Curt Taras (NPP-CA-7)
Curt Taras
Campaign links: Curt Taras (NPP-CA-7)
Curt Taras, No Party Preference, Congressional Candidate California District 7
Biography of Curt Taras from Curt Taras for Congress
EDUCATION
Masters of Civil Engineering – University of California, Davis 2000
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1994
LICENSURE Registered Professional Civil Engineer – California, Maryland, Virginia, DC, WV
PUBLIC AGENCY EXPERIENCE
Branch Chief, Supervising Engineer 2009 to Present
State of California, Resources Agency, Department Water Resources, Sacramento, CA
Promoted to Permitting and Enforcement Branch Chief for the California Central Valley Flood Protection Board. This position is responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the work of 2 sections and a staff of 10 engineers and a staff budget of $3.2 million. I am responsible for overseeing the design, permitting, and construction of encroachments and railroads within California’s water supply and flood control system. I also provide technical and policy support to a Governor appointed 7-member Board by giving technical presentations at public meetings and hearings. As a State official, I work with county and city governments to approve general development plans. In this position I work closely with Governor Appointees, local government officials, federal agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, along with technical consultants, stakeholders, and the public.
- Liaison to California’s High Speed Rail Authority for the planning and engineering of the rail alignment through the Central Valley
- Author of revisions to the California Code of Regulations that govern railroads, bridges, pipelines, and structures constructed within the State’s Floodplains.
- State official for bond funded levee construction totaling $5 billion.
- Administrator of over 18,000 permitted facilities including Union Pacific and BNSF
Section Chief, Senior Engineer 2008 to 2009
State of California, Resources Agency, Department Water Resources, Sacramento, CA
Promoted to the position of Section Chief for the California Department of Water Resources. Direct supervisor of a team of 3 staff engineers analyzing and evaluating the structural, hydraulic, hydrologic, and geotechnical impacts of proposed water supply, water treatment, conveyance, and flood control projects. Created and enacted new procedures and policies to enforce flood protection regulations and standards. Oversaw the review of plans and specifications submitted for water supply and flood control infrastructure. Inspected and certified construction of major infrastructure facilities including weirs, levees, pump stations, treatment facilities, pipelines, and channels.
Associate Civil Engineer (Capital Outlay Program) 2006 to 2008
State of California, Resources Agency, Department of Boating and Waterways, Sacramento, CA
Technical specialist for the Facility Design Division where I performed complex engineering work to plan, design, and manage the construction of marinas, harbors, and boat launch facilities. This included conducting topographic and hydrographic surveys, preparing engineering designs and cost estimates, analyzing construction materials, creating contract plans and specifications, and performing construction inspections. I served as both the technical designer and as project manager responsible for all aspects of project development from preliminary planning to as-built documentation. My projects were designed using my own capabilities and resources including surveying using GPS instruments, computerized hydraulic analysis, computerized structural analysis, and plan creation using AutoCAD Civil 3D.
- Sample Projects: Precast and cast-in-place concrete boat ramps and approaches, asphalt roadways, marina docks and dredging, concrete and steel piles, bulkheads, cofferdams, abutments, structural steel floating docks, and bank erosion revetments.
- Project locations: San Francisco Bay, Lake Tahoe, Sacramento River, San Joaquin River, Folsom Lake, and Clear Lake, California.
Water Resources Engineer 2001
State of California, Resources Agency, Department Water Resources, Sacramento, CA
Reviewed the design, construction, and repair of jurisdictional dams in California as the State’s technical representative. Performed field inspections and consultations with resident engineers and dam owners to ensure reservoir safety. Completed hydrologic, hydraulic, structural, environmental, and geo-technical studies for dams & reservoirs. Developed engineering solutions for dam infrastructure including retention structures, embankments, outlets, and spillways. Worked directly with dam owners, private consultants, and government agencies such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Army Corp of Engineers to resolve dam safety issues.
- Evaluated the spillway capacity of 24 existing dams using updated National Weather Service rainfall data to calculate increase of dam height or spillway capacity.
- Worked on the proposal to remove San Clemente Dam; a silt filled dam located on the Carmel River which does not meet seismic engineering standards
- Conducted annual inspections and wrote annual reports for 120 dams located in the Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, and Santa Cruz Mountains.
- Oversaw inspections of water distribution pipelines using remotely operated television cameras to ensure the integrity of water supply systems.
