Are Inspectors California's problem?

[conarb]

Our

thinks so, he addresses health inspections and ADA, but bet he doesn't even know about our new Green and Energy codes.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Excuse me Governor Swartzenegger; but, did you know that the Governor APPOINTS the Building Standards Commission members?

Established in 1953 by the California Building Standards Law, the California Building Standards Commission (BSC) is an independent commission within the State and Consumer Services Agency. (BSC Flowchart) Commission members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the State Senate.

Here is what they are suppose to be doing;

http://www.bsc.ca.gov/abt_bsc/default.htm#duties

He's just trying to blow smoke up your -------.

He just wanted his salad bar opened, and put pressure on "his" commission to open it; regardless of regulations.

I agree that many regulations are overwhelming; but, we shouldn't fault the inspectors for doing their job. There was no real evidence that the inspectors did anything wrong. It's "his" bureaucrats that are the problem.

Uncle Bob

 

[packsaddle]

He knows all about green codes.

"CALGREEN will use the long-standing, successful enforcement infrastructure that the state has established to enforce its health, safety, fire, energy and structural building codes."

http://gov.ca.gov/press-release/14186/

 

[Alias]

Our

Oh boy, has the governator been drinking the Kool-Aid?

Wanna make a bet that the business owner didn't submit a complete set of plans? Anybody from the other states that have 'Salad Bowl' restaurants have a comment?

Sue, yum, just serve me up a heapin' plate of e.coli! :razz: :mrgreen:

 

[Mark K]

The point that the Governator was making was not whether we should enforce regulations but rather the abuses of individuals and the lack of communication.

When the regulations say 26 to 30 inches high and the glass wall was 28 inches high it was an abuse of his office for the inspector to insist on 30 inches high. I think that a number of these problems would go away if the inspector was required to reference the code provision and how it was interpreted.

The situation where one inspector said the location of the sink was ok and the other saying that it had to be moved indicates either poor communication on the part of the inspectors or that one of the inspectors was wrong.

My contention is that the chaos introduced by these problems, while not the cause of all problems, makes things worse. Look at what happens when a spider spins a web. The initial web is well organized. Now if something comes along and damages the web, the repaired web will look wierder and wierder each time it is repaired. The same thing happens each time an inspector doesn't know what he is doing or abuses his authority. Poor inspectors can have a negative impact on quality.

Building inspectors need to minimize the chaos that they introduce into the system. The good inspectors can do this.

 

[Alias]

Mark -

That is why all of the parties here get together to discuss the installation with a full set of plans. I don't know how many owners want to sail right ahead without submitting a full set of plans and approval from all departments involved. As soon as I know something is in the works, I contact planning, fire marshal, and enviro health. We all try to walk the owner through the process but, not every applicant wants to do it the 'right way'.

I will agree that some places seem to be more obstructionist than others when it comes to TIs and new construction. Working with the applicant instead of against them is a 'win - win' situation.

Sue, code section please.........

 

[mark handler]

The Gov is two months behind this was an issue several months ago

L.A. Seeks to Streamline Permitting

.By Howard Fine

Originally published June 3, 2010 at 11:30 a.m., updated June 3, 2010 at 1 p.m.

Los Angeles city officials on Thursday unveiled a program to speed up permits for new restaurants, bars and grocery stores.

The program comes in response to complaints from local restaurant and bar owners that it can take up to two years to get city permits to open a restaurant in the city.

The goal of the program is to reduce the time to get restaurant and bar permits to six months by having case managers from various city departments expedite permit applications. It is part of a broader effort under way in the city to cut red tape for businesses.

“Getting a permit to open a restaurant is the most complicated approval process for small businesses in the city,” said Carol Schatz, chief executive of the Central City Association, which represents downtown business interests. “By cutting in half the time to get permits, this program will spur the creation of construction jobs and operational jobs once the restaurants open.”

The program, called “restaurant and hospitality express” was launched on a trial basis this past March and covered 14 restaurant applications. One of those is the First & Hope Supper Club, which recently opened across from the Disney Concert Hall and was scheduled to be the site of Thursday’s press conference.

“The period just prior to a restaurant opening is the most stressful and challenging,” said Steve Springer, general manager at the First & Hope Supper Club. “The expedited program offered us just what we needed at our most difficult and important phase. Many times inspectors would come at a moments notice to help ensure we met our opening deadlines. This certainly saved a great deal in startup costs as a result of otherwise inevitable delays.”

After restaurant owners complained about permit delays, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa hired investment banker Austin Beutner as his jobs czar and moved his economic development deputy Bud Ovrom to the Department of Building and Safety. Both were charged with expediting the city’s permit process to make the city more business friendly.

"We listened to our restaurateurs and heard their frustrations,” Beutner said. “We took action that provides measurable results for businesses and creates jobs in our city.”

 

[mark handler]

Another thing the governor does not say is whether the restaurant owner hired a “licensed” or “local” person to prepare and process the drawings. How many times do nationwide companies hire individuals that do not know the state codes?

It is always the fault of the government.

 

[Mark K]

It is not always the fault of the government but when the government is perceived to be arbitrary a common reaction from many people is to make no attempt to get it right. They say why try if it will do me no good.

I have no doubt that some, maybe most, of the restraunt owner's problems redulted from the fact that he or his consultants did not have their act together. The problems with the government agencies gave the applicant a good excuse for the problems. If the applicantis used to operating in an environment with minimal code enforcement this has probably not been a problem in the past. It also suggests that in jurisdictions with minimal enforcement that there are a lot more violations in those jurisdictions and while most of the violations are minor there are likely more significant vilolations.

Speeding up the permit process only addresses part of the problem. There was no mention in the city announcement that they were addressing the problems of wrong information and inspectors mandating requirements not in the regulations.

If you want individuals to change you need to provide regular and consistent feedback. There is a difference between being hard and being thorough.

 

[mark handler]

The issues cited were mainly Health department issues, like the relocation of the sink, sneeze guard.

But people unfamiliar with restaurant design, like the gov, don’t know that.