LADBS GM Osama Younan on Palisades Fire Rebuild: Speed, Safety & Self-Certification

Osama, please share the scope of responsibilities of the LA City Department of Building & Safety in the rebuilding efforts in response to the devastating Palisades’ fires. How specifically is your department supporting the permitting—and, especially, inspection—needs of impacted residents and builders?

First, I want to send my heartfelt sympathies to the people of the Palisades who lost their homes and businesses. It’s a tragedy, and we are here for them. We’re doing everything we can, and will continue to do everything possible, to help them navigate the system quickly, to provide guidance, and to ensure they rebuild safely. Our hearts go out to them and their families.

The department was involved from the very beginning. As you may know, one of our roles, besides permitting, is emergency response. We performed safety assessment inspections of the properties and we issued placards—red, yellow, and green—that people are used to seeing. We started that process as soon as we were able to go into the Palisades. We inspected thousands of homes and businesses and tagged them appropriately.

As people started rebuilding, we became an integral part of the process because we issue the permits. We established a special team dedicated to helping review plans for the Palisades. That team was composed of engineers with a lot of technical expertise, so they can handhold and guide applicants through the process expeditiously. Right now, it's taking us, on average, about six days to complete the initial review of the plans and return them to the applicant with comments, if there are any. 

Osama, allow me to note for our readers: you don’t appear to have enough gray hairs given the immensely challenging role you’ve been tasked with. Are you actually getting enough sleep these days?

It’s been tough, especially the first few months. But no matter what, we have to keep going—for the sake of the people who lost their homes. I can’t imagine the tragedy they’ve experienced, we have to continue working hard to provide them with the service they need.

How is the City Department coordinating with the County, contractors, NGOs, adjoining cities, and others engaged in the response & rebuild efforts?

From a Building and Safety perspective, from day one, we coordinated not only with the County but with other cities affected by the wildfires. We aim to be as consistent as possible—because the same contractors and architects are doing business across the area—and the more consistent we are, the better for everyone.

We hold regular meetings with the other agencies to discuss challenges and streamlining efforts, and collaborate continuously. For the cleanup, the County has taken the lead, so we collaborated with them and with the Army Corps of Engineers. It’s a continuous effort, and it is important that government agencies continue to work closely together because it ultimately benefits the people who matter most, who are homeowners and business owners.

The above question raises the issue of whether a centralized, resilient rebuilding authority, like that proposed by the County’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Fire-Safe Recovery, be a welcome addition or make the challenges more complicated?

I’m not familiar with the details of it, but any collaboration is good. That said, we also need to make sure we have a streamlined process. 

Pivoting, earlier this month, the department began accepting applications from architects for self-certification of rebuild projects. Elaborate on what self-certification is, what’s required of architects, and how will this new permitting process be implemented?

Self-certification is when a licensed architect with the State of California wants to design and get his/her plans approved without going through the traditional plan check review process by Building and Safety. There are requirements to becoming a certified architect by the Department: they must have a valid architectural license with the State of California, pass a test that shows adequate knowledge of the code relating to one- and two- family dwellings, and have the proper insurance.

Once they meet all the requirements and are certified, they don’t have to go through the Department’s plan check process. However, they still need to get approvals from other city agencies like the Fire Department and others, as applicable.

How is Building & Safety balancing the understandable pressure to streamline and expedite its approval process without compromising structural integrity or public trust?

Safety must always be our focal point. We have maintained the same level of safety while expediting and streamlining the process. We created a dedicated core of experienced plan check engineers and as soon as a plan for the Palisades rebuild is submitted, it’s promptly assigned and processed.

These plans still meet the same safety standards of the building code. There’s no compromise on safety whatsoever.

Related, how does the Department balance the demand to allow rebuild quickly with the mandate to build back better—more fire-safe and climate-resilient? Is the current code sufficient?

Whenever we issue a permit for rebuild, it must meet the current building code, which is significantly stronger than what existed in the past. Today’s codes are far better than the codes from the ’60s, ’70s, etc. The industry continues to evolve, learning more about construction and safety. So, when someone rebuilds, they must rebuild to the current, much safer codes.

