SB 959: One Stop Permitting

No. of Jobs

N/A

Category

Expanding jobs in the new economy

Proposal

Creating a streamlined approach to environmental permitting.

Summary

This proposal will authorize the Office of Planning and Research to develop guidelines for cities and counties to develop a “one-stop” agency to allow businesses to get up and running in a timely fashion.

Background

Californians support clean air, clean water and public spaces. Meeting these goals requires a strong, but workable set of government regulations for the protection of air and water.

Businesses operating in California must obtain various state, regional, and local permits to comply with the law. To make sure the environment is protected, a typical manufacturing business might require upwards of ten separate permits to start up and operate. The time and effort it takes to get those permits can impede a business getting up and running in order to provide new employment and economic activity.

During the early 1990’s, when the state last experienced a long recession, the Legislature established “Permit Assistance Centers” at CAL-EPA to help businesses navigate the state permitting process successfully. These centers acted as “one-stop shops” where businesses could use a single point of contact and accountability for permits application. The California Permit Assistance Centers were phased out once the state’s economy recovered.

This bill creates a new model of that original system. Under this bill, the Office of Planning and Research will create a model set of guidelines. All cities and counties will be required to implement the guidelines through a single agency to provide a coordinated approach to applications and permits for residential, commercial and industrial developments. By establishing a single entity to deal with permitting applications, this bill creates a streamlined process for California businesses. While the bill is moving through the process, it is the intent of the author to work with various parties to develop language that will simplify the permitting process for state and local governments as well.

Read the Bill