PUBLIC NOTICES
**** Caltrans Public Information Meeting Announcement ****
Pursuant to Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) § 26.45, on August 1, 2007, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) submitted for approval its Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Overall Annual Goal and Methodology to Federal Highway Administration. The submittal identified an overall annual DBE goal of 13.5 percent to be achieved in equal proportion between race-neutral/conscious measures; and further requested a waiver to implement race-conscious goals of limited application to four identified groups: African Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, Women, and Native American businesses.
Caltrans anticipates receiving a letter of approval on the submittal in the next 30 days from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Pending approval, Caltrans will hold eight public information meetings throughout the State from August 18-20, 2008. The purpose of the public information meetings is to present the Caltrans plan to implement race-conscious contract goals of limited application to the four identified groups.
The schedule of the meetings is as follows:
Monday, August 18, 2008
Sacramento: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM, 1823 14th Street, Room 207
Contact Tiffani Alvidrez at (916) 324-0453
Fresno: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM, 2015 E. Shields, Suite 100, Sequoia Room 127
Contact Morris Caudle at (559) 444-2585
Stockton: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM, 1976 E. Charter Way, Room 56/71
Contact Lauren Pulido at (209) 948-7668
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Oakland: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 111 Grand Avenue, CPR Room
Contact George Crosby at (510) 286-7030
Los Angeles: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 100 S. Main Street, First Floor Main Auditorium
Contact Otis Jackson at (213) 897-7563
Redding: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 4300 Caterpillar Road, Training Room
Contact Betty Harnden at (530) 229-0561
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
San Diego: 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM, 4050 Taylor Street, Garcia Room
Contact Cherri Shur at (619) 688-3151
San Bernardino: 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM, 655 West 2nd Street, Room 103
Contact Rhody Soria at (909) 383-4285
If you have questions, please contact Tiffani Alvidrez, DBE Program Coordinator, Civil Rights, at (916) 324-0453.
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****Statewide Availability and Disparity Study Final Report is available here****
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced an overall proposed DBE participation goal of 13.5 percent for federal Fiscal Year 2008/2009 for Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) funded projects and 4 percent for Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funded projects. Until Caltrans receives FHWA concurrence regarding its proposed goal, Caltrans will continue to administer a wholly race-neutral DBE Program, with enhanced measures.
The goal and methodology is available on the Caltrans Civil Rights website at www.dot.ca.gov and at the Caltrans Office of Civil Rights, located at 1823 14th Street, Sacramento, California.
Caltrans commissioned a Disparity Study and the information in the study was used to establish the overall goal. The study is available here.
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**** Fraudulent US DOT Letter Requesting DBEs’ Bank Information ****
– DO NOT RESPOND -
The California Unified Certification Program (CUCP) issues the following warning to all certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms:
DO NOT RESPOND to a letter purported to be from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) requesting Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms provide financial information on a release form, in order “to be eligible for procurement with the US Department of Transportation.”
According to a top-ranking representative of the DOT’s External Policy & Program Development Division, this fraudulent letter has been received by DBEs nationwide over the past year. The DOT does not require firms to prove such information for eligibility purposes.
If you have questions or have already responded to the fraudulent request, please contact your local office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Cordially,
Patricia A. Wright
Chair, California Unified Certification Program (2007)
The following is a sample text of the FRAUDULENT letter printed on DOT letterhead:
“Dear Sirs,
Our records show that you are currently registered as a prospective contractor for procurements issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation. However, after reviewing your record we have noticed that you have not submitted your financial information release form.
Your financial institution’s privacy policy may not allow it to release your financial information even to government institutions without your consent; therefore we must have such form on file before we can move on with any procurement decisions.
In August 2007, the procurement plan for the first semester of 2008 will be finalized. To be eligible for procurement with the U.S. Department of Transportation, you must submit the abovementioned form to us by fax at 202-330-5749….
Sincerely,
George Mason,
Senior Procurement Officer”
For a list of other fraudulent letters printed on DOT letterhead, please visit USDOT here: http://www.dot.gov/ost/m60/fraudulent_letters.htm
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Past Announcements
To view the California Department of Transportation frequently asked questions (FAQs) about its DBE Program, please click here.