City Officials Move to End Valley Permit Surcharges

Outraged over a 7% surcharge on city permits obtained in the San Fernando Valley and other areas far from City Hall, Los Angeles City Council members moved Tuesday to abolish the extra fee.

Councilwomen Laura Chick and Cindy Miscikowski introduced separate motions Tuesday to repeal the surcharge and direct city administrators to determine whether there are any similar fees based on geography.

The Times reported in December that West Hills resident Bob Bostroff was assessed the surcharge when he applied for a street-use permit to store wood in front of his home during a remodeling project.

“The existence of this practice is fundamentally undemocratic and deeply disturbing,” Miscikowski said Tuesday. “There must be no economic penalties based upon where a person lives when it comes to using any city service.”

Chick agreed, saying, “It’s unfair and it’s absurd. Valley residents shouldn’t be charged more by the city simply because they live in the Valley.”

No surcharge is levied when a street-use permit is obtained from the Bureau of Street Services in downtown Los Angeles, but the bureau does not have any field offices in the San Fernando Valley, Harbor or West Los Angeles.

The city Bureau of Engineering levied the surcharge to cover the cost of faxing the permit applications back and forth to the downtown office of the Bureau of Street Maintenance, officials said.