MODEL # 98-20

CASE MANAGEMENT UNIT
CITY OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Jurisdiction Statistics:

Population: 3.485 million (1990 census)
Size (square miles): 465

Regulatory Areas:

Administration & Enforcement

PROBLEM:

Permit Office Procedures - Plan Reviews & Inspections

The City of Los Angeles Department of Buildings and Safety wanted to design a program to assist its customers with a wide variety of approval process issues.

SOLUTION:

Advisory Group - Checklists & Flowcharts

The Department established the Case Management Unit, a network of trained staff assigned to provide technical and administrative assistance during the design, approval, and construction stages of projects.

DESCRIPTION:

The Case Management Unit is composed of staff assigned to assist customers by advising them before and during the approval process. Staff works in close conjunction with a network of coordinators and advisors of various city departments, as well as other involved state and county agencies, to provide a high level of customer service to individuals seeking assistance from the Unit. If staff has any questions regarding advice to give to a customer, they can access this network to verify their assessments.

The Unit assists with a wide range of projects, from single family homes to large-scale multimillion dollar developments. Any customer can access the Unit's services free of charge. The customer brochure included in the submission lists the following types of assistance that can be provided to customers:

Design Stage:

Provide technical and administrative guidance
Review projects to identify the required:
permits and clearances
entitlements
public improvements
prominent problems or issues
submittal process

Approval Stage:

Facilitate plan check activities if needed:
sign-offs
supplemental permits
technical verification meetings
Resolve disputes and challenges between the project design team and the plan approval authority

Construction Stage:

Facilitate inspection activities if needed
Resolve disputes and challenges between the project construction team, the inspection staff, and/or plan approval authority

The Unit advises customers with larger projects by holding a "kick-off" meeting, attended by the project owner, developer, project manager, and other consultants. Representatives from involved departments, as well as the Mayor's office or office of the district councilperson where the construction site is located, may also be invited to attend. This procedure allows key parties to be introduced and opens lines of communication to be utilized throughout the process. It also facilitates the scheduling of other meetings that may be required during the approval process.

The Unit also utilizes a "roadmap," which is a comprehensive document outlining all the steps of the approval process. A sample roadmap is included in the submission package, and appears in checklist form complete with addresses and telephone numbers for all departments involved in the process. Flowcharts describing the City's permit process are also provided to customers, graphically outlining the each process step. Both the flowcharts and roadmaps promote uniformity, reduce processing delays, and allow parallel processing of clearances.

EVALUATION BY STREAMLINING COMMITTEES:

Advantages

Program increases productivity and reduces time, cost, and complexity;
Excellent provider of information for new customers;
Good checklists and flowcharts
Brings together different departments and the Mayor's office to work with projects.

Limitations

Can be imposing;
Very ambitious, requiring effective staffing and funding;
Would take much time and effort to assemble.

The Streamlining Committees designated this program as a streamlined model that is best suited for very large jurisdictions.

IMPLEMENTATION:

This program was adopted by administrative action of the City of Los Angeles Department of Buildings and Safety. It was designed as part of the Mayor's Development Reform Committee recommendations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR ASSISTANCE IN CONSIDERING THE USE OF THIS MODEL, PLEASE CONTACT:

Larry Brugger
Director of Case Management
Department of Building and Safety, City of Los Angeles
200 N. Spring Street, Room M80-A
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 977-6446
Email: lbrugger@bas.ci.la.ca.us

Or NCSBCS STAFF:
Carolyn Fitch
National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards
505 Huntmar Park Drive, Suite 210
Herndon, VA 20170
Phone: (703) 437-0100
FAX: (703) 481-3596
Email: cfitch@ncsbcs.org