• Great Golfing and Networking in August!

    2023 CSA Golf Tournament

    Lake Tahoe Golf Course

    (Only 8 miles from Harveys Lake Tahoe Resort)

    Wednesday, August 2, 2023

    8:30 AM SHOTGUN START
    Registration to open May 17th!
    Registration includes:
    • Lunch
    • 2 drinks
    • 18 holes of play with cart and range balls

    You are going to love this Tournament and you are going to love this golf course!

    • Memorable Tee Prizes
    • Outstanding Sponsorship Opportunities

    THEN CLICK HERE TO JOIN US AT –> OUR CSA CONFERENCE!
    TO REGISTER FOR GOLF TOURNAMENT FOURSOMES, CORPORATE CHALLENGE, AND OTHER VALUE PACKAGES, YOU NEED TO DOWNLOAD THIS BROCHURE (PDF) and you can pay securely for everything online here!

    Would you like to make your golfing customers feel a part of YOUR team?
    Are you looking to reward yourself or your golfing employees with a day on the links by giving them the chance to bring home the bacon for the company?

    If you answered YES to any of these questions, the 2023 CSA Golf Tournament in Lake Tahoe is for YOU!

  • 2023 Annual Convention- Lake Tahoe

    2023 CSA Annual Convention & Education Conference

    Elevate your adventure at Harveys Lake Tahoe, the very first casino hotel built on the South Shore. Sample the fine dining and cocktails, try your hand at a popular table game, or explore the great outdoors. With stunning views of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Harveys gives you easy access to all-season thrills that Lake Tahoe has to offer.

    After three busy days of conference activities, take a dip in the year round heated outdoor pool, unwind and soak up some sun on a comfortable lounge chair, or take advantage of the modern, co-ed fitness facilities with stunning mountain views. As a hotel guest you’ll enjoy access to sauna, steam, and whirlpool facilities!

    Group Rate: $134.95/night (+tax) on Tues., Wed., & Thursday nights.
    $284.95/night (+ tax) on Friday.

    Note: The Group rate will be extended three days prior & three days following blocked dates. Group Rate Deadline: July 18, 2023 (based on Room Block Availability). Reserve today! Scan QR or visit: Reservation Link

    Exhibitors: Please download your copy of the Exhibitor Package here. Please note that separate registration has been developed for both of these, with Package and A-la-carte purchasing available. You can purchase Tabletop Booths online in our shop, but you must still submit your Exhibitor form to CSA.
    TO REGISTER FOR GOLF, YOU NEED TO DOWNLOAD THIS BROCHURE (PDF) or for individual registration, pay online here!

    Preliminary Schedule of Events

    Wednesday, August 2, 2023
    8:30 AM
    GOLF TOURNAMENT – Shot Gun Start – Click to learn  more or to Sponsor
    12:00 – 6:00 PM
    Convention Check-in
    4:00 – 6:00 PM
    CSA (2022-23) BOD Mtg.
    7:00 – 10:30 PM
    Golf Awards & Opening Convention Party

    Thursday, August 3, 2023
    8:00 – 10:00 AM
    Education Session #1 – “The Generation Map
    This special keynote address from Whitney Klinkenborg, Marketing Director, Gemini, will drill down into what your sign industry BUYERS and HIRES are expecting – by generation! Not only will you hear the fascinating results of latest surveys, but you will also discover how to work with the changing communication styles and needs of the marketplace more effectively. This keynote is your GPS to navigate through changing demographics of the signage industry!
    About Our Presenter: Whitney Klinkenborg
    Whitney Klinkenborg joined the Gemini Marketing team in 2021. Since then, the team has grown from 3 individuals to 9. Prior to Gemini, Whitney spent 11 years with Pella Corporation in a variety of Marketing and Sales roles. She resides in the Minneapolis area with her husband, two children and golden retriever.

    She loves to travel, exercise and spend as much time outside as possible, preferably hiking or biking. Also, she can never say no to a good glass of red wine. Whitney’s marketing experiences include product management and marketing, B2C acquisition, B2B, digital, internal agency management and opening/leading a luxury showroom in the Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago.

    10:15 – 11:15 AM
    2023 CSA Annual Meeting & State of the Association Luncheon
    Slate of the 2023-24 Board of Directors and Officers for membership vote
    11:30 – 12:30
    Exhibit Hall Open
    1:00 – 4:30 PM
    President’s Reception
    6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
    Banquet
    7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
    California Sign Industry Awards
    Installation of Officers
    Live and Silent Auctions
    $10,000 Drawing

    Friday, August 4, 2023
    7:30 AM Breakfast
    8:00 – 9:30 AM
    Education Session #2 – “To Engineer is Human”
    In this fun, enlightening, and sometimes shocking presentation, Mike Sullaway, PE, will show us The Role of Failure in Successful Design, a presentation based on the book by Henry Petroski. The infamous failures that do occur are ultimately failures of design, and of course can be quite heartbreaking. But the lessons learned from these failures sometimes can do more to advance the knowledge of engineering than any education can provide. These failures inevitably lead to greater design successes. This presentation will cover a few of those catastrophes and some of the hard lessons that have been derived!

