California Business Minute™

Hi, I am Tim Johnson and welcome to the California Business Minute Plus.

A mayor-appointed task force of Anaheim recommends steps to cut regulation,
to reduce time, cut costs and increase certainty for local businesses

The Anaheim Regulatory Relief Task Force unveiled a new report outlining 17
recommendations on ways to make it easier to do business in the City of Anaheim.
Created by Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait last January, the task force was charged with
reviewing the regulatory burden on existing and prospective businesses in Anaheim
and making recommendations that help foster more freedom for Anaheim's business
community.

"Regulatory barriers often interfere with people's abilities to pursue their
economic dreams by increasing costs, creating delays, and introducing uncertainty
and risk for new and existing businesses," said Dr. Thomas Turk, the task force
chairman and an associate professor of Strategic Management at Chapman
University's Argyros School of Business and Economics. "We think this report
gives Anaheim a roadmap to make the city a pinnacle of economic freedom in the
region and in the state."

According to Turk, the task force made reducing compliance time, reducing cost
and increasing certainty the guiding principles as they developed specific
recommendations for change. "This task force was created to eliminate as many
job-killing regulations as possible, streamline those that are truly needed,
and ensure that our city government is a partner--not an obstacle--to new and
expanding businesses," said Mayor Tait. "This first phase of recommendations
is an excellent start to making Anaheim the most jobs-and-business friendly city
in California." The task force recommendations are as follows:

EXPAND ANAHEIM'S FREEDOM CULTURE
--Make expanding economic freedom a central mission of the city
-- Institutionalize the new mission (track outcomes, celebrate and reward success,
   demand continuous improvement)
-- Expand the city's Project Concierge Program
-- Give permitting staff more discretion
-- Aggressively market Anaheim's Freedom Agenda

STREAMLINE DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES
-- Use minimum code requirements as the maximum requirement
-- Reduce the types of businesses that need Conditional Use Permits to Open
-- Reduce Permit Requirements
-- Reduce Median Conditional Use Permit Processing Time to 60 Days
-- Provide the same information to owners, architects and contractors
-- Guarantee the city's expedited plan check process
-- Refund Fees for Missed Deadlines
-- Identify Common Corrections/Release "Top Ten" list of common plan corrections
-- Increase Efficiency of Inspections (better access to inspectors, faster
   response times, more inspection notice and certainty)
-- Improve Online Services

REDUCE TAXES AND FEES
-- Re-evaluate/eliminate Park and Library Impact Fees
-- Support the Fire Department's Preliminary Fee Restructuring

The Anaheim Regulatory Relief Task Force will continue to meet again to explore
additional recommendations.

The entire report can be accessed at www.anaheim.net/regrelief  City of Anaheim

I am Tim Johnson and this has been the California Business Minute.