C10 license and a visit to the CEC [RE-wrenches]

[Bob-O Schultze, Electron Connection]

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Pat, Bill, and All,
I took my C10 test in 1991, so things may well have changed, but the 
test itself ain't no big deal. Do a two day license instruction school 
to learn the contractor law stuff and go for it. As to the 4000 hours, 
yes you need to prove that, but you can (or used to be able to) 
self-verify a lot of it. Wiring your own home, for example, counted. 
Probably still does. If I remember right, you need to have a mix of 
residential, commercial, etc., experiences to qualify to sit for the 
test. Since you have been legally (I assume) installing PV as a C46, 
all that should count. A huge pain to document, no doubt, but easier 
than being an apprentice again.
I agree with Don, Bill, and others that C46ers shouldn't get cut off 
from doing PV at this point. As and Bs, on the other hand, shouldn't 
have been allowed to do it in the first place, IMO, so no sympathy 
there. I would also agree that supplemental training and/or 
certification should be required for ANYBODY doing PV.  It just makes 
good sense. I like the 30KW cap for C46-and untrained C10s- for that 
matter, although if you get some legislator to push that, call it 
30KVA, not 30KW.
As someone who had to sit down with the IBEW and hash out a new license 
classification in OR, all I can say is that I survived it-and so did 
the license. IMO, that's what CA Wrenches should consider doing. Find 
the common ground and get on the same page as much as possible. What 
can that hurt? In the us vs them scenario, they've got more juice 
because they're ORGANIZED. For sure, the union sees electricity as 
their "turf" and non-union electricians as inferior. You'll have to 
stand up and point to where you've been and what you've done. On the 
other hand, Sparkies that have come through a union apprentice program 
ARE better trained than those of us who have not-generally speaking. 
Doesn't necessarily apply to PV at all, but most of what we do isn't PV 
specific anyway. Herding the electrons properly from point A to point B 
is 80% of the gig. The union training is very good in that regard, so 
you have to give the devil his due.
Frankly, I think that CalSeia was -and is- far too compromised to 
either have avoided this with a pro-active negotiation /training 
stance, or to adopt one in the negotiations now. The manus and 
distributors in that group preferred and probably still prefer to have 
LOTS and LOTS of dealers. Bad move. It's now biting you in the ass. 
While most have now adopted a positive attitude toward training and 
certification, it sounds like the State-or at least this bill- is 
saying too little, too late. Bummer.
I wish y'all good luck with this. If I were you, I'd be phoning, 
knocking on doors, whatever to get the folks who have input to the bill 
to listen to reason. The worst thing you can do is nothing. For us in 
the north country, it's all moot anyway since we have never had a 
nickel from the CEC and aren't likely to get the first one anytime 
soon. All our RE is still off-grid, and nobody gives a damn about that, 
so...
In solidarity,
bob-O

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