President, Cynthia Zabala, PE, CASp
Cynthia has over 26 years of experience in the construction industry. She spent the first half of her career as a structural engineering consultant and then transitioned to working in the public sector.
She has been working at the City of West Hollywood for the past 13 years a Senior Plancheck Engineer. She enjoys her position at the City because she gets to continue to mix her engineering background with helping people and serving the community.
During her time at the City, she has worn many hats, from plan reviewer, to Interim Building Official to leading public policy efforts. In 2015 Cynthia was chosen to lead efforts for the City’s comprehensive Seismic Retrofit Program. She has been the Project Manager for these efforts from the program and ordinance development phase up to the current phase of implementation. She is very passionate about this program and seismic resiliency.
Cynthia was recognized for her work on the City’s Seismic Retrofit Program by being awarded the 2020 SEAOSC Safer Cities Official of the Year.
When Cynthia is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her family, staying active outdoors, and taking advantage of the nearby beaches.
Vice president, Louis Vasquez
Louis brings over 25 years of professional experience in both private and public sector. He holds 18 ICC certifications including commercial and residential combination inspector certifications. Currently he is working on the Master Code Professional certification.
His career started with a 4 year apprenticeship at the Southwest Regional Carpenters Union where he worked his way up from Journeyman to Layout Man.
During his 14 years as a Carpenter working primarily on large commercial, Public Works and DSA infrastructure he went and received his A.S. degree in Construction Technology/Business Management and an A.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences/General Studies from Ventura College.
He went on to obtain his General B and C-8 Concrete Contractor Licenses and eventually started his own business as Vasquez Construction, INC.
Mr. Vasquez then transitioned into the Building and Safety Department as a Building Inspector for the County of Ventura where he became SAP certified and was a member of the Rapid Assessment Team for the Thomas Fires.
Louis later moved on to the City of Santa Monica where he currently works as a Combination Building Inspector III.
During the pandemic, Louis helped develop and coordinate virtual inspection and paperless inspection processes.
He enjoys playing golf and taking the trailer out camping with his family, on his time off.
treasurer, Guillermo Hobelman
Guillermo Hobelman is currently fulfilling the role of Building and Code Enforcement Official within the City of Hermosa Beach Community Development Department.
Most recently he fulfilled the role of Building Inspector Supervisor within the City of Inglewood Building Safety Division. Guillermo has over 15 years of construction industry experience and a diverse skill set from working in project management within the theme park entertainment industry, operating his own General Contracting firm, and serving in the military.
Previously, he worked as a Senior Building Inspector within the City of Long Beach.
Guillermo currently oversees and performs inspections on noteworthy projects like the SOFI Stadium, the Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center (IBEC, Intuit Dome), and Hollywood Park.
Guillermo is currently pursuing his Certified Building Official Certification and is close to obtaining his bachelor’s degree. He enjoys travelling with his Spouse and enjoys time with his dog.
secretary, Michael Perez
Michael Perez is a licensed civil engineer and certified ICC plans examiner working for the City of Los Angeles, Department of Building and Safety.
Michael obtained his Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from California State University, Northridge.
He has been working at the City of Los Angeles for the past 11 years as an engineering associate and building civil engineer.
While at the City, Michael has performed multiple functions including training, electronic plan review development, plan check amongst other functions.
past President, Eugene Barbeau
Eugene Barbeau is a licensed civil engineer and certified ICC plans examiner working for the City of Los Angeles, Department of Building and Safety.
Eugene obtained his Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from California State University, Long Beach.
He has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry starting as a construction worker and tradesman before transitioning to a structural engineering consultant and then landing in the public sector service.
He has been working at the City of Los Angeles for the past 9 years as an engineering associate and building civil engineer.
While at the City, Eugene has performed multiple functions including building code development, training, public policy development, plan check and the review of alternate products and materials.