Carson Council changes ordinance

City adds regulation requiring contractors to disclose prior labor violations on some large projects

The City Council this week approved an amendment to Carson's municipal code requiring contractors seeking permits for certain large projects to disclose prior labor violations.

The ordinance, which aims “to protect human rights, workers' rights and eradicate labor exploitation,” is based on a recommendation from Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes, according to a city staff report.

Under this ordinance, contractors working or planning to work in the city must reveal any state or federal labor violations and associated penalties from the past five years when submitting their permit applications. This requirement pertains to projects involving either 20 or more residential units or commercial/industrial developments spanning 20,000 square feet or more.

The regulation applies to the main contractor and any subcontractors of the project. If the applicant can't provide a list of subcontractors and the other necessary information when applying for the permit, it must do so before starting any work allowed by the issued permit.

If the applicant doesn't provide all the required information, or fails to provide any updated details within 72 hours of being informed about changes after the permit is issued, it could face one or more of the following consequences: the city may tell the applicant to stop working by issuing a stop work order; the city may cancel the applicant's permit; and the applicant may have to pay a fine to the city.

The fine would be the same amount as the original permit fee, and it helps cover the city's costs