Anyone who has ever been involved with a home remodel or a commercial tenant improvement can certainly relate to this eloquent piece, Bob.
I’m reminded of the 90’s when city of Napa combined the Building Department and Fire Prevention…aptly renaming it the ”Building Prevention Department.”
Thank you for reporting on this encouraging piece of legislation. (That sentence almost had an exclamation point, but I know better.). The remodel to accommodate a restaurant is indeed complex, and must include public health considerations, but the reasons you cite for expediting approval are so valid. The same ridiculous delays exist for all permit submittals, from a simple trellis or gazebo to an extensive remodel. The use of third-party plan-checkers has not streamlined the process at all; they seem to have caught the delay, delay virus from the City.
A "20-business-day" requirement for processing permits and applications at the local level is long overdue. A thriving local business economy, beyond just restaurants, is key to our government having sufficient resources to fund the many things we need NOW. If this legislation does what it's expected to do, look for it to be expanded to business applications/permits beyond that of just restaurants.
Given that this is a statewide law, it means this "delay, delay, delay" nonsense is a problem in many cities. Glad the legislature has hopefully fixed it.
Putting a new kitchen in my business. The old standard was washable wall surfaces with glued on vinyl baseboards with a cove at the base meeting the floor to support wet mopping up to where the wall meets the floor.
During our construction with endless costly requirements apparently the construction code changed to require tile baseboards that would be grouted to the floor. The building was constructed in 1940 as a warehouse and the concrete floor was not level and thus the tile baseboard installation would not work. Complying with new code would require that we rip out all the walls that had already been constructed with electrical and plumbing installed to level the concrete floor. The cost for all of this would have doubled the cost of the kitchen install. The building official at the time said, "too bad, so sad".
I worked with the city manager and this building official, one that had behaved similarly with many other small business owners in the community, was eventually let go for performance reasons. The city then hired a contractor to serve as interim building official until they could hire a replacement. This new building official came out to discuss the baseboard issue and immediately allowed us to use the vinyl solution. It was in his authority to do so.
There are three problems with respect to the regulatory hit to small business.
1. Little risk-averse and power-hungry government officials that fail to use good customer/constituent service ethos in conducting their business.
2. Code compliance that fails to incorporate cost/risk vs benefit... and a never-ending increase in the pursuit of code perfection that become the enemy of the good.
3. Regulatory and code compliance becoming a revenue generating business for government agencies. And thus, motivating more regulatory requirements and related fees.
We should be seeing all three of these as improvement opportunities to help support more small business in communities where the community benefits from the existence of more small business.
Great column. Years ago our balcony needed to replaced. Our contractor said if he just came out and replaced exactly where and how they old one was he wouldn’t have to get a new permit and it would take (and did take 3 days) if he went and got a new permit it would take a year. We told him do the work. No regrets.
Bob, government delay is the focus of a recent book titled Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. And it has attracted the attention of the Governor and state legislature.
"(e) Local restaurants play a critical role in supporting California’s agricultural sector by sourcing ingredients from local farms and food producers, contributing to the state’s farm-to-table movement and sustainable food systems." Clearly this wording needs to be reworked to say: "...contributing to the state's farm-to-table culture..." as the word "movement" connotates clear, unadulterated activism.
Actually, I see it as an economically measured decision to obtain maximum results in the eco-tourism business; since the State of California by far out-distances other agricultural economies.
