Congratulations to CRA’s most recent Rental Services Industry Foundation (RSIF) scholarship recipients ? Rebecca Antill, Robert Arbon, Reagan Gessel, Allison Holm, Morgen Hutchison, Cale Phares, Michelle Weitz! Shown from left to right are: Rebecca Antill, Reagan Gessel, Robert Arbon and Allison Holm.

General information (provided by the CalChamber Alert newsletter) concerning the new rule banning retaliatory drug testing is listed, as well as information as to how the new rule applies to the rental industry (provided by Peter Sloan, CRA's Employee Relations Counsel) is presented in this article.

To CRA Members,
It is with my deepest regret that I inform you of the passing of Jack McGinnis on August 1, 2018, after a long illness. Jack was born on November 4th, 1952, in Pasadena, California, and is survived by his son, Andrew McGinnis. Jack's start in the rental industry was with Multiquip in the 1980s, where he stayed until 1994. He went into business for himself, starting Meridian Pacific in 1996. Jack was a CRA Member since 1997 and was a strong supporter of CRA, actively recruiting new members. He represented several CRA Associate Members at CRA tradeshows. He served as president of Greater LA/Orange Territory from July 2006 to September 2016, and we have Jack to thank for organizing the many GLAO holiday parties held at Clearman’s North Woods Inn.

Rental Centers are advised that their GPS tracking may not be lawful and indeed violative of both privacy and the California Penal Code. Specifically, California Penal Code Section 637.7 provides that "monitoring" may raise serious issues with regard to California’s constitutional rights to privacy. Knowledge of a person’s activities may be a violation of the California Constitution Right to Privacy, including details of personal life, including doctors’ visits, meetings with an attorney, and attendance of religious services, which would be disclosed to whomever monitors the GPS tracking device! Therefore, California Penal Code Section 637.7 prohibits any person or entity from using "an electronic tracking device" to determine the location or movement of a person via a vehicle or other movable device (e.g., cellphone). The law allows an exception for vehicles provided there is "written consent" to use of the electronic tracking device with respect to that vehicle.

CRA would like to offer best wishes to our former board member and former president as he runs for the ARA president position. Robert was on the Board for CRA from 2003 to 2012. Voting started August 1 and ends August 30. If you are an ARA member, please consider Robert for this important ARA position.

Employers are responsible for providing workplaces that are safe from excessive heat. Yet every year, thousands of workers become sick from exposure to heat, and some even die. Heat illnesses and deaths are preventable. The risk of heat-related illnesses and deaths increases during warm summer months; humidity increases the risk. Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related illness. It occurs when the body becomes unable to control its temperature: body temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. Body temperature may rise to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not provided.

CIAQC has been tracking the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment’s amended changes to the Prop 65 warning label language and requirements. CIAQC has printed the new Prop 65 Warning Labels to assist our members’ compliance efforts. If you would like to receive the new Prop 65 Warning Labels, please contact CIAQC or your Trade Association and request the numbers of labels you wish to receive. The Prop 65 Warning Label should be affixed to the any Portable, On-Road, Off-Road Equipment that emits Engine Exhaust. The label must be clearly visible to the operator of the equipment.

Bryan Bernardino, our new general manager will lead the JCB of Southern California Construction Division for Yale/Chase Equipment and Services, Inc. Bryan comes with an extensive background in the construction industry with over 24 years experience. He has worked for several well-known brands in the industry and brings much of his expertise and management skill sets to the team. Bryan will be a great asset in continuing our efforts in growing our JCB division and supplying our team with a competent and qualified leader.

ROTAIR Summer Stock-Up Sale! All models are in stock and ready to ship today. Pricing listed is good on in-stock units only while supplies last or until 8/31/18. Contact Chris Watson, 916-804-1500, meridiannorcal@aol.com or Adam Jonas, 916-307-8604, adam@meridianpacific.biz.

Custom Equipment, LLC has welcomed Dave Sluis as its Southeast U.S. territory manager. Sluis is focusing on continuing the growth and channel development of Hy-Brid Lifts, Custom Equipment’s line of lightweight low-level scissor lifts. Sluis has more than 12 years of experience in the industrial industry with the last four years focused in sales. Prior to joining Custom Equipment, he worked for LiftOne, a material handling and warehouse solutions provider in Charlotte, North Carolina. He also has worked for Southeast Industrial Equipment, a material handling equipment dealer. In addition to his industry experience, Sluis also brings strong leadership skills he gained as a Cavalry Scout in the U.S. Army where he participated in numerous projects to assist in the Army’s future.

Get in on the ground floor with Jenny Compressors?for the balance of the year, get the end-column pricing on any quantity of Jenny Compressors for opening a new account with Jenny. Jenny Compressors were once known as the premium portable compressors under the Emglo name. These high-performance, high-endurance, easy maintenance compressors will be well received and easily recognized for their signature quality and striking blue color. Stock is kept in Northern California at Meridian Pacific Sales, 1315 Vinci Ave., Sacramento, CA 95838. The California stocked price is end-column pricing plus back freight. Prices represented here are for machines set up with accessories in California inventory. Customers will be responsible for freight leaving our warehouse to your desired location. Drop shipments and or will call orders are acceptable. Please call in advance. Please call or email Mark at 916-781-9553 or email mark@meridianpacific.biz. Prices are only good for stock on hand.

Forecast crude oil prices reflect competing price risks. In the August 2018 update of its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts Brent crude oil prices to average $73 per barrel (b) in the second half of 2018 and decline to an average of $71/b in 2019 (Figure 1). Competing upside and downside price risks are expected to play a large role in price formation during the forecast period. Upside price risks stem largely from the possibility of supply outages when both petroleum inventories and spare crude oil production capacity for members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are lower than average. Downside price risks stem largely from potentially reduced demand because economic growth and resulting crude oil demand could be lower than forecast.

In a recent article, Joel Fox, editor and co-publisher of Fox and Hounds Daily, commented about California's DMV and the solution offered by the its director to the problem of the long lines and long wait customers have to endure to take care of their business: $26 million to hire 400 more employees. Fox suggested that DMV should first be audited to find out how their current money is being spent...

Thank you to all those who take time to participate in our surveys. CRA utilizes the information we gather to better serve you. If you have an idea for a survey for CRA members, please send your request to CRA at Info@CalRental.org. This month, we surveyed members about their after hour business phone calls.