport Beach Riverside 3991 macarthur boulevard, suite 310 11870 pierce street, suite 180 newport beach, ca 92660 riverside, ca 92505 Tel: 949.474.0809 tel: 951.854.8500

www.rkengineer.com / [email protected]

Transportation Planning Traffic Engineering & Design Environmental Engineering Parking Demand Studies

Providing innovative, timely and cost e�ectivesolutions to today’s design challenges throughpersonalized client service

www.RBF.com

PLANNING DESIGN CONSTRUC TION

14725 Alton Parkway, Irvine, CA 92618949.472.3505

O�ces located throughoutCalifornia, Arizona and Nevada

If not, please send your renewal along with $330 to:Ziad Mazboudi, Treasurer ASCE, OC Branch

1405 Warner Avenue, Tustin, CA 92780

HAVE YOU RENEWED YOUR BUSINESS CARD AD?


ADVERTISING RATES (Approximate number of mailings: 1500 per month)

Orange County BranchAMERICAN SOCIETYOF CIVIL ENGINEERS

1405 Warner AvenueTustin, CA 92780

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

1) BUSINESS CARD $330/year due in April2) OTHER ADVERTISEMENTS:

FULL PAGE $275/issue; 1/2 PAGE $220/issueminimum 1/4 PAGE $165.00/issue

3) FULL PAGE STUFFER (Non-commercial)Preprinted copies inserted: $220.00Printed one face plus insert: $275.00Printed two faces plus insert: $440.00

4) FULL SHEET COMMERCIALADVERTISEMENT00.594$)sedis owt ro enO(

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

Please contact Anh Ly, O.C. Branch Membership Chairman at 714-720-4868 or FAX: 714-938-0782 for application forms, change of address and additional information. Or for address

changes on-line go to www.asce.org/myprofile. E-Mail for member questions is [email protected]

Printed on recycled paper by

16277 Laguna Canyon Road, #DIrvine, CA 92618

949.788.0080www.karcherdigital.com

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSANTA ANA, CA.PERMIT NO. 251

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please send all advertisements (Except Business Card Ads) to theSecretary before the 10th of each month. Advertisements must

include pre-payment in order to be included in the newsletter. Please complete the Advertisement Request form at www.asceoc.org

Joshua Nelson, Secretary ASCE OC Branchc/o CNC Engineering, Inc.

255 N. Hacienda Blvd., #222City of Industry, CA 91744

[email protected]

Send Business Card Ads (with $300.00) to:Ziad Mazboudi, Treasurer ASCE, OC Branch

1405 Warner Avenue, Tustin, CA92780

Type of Membership and Annual Dues (National)Student: FreeAssociate Member: $50 year of baccalaureate degree and first after, then incremental increases to $205 over five yearsMember: $205 annually Affiliate: $205 annuallySection (Branch) Dues $45/year (1) National ASCE Student Membership is now FREE! Those who have chapters or clubs still must be a member of them before joining National. To join as a student, log onto www.asce.org/join. To renew as a student go to www.asce.org/renew. Students may also call 1-800-548-ASCE or email [email protected]. (2) Online membership renewal available, go to www.asce.org/renewal. You just need your member number, all e-payments must be made with a major credit card. An e-receipt is transmitted to the member upon completion of the transaction. (3) For non-members, dues for O.C.Branch Newsletter only $45/year.

(Effective January 2009)

asce oc january 09 newsletter

Documents

asce dues

dues payment

los angeles section

dues statement

dues current

branch news

los angeles section

pecontact asce