 Hello everyone, I'm Sean Boyd here in the Cal OES Newsroom. With me today is Rick Lopes, who is Chief of Public Affairs for the Contractor's State License Board. Rick, thanks for being here. You've got some important information for those wildfire survivors when it comes to contractors today. Yeah, now as the debris removal is well underway, you're really starting to think about what you can do to get your home rebuilt. The local officials, there's a lot going on there, a lot of people to help you. And that really is one of the key messages, is don't think you have to go this alone. There's a lot of agencies out there, including ours, the Contractor's State License Board, that have a lot of information to make sure you make the right choice when you hire a contractor to rebuild your home. And one of those important things that they need to look at out there in the field near their home and their property are signs like these. Yeah, we've had staff that have posted literally hundreds of signs in the different fire areas. And we want homeowners to be aware that there could be unlicensed or unscrupulous contractors that try to take advantage of you during this time. So we want you to take a breath and go through some important steps and do your homework before you hire anybody. So that's an important message for you. And the other message we have is for the unlicensed contractors who might think that they can make a fast buck by going into this area. Be aware that there are enhanced penalties because this is a declared disaster. If you get caught contracting without a license, you actually could face a felony charge. So we've got these signs posted throughout the fire areas as well. And the district attorneys in the different areas, the local law enforcement and the Contractor's Board, are going to be very aggressive in going after those contracting without a license. So if you do get caught, even as little as just soliciting a bid for a job, that can be charged as a felony, which is up to 16 months in jail and up to a $10,000 fine. So the message for you, if you're not licensed to be doing work in the disaster areas, is don't even think about it. This is really something you don't want to get caught. You don't want to end up in prison because of it. And soliciting can be as simple as handing out a business card or a flyer. That's exactly right. You say you can do it, you're acting like a contractor, you're going to go to jail. You're going to go to jail. You don't want that to happen. As a homeowner too, you want to make sure that you stick with a licensed contractor because in the long run, it'll mean less money, less legal problems. At least that's the thought. And a good quality job. And a good quality job as well. Web address? Web address is cslb.ca.gov. All right. Rick Lopes, appreciate you coming by. Thanks for having me. If you need more information, check out their website as well as oesnews.com.