It's about time. We all have favorite horror stories in dealing with the building departments. Here's a favorite from construction of our vacation house in Bodega Bay and our dealing with the building department in Sonoma County. The house sits on a hillside, a good 40 feet above the Bay. Sonoma County insisted we install an anti siphon device in the sewage line, which goes downhill to the main collection line. The inspector was convinced that there was a danger of siphoning sea water into our home plumbing. Uphill? Forty feet uphill? We couldn't convince him that was impossible, and the plumbing contractor installed the device, which was a problem right from the beginning; it kept getting clogged with debris in the sewage, usually on a weekend. We once called the plumber just as he was leaving with his wife for an opera in San Francisco. After a couple of years of this he took it out. We had a similar problem in Davis. The inspector insisted that a bathtub equipped with a hand held shower had to have an anti siphon device because if the shower head got dropped in the bathtub with water in it, and the water pressure suddenly dropped, you could siphon water into the plumbing. We couldn't convince him that the probability of that happening was vanishingly low. Never mind that the anti siphon device he demanded wasn't available commercially. The plumbing contractor had to construct it, and it leaked, right from the get go. After a few years he removed it altogether. Never a problem. Conclusion: building department gestapo could sure use some basic physics or third grade science in their training.
Gospel truth, Bob. Sonoma County plumbers are an odd lot. This guy played classical music as he worked. He’s retired now, but the last one we had was a Welshman who played Welsh
Government policy is why we have a housing shortage. When government wants to drill a hole the first tool out of the tool box is a hammer. Since Bob's firing I don't read The Enterprise. I remember the people that took on the Kondideri (sp.?) bakery and wanted to open a bakery had to jump through months & months of hoops. I think 7 days is plenty.
I wish there was a requirement that someone from the city come out on Day 1 to at least see what the project is all about and hear firsthand what the business owner is hoping to accomplish
Your statement is true about to single family homes that would result in sprawl but it’s not true for multi-family housing in urban areas. You might be interested in the research findings of UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment.
Anyone who has ever been involved with a home remodel or a commercial tenant improvement can certainly relate to this eloquent piece, Bob.
I’m reminded of the 90’s when city of Napa combined the Building Department and Fire Prevention…aptly renaming it the ”Building Prevention Department.”
You're making me laugh, Bill
What a perfectly appropriate name.
Thank you for reporting on this encouraging piece of legislation. (That sentence almost had an exclamation point, but I know better.). The remodel to accommodate a restaurant is indeed complex, and must include public health considerations, but the reasons you cite for expediting approval are so valid. The same ridiculous delays exist for all permit submittals, from a simple trellis or gazebo to an extensive remodel. The use of third-party plan-checkers has not streamlined the process at all; they seem to have caught the delay, delay virus from the City.
Thanks, Virginia
And thanks for all the great projects you brought to our town over the years.
A "20-business-day" requirement for processing permits and applications at the local level is long overdue. A thriving local business economy, beyond just restaurants, is key to our government having sufficient resources to fund the many things we need NOW. If this legislation does what it's expected to do, look for it to be expanded to business applications/permits beyond that of just restaurants.
That would be the hope, Phil.
Great point
Great news!
Indeed. It's about time.
Given that this is a statewide law, it means this "delay, delay, delay" nonsense is a problem in many cities. Glad the legislature has hopefully fixed it.
Putting a new kitchen in my business. The old standard was washable wall surfaces with glued on vinyl baseboards with a cove at the base meeting the floor to support wet mopping up to where the wall meets the floor.
During our construction with endless costly requirements apparently the construction code changed to require tile baseboards that would be grouted to the floor. The building was constructed in 1940 as a warehouse and the concrete floor was not level and thus the tile baseboard installation would not work. Complying with new code would require that we rip out all the walls that had already been constructed with electrical and plumbing installed to level the concrete floor. The cost for all of this would have doubled the cost of the kitchen install. The building official at the time said, "too bad, so sad".
I worked with the city manager and this building official, one that had behaved similarly with many other small business owners in the community, was eventually let go for performance reasons. The city then hired a contractor to serve as interim building official until they could hire a replacement. This new building official came out to discuss the baseboard issue and immediately allowed us to use the vinyl solution. It was in his authority to do so.
There are three problems with respect to the regulatory hit to small business.
1. Little risk-averse and power-hungry government officials that fail to use good customer/constituent service ethos in conducting their business.
2. Code compliance that fails to incorporate cost/risk vs benefit... and a never-ending increase in the pursuit of code perfection that become the enemy of the good.
