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2025 Year in Review
2025 Year in Review
American Council of Engineering Companies of California
At a Glance Legislative Actions Policy Outreach Chapter Success Events & Programs Looking Ahead
At a Glance Legislative Actions Policy Outreach Chapter Success Events & Programs Looking Ahead

2025 at a Glance

December 15, 2025


2025 was a hallmark year for ACEC California—a year defined by impactful advocacy, regulatory stewardship, and an enduring commitment to our profession. After a successful career, Executive Director Brad Diede retires in December, and we welcome Tyler Munzing, our Director of Government Affairs for nearly seven years, to the helm. ACEC California looks ahead to building on our legislative momentum, expanding government alliances, and supporting our members with outstanding leadership and strategic vision. 

In 2025, ACEC California continued successful momentum on both the state and national levels. In California we started off the year with our largest and most well-attended Annual Conference and Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) program ever! Over 400 people were in attendance to witness the Intuit Dome, home of NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, win the Golden State Award, among the 55 other incredible projects honored. Importantly, together with our Scholarship Foundation, chapters, and national organization, approximately $200,000 to California students pursuing degrees in engineering and land surveying.

ACEC California 2025 EEA Golden State Award
Intuit Dome (Walter P Moore)

Pure Water Facility Engineering & Public Works Roadshow

Federal Efforts

Besides our strong focus on state matters, ACEC California also played a significant role at the federal level. Once again, we surpassed our federal PAC fundraising goals of $100,000, with the state of California raising over $110,000 of the nationwide goal of $1 million dollars. Here are some of our 2025 federal efforts:

ACEC California brought the Engineering & Public Works Roadshow to San Diego to spotlight one of the region’s Pure Water facilities. The Engineering and Public Works Roadshow travels the country to elevate the role of engineering in daily life, increase public awareness of infrastructure investment, and inspire future professionals. The Roadshow is building a national narrative around the value of infrastructure and the people who deliver it. 


ACEC California members and staff worked with National to assist with the passage of critical federal legislation that will promote job creation and innovation across the U.S. economy. The extension of the 2017 Tax Law this year will deliver critical certainty for American businesses. These are pro-growth policies that directly support investment, innovation, and workforce expansion, especially in the engineering sector. In addition, this legislation includes a long-sought provision by ACEC to permanently restore full deductibility of R&D expenses for engineering firms. Engineering firms are in the innovation business, designing the next generation of American infrastructure, and it was critical to restore the tax code’s traditional role in incentivizing research and development.

ACEC achieved success over the past year in the federal advocacy arena, particularly in tax policy, with a core priority of helping the industry manage the disruption and uncertainty with the new administration. In 2025, ACEC rolled out multiple online seminars for the membership, individual Member Organizations and even firm briefings, to help them better understand and manage the impacts of funding and project disruptions. ACEC’s advocacy team also launched an online clearinghouse to organize and make available all of the White House executive actions impacting the engineering industry. 

ACEC California Congressional Reception in Washington D.C.

California Efforts

ACEC California continues to prioritize and promote the use of Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) in California. An important element of our QBS Program includes direct outreach to state and local agencies regarding their procurement process for professional services. This year, ACEC California staff has contacted nearly 20 agencies to seek addendums or policy changes for issued RFPs/RFQs to ensure compliance with QBS.

In addition, we took positions on dozens of bills, advocating for fair contracting, streamlining environmental review, and supporting investment in infrastructure and housing, while preventing harmful labor and regulatory proposals from moving forward. With multiple two-year bills still in play, ACEC California remains well-positioned to influence next year’s debates on project delivery, climate policy, and infrastructure funding. Keep reading for just a few of our many 2025 success stories!



