Breakfast Reception with Bud Ovrom - General Manager, LADBS

Please make plans to attend the upcoming breakfast reception with LADBS General Manager Bud Ovrom on Friday, April 9 (8am), which will be at ZGF Architects LLP.

The reception will serve as a joint meeting between the AIA|LA Practice Committee, the AIA|LA Building Performance & Regulations Committee and the AIA|LA Political Outreach Committee as part of their breakfast series entitled "A Greener City Through Smarter Land-Use".

Mr. Ovrom will speak to AIA|LA about the current status of the 12 to 2 initiative.

Please register to attend in advance, since this reception is part of our ongoing breakfast series entitled "A Greener City Through Smarter Land-Use".

AIA Los Angeles presents.... A breakfast reception with/
Robert "Bud" Ovrom
General Manager, Department of Building and Safety - City of Los Angeles
Friday, April 9 (8am-9:30am)
ZGF ARCHITECTS LLP
515 South Flower Street, Suite 3700
Los Angeles, CA 90071
http://www.zgf.com/

Advance Registration Required. To register, CLICK HERE.

Or cut and paste the following link into your web browser: http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?4W%2cM3%2ce3323578-a397-4a2f-9bbc-0bdafa3d059a

If you are active member of the AIA|LA Practice Committee, please contact Will Wright directly to RSVP.

MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA APPOINTS ROBERT "BUD" OVROM AS NEW GENERAL MANAGER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING AND SAFETY

With 30 years of economic development and government leadership, Mr. Ovrom brings the expertise needed to streamline city services to better support LA's businesses, stimulate job creation and protect the public's safety

LOS ANGELES - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today appointed Robert "Bud" Ovrom as the new General Manager of the Department of Building and Safety. With over 30 years of local government expertise, Mr. Ovrom will work to streamline city services to better support the Los Angeles business community and stimulate job creation while protecting the public's safety.

"This is the perfect position for Bud," said Mayor Villaraigosa. "He is a long-standing, and most importantly an up-standing public servant, with the expertise needed to support Los Angeles' businesses and stimulate job creation. Bud is the right person to streamline city services while always putting the public's safety first."

Mr. Ovrom is currently serving as the Deputy Mayor of Economic Development within the Mayor's office.

In his new role as General Manager of the Department of Building and Safety, Mr. Ovrom will focus on streamlining the permitting services the department provides to the Los Angeles business community.

The 12-2 program - the Mayor's initiative to streamline the City's entitlement and permitting process from 12 departments down to 2 - will garner Ovrom's full attention as a program to promote economic development and job growth.

"One of the most important things we can do to be ready for economic recovery is to get the Mayor's 12-2 development reform plan back on track and fully implemented," said Ovrom.

Ovrom will also focus on the $17 billion worth of private construction started during the Mayor's first term to ensure these projects are completed. Even in an economic recession, Los Angeles has seen $959 million in new construction in the first 5 months of 2009.

"Supporting projects that are in the pipeline and streamlining government processes to promote more, is about one thing - job creation." said Ovrom. "As a 'bricks and mortar' guy, supporting construction has always been my favorite part of my job and I will continue this effort by leading the department to support economic development in Los Angeles."

Mr. Ovrom's appointment now goes to the City Council for their full consideration and confirmation.

Mayor Villaraigosa will be announcing a new Deputy Mayor of Economic Development in the coming weeks.

Department of Building and Safety

The mission of the Department of Building and Safety is to protect the lives and safety of the residents and visitors of Los Angeles, preserve the City's quality of life, and contribute to the City's economic development. This is accomplished through implementation of the Zoning, Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Electrical Codes, as well as Engineering, Energy, and Disabled Access regulations, and local andState laws for construction and maintenance of commercial, industrial, and residential buildings.

Biography of Bud Ovrom

Mr. Ovrom has been the Deputy Mayor of Economic Development for the Villaraigosa administration since July 1, 2005. In that role, Ovrom coordinated the City's economic development efforts and oversaw the Departments of Planning, Housing, Community Development, Community Redevelopment, The Port of Los Angeles, LA Inc., Building and Safety, and the Housing Authority.

Mr. Ovrom has held city leadership positions for more than 30 years and prior to joining Mayor Villaraigosa's administration, he was the Chief Executive Officer of the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles. As the lead administrator at the CRA, he transformed the highly centralized agency by empowering the local efforts in each of the city's seven regions.

Before heading the CRA, he was the City Manager for the city of Burbank for 18 years. Ovrom is credited with creating a business-friendly environment in Burbank that attracted substantial new businesses and aided the expansion of companies including Disney, Warner Brothers and NBC Studios.

He also served as City Manager for Downey for two years and City Manager of Monrovia for nine years,

Mr. Ovrom received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara and completed coursework for a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He is married to Denise Ovrom and has two adult daughters.

MORE INFO, CLICK HERE.

Some possible questions for Mr. Ovrom to consider, may include:

1. What will the LADBS counter's look like for average user?
2. Will there still be stations for each department to get simple questions answered? (Sometimes it is important to discuss restrictions, such as highway dedications, before the client is even ready for Development Services Review)
3. If not how will pre-development questions be answered? Only through appointment with a "case planner" in the Development Services Review?
4. Will the contact person be a senior employee? Currently the counters are filled with junior staff making it difficult to get a thorough and accurate answer.
5. "GREEN" to help prevent multiple trips down to LADBS. It seems the 12 to 2 program has the chance to fully integrate plan check services, in the hope to make it unnecessary for the Architect or Client to coordinate for each department. (Such as Mechanical asking if the corridor is rated and if so what is it rating, the question is always asked because the Mechanical doesn't have the full set. Or a plan checker not sure which department needs sign-off so her/she places unnecessary departments for approvals.) Is this the goal?
6. "GREEN" Is LADBS considering electronic submission for first plan check until ready for submittal? This would be similar to DSA's new policy: (http://www.aiacc.org/site/docs/thor0110.pdf)
7. "GREEN" Is LADBS considering way to better track what department your project is currently being reviewed? It could cut down on person and travel time to see what stage your project is at within the departments.

Last Updated: March 10, 2010