    9:45 – 11:45 AM
    2023-24 CSA Board of Directors Meeting

    12:00 – ??    — Lake Tahoe Attraction (includes lunch)

  • The Clock is Ticking Again on LA Deadlines

    All Deadlines Prescribed in the Los Angeles Municipal Code to Restart

    Effective February 28, 2023, in accordance with the end of the State of California COVID-19 emergency declaration (per order of March 21, 2020 by the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles under the provisions of the Los Angeles Administrative Code) all previously tolled and suspended permit applications, plan checks and other municipal approvals and deadlines have expired. Thus, the Tolling Period is defined as March 21, 2020 through February 28, 2023. When the time to meet a deadline is “tolled”, it means that the time to meet the deadline has been stopped. Continue Reading

  • The Great Fishing Trip August 12, 2023!

    Back for the 21st voyage off the coast of Dana Point, Captain Neal Tibbs and 44 lucky fishermen, women & children will set sail early, early Saturday, August 12th! This event sells out every year, so be sure to MARK YOUR CALENDAR & book early! This is an all-day cruise launching at 5:00 am (please check-in by 4:30 am) out of Dana Point Harbor and returning around 5:00 pm that afternoon.

    We are almost sold out! Click “PURCHASE” link above today!

    The boat could hold 60, but we limit the total number of guests to 45 give everyone plenty of room to stretch out.

    For more information about the fishing, call Call Neal Tibbs at (209) 603-0629. For information about registration, call CSA at (916) 932-0021 or email cflahive@calsign.org.

    • License, equipment, food, drink or fish cleaning is NOT included in your registration fee.
    • Additional fishing details and information (parking instructions, licensing, equipment, food, etc) to follow at a later date via email notification. Please make sure to have at least one email address listed for your party in order to be included in our follow-up notices.

    Saturday, August 12, 2023 – Sailing on the Clemente
    Check-in at 4:30 am, boat departs at 5:00 am sharp!
    Dana Wharf Sportfishing in Dana Point Harbor
    34675 Golden Lantern, Dana Point, CA

    Return approximately 5:00 PM.

  • WSSC Networking Hospitality Event 2023

    Welcome all WSSC Affiliates! CSA Members are invited to join the other WSSC Affiliates for a Networking Mixer! The Western States Sign Council HOSPITALITY EVENT is scheduled at the ISA Expo, Thursday evening – April 13th. Affiliates invited to this event include; Arizona Sign Association, California Sign Association, Colorado Sign Association, Nevada Sign Association, Northwest Sign Council, and Utah Sign Association.

    Join fellow industry professionals at at hospitality event hosted by Western States Sign Council! This event will run from 5:00 – 8:00 PM in the WSSC Suite at Mandalay Bay. Bring your colleagues and significant others for drinks and hors d’oeuvres! RSVP and Sponsor today! Sponsorships will support the association you choose. Registration is free, but please register!
    Platinum Sponsor: $500
    Gold Sponsor: $250
    Silver Sponsor: $150

  • CEC Forms Update!

    Recent changes were made to Title 24 and the forms utilized when securing sign permits in California. Implementation of the reporting forms now includes your ability to complete the form online, OR you can download the PDF versions and complete and submit. These PDF forms are now approved for submittals. As noted during the March-2023 NorCal and SoCal CSA Dinner Mtgs., at the request of several CSA sign company members, we entered into discussions with the California Energy Commission (CEC) regarding providing the CEC-NRCC-LTS and CEC-NRCI-LTS 2022 forms in PDF format.

    We are pleased to report the request has been granted for PDF forms; those forms are available NOW at:
    https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/building-energy-efficiency-standards/2022-building-energy-efficiency-5

    This will take you to 2022 Supporting Documents – Forms – Nonresidential. Click on Lighting Category, then to NRCC (Certificates of Compliance), and if necessary NRCI (Certificate of Installation).

  • Military Ops, Secret Phone Lines, and a Sign

    “Fabrication, installation, and maintaining of community ID signs are an integral part of the sign industry and the “Hillcrest Sign” in San Diego is no exception. CSA member companies have played a part of this landmark’s history, most recently with YESCO, retrofitting the San Diego neon sign with changing LEDs. The sign, built in the 1940s for the Hillcrest neighborhood, celebrated Mardi Gras in green and yellow. It now has 16 million color options.” 

