The City of Buena Park's adoption of a Community Workforce Agreement (CWA) for infrastructure projects, implemented under Mayor Connor Traut's leadership, has led to increased scrutiny regarding city construction costs and the bidding process. Critics contend that the policy leads to overcharging for construction projects and discriminates against a significant portion of local construction workers, thereby increasing project prices.
On March 8, 2022, the City Council approved the CWA between the City of Buena Park and the Los Angeles and Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council. The agreement has a five-year term and became effective on July 1, 2022. This CWA has been identified by critics as a form of Project Labor Agreement (PLA). The Mayor renamed the controversial "Project Labor Agreement" to a "Community Workforce Agreement," a move that critics suggested was intended to obscure the nature of the deal.
Concerns about the agreement's fiscal impact were voiced early. Eric Christen from the Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction wrote to Mayor Traut and Buena Park Councilmembers, asserting that the agreement would cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars until its expiration in 2027. Industry associations, including the Western Electrical Contractors Association and the Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction, had previously warned the city about the potential implications of a Project Labor Agreement for taxpayers. Local labor organizations posted on their website as recently as February 12, 2025, acknowledging Mayor Traut's leadership in the city's adoption of its first CWA for infrastructure projects.
In November 2023, the Buena Park City Council scheduled an "Update on the City’s Implementation of the Community Workforce Agreement." Prior to this, City staff had met with union representatives to review identified "challenges." The staff review indicated that the City has faced difficulties in receiving an adequate number of bids for some projects, particularly those requiring specialty work like pool or park improvements. Challenges also arose in soliciting professional services, such as geotechnical engineering and surveying, for CWA-mandated projects.
Specific project examples underscore these challenges. In April 2024, the City Council voted to reject all bids for the Smith Murphy Park and Carl Brenner Park Accessibility Improvement Project, which was recently renamed Friendship Park and Carl Brenner Park. Six bids received on March 28, 2024, ranged from $1,012,847 to $1,779,240. These bids significantly exceeded the project's allocated budget of $800,000, with the lowest qualified bid coming in 30% to over 120% above estimate, leading staff to recommend rejection and re-advertising.
Furthermore, in July 2024, another city project received only one bid. This bid was 59% over the engineer's estimate of $690,000, totaling $1,099,628, and the bidder was not qualified.
The ongoing challenges in securing sufficient and qualified bids, coupled with bids frequently exceeding budgetary estimates, are described in the staff's review as being mainly attributed to contractors' unwillingness to abide by the CWA. Critics maintain that such agreements can reduce the number of bidders and increase costs for taxpayers, potentially making it difficult for many local construction workers and contractors to work on city projects. The agreement is set to remain in effect until 2027.