PRIVATE SECTOR EXPERIENCE
Chief, Civil Engineering and Inspections Branch 2001 to 2005
ENTREX Consulting Services, Washington, DC
Chief of engineering and inspections staff for a Washington DC based consulting firm. In this role I supervised staff designing major infrastructure projects including railroads, cell phone systems, towers, deep excavations, drilled shaft foundations, roads, retaining walls, and site grading. My railroad duties included designing cell phone stations for the Washington DC Metro train tunnels. This work created 3G network access underground and was integrated into train stations and railcars. I was also responsible for completing hurricane damage assessment of television broadcast towers in Miami and Orlando following natural disasters. This work involved climbing 2,000 foot tall steel towers and surveying concrete foundations to map and document hurricane damage to be repaired. My responsibilities also included leading a staff of engineers and technicians to design reinforcements, draft construction project plans, and write specifications. I was required to frequently present proposed engineering projects before government hearings, utility owners, and contractors concerning proposed utility development projects. As a result of my performance I was selected to be an associate member in the firm. Clients: Sprint PCS, AT&T, Nextel, Cingular, Hearst Broadcasting, US Dept. of Labor, Bechtel, Rohn Towers, American Tower, XM Radio.
- Jurisdictions that have approved my sealed engineering plans while in this position:
State of Maryland, State of Virginia, District of Columbia, West Virginia,
Montgomery County, Fairfax County, National Park Service, Harpers Ferry,
Prince Georges County, Arlington County, Charles County, Alexandria,
Anne Arundel County, Loudon County, Prince William County, Baltimore City
MILITARY EXPERIENCE
Civil Engineer Officer, Captain – Engineering Chief 1995-99
77th Civil Engineering Group, McClellan AFB, CA
First Assignment: 2nd Lieutenant, Design Engineer – Responsible for creating construction project plans and specifications for airport infrastructure projects. Attended the civil engineer officer course training in pavement repair, water treatment, wastewater treatment, utility operations, and various other practical engineering design principles at Wright Patterson AFB, OH. Established a solid reputation as a practical problem solver by completing numerous pavement, drainage, and utility projects, following the training.
Notable Projects:
- Transportation Terminal
- Multiple Runway and Taxiway Repairs
- Aircraft Repair Depot
Second Assignment: Promoted to 1st Lieutenant, Supervisor of a seven-person project management branch. Leader for a $4.1 million, 40 project annual construction program overseeing project assignment, scheduling, budgeting, and reporting. Recruited, trained, and appraised employees. Designed, estimated, managed, and inspected contracted USAF construction projects. Frequently briefed commanders on project planning and progress.
Notable Projects:
- Roadways and bridges, Base-wide
- Water Tower Improvements, Base Housing Area
- Water Distribution Network Installation, Camp Fleischman, Lassen, CA
- 1997 El Nino Emergency Flood Response, N. California Region
TRAINING State of California: Management Program, 80 hour Supervisor Course, Law 2012
Autodesk: AutoCAD Civil 3D Advanced Course 2007
UC Davis Graduate School of Management: Business Operations Coursework 2000
Bureau of Reclamation, Denver CO, Safety Evaluation of Existing Dams Course 2001
Air Force Institute of Technology, Dayton, OH 1995-98
Employee Supervisor Course
Airfield Pavements Design Course
Construction Contracting Course
Environmental Quality Data Analysis
SKILLS Computer:AutoCAD, Civil 3D, HEC-HMS Hydrology software, TR-55 Urban Hydrology Analysis, Visual Urban Hydrology Software, STADD Structural Analysis Program, ENERCALC, MS Office, MS Project, RS Means Costworks, SAP Management.
Safety: Fall Protection Trained Structure Climber, First Aid, CPR, Water Safety Instructor
Boating: Open Water Offshore Motorboat Operator Certification
Federal Security Clearance: Secret
AWARDS Entrex Associate Partner
AF Commendation Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Outstanding Unit Award
Longevity Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
PATENTS U.S. Patent 5,642,842; Issued 1 Jul 1997, Convertible in-line skate & shoe carrier
U.S. Patent 7,222,796; Issued 4 Aug 2005, Magnetic clip for identification card display on clothing
ENDEAVORS Folsom Youth Soccer Coach – 2008 to 2011
Big wall climbing ascent of Half Dome North Face and Nose of El Capitan, Yosemite CA – 2007
Kayak Descents – Tuolumne, Yuba, and American Rivers 1996 to 2010
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