SANTA MARIA: Thirty–one North Central Coast illegal
contractors are due in court in January, after they were cited in a sting
operation conducted by the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office, the
Sheriff’s Department and the California Contractors State License Board.
The unlicensed operators
listed in newspaper ads or on the Internet were contacted by the sting team
operating from a house in Santa Maria and asked to bid on a variety of home
improvement projects including landscaping, fencing, concrete work, roofing,
kitchen remodeling and painting.
By law, all contractors who
perform work that totals $500 or more, including labor and materials, must be
licensed by the CSLB, said Jeff Fredericks, an investigator for the D.A.’s
office who participated in the operation.
“The highest bid, I think,
was $50,000 to remodel the kitchen and that didn’t include appliances,”
Fredericks said.
He believed the lowest was
$2,000 for a paint job.
“A few people were way, way
overpriced. A lot of people were very, very low,” he said. “Some appeared to
have very established businesses and professional-looking business cards.”
When the suspects were asked
to produce contractor’s licenses and could not, they were arrested, handcuffed,
checked for outstanding warrants and then given citations. They came from as
far away as Atascadero and Los Osos in the north to Santa Barbara in the south.
“A lot of them were dumbfounded”
by the operation, Fredricks said, “some said ‘I knew this was a sting.’ ”
The illegal contractors were
also provided with packets with information about obtaining licenses and
referrals to those who could help them with the paperwork, Fredericks said.
First-time convictions for
contracting without a license carry a maximum of six months in jail or a $1,000
fine or both. After court-imposed penalty assessments, the first-time fine
could be as much as $3,300, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The CSLB recommends consumers hire only licensed
contractors and verify the license and ID through their automated phone system
1-800-321-CSLB (2752) or online at www.cslb.ca.gov. Consumers are also urged to
get three bids, check references and get a written contract. Check the
contractor’s license history, get Contractors’ Bonding, Workers Compensation
Insurance and personnel information.
Licensing provides for at
least minimum standards of experience, competency and business knowledge for a
contractor. In addition, anyone licensed by the CSLB first undergoes a complete
background check by the Department of Justice before being given a license.
The CSLB investigates more
than 20,000 complaints against contractors annually.
arrested, handcuffed,
checked for outstanding warrants and then given citations. They came from as
far away as Atascadero and Los Osos in the north to Santa Barbara in the south.
“A lot of them were
dumbfounded” by the operation, Fredricks said, “some said ‘I knew this was a
sting.’ ”
The illegal contractors were
also provided with packets with information about obtaining licenses and
referrals to those who could help them with the paperwork, Fredericks said.
First-time convictions for
contracting without a license carry a maximum of six months in jail or a $1,000
fine or both. After court-imposed penalty assessments, the first-time fine
could be as much as $3,300, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The CSLB recommends consumers hire only licensed
contractors and verify the license and ID through their automated phone system
1-800-321-CSLB (2752) or online at www.cslb.ca.gov. Consumers are also urged to
get three bids, check references and get a written contract. Check the
contractor’s license history, get Contractors’ Bonding, Workers Compensation
Insurance and personnel information.
Licensing provides for at
least minimum standards of experience, competency and business knowledge for a
contractor. In addition, anyone licensed by the CSLB first undergoes a complete
background check by the Department of Justice before being given a license.
The CSLB investigates more
than 20,000 complaints against contractors annually.