3. Regulatory and code compliance becoming a revenue generating business for government agencies. And thus, motivating more regulatory requirements and related fees.
We should be seeing all three of these as improvement opportunities to help support more small business in communities where the community benefits from the existence of more small business.
Thanks, Frank. Much apprediated.
A typical story, I'm sure.
You buried the lede.
The real story here is the fantastic vacation benefits given to civic employees.
You are right, Ted.
Wonder where those four months were spent - Waikiki? Esparto?
Great column. Years ago our balcony needed to replaced. Our contractor said if he just came out and replaced exactly where and how they old one was he wouldn’t have to get a new permit and it would take (and did take 3 days) if he went and got a new permit it would take a year. We told him do the work. No regrets.
So typical, Rod
Bob, government delay is the focus of a recent book titled Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. And it has attracted the attention of the Governor and state legislature.
Great news! When does the law go intro effect?
Jan. 1, 2026. It has already arrived
"(e) Local restaurants play a critical role in supporting California’s agricultural sector by sourcing ingredients from local farms and food producers, contributing to the state’s farm-to-table movement and sustainable food systems." Clearly this wording needs to be reworked to say: "...contributing to the state's farm-to-table culture..." as the word "movement" connotates clear, unadulterated activism.
It's a cultured movement, Sherri
Actually, I see it as an economically measured decision to obtain maximum results in the eco-tourism business; since the State of California by far out-distances other agricultural economies.
The world leader in ag, for sure
Ha! There is always a productive way to disagree: tweek the subject a teensy bit. It is going to be what "the populace" wishes it to be.
See my comment about plumbers and movements above.
It's about time. We all have favorite horror stories in dealing with the building departments. Here's a favorite from construction of our vacation house in Bodega Bay and our dealing with the building department in Sonoma County. The house sits on a hillside, a good 40 feet above the Bay. Sonoma County insisted we install an anti siphon device in the sewage line, which goes downhill to the main collection line. The inspector was convinced that there was a danger of siphoning sea water into our home plumbing. Uphill? Forty feet uphill? We couldn't convince him that was impossible, and the plumbing contractor installed the device, which was a problem right from the beginning; it kept getting clogged with debris in the sewage, usually on a weekend. We once called the plumber just as he was leaving with his wife for an opera in San Francisco. After a couple of years of this he took it out. We had a similar problem in Davis. The inspector insisted that a bathtub equipped with a hand held shower had to have an anti siphon device because if the shower head got dropped in the bathtub with water in it, and the water pressure suddenly dropped, you could siphon water into the plumbing. We couldn't convince him that the probability of that happening was vanishingly low. Never mind that the anti siphon device he demanded wasn't available commercially. The plumbing contractor had to construct it, and it leaked, right from the get go. After a few years he removed it altogether. Never a problem. Conclusion: building department gestapo could sure use some basic physics or third grade science in their training.
What a startling story.
I mean, who would believe a plumber was going to the opera?
Perhaps that plumber knows more about Verdi’s and Mozart’s “movements” than we’d ever want to.
Gospel truth, Bob. Sonoma County plumbers are an odd lot. This guy played classical music as he worked. He’s retired now, but the last one we had was a Welshman who played Welsh
choir music in Welsh as he worked.
I'm not sure that Davis' famous "Jake the Plumber" would approve
Government policy is why we have a housing shortage. When government wants to drill a hole the first tool out of the tool box is a hammer. Since Bob's firing I don't read The Enterprise. I remember the people that took on the Kondideri (sp.?) bakery and wanted to open a bakery had to jump through months & months of hoops. I think 7 days is plenty.
I wish there was a requirement that someone from the city come out on Day 1 to at least see what the project is all about and hear firsthand what the business owner is hoping to accomplish
Your statement is true about to single family homes that would result in sprawl but it’s not true for multi-family housing in urban areas. You might be interested in the research findings of UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment.
We don’t do things that way here.
Amen, James