KATSURA

Yoshiro Katsura, individually, and doing business as Katsura Consulting Engineers, appeals from a judgment after a bench trial awarding him $2,920, the amount due on a contract with respondent City of San Buenaventura (City). Katsura contends the City owes him an additional $20,823.75 for extra work he performed that was not specified in the contract but was purportedly orally authorized by a City employee and an agent of the City. We affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On January 18, 2000, Katsura entered into an engineering consultant contract with the City. Under the terms of the contract, the maximum amount the City would pay for the services was $18,485. The contract required that any modifications were only to be made by mutual written consent of the parties. The contract was signed by the City’s public works director and Katsura.

Paragraph 8(F) of the contract authorized “special work” as follows: “The Public Works Director is authorized to make payments up to $1,850 for special items of work not included in the project scope. Payments for special work will only be made after issuance of a written notice to proceed signed by the City Engineer for the…