Attorney General Bonta Secures Strong Foundation, Settlement in California Concrete Merger

Settlement preserves competition and secures protection for over 700 jobs in California's concrete industry  

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) today announced securing a merger settlement between two concrete companies in California, CalPortland and Vulcan Materials Co. (Vulcan). As originally proposed, the merger between these two companies posed competition concerns, including whether the consolidation of these companies would lessen market competition, leading to higher prices and reduced quality. Today's settlement addresses concerns of competitive harm and ensures that among other things, CalPortland hires at least 90% of existing Vulcan employees at acquired facilities statewide and divests three ready-mix concrete plants in the San Diego area to a new entrant.

“CalPortland and Vulcan’s proposed merger of concrete operations presented competition concerns, so my office — joined by our federal partners — stepped in. Our settlement today preserves choice, affordability, and jobs for 90% of existing Vulcan employees,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We are proud to work with the federal government and with companies willing to come to the table, and we're proud to have secured an agreement that will keep California’s economy vibrant and its labor force strong. When this happens, consumers, businesses, and California’s economy all benefit.”

CalPortland and Vulcan are both major producers of construction materials, including concrete. In 2025, CalPortland entered into an agreement to acquire Vulcan’s ready-mix concrete plants in California — part of a trend in consolidation in the concrete and cement industries in recent years. The original proposed acquisition presented competition concerns, especially in the San Diego region where there is overlap between CalPortland’s and Vulcan’s ready-mix concrete plants, prompting investigations by the California Department of Justice (California DOJ) and U.S. DOJ. Businesses facing less competition have the ability to charge higher prices without providing improvements to the quality of goods. Anticompetitive mergers can impose other harms, including a reduction in labor market competition which may eliminate jobs, lower wages, or worsen working conditions. 

Today’s settlement significantly reduces the competitive harm from the merger and requires CalPortland to divest three ready-mix concrete plants in the San Diego area to Holliday Rock, a company that has no existing San Diego locations. CalPortland must also hire at least 90% of employees at existing Vulcan facilities being acquired statewide and agree to maintain these jobs for at least nine months. Under the settlement today, the parties must also reimburse California DOJ’s attorneys’ fees. 

Attorney General Bonta has made combating the affordability crisis one of California DOJ’s top priorities — much of that work has included antitrust enforcement. Market consolidation has proven to lead to increased unaffordability, a loss of good-paying job opportunities, and fewer choices for consumers. Just this year, Attorney General Bonta has successfully fought to hold  Live Nation/Ticketmaster accountable for harming consumers and the live music industry; sued to stop the merger of broadcasting titans, Nexstar and Tegna; and has announced an investigation into the merger of Warner Bros and Paramount. Further, he has tackled other anticompetitive conduct, including by securing an end to Agri Stats’ price coordination scheme that unlawfully increased meat prices for consumers, and exposing Amazon’s illegal price fixing artificially driving up prices for Americans.

ANTITRUST AND YOU: 

Antitrust enforcement is an essential component of a healthy economy. Competitive marketplaces established through antitrust vigilance help consumers by ensuring fair prices for goods and services, quality goods and services, and the steady introduction of innovative new products. As part of the Attorney General’s commitment to enforce antitrust laws, the California Department of Justice has launched its new Antitrust Complaint Form where people can report anticompetitive conduct that potentially violates the antitrust laws.