Countywide : County Supervisors OK Permit Center

Hoping to clear away the thicket of bureaucracy that obstructs new businesses, the County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to open a “one-stop shopping” center to process state, county and local permits.

The county’s Development Processing Center already houses a variety of permit-granting county divisions serving unincorporated areas, but the vote Tuesday expands the facility, starting Dec. 13, to include various state agencies and additional county services.

Agreements also are being worked out with the county’s 31 cities to bring them under the project’s umbrella, state Sen. Rob Hurtt (R-Garden Grove) said. Hurtt, who has aided the local effort to create the center, said it would be a boon to area businesses.

“This will be an important tool to assist job retention and growth for California,” Hurtt told the supervisors. The center will be the second of its kind in the state, following the lead of the Los Angeles center opened in July.

Hurtt said the center, which is part of Gov. Pete Wilson’s push to simplify and streamline California’s business regulations, would help business owners find their way through the often-mazelike permit process.

‘I think it’s overwhelming for the small- or medium-size business people to have go to several spots, or sometimes end up in the wrong spot, and it can be discouraging,” Hurtt said. “It can be tough to find your way around. And a little intimidating.”

The center will have project managers who will provide counseling to permit seekers, pointing the way through the process, said Hurtt’s aide, Kim Barone. An ombudsman will also be present.

The center will have representatives from South Coast Air Quality Management District, California Occupational Safety and Health Agency, the state Trade and Commerce Agency, and the California Environmental Protection Agency’s toxic substances and water resources control boards.

Other agencies that will work through the center but may not have on-site employees are the state Fish and Game Department, Orange County’s sanitation districts, the Coastal Commission, the California Department of Transportation, the California Highway Patrol and the Employment Development Department.

County agencies that will be represented include the Fire Department, Health Care Agency and Environmental Management Agency.

The expanded service center will be at 300 N. Flower St. in Santa Ana. The center is now at 12 Civic Center Plaza and will relocate Monday. For information about the center’s offerings or permits in general, call the county information line at (714) 834-2626.