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Clark Vandeventer: Tea Fire Permit Process On Slow Track
I received a call Saturday from my wife, who told me to turn the radio to AM 990. She said I had to hear what Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum was saying on her show about the cityʼs fast-tracking of permits for homes lost in the Tea Fire.
The blaze that ravaged through the hills of Santa Barbara last year destroyed 230 structures, and 151 of those homes fall within the jurisdiction of the city of Santa Barbara. As of Friday, 78 homeowners had applied for permits to rebuild their homes and their lives. Of those 78, only 24 building permits have been issued.
Blum said she was thrilled by the progress. Were my wife and I the only ones listening who thought that was ridiculously absurd? Blum was thrilled that 24 permits had been issued? What about the other 54? How did those homeowners feel the city was doing on its promise to fast-track the permitting process?
Promises are more easily made than fulfilled, but this clear failure to fulfill the fast-track promise would be less insulting if the mayor and other city leaders would admit the obvious and say that a year after the Tea Fire, itʼs unacceptable to have so many permits pending. People are waiting to move on with the process of rebuilding their homes and their lives.
The city of Santa Barbara has a rigorous process for obtaining building permits. I know something about this because my wife worked with one of the area’s most prestigious architects in Santa Barbara for a number of years and now has her own company that provides architectural design services. Along with the natural beauty we started with, the rigorous review process has contributed greatly to making Santa Barbara truly one of the most desirable places to live in the world.
I say that because I know the first criticism Iʼll receive for writing this is that I want to turn Santa Barbara over to the developers and forfeit the quaintness that characterizes our community. That claim could not be further from the truth. What I do want is to bring our elected and appointed government officials back to reality. I am all for reasonable and well-planned regulations and procedures. However, whether at City Hall, the state house or the Capitol building, there seems to be a disconnect. Our politicians have forgotten that public policy affects peopleʼs lives.
Public policy is not an obscure, theoretical discussion toward an ambiguous end. Public policy deals with people and their ability to pay the rent or the mortgage, to put food on the table, to provide for their children, to build a business and a life, or, in the case of the Tea Fire permitting process, to put people back in a home they can call their own.
The Tea Fire building permits — or the lack thereof — are just a local example of a national problem. Our government no longer serves the people. Instead, the people are at the mercy of the government. President Ronald Reagan could not have been more right when he said the most feared words in the English language are “Iʼm from the government, and Iʼm here to help.”
To be fair, not all of the permits requested are slam-dunk approvals. Some owners are seeking to make substantial changes, and others are continuing to work with their insurance companies. But how can Blum be happy when 54 families are ready to begin rebuilding and the city continues to make them wait? What would 54 more building permits mean to local contractors and tradesmen? What would it mean to architectural firms that have cut hours, pay and benefits? What would it mean to landscaping companies? What would it mean to my friend Sam Berejikian, who runs a small business, and scores of other small-business owners just like him? How many jobs would 54 more building permits create in a county that has lost 6,700 jobs dating back to August 2007?
Fifty-four more building permits would be real economic stimulus, not the spend, borrow and tax formula offered by the business-as-usual approach to the challenges of our time. And 54 more building permits would put 54 families back in homes they can call their own after a devastating loss I canʼt even begin to fathom.
— Clark Vandeventer is a social entrepreneur and is the founder and chairman of The Vandeventer Group. He’s committed to developing practical ideas that make government work and make government work for us.
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» on 11.17.09 @ 07:44 AM
Tactless remark from a person who never learned the definition of the word “diplomacy”. A political embarrassment who will thankfully fade away into the anonymity it has truly worked hard to attain. Tragic enough to lose one’s home and memories,one can do without this blend of mindless rhetoric.
» on 11.17.09 @ 08:01 AM
good article Clark.
» on 11.17.09 @ 08:06 AM
Clark Vandeventor you are as crazy as Sarah Palin. You state “others are continuing to work with their insurance companies.” Define “work with” and then for balance consider demonizing the insurance companies or those who found themselves under-insured. Other reasons? A little more balance please.