Legislative Actions

  • Extended California’s Cap and Trade program (now Cap and Invest) through 2045 providing ongoing financial support to the High-Speed Rail project, electrical grid modernization and transmission funding, ratepayer protections, and wildfire funds to stabilize utilities (AB 825, AB 1207).
  • Sponsored legislation to combat the unlicensed practice of the design professions, which, while unsuccessful, prominently highlighted the issue before the legislative audience (AB 1341).
  • Thwarted an attempt to create a new private right of action undermining the 2024 Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) reforms (SB 310).
  • Advanced successful CEQA reform bills that collectively provide broad exemptions and streamlining for infill housing developments, disadvantaged community water systems, wildfire prevention, and much more (AB 130, SB 131).
  • Stopped a measure that would have pitted firms against one another and placed firms squarely in the middle of active hostilities between the State of California and the current federal administration (SB 247).
  • Expanding upon 2022 ACEC California sponsored legislation, capped the amount a project owner or client can withhold in retention on a contract for a private work of improvement to 5% (the cap previously applied to just public works projects) (SB 61).
  • Defeated a bill that would have required a firm in each year it receives $5M or more in state contracts, to conduct a several-hundred-thousand-dollar study on its climate emissions (SB 755).
  • Pushed to affirm that if a local transportation district already has the authority to levy transportation sales taxes, its voters also retain the constitutional right to propose such measures through the initiative process. Unfortunately, the bill was vetoed by the Governor (SB 512).

Keystone Success

AB 339 (Ortega)

ACEC California’s priority ‘kill’ bill for the year, AB 339 was purpose-designed to stifle public agencies’ ability to contract-out for services. This would have significantly delayed public works projects and could grind building permit processing, design, and construction of needed housing or other private works of improvement to a halt. ACEC California spearheaded, throughout the year, a large opposition coalition comprised of public agencies, nonprofits, and others in construction services. When it became apparent that others in the coalition were not adequately lobbying the bill and it was going to pass, the plan changed. ACEC California instead successfully forced an amendment and achieved a carve-out for all infrastructure – public and private – including related services and the construction and A&E industries as a whole. In the end, the Governor did sign AB 339, which will make agency contracting much more difficult, but fortunately not in our line of work.





ACEC California's planning committee and breakout session panelists at the 2025 APWA SoCal PWX Conference.

 

Regulatory/Policy Outreach

The Caltrans HQ Liaison Committee continues to work on a number of items with Caltrans. This year accomplishments, thanks to our long-standing working relationship with the department, include updating the safety language in construction management contract templates to ensure that consultant registered engineers are not legally responsible for contractor safety. Additionally, Caltrans now allows for years of relevant experience to be recognized in lieu of post-high school education for the Assistant Roadway Inspector and Assistant Office Engineer Technician classifications, allowing more options for selecting the best-fit consultant staff for Caltrans projects.

ACEC California was also very excited to present a Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) breakout session at the 2025 APWA SoCal PWX Conference in Carson! With great thanks to our panel of speakers, this session included discussion regarding the QBS statutes, process, and benefits. In addition, ACEC California also had a booth at the California Association of Public Procurement Officials’ (CAPPO) annual conference in Sacramento. We look forward to continuing our participation in similar events in 2026.

 




Celebrating Chapter Success in 2025

ACEC California chapters delivered outstanding results this year, strengthening member engagement and advancing the engineering profession statewide. Riverside-San Bernardino welcomed seven new member firms, awarded $24,000 in scholarships to 20 students, and raised over $9,700 for the ACEC Federal PAC, while also hosting monthly luncheons with agencies like SBCTA and Caltrans and engaging students at Cal Poly Pomona and Chino Hills High School. The San Diego Chapter organized impactful membership meetings featuring agency leaders from the Port of San Diego and advanced advocacy through Legislative Visit Day participation. Los Angeles County hosted high-profile panels on Alternative Delivery Methods and infrastructure planning for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, connecting members with decision-makers shaping major regional projects. The Sierra Chapter continued its tradition of strong networking and education with events like the November Dinner Meeting featuring El Dorado Irrigation District leadership, and East Bay fostered collaboration through joint events with Marin and Bay Bridge chapters while providing updates on critical transportation projects such as State Route 37 improvements. These achievements reflect the dedication of ACEC California chapters to advocacy, education, and community engagement, making 2025 a year of meaningful progress and growth.



Large Chapter

  • Membership Growth: Welcoming 7 new member firms and 141 FTEs, winning the Chapter Membership Drive for Large Chapters.
  • Industry Engagement: Hosting monthly luncheons with key agencies including SBCTA, Caltrans, Brightline West, and San Bernardino County Public Works.
  • Student Support: Awarding $24,000 in scholarships to 20 students and contributing $8,000 to the ACEC California Scholarship Foundation.
  • Legislative Advocacy: Participating in Legislative Visit Days in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., meeting with 10 legislative offices to advocate for industry-supportive policies.
  • PAC Fundraising: Organizing successful events that raised over $9,700 in support of the ACEC Federal PAC. The chapter met its PAC fundraising goal by an impressive 280%.
  • Community Outreach: Engaging students at Cal Poly Pomona and Chino Hills High School, and launching a Golf Academy for Emerging Leaders.
  • Communication Excellence: Maintaining an active website, LinkedIn presence with 575+ connections, and sending over 70 targeted email updates via Mailchimp.


