Astani’s Downtown Towers Remain Tied Up In Red Tape
By Beige Luciano-Adams, Contributing Writer
In a particularly messy aftershock of the economic meltdown, a major Los Angeles development remains tangled in a regulatory battle that many say are costing the city much-needed jobs and tax revenue.
The Concerto, a 30-story condominium tower with a 7-story loft building, retail space and a one-acre park at the heart of downtown’s “Times Square West,” is the latest offering from long-time local Developer Sonny Astani.
An all-union project, Astani funded the Concerto with a $163 million construction loan from Chicago-based Corus
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With the private construction market still slow, LAUSD’s historic school construction program has been a crucial source of jobs for local craft union members. The $30 billion construction and modernization program is under a project stabilization...
Boston’s Emerson College Outpost Gets a Green Light With Building Trades’ Help 
Commissioners Approve Motion to Negotiate Pact With Building Trades
With more than 100 building trades members from virtually every trade packing the room, the LA Board of Harbor Commissioners approved a motion to begin negotiating a project labor agreement with the LA/OC Building Trades Council. The agreement could cover up to $2 billion worth of work in the harbor. The Port of LA is no stranger to project labor agreements. The port has had seven PLAs since 2002, starting with the construction of Pier 400. The board action means that port staff can now sit down engage in formal negotiations to hammer out a port-wide PLA rather than having to negotiate a new one for each project.
Congresswoman Harmon, Mayor Villagragosa Join Unions to Support ‘30/10’ Plan
With Building Trades members in desperate need of jobs and a county transportation system strangled by gridlock, Congresswoman Jane Harman and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joined craft union members and transportation officials for a press conference on May 17 to show support for a transit plan by the mayor that would radically accelerate Measure R mass transit initiatives already in the works.
Hundreds of Craft Workers Call on State, Feds to Release Stimulus Money and Move on 30 10 Plan
By Roy San Filippo, Staff Writer
Photos by Slobodan Dimitrov
Over 500 craft workers from the building trades took to the steps of Los Angeles City Hall on Apr. 14 to urge elected officials to get public works dollars flowing to the region’s many shovel-ready infrastructure projects. Craft workers urged the release of federal stimulus dollars being held up by Gov. Schwarzenegger in Sacramento and also sent a message to elected officials in Washington to approve LA Mayor Villaraigosa’s “30/10 Plan” which would accelerate use of Measure R infrastructure dollars by two decades.
Major Overhaul Slated for Historic Venice Beach Complex Promises Much-Needed Jobs
Still pending the last of a lengthy, multi-faceted legal struggle, owner-operator AIMCO is confident that the last stage of approvals and financing will go through for a proposed upgrade and construction project at its historic Lincoln Place Apartment complex in Venice Beach, CA.
$810 Million Project on Track for June Start
The Metropolitan Transit Authority board on Mar. 25 approved $810 million in funding for the extension of the Gold Line to the City of Azusa in the San Gabriel Valley. The decision was welcome news for craft workers, many of whom are struggling in an economic downturn that has severely impacted the construction industry with many crafts experiencing Depression-level unemployment rates.
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