    As one of the owners of Pacific Sign Construction Inc. in 1984, we were asked to be part of the ID Sign retrofitting team. (Roy Flahive, 1984, pictured right.) Little did we know it would become an international incident… well, almost! With my then partners John Walker and Larry Russ, we accepted responsibility for the installation of the iconic sign, with new steel columns, larger deeper footings, stronger support cables, etc.; all volunteer work, no compensation whatsoever. After securing the building permit for the project and having the locations for the new concrete footings reviewed and approved by all underground locating services, (indicating it was all clear to have Anderson Drilling dig both new footings), two days later, I received a call from the President of the Hillcrest Association, indicating there was a problem with the digging operation. My response was, Anderson was one of the largest excavating companies in the state and they could handle any problem that might have arisen. His response was, “The US Marine Major, who is on site with armed guards posted at one of the new footings, wants the owner of the sign company holding the installation permit present at the job site immediately!”

    The US Marine Major, who is on site with armed guards posted at one of the new footings, wants the owner of the sign company holding the installation permit present at the job site immediately!

    Needless to say, I arrived on site ASAP where I was confronted by a very angry Marine Major asking me if we were attempting to break into the National Defense Telephone System, under guise as a sign installation project. Once informed of the true scope of this project, along with the fact that all our work was being donated to this community ID sign restoration project, cooler heads prevailed. Only then did the Major inform me that, located in the bottom of the new footing hole, there was a very old style Red-Tile electrical conduit, which housed the Very Top Secret phone lines for all the military bases in the greater San Diego area!

    When the auger drill bit bumped the conduit, alarms went off at 11th Fleet Naval Headquarters located in downtown San Diego. I was ordered not to share this with anybody other than my two partners (which meant, all the other companies donating their services to this project unfairly thought we were a weak link). The marines stood guard at the site, 24hrs a day for several days, until all reviews and testing had been completed and the phone service was once again ruled, Top Secret Compliant, and the concrete and new steel column had been poured in place. Needless to say, that installation has been a great story – “you ought to hear about this installation!

    History in Brief: Taken down for “refurbishment” in 1984, relit at 8pm on 8/16/84. Later, Repainted in July – 2003; Repainted August – 2009 for 25th anniversary rededication; August-2011, sign was lowered for removal and retrofitted with LED technology and refurbished.

    I can now share this information, because all those Secrete phone lines have been replaced with secure satellite communication capabilities.

  • Hybrid Virtual Meetings for LA City Planners

    In accordance with Mayor Bass’s Revised COVID-19 City Updates Memo, Brown Act bodies will resume meeting in person as of March 1. As City Planning staff noted important growth and depth of participation once they began virtual meetings, City Planning will conduct meetings in a hybrid format that preserves the option for remote participation for public comments. Commissioners and board members will attend in person, as will applicants, appellants, and staff members.

    City Planning’s Brown Act bodies comprise nine commissions (the City Planning Commission (CPC), the Cultural Heritage Commission, and seven area planning commissions), 21 Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) boards, 12 design review boards, and one plan review board. Of these bodies, only CPC will meet in the City Council chambers in Downtown and Van Nuys, which are outfitted with specialized audiovisual equipment.

    While the meetings of the area planning commissions, design review boards, CPC, and HPOZ boards will adopt a hybrid model, please note that the Office of Zoning Administration, hearing officer, and subdivision public hearings will remain fully virtual.

    Read More: Commissions, Boards and Hearings

     

     

     

  • In Memoriam: Gene Owens

    Gene H. Owens July 21, 1957 – February 10, 2023
    It is with heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of Gene Owens on February 10, 23. Gene spent the last week of his life in the hospital surrounded by family, and passed away peacefully.

    Gene served on the CSA Board of Directors from September of 2016 through August of 2021. His board seat opened when he took retirement from United Sign Systems in Modesto, CA, where he had worked for many years. Prior to this, he worked at Sign Designs in Modesto.

    Please keep Gene, his family, and his friends in your thoughts and prayers. For those of you who are interested and available to attend Gene’s Celebration of Life, it will be held at 11:00 AM on March 4th, 2023 at the Shelter Cove Community Church, 4242 Coffee Road, Modesto, CA. The Celebration of Life begins at 11:00 AM and is followed by a luncheon. Click here for his full obituary.

     

     

     

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    Meeting & SoCal Dinner Gathering Recap

    January 12th, the CSA Board of Directors met in Rancho Cucamonga, for a regularly scheduled board meeting. Many board members plus Jeff Aran, CSA Legal Counsel, Executive Director Roy Flahive, and Director of Member Services Cheryl Flahive were in attendance. The subject matter addressed at the meeting included Committee Reports, Membership Growth, and excitement over the recent developments with CSA’s Sign Training & Education Program Series “STEPS.”

    Following the Board Meeting, and a brief recess with cold drinks in hand, thirty-five people sat down for a wonderful Italian dinner and networking at the Old Spaghetti Factory. The room was buzzing as all those in attendance enjoyed the comradery of fellow industry movers and shakers. Then attendees listened carefully as they were brought up-to-speed on the pending lawsuit pertaining to site plan services. Factors addressed were whether the plans are done in-house or through outsourcing, presented by Roy Flahive and Jeff Aran. In addition to receiving information on the site plan situation, legal and legislative topics were discussed, and updates to upcoming calendar events were outlined.