» on 11.17.09 @ 08:43 AM
Why is this a big surprise? This IS business as usual in Santa Barbara. I personally know two families that are not making significant changes to their footprint and ARE getting the run around by our city’s finest.
IF your last name is Levy and you had enough money to sprinkle around, you can build a monstrosity.. Cash is the only thing that makes the city wheels turn.
It is a shame and an embarrasment in a beautiful place like this.
» on 11.17.09 @ 09:41 AM
SB has in fact failed its citizens, having totally failed to live up to its commitment to fastrack building permits for Tea replacements. Blum, as always, tries to put a positive spin on a miserable story. Hopefully Helene will be more of a realist, but time will tell.
» on 11.17.09 @ 10:17 AM
In the Paint Fire those burned out faced a horrific permitting process at the County. Then a Supervisor’s aide bragged that “now we can get all those people up to par.” Hoeowners were in tears. Now I consistently hear that the city is stalling and delaying. Some say the permits are being issued to political supporters and delayed for others.
Hopefully the recent election will see the new C ity Council turn the City Staff around.
» on 11.17.09 @ 10:57 AM
Don first of all your comments are funny to me what do you care about how folks insured their homes…The article was about the city claiming to fast track permits and their ability or lack there of to get that done…Clark’s point about the insurance company’s was that those that lost their home are still trying to get paid out whether or not they were under-insured has nothing to do with the article…again you have missed the point in your comment just like the last time and the time before that. I will be amazed if this city gets anything done…Oh and one more thing (not @ Don) Most if not all of these homes have a green element and are being built green translation=good for trades workers=good for the environment=more money for us locally. Believe me I am ready to work after losing my job 5 month ago and seeing the amount that the jokers are willing to pay $10-$15 an hour (which won’t even cover my rent) to build something right. I am ready for some change but in the right direction not a$$backwards and against those who work for a living and not just create laws to stop that work…Great job Clark
» on 11.17.09 @ 11:05 AM
Your piercing analysis is irritatingly accurate. It is insulting to think our City is looking out for our best interests on this building issue in an exceptional time as this. It is not hard to employ contingency plans for extraordinary situations, such as extreme structure loss from fires(ie. fast track clear,logical, and predictable review of plans and permits). However, that requires paying attention to the needs of the community, corporately and/or individually. I hope the City can get beyond their rules so that authentic aid gets to homeowners for their needs and hopes.
» on 11.17.09 @ 11:10 AM
Clark, your observations are right on! However, this is not a new trend for Santa Barbara. Hopefully, with the new City Council members providing some leverage, the City process can be made to be more family friendly and will insist on a more expeditious treatment of the fire victims by the Planning Department and its staff.
» on 11.17.09 @ 11:16 AM
Why can’t we, as the people, take back our government. Yet we still have morons in office like Blum.
» on 11.17.09 @ 12:39 PM
As a Tea Fire survivor, I experienced first hand the incredible amount of regulation which our highly paid civil “servants” get to enforce. It made our lives almost more miserable than losing everything we owned had done. After seven months and a huge expenditure of money (trying to rebuild on our old footprint), we decided not to subject ourselves to the bureaucracy any longer. We stopped processing on our rebuild, and moved on. Unfortunately, the situation will never change, because no one with personal experience of the morass of regulations has the energy and time to lead the charge on getting regulations modified or eliminated. Mayor Blum’s remarks are positively offensive to those of us making our way through the process.
Bureaucracies are self-perpetuating, and they need the regulations to enforce in order to keep their jobs in place. So I expect there will be even more red tape in the future, not less.
» on 11.17.09 @ 12:42 PM
I would like someone to do more investigation. Of the 54, when were those submitted? How many are requesting significant changes?
» on 11.17.09 @ 01:43 PM
Clark,
Ever thought about running for congress? I would love to have someone like you representing me. You have a good feel for the community and what is important to us.
» on 11.17.09 @ 02:08 PM
This opinion piece has no meat!
