Posted on 03/18/2005 2:07:27 PM PST by NormsRevenge
The contractors came by the dozens to the two San Jose houses, offering up estimates for painting, kitchen remodeling and landscaping. But the homeowners who welcomed their bids weren't who they appeared to be.
They really were investigators for the state's contractors licensing board, carrying out an undercover sting this week -- a sting that nabbed 59 unlicensed builders.
Those nabbed by the ruse were given criminal citations that could land them in jail for a maximum of six months, or they could be ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. A first offense for being unlicensed usually draws two years of court probation and a $500 fine, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.
--snip--
Those who don't get licensed typically say they want to avoid paying income taxes, workers' compensation insurance and bonding fees, says Patrick Halvorsen, an investigator with the Contractors State License Board, which joined the DA's office and three other agencies in the sting operation. Others say they don't want the hassle of taking California's required contractor's test, or language barriers get in the way.
Many of those nabbed in the sting this week are immigrants who may have language problems, Halvorsen said. But, he added, that's not an excuse to avoid taking the contractor's test. The state provides interpreters for those who struggle with English.
Unlicensed contractors get hit with fines and possible jail time, but it's consumers who get hit harder by substandard and illegal work that can cost thousands more to repair, or by having a builder abandon a half-finished home remodel, Halvorsen says. And, because unlicensed builders don't have bonds to insure them against worker injuries or other problems on the job, homeowners usually end up footing the bill.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Of course. Some the biggest slimeballs I knew had the government seal of approval.
I was able to force him to comply with my demands.
Beware of roofers who speak fluent Engrish.
I have done "illegal" work on my home as an owner/contractor without permits, sometimes using day laborer help (not illegal immigrants, though), and ALL the work I did was beyond code.
The work I did would have cost double had I gone through proper channels. I'm not saying I am wrong or right in what I've done-- but it just comes down to what I can afford, and the knowledge that I can do it as good or better than a licensed contractor.
I have a better idea,
The License should be optional and the customer has a choice between a Contractor that is Licensed or not Licensed.
Lawyers do it now with their "Certified" or "Not Certified"
Dang it, ya beat me to it.
I thought you knew: Big Stupid Government owns us. Even the Republican Party completely agrees with that now.
Then I'll say it - you are right. It's your property. Screw the government parasites.
The Contractors State License Board is the most worthless entity in the state...well over than the board that regulates barbers/hairstylist.
You're preaching to the choir on this --- but you better put on your flame suit.
Those nabbed by the ruse were given criminal citations that could land them in jail for a maximum of six months
So what are you in here for charles: Man I raped a bus full of nuns then set the bus on fire afterwords.
what are you in here for jonny jihad : I cut off a infedels head live on the internet
What are you in here for larry :I painted a kitchen cabinet and then planted a tree outside afterwords without the goverments permission slip
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.
"What are you in here for larry :I painted a kitchen cabinet and then planted a tree outside afterwords without the goverments permission slip"
And throw away the key!
but it's consumers who get hit harder
---
Complete BS! The consumers get hit hardest when they are forced to pay higher fees cuz of the hurtful and useless government regulations.
"Kids, this-piece-of-paper's-got-47-words-37-sentences-58-words-we-wanna- know-details-of-the-crime-time-of-the-crime-and-any-other-kind-of-thing- you-gotta-say-pertaining-to-and-about-the-crime-I-want-to-know-arresting- officer's-name-and-any-other-kind-of-thing-you-gotta-say", and talked for forty-five minutes and nobody understood a word that he said, but we had fun filling out the forms and playing with the pencils on the bench there, and I filled out the massacre with the four part harmony, and wrote it down there, just like it was, and everything was fine and I put down the pencil, and I turned over the piece of paper, and there, there on the other side, in the middle of the other side, away from everything else on the other side, in parentheses, capital letters, quotated, read the following words:
("KID, HAVE YOU REHABILITATED YOURSELF?")
I went over to the sargent, said, "Sargeant, you got a lot a damn gall to ask me if I've rehabilitated myself, I mean, I mean, I mean that just, I'm sittin' here on the bench, I mean I'm sittin here on the Group W bench 'cause you want to know if I'm moral enough join the army, burn women, kids, houses and villages after bein' a litterbug."(and contracting without a license) He looked at me and said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, and we're gonna send you fingerprints off to Washington."
I've seen many licensed wiremen who would have burned down the plant if I hadn't caught their mistakes before power was turned on.
All the state wants is the money, they don't give a rusty rat if the licensee knows his stuff or not.
Gotta disagree with you here, this is one of many steps necessary to curtail illegal immigration. We can't stop them all at the border if the lure of jobs here is too strong.
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