Official Ballot Argument Supporting Measure F
BRING MORE JOBS TO OXNARD!
Getting a permit at Oxnard City Hall can be bureaucratic, time-consuming and costly, whether one wants to replace a water heater, remodel a home, build a tenant improvement, or expand a business.
Frustrated people instead bypass the review process – risking illegal, unsafe construction – and this roadblock discourages employers from locating and expanding in Oxnard.
The solution is Permit Simplicity – an OPTIONAL, streamlined, safer process that enables next-day permit issuance – a program built upon a successful model implemented ten years ago in Phoenix, Arizona, the country’s fifth most populous city.
By voting Yes on Measure F, we will bring this effective program to Oxnard City Hall.
- Permit Simplicity encourages eligible professionals (including architects and civil engineers) who are licensed at least five years to become Permit Simplicity Certified Professionals.
- Permit Simplicity trains these professionals on how to submit proper and complete plans to Oxnard City Hall so that a permit can be approved in one day.
- Permit Simplicity requires peer review by a City pre-approved licensed structural engineer on any project that requires a civil engineer.
- Permit Simplicity institutes a rigorous program of audits and field inspections, with extra focus on those professionals who recently joined the program.
- Permit Simplicity requires participating professionals to protect the City with insurance for at least five years after completion of their most recent local project.
Let’s implement Permit Simplicity to differentiate Oxnard from all of Southern California and attract quality businesses and high-paying jobs. Growing Oxnard’s economy means more tax revenue to fund street repairs, public landscaping, senior services and programs to address homelessness – WITHOUT RAISING TAXES!
Permit Simplicity will make it easier to upgrade our homes, beautify neighborhoods and enhance property values.
Imagine Oxnard reaching its full potential.
Vote YES on Measure F.
Aaron Starr
President, Moving Oxnard Forward
Jack Villa
Chair, Inter-Neighborhood Council Organization (INCO)
Tom Rey Garcia
Downtown Oxnard Business Owner - Tomas Cafe
Edward Castillo
Former Oxnard Planning Commissioner
Jo Ann Olivares
Director
General Background
Even when a business wants to move to Oxnard and finds a location that is properly zoned, it can still take months to get a permit to build a commercial building or to construct a tenant improvement. And in some cases, businesses are not told what requirements they need to meet until they are long into the design process.
Would you be willing to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to locate a business to Oxnard and not know whether you will be allowed in?
Our city's reputation has caused some architects and contractors to recommend to others that they avoid opening a business here in Oxnard.
And it’s not just businesses that have problems with our broken system. Residents wanting to remodel and upgrade their homes face obstacles and costly delays.
The fundamental problem is that we are giving too much power to unaccountable city officials who are able to withhold the approval of permits and impose unfair and costly requirements on residents and businesses. Too often, Oxnard’s permit process has become arbitrary and capricious—to the financial detriment of our entire community.
Fortunately, there is a better way.
Phoenix, Arizona has developed a self-certification program that eliminates plan review by allowing licensed engineers and architects who complete a training program to take responsibility for and certify a project’s compliance with building code, standards and ordinances. If the project requires a civil engineer, a city-approved licensed structural engineer is required to also review and approve the plans before they are submitted. In many cases, plans are approved for a building permit in one day!!!
The city retains the right to go to the construction site and conduct an audit. If they find violations, they can require that fixes be made and can discipline the licensed professionals who approved the plans, even going so far as to eject them from the program. Not only is this more efficient, it’s actually safer.
We can be the first city in Southern California to implement this innovative approach. Done right, permit streamlining will gain us a competitive edge over other cities seeking to attract businesses. That means more employment in Oxnard.
That means more shopping opportunities.
And for homeowners, it means that more people will be able to improve their homes. And when your neighbors improve their homes, it helps your home go up in value too.
Measure F Frequently Asked Questions
1) What does Measure F do?
Measure F enlists the help of licensed professional to streamline the permit process so that we can bring more employers and jobs to Oxnard.
2) How does it work?
Eligible professionals (including architects and civil engineers) who are licensed at least five years are encouraged to apply to become Permit Simplicity Certified Professionals.
Those professionals receive training by a City-approved program on how to submit proper and complete plans to Oxnard City Hall so that a permit can be approved in one day.
3) Is it safe?
This process is SAFER than what the City of Oxnard does now and has been used by the City of Phoenix for the past ten years.
For any project that requires a civil engineer, a CITY PRE-APPROVED licensed structural engineer is required to conduct peer review and sign off on the application prior to the city issuing a permit.
The program requires a rigorous program of audits and field inspections, with extra focus on those professionals who recently joined the program.
4) Is the City protected from liability?
Yes. This program requires participating professionals to protect the City with insurance for at least five years after completion of their most recent local project.
5) Does this program require going back to the ballot to make changes?
This measure specifically authorizes the Oxnard City Council to modify this measure without going back to the voters, so long as the amendment furthers the Purposes and Intent of this measure, and those are defined within the text of the initiative itself.
6) Where can I see the text of the Measure?
Just click here to see the full text of Measure F - Oxnard Permit Simplicity Act.
7) Where can I see your video about Measure F?
Paid for by Starr Coalition for Moving Oxnard Forward, a committee opposing Measure E; supporting Measures F, L, M and N.
2130 Posada Drive, Oxnard, CA 93030 ID# 1379154