So what if 54 permits have not yet been issued? Does the author know in each case why that is? Nope. He only assumes he know why, then uses that assumption as a platform to rail on his pet peeves.
A friend of mine is one of the largest insurance agents in town. He tells me a major reason many permits have not yet been issued is because many homeowners were horribly undercovered by their home owners policies.
» on 11.17.09 @ 02:24 PM
And for those who don’t believe it, consider that construction costs in the city are now in the range of $300 to $400 per square foot.
I still remember getting insurance when it cost $125 per sq ft to build a basic home.
» on 11.17.09 @ 02:41 PM
Clark’s efforts are simply a piece of self promotion designed to give him name recognition so he may find a job. Try starting a nonprofit and ranting at city council meetings. Michael Self can advise.
» on 11.17.09 @ 03:01 PM
Well intentioned, but flawed article.
Most delays involved fire victims negotiating with insurance carriers. How much
would victims get back? Would they even be allowed to rebuild on-site?
Then, deciding when, where, what to build, if they chose to rebuild on-site, after
the sites had been cleaned up and inspected.
Then negotiating with contractors (architects, suppliers) for what it would cost.
Then, going through a very expedited City process, while the City was reducing staff because of the recession.
Add to that two factors the author didn’t even consider:
1. Many Jesuita Fire victims were also suddenly thrown into the rebuild line too.
2. Many of the ruined homes did not conform to City codes at the moment of their
destruction.
When the Painted Cave Fire swept Goleta years ago, the County faced similar
challenges. It goes with disaster recovery, not poor management.
» on 11.17.09 @ 05:18 PM
While on the face of it, it seems that more building permits should have been approved, this article seems merely to form the structure of a Republican/conservative rant.
I see no interviews with the City representatives involved to find out the true story for the delays. I remain unconvinced.
» on 11.17.09 @ 05:45 PM
Thank You so much for writing this story! I have said the very same thing over and over again. Our COMMUNITY is suffering greatly and no one in our government cares to acknowledge it! Hopefully someone will pay attention to the problem at hand, now it is not just one devastating event but a total of 3 that impacted our community and we are all struggling to stay afloat. Someone please help our community before it is too late. We need to financially stimulate our community again.
» on 11.17.09 @ 06:32 PM
Wow, this guy is jumping to conclusions with no facts in hand.
» on 11.17.09 @ 07:33 PM
Interesting editorial, it is a fact there are quite lots for sale from people who are choosing not to rebuild. Instead of attacking the messenger in this, look at the the one comment from someone who lost a home.
Its a fact that even fast track here isnt so fast, there was underinsurance by some, and the city bureaucracy feeds on itself. Lets just hope it moves faster for whatever reason for those who lost so much.
» on 11.17.09 @ 08:02 PM
Thank you for your article…
So when are you running for Congress?
» on 11.19.09 @ 08:32 AM
Great points made by Clark Vandeventer but of course the usual pro-bureaucracy Nanny Staters start attacking the messenger. Anyone honest enough to call a spade a spade can clearly see the city of Santa Barbara is under the control of city employees and nonprofits, both groups who are generously rewarded for towing the party line. There is a self-serving loop between elected officials and the people who receive tax dollars. Most of the people elected to serve in Santa Barbara seem to be opposed to the principles of the Founding Fathers. Dale Francisco and Michael Self seem to be the only two elected officials who see what is going on. I hope that these two council members can start exposing the malfeasance that has been unchecked for so long at City Hall. Thanks to Mr. Vandeventer for keeping the light of truth shining on these shameless rascals.
» on 11.19.09 @ 05:42 PM
I know Clark well enough to know that his intensions on
this subject are honorable and not self serving. Santa
Barbara is one of the most beautiful small towns I have ever been to. I was there when we were transforming an old building into the Reagan Ranch Visitor Center. This was done not only in conformity to the cities rules but also as an additional plus to the city. I know all the paperwork and regulations made our cost estimate to more than double but thought it was worth it.
I realize that there are exceptions but it seems like
after a disaster especially, permits should be advanced much more quickly.
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