Also, I want to clear up some confusion: when people say “build like for like,” it doesn’t mean replicating outdated materials like wood roofs from 50 years ago. “Like for like” refers mainly to zoning. Building code compliance must still meet the current, safety standards. 

With LADBS already understaffed & budget strained before the fires, how is the Department coping now, after the fires, with added pressure resulting from thousands of new permit demands?

Fortunately, the Department of Building and Safety is funded by an Enterprise Fund. That means the fees we receive are dedicated to the services we provide. We’re not relying on the General Fund, at least not for permitting. That’s been very fortunate and has allowed us to continue providing needed services.

How many requests of the Department for planning & building services have there been this year? And, next year what is projected?

The overall number of plan submitted and permits issued so far this calendar year, January 2025 to June 2025, are 32,602 plans and 79,584 permits, which are comparable to the same period last year which were 33,335 plans and 81,887 permits. For next year, it’s hard to say. Construction is influenced by various factors, like interest rates, the economy, etc.

Is volume of applications today due to delays in the toxic cleanup process?

As of July 9th, the Department received 671 plan check applications for 449 unique addresses and have approved 233 plans and issued 171 permits. As the cleanup gets completed, we expect this volume to increase. 

In every meeting on this topic that TPR has been invited to, the need has been expressed for greater reliance on public-private partnerships to respond rapidly and effectively. What’s your take on the pluses/minuses, and opportunities of public-private partnerships to address demand?

What’s being talked about with self-certification is a good example public-private partnership. We’ve embraced it, but we had to put some guardrails in place. Whatever we do, we must ensure that safety remains our focal point. As long as we keep safety in mind and establish appropriate guardrails, I believe the program will work as intended.

For self-certification to work as intended, however, there must be an enforcement mechanism that also works. Address the enforcement challenges. 

Yes, we’ve put guardrails in place. One of them is an audit. We’re going to audit about 20% of the projects submitted under self-certification to ensure compliance. 

Additionally, we’ll still have field inspections. Our inspectors are very experienced, and if they see something that is not compliant, it will be addressed. This is the first time we’re implementing self-certification for plan check, so we’ll see how it works out and we will learn from it.

Pivoting to a related issue—the LA City Council recently approved a motion to remove double-staircase requirements from the building code. How is LADBS evaluating this potential code change, and what guardrails or design conditions would be needed to ensure fire safety?

We’re currently working on that motion. Other big cities have done this already, so we’re looking at what they did and the conditions they placed. Some of these conditions include limiting the number of units, limiting the floor area and requiring elevators to be on emergency power. We’re reviewing all that.

It’s important to remember that staircases don’t only serve as exits for residents; they’re also essential for fire department access, rescue operations, and firefighting. So, it is important to get input from the fire department.

We have submitted our report back and will be working with the council offices regarding this motion.

The need to rebuild thousands of homes after the recent devastating fires, also, you would agree,  necessitates rebuilding neighborhood infrastructure. How is the Department coordinating demands for rapid approval of home and business permits with the need to rebuild neighborhood infrastructure and restart essential city services?

If you're referring to things like electrical and water infrastructure, that’s LADWP’s responsibility. Anything outside the property line is typically handled by DWP or Public Works. Building and Safety only covers what’s within the property lines.

Are there holistic city conversations taking place—that address street redesign, widening, and, also, allowable building footprints?

Yes. Coordinated meetings happen regularly among departments to ensure collaboration, but each department has its specific area of expertise.

The Mayor holds weekly meetings with all the general managers and deputy mayors involved in the Palisades rebuilding efforts. We all are in constant communication to review progress, challenges, and next steps.

TPR often asks: who is the steward of Los Angeles’ built environment? With the immediate need to rebuild entire neighborhoods, that question seems even more important. Is it City Planners? The City Council? Building and Safety? Neighborhood Councils?

It takes all of us working together. We all have different roles, responsibilities, and areas of expