Awards and Hall of Fame
Congratulations to the 2021-2022 CALBO Award Recipients!
It is with great pride that we announce the 2021-22 CALBO Awards Recipients. We are grateful for these CALBO Member contributions to the building-safety community.
Building Department of the Year -
City of San Diego
The City of San Diego Development Services Department (DSD) is
the 2021-2022 Building Department of the Year recognizing
outstanding work to the community. The global pandemic
offered many opportunities to highlight innovation, customer
service and progressive technology, and the City of San Diego
served as an exemplar within our profession.
Staying true to the mission to protect the safety of the public,
the San Diego’s DSD implemented a new online permitting system
that enabled online counter appointments and expanded virtual
inspections. Their coastal community was afforded
greater permitting efficiency while holding pace with local
development. Unparalleled to any time, the number of
online permit applications surpassed paper permits and the city
has no plans to return back to pre-pandemic
practices.
As the eighth largest city in the United States, San Diego is a
community to emulate. Serving a constituency of nearly
1.4 million people is not an easy task, but the city has found
innovative ways to ensure that America’s Finest City remains
such. Recognizing forward-thinking, crises management
and overall commitment to their community, please join CALBO in
celebrating the achievements of the City of San Diego’s
DSD. Congratulations, San Diego.
Building Official of the Year -
Gil Estrada, City of Cathedral City
Mr. Gil Estrada is the 2021-2022 Building Official of the
Year. Mr. Estrada currently serves as the Chief
Building Official for Cathedral City, a recent return to a
community he knows well.
Mr. Estrada is a 30-year veteran of the building industry and has
continually served and protected the best interests of the
public, his building department and those who visit his
jurisdiction. Well-known and regarded as a
collaborative and innovative leader, he continues to move our
profession in a productive direction through expanded
professional development, inventive strategies and a demonstrated
commitment to outreach.
Outside of his work in Cathedral City, Mr. Estrada has been
heavily engaged within the code professional
industries. He has served in all capacities for the
Coachella Valley Chapter of ICC, most recently as President as
the chapter was reactivated. He has been heavily
involved with the CALBO Training Institute (CTI) through his work
as an instructor and subject matter expert. His
continued efforts to further improve course material and topics
provides CALBO members with accelerated learning
opportunities. Achieving some of the highest student
ratings amongst his instructional peers, Mr. Estrada remains a
classroom favorite with his courses in routine
demand.
The CALBO community is extremely fortunate to have Mr. Estrada as
an active participant, and we are grateful for his contributions
to the next generation of building-safety professionals.
Congratulations, Gil!
Industry Achievement -
4LEAF, Inc.
4LEAF, Inc., is the recipient of the 2021-22 CALBO Industry
Achievement Award. For decades, 4LEAF, Inc., has
played a significant role within CALBO, as well as the building
industry as a whole, seeking to support and augment jurisdictions
from coast-to-coast.
Serving and promoting local government for over twenty years,
4LEAF, Inc. provides services that include construction
management, capital improvement program (CIP) inspections,
building and safety, fire resiliency, disaster recovery, program
management and environmental consulting. CALBO members
are no stranger to 4LEAF, Inc. or their services,
recognizing their dedication and administration of services to
diverse municipalities and jurisdictions.
4LEAF, Inc has been an exceptional partner to CALBO often asking
what more they can do to support the
organization. Their efforts to ensure funding,
educational opportunities and camaraderie at CALBO events all
highlight 4LEAF’s commitment to our profession, community and
members. With renown professionals and a strong
reputation for service, it is no wonder why 4LEAF, Inc was
selected as the recipient of the CALBO Industry Achievement
Award.
Congratulations, 4LEAF, Inc.
Hall of Fame -
Vic Peterson
Vic Peterson is the 2021-2022 CALBO Hall of Fame Award receipt.
Mr. Peterson has worked in the building-safety industry for over
forty years serving Southern California jurisdictions. He worked
at the City of Redondo Beach under CALBO past president Richard
Miyahara but spent most of his career working at the City of
Malibu. He served the Malibu community for over twenty years
until retiring in 2016 as the Environmental Services Department
Director. After retirement, Mr. Peterson has remained active
working at the City of West Hollywood, mentoring the Building
Official and assisting with building-department operations.
Within the CALBO community, Mr. Peterson has been an active
member and contributor, serving many roles over the years. Most
notably, he served as a CALBO Training Institute Commissioner,
during which he assisted in the development of the Building
Officials Leadership Academy (BOLA) and graduated as part of the
first BOLA class to assist in the evaluation process of the new
program. Vic has also served as a mentor to numerous BOLA
graduates and new Building Officials over his many decades of
service.
Mr. Peterson’s dedication to serving his community did not start
with building-safety. He is a Vietnam veteran and studied
Education and Special Education at Western Illinois University
after his military service.
The CALBO Community is extremely grateful for everything Victor
Peterson has contributed to our country, industry and membership
over the last forty years.
Course Development Merit Award -
California Energy Commission
The California Energy Commission (CEC) is the 2021-2022 recipient
of the CALBO Training Institute (CTI) Course Development Merit
award for their efforts ensuring CALBO members receive virtual
up-to-date Energy Code trainings for the 2019 and 2022 codes.
The CEC’s Outreach and Education Unit staff were the first CALBO
instructors to volunteer to teach live webinars when CTI launched
its first online training program at the start of the pandemic.
To date, CEC staff has taught nearly two dozen energy webinars
hosted by CTI. Their participation ensures building department
staff have access to the necessary trainings to earn CEUs to
renew certifications and uphold current energy standards as
building department services continue to be in high demand with
the increase of construction across California.
Not only do these CEC instructors develop their lectures, but
they also prepare other teaching materials, such as visuals and
poll questions, and participate in question and answer sessions
for students. Special recognition is given to the individual CEC
instructors who made these dynamic trainings possible: Amie
Brousseau, Chris Olvera and Javier Perez.
Because of its continued support of educational endeavors within
the building industry, interactive training materials and strong
student reviews, CTI awards the Course Development Merit Award to
the California Energy Commission.