Awards and Hall of Fame

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.