Slaying the Permit Monster : Two reports call for reform of Los Angeles’ frustrating building-permit process

Two new reports--one private, the other commissioned by Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and City Councilman Hal Bernson--recommend reforming the city’s complex, confusing and unpredictable building-permit process.

Getting the necessary permits often is a nightmare for homeowners and for employers large and small. Many a homeowner caught in the system has come to regret starting a remodeling project, and some businesses have decided to simply cancel plans to locate in Los Angeles rather than confront the problem.

Plenty of businesses here are shifting to cities that, unlike Los Angeles, treat their applicants as “customers,” have coherent permitting processes and in some cases even assign city workers as shepherds for applications.

In its report, the private group Progress L.A. found that in Los Angeles it can take up to 16 times as long as in some rival cities--Anaheim, Glendale, Long Beach, Las Vegas and Phoenix--to complete the routine building-permit process. In addition, it can cost up to 22 times more to process more complicated applications.

The Development Reform Committee, commissioned by Riordan and Bernson and headed by attorney Dan Garcia, a former city Planning Commission president, came to similar conclusions. Among its 83 recommendations to make Los Angeles more customer-friendly: assign a “case manager” to an applicant; reduce the time it takes to secure a permit by consolidating several processes or undertaking them simultaneously; waive or reduce fees for projects beneficial to the public such as affordable housing.

A simpler and less costly permitting process would be of great benefit to the entrepreneurs and small businesses that are so crucial to revitalizing L.A. neighborhoods. And streamlining the permit process does not mean threatening environmental checks and balances. The proposed changes would not involve changing land-use and zoning laws.

To be sure, an easy permitting process alone is no panacea for the local economy. Factors such as good security, adequate transportation and an educated work force all are considered by companies or individuals deciding where to do business or live. The city must work at being more competitive on these fronts, too.

Los Angeles is a unique city with much to offer, one that naturally attracts people. Decreasing red tape related to permits surely would help people stay and create businesses, housing and jobs.