Well, the Mayor is getting busy filling all those empty chairs at City Hall. The Los Angeles Times reports that deputy mayor for economic development Robert “Bud” Ovrom will take over as the head of General Manager of the Department of Building and Safety, a position previously held by Andrew Adelman (who resigned amid a lot of drama after a pub crawl earlier this year). The press release sent out by the mayor notes that "12-2 program – the Mayor’s initiative to streamline the City’s entitlement and permitting process from 12 departments down to 2 – will garner Ovrom’s full attention as a program to promote economic development and job growth." Full attention, people.
MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA APPOINTS ROBERT “BUD” OVROM AS NEW GENERAL MANAGER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING AND SAFETY
With 30 years of economic development and government leadership, Mr.
Ovrom brings the expertise needed to streamline city services to better
support LA’s businesses, stimulate job creation and protect the
public’s safety
LOS ANGELES - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today appointed Robert
“Bud” Ovrom as the new General Manager of the Department of
Building and Safety. With over 30 years of local government expertise,
Mr. Ovrom will work to streamline city services to better support the
Los Angeles business community and stimulate job creation while
protecting the public’s safety.
“This is the perfect position for Bud,” said Mayor Villaraigosa.
“He is a long-standing, and most importantly an up-standing public
servant, with the expertise needed to support Los Angeles’ businesses
and stimulate job creation. Bud is the right person to streamline city
services while always putting the public’s safety first.”
Mr. Ovrom is currently serving as the Deputy Mayor of Economic
Development within the Mayor’s office.
In his new role as General Manager of the Department of Building and
Safety, Mr. Ovrom will focus on streamlining the permitting services the
department provides to the Los Angeles business community.
The 12-2 program – the Mayor’s initiative to streamline the
City’s entitlement and permitting process from 12 departments down
to 2 – will garner Ovrom’s full attention as a program to promote
economic development and job growth.
“One of the most important things we can do to be ready for economic
recovery is to get the Mayor’s 12-2 development reform plan back on
track and fully implemented,” said Ovrom.
Ovrom will also focus on the $17 billion worth of private construction
started during the Mayor’s first term to ensure these projects are
completed. Even in an economic recession, Los Angeles has seen $959
million in new construction in the first 5 months of 2009.
“Supporting projects that are in the pipeline and streamlining
government processes to promote more, is about one thing – job
creation.” said Ovrom. “As a 'bricks and mortar' guy, supporting
construction has always been my favorite part of my job and I will
continue this effort by leading the department to support economic
development in Los Angeles.”
Mr. Ovrom’s appointment now goes to the City Council for their full
consideration and confirmation.
Mayor Villaraigosa will be announcing a new Deputy Mayor of Economic
Development in the coming weeks.
Department of Building and Safety
The mission of the Department of Building and Safety is to protect the
lives and safety of the residents and visitors of Los Angeles, preserve
the City's quality of life, and contribute to the City's economic
development. This is accomplished through implementation of the Zoning,
Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Electrical Codes, as well as
Engineering, Energy, and Disabled Access regulations, and local and
State laws for construction and maintenance of commercial, industrial,
and residential buildings.
Biography of Bud Ovrom
Mr. Ovrom has been the Deputy Mayor of Economic Development for the
Villaraigosa administration since July 1, 2005. In that role, Ovrom
coordinated the City’s economic development efforts and oversaw the
Departments of Planning, Housing, Community Development, Community
Redevelopment, The Port of Los Angeles, LA Inc., Building and Safety,
and the Housing Authority.
Mr. Ovrom has held city leadership positions for more than 30 years and
prior to joining Mayor Villaraigosa’s administration, he was the Chief
Executive Officer of the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of
Los Angeles. As the lead administrator at the CRA, he transformed the
highly centralized agency by empowering the local efforts in each of the
city’s seven regions.
Before heading the CRA, he was the City Manager for the city of Burbank
for 18 years. Ovrom is credited with creating a business-friendly
environment in Burbank that attracted substantial new businesses and
aided the expansion of companies including Disney, Warner Brothers and
NBC Studios.
He also served as City Manager for Downey for two years and City
Manager of Monrovia for nine years,
Mr. Ovrom received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the
University of California, Santa Barbara and completed coursework for a
Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of
Southern California. He is married to Denise Ovrom and has two adult
daughters.
· Mayor moves Ovrom to Bldg & Safety [LA Times]
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