DeMaio Lays Out Bold Proposals to Simplify City Rules as City Leaders Hold “Regulatory Relief Day”
Carl DeMaio is calling on City leaders to move forward on two major proposals which will implement real regulatory relief by turning around the slow, overgrown, and bureaucratic permitting process at City Hall. DeMaio is calling for a major overhaul of the City’s Development Services department and proposing that the mayor be empowered to grant citywide “Regulatory Amnesty” to waive penalties and fines.
“We must enact real regulatory reform now, when small businesses are hurting the most. The time for talk is over, and City leaders can start with these two proposals immediately,” said DeMaio.
DeMaio’s call for “Regulatory Amnesty” is a much-needed proposal for all of the City’s small businesses who were forced to make improvements to their businesses without enduring the City’s full bureaucratic process. If enacted by the Council, the mayor would be enabled to establish a period and process of “Regulatory Amnesty” to allow business owners to get previously-done work on their facilities approved and permitted without facing additional penalties and fines.
Concurrently with “Regulatory Amnesty,” DeMaio is proposing sweeping changes to the permitting process at the City’s Development Services Department, which is responsible for permit approval. These changes include:
- Implement a fixed-price fee structure.
- Time and quality guarantees.
- Create a self-certification program.
- Provide incentives for DSD employees to process permits faster.
- Immediately begin moving more of the permit process online to reach DeMaio’s goal to move 95% of permitting transactions online within 5 years.
“I have been pushing for these reforms since I took office, most notably in my recent ‘Pathway to Prosperity’ proposal and 2010’s ‘Open for Business’ Plan. I am excited that my colleagues on the City Council have realized the importance of regulatory relief for San Diego and I will do everything possible to move these reforms forward,” concluded DeMaio.