Medium Chapter

  • QBS: The chapter continued its commitment to Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) with Kim Goodrich as Chair and Mike Cooper providing mentorship. A new committee leader from a procurement-focused firm joined, ensuring continuity and credibility in agency engagement.
  • Industry Promotion: The East Bay Chapter hosted several successful events with public agencies, including luncheons featuring speakers from East Bay Regional Park District, California High-Speed Rail Authority, and the City of Oakland. They ended the year with a free Member Mixer and 30-Year Anniversary Celebration, strengthening industry relationships.
  • Public Awareness and Scholarships: Member firms were promoted through events and online platforms. The chapter set a goal to award up to $20,000 in scholarships and contributed $3,000 to the statewide ACEC California Scholarship Foundation. Leadership was enhanced by Mariam Virani’s return as Scholarship Chair, supported by State Trustee Mike Jaeger. 
  • Legislative Advocacy: Chapter officers participated in Legislative Visit Day (LVD) and supported Assemblymember Tim Grayson through a local fundraiser. A joint PAC event raised $2,800, helping them reach 70% of their fundraising goal.
  • Membership Growth and Communication: The chapter continues to connect with members through email announcements, an independent website for new and resources, and an active LinkedIn page that shares updates and event highlights. The chapter committed in 2024 to building stronger relationships with surrounding chapters, including Bay Bridge, Marin, & Sierra. These partnerships allowed them to co-host events, share resources, and broaden the collective reach. The East Bay Chapter has embraced their role as a model within ACEC California chapters, providing guidance on programming, communications, and governance. 
     


Small Chapter

  • QBS: The chapter has been actively tracking Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) issues in the region. 
  • Scholarship: Contributing to the ACEC California Scholarship Foundation through raffle donations and direct contributions. 
  • Legislative Advocacy: Participating in the 2025 Legislative Visit Day (LVD), meeting with three legislators. Also held a joint member meeting with Assemblymember Damon Connolly. 
  • Membership Engagement: Organizing monthly membership luncheon meetings with complimentary lunch to encourage attendance. Guest speakers included Chief Engineer Bill Gamlen of Sonoma Marin Area Rapid Transit (SMART)





Looking Ahead to 2026

As ACEC California reflects on an exceptional year, we are proud of the progress achieved and focused on the opportunities ahead. 2026 will usher in a significant leadership transition as we bid farewell to Executive Director Brad Diede and welcome Tyler Munzing, formerly Director of Government Affairs, as our new Executive Director.

To further strengthen our advocacy efforts, Voleck Taing will be promoted to Director of Government Affairs, and long-time staff member Gaby Cervantes will be promoted to Government Affairs Advocate. These key promotions ensure ACEC California remains a strong and effective voice for the engineering and land surveying professions. Read the annoucment.

The 2026 Annual Conference and Engineering Excellence Awards Banquet will take place February 18-19 at the Disneyland Hotel. The program will include client-led panels on topics such as Women in Engineering, The Games, Progressive Design-Build and Alternative Delivery, among others. In addition to our firm roundtables, we have introduced a dedicated Young Professionals/Emerging Leaders roundtable to broaden engagement opportunities. The 2026 Engineering Excellence Awards Banquet will recognize 63 projects, setting another record for the program. Registration for the Annual Conference and EEA Banquet is open. 

The coming year will also mark a historic milestone for the Scholarship Foundation, which will award $100,000—the largest amount in ACEC California history—to support future engineers & land surveyors. The deadline to apply for a 2026 scholarship is March 13, 2026. 

Our 2026 Legislative Visit Day will be held on May 20, 2026, at the Citizen Hotel in Sacramento. This event brings members together to advocate for policies that strengthen the engineering and land surveying professions. Participants will meet with legislators and agency leaders to discuss key issues impacting our industry. 

Finally, in 2025 ACEC California launched strategic planning initiatives to define a bold five-year vision centered on growth, member value, and industry leadership. In 2026, we will begin implementing this strategic plan to turn that vision into action.