SB750 – Key Code Access for Locksmiths

The California legislature may soon be considering SB750, a bill that would allow some automobile manufacturers to refuse to provide key codes to locksmiths. Current law requires that locksmiths have access to such key codes in order to provide services to customers who lose keys, get locked out of vehicles, or are stranded and unable to obtain the services of a dealer.

Former CLA President John Brueggeman is working with other industry groups to educate lawmakers about the implications of this bill. He is particularly interested in getting stories of customers who were inconvenienced by their inability to obtain BMW keys in a timely manner from BMW dealerships. If you know of such stories or have customers who have experiences with lost keys who were unable to use the services of a locksmith due to the dealership’s refusal to release key codes, get in touch with John at Foothill Lock, Safe & Security Services, 267 Palo Verde Street, Greenfield, CA 93927, fax 866-899-3966.

The California Locksmiths Association supports all locksmiths in the state being able to obtain key codes from all automotive manufacturers in order to serve their customers.

From John Brueggeman:

For anyone who has information to share about their own experiences or customers’ experiences or lack thereof, with regard to the “German made” type of vehicles and getting key code / immobilizer codes, you can fax them to John Brueggeman, at 866-899-3966.  The more specifics that you can share will be greatly appreciated and will better illustrate the frustration that locksmiths encounter when trying to service the consumer / customer’s requests.

The California legislators are actually believing that consumers and the driving public are very agreeable “and have never complained” about getting replacement “emergency” or “lost keys” in “one business day.”

I am looking for specific details from locksmiths or customers / consumers who believe that having a choice of where, how, and how long to get a replacement key is a part of owning a vehicle and peace of mind for them and / or their family or loved ones.  Time is of the essence for collecting this information and presenting it to the legislators.

Thank you in advance for your help and time in this very important matter.

Unlicensed Locksmiths

The California Department of Consumer Affairs has gained the ability to cite persons who practice locksmithing without a license using an administrative citation. Similar to a traffic ticket, it levies specific fines for specific infractions.

The Bureau of Security and Investigative Services has enforcement staff to look into complaints about locksmiths who arrive at a job site without proper permits.

Citizens may file complaints with BSIS using this link:

https://app.dca.ca.gov/gencomplaint/gconline-sac.asp

Storefront Door Repair Class

January 28 – 10 AM to 1 PM

Northern California locksmiths are invited to Oakland’s Reed Brothers – 4430 Telegraph Avenue – for a three-hour class on door repair by Steve Goldstein.

$15 for members, $30 for non-members

Go to the Events Calendar to sign up NOW!

Also – check out the South LA Chapter meeting this Thursday, the 19th, 6:30 PM at Robert Skeels in Carson, CA – always fun and informative!

A Blast From The Past

It’s a new year – but today we’re bringing you a little nostalgia – a message from Past Presidents Rick and Gwen Rickman

“I was very surprised and delighted to receive an email from CLA announcing the new CLA Website. About time! I thought this would be an excellent vehicle to bring you up-to-date on two of your CLA Certified Past Presidents. Rick Rickman (1984-1985) and Gwen Rickman (1992-1994).

“Rick and I sold our locksmith business in 1996 and retired into State Service. We both went to work for the California Department of Corrections, where Rick continued to enjoy his trade of locksmithing, and Gwen started a new adventure as an Office Assistant working directly on maximum security yards with level IV convicts. Wow! To those who thought we dropped off the ends of the earth, we did, and fell into a world so different and unusual, that I wrote about it to family and friends over the years..

“Rick had to change his way of thinking. Instead of tending locks to keep the “bad guys” out, he had to tend the locks to keep the “bad guys” in.

“As an Office Assistant and then years later (2003) as an Office Technician (OT), I got to work directly with inmates, some of which you would “not want to meet”. I worked on the yards, witnessing some of the most atrocious acts man would commit to one another. I worked directly under several Captains, on several different yards, and then promoted to work as an OT in the Mental Health Department.

“Rick was disability retired due to a knee replacement, and I continued to work another three years before I too retired.

“To make a long story short, I was encouraged by both family and friends to continue writing about my adventures and misadventures. I compiled copies of all the letters I wrote over the years and made it into a documentary. However, this seemed so cold and impersonal, so I turned my documentary into a work of fiction, based on fact. My characters portray a chilling account of life inside the walls of a California prison.

“Rick has been a great help in both critiquing and supporting my efforts. I published my first book entitled “No Warning – No Mercy,” and had my first book signing recently in the prison town I retired from.

“My second book is still a work in progress and entitled: “Fractured Psyche.” It deals more with the mental capacity of some criminals in our penal system, and those who have not yet been captured.

“I would love hearing from some of my friends in CLA, and welcome emails to my author site (gwenbooks@frontier.com). I have not yet made a web page because I’ve been too busy writing novels. My books are available on the AuthorHouse bookstore website, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, and Amazon.com”

– Gwen Rickman, Past CLA President

Happy Holidays

A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy Hannukah to all our members and their families!

The Case for Catching the Scammers

NBC’s Today Show sets up a scammer sting. This report gives a clear description of the customer’s experience and shows why scammers have made all locksmiths seem untrustworthy.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/#45320607

Independent Contractors or Employees?

SB 459, recently signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown, affects how a licensed business may hire independent contractors in California.

Determining whether a person is an employee or an independent contractor can be confusing. The Department of Industrial Relations offers a helpful web page on “Independent Contractor vs Employee” that can guide employers in classifying their workers.

The new law prohibits businesses from “mischaracterizing” employees as independent contractors. Offenders may be fined from $5,000 to $15,000 for violating the law. A pattern of violation increases the fine to $10,000 to $25,000 for each violation in addition to other penalties or damages. Violators licensed by the Contractors State License Board are subject to disciplinary action by the CSLB once a finding has been made.

Employers are prohibited from charging fees or making any deductions from an independent contractor’s compensation for anything, “including for goods, materials, space rental, services, government licenses, repairs, equipment maintenance, or fines arising from the individual’s employment where any of the acts described in this paragraph would have violated the law if the individual had not been misclassified.”

Employees may work under an employer’s contractor’s license. Independent contractors must carry their own contractor’s license.