Building Unit to Be Probed

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Friday that his office would review whether the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety is giving special treatment to political insiders by assigning their cases to a little-known unit designed to speed permit applications.

The mayor’s action came the same day The Times reported that the department’s Case Management Unit helped expedite projects for nine current and former city commissioners, as well as developers who had made political contributions to Villaraigosa and other city politicians.

“The Case Management Unit was established 10 years ago under Mayor [Richard] Riordan,” said Diana Rubio, a spokeswoman for the mayor. “In light of today’s article, we are looking into its history and protocols.”

Concerns were also raised by city Controller Laura Chick, who recently released two audits critical of uneven and lax enforcement by Building and Safety.

Chick said any review should determine what, if any, written guidelines exist for assigning development projects to the Case Management Unit.

Department officials were unable to provide The Times with written guidelines on how they determine which projects are assigned to the special unit, but they denied that decisions were based on political considerations.

“Over and over again, every one of my audits keep pointing out the need to have written policies and procedures,” Chick said. “That way, when the city does expedite a development project, we have a clear rationale for why.”

Chick said it was “shocking” that the Department of Building and Safety had not provided adequate written guidelines for the special unit.

Department spokesman Dave Keim said Friday that he was not aware of the announced review, so he had no response.

Agency officials said earlier in the week that projects are generally assigned to case management when they involve complex developments that require plan checks and permit approvals from multiple city agencies, and that also provide for affordable housing, school construction or a significant boost to the city economy.

Unlike 99% of development projects that go through the normal Building and Safety bureaucracy, projects assigned to the Case Management Unit are each overseen by a single city employee who helps the applicant get all of the necessary approvals and permits.

The case manager typically calls a predevelopment meeting with representatives of the five or more agencies involved in approving construction projects, and the representatives hash out problems so approvals and permits are not delayed.

Some development industry officials said getting assigned to the Case Management Unit can cut the processing time in half, potentially saving millions of dollars on large developments.

Those who have been assigned to get assistance from the unit include Building and Safety Commission President Javier Nunez and Commissioner Pedro Birba.