During his oath of office remarks on December 9, Mayor Tom Tait touched on the Anaheim Regulatory Reform Task Force he launched in his 2011 State of the City speech and expressed his desire to further expand this program – which was modeled on Ronald Reagan’s 1981 regulatory reform commission and enthusiastically supported by his colleagues on the City Council.
From the OC Register:
Mayor Tom Tait said he wants to adopt additional measures aimed easing the way for small businesses to open to Anaheim, similar to his regulation-relief program that now allows breweries to more quickly set-up shop in the city.
Three years ago, the City Council adopted the Anaheim Regulatory Relief Task Force, which expanded a so-called “concierge program” that helps business owners navigate the city departments, regulations and permits.
As he begins his second term, Tait said he wants to “cut the red tape even more” by adopting a 14-point plan that calls for reducing permit requirements for new businesses, improving online services and streamlining inspection times. The City Council will likely consider the proposal sometime next year.
“There are a lot of regulations that are unneeded and don’t serve any real purpose,” said Tait, who briefly mentioned the plan earlier this month during his swearing-in ceremony.
As part of Tait’s “Brew City” initiative, the City Council earlier this year approved a plan to streamline the permitting process to open breweries in Anaheim’s commercial and industrial neighborhoods. Specifically, potential brewers no longer need to secure conditional-use permits, which set specific standards and requires owners to go through public hearings.
Doing away with conditional-use permits for other businesses is also being considered under the mayor’s plan.
You can read the entire article here.
This is a terrific idea, for a number of reasons. As the mayor correctly states, the city should seek every opportunity to remove regulatory obstacles to business formation and growth. It is also embodies a philosophical approach to economic growth that his council colleagues fully share and strongly support. Rather than focus on the 20% that has needlessly divided him from his colleagues, regulatory reform stems from the 80% where they are in agreement.
Furthermore, the passage of Measure L and adoption of single-member council districts means there is a finite window in which these kinds of reforms can be adopted and implemented before the likely emergence of a Democratic council majority and the re-regulation of Anaheim’s economy.
Removing bureaucratic hurdles is a great continuation of his predecessors legacy. I hope there is swift action on this!