Engineering raises. (Politics).

For more than a decade, two statewide engineering groups have been bitter enemies. Professional Engineers in California Government, the union for state engineers, has been battling with the Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California, the group representing private sector engineers, over whether the state should contract out hundreds of millions of dollars in engineering work.

But now, both groups agree on one thing: the need for more money for state engineers.

To stem the departures from the Department of Transportation for more lucrative jobs, state Assemblyman Manny Diaz, D- San Jose, with the backing of PECG, authored AB 2853, which would raise the pay of state engineers to the level of engineers in local transit agencies.

The bill would raise the salary of the average state engineer to $73,000 from $65,000. Cost of the measure would range from $7 million to $82 million a year. The bill passed the Legislature and, late last week, was on Gov. Gray Davis' desk. He has until this week to sign it.

For PECG, the bill is a no-brainer: more money for its members. But more than a few eyebrows were raised when CELSOC's Keith Dunn sent a letter urging Davis to sign it. Seems money was a driving factor there, too, namely the pursuit of state contracts.

Staff reporter Howard Fine can be reached by phone at [phone], ext. 227, or by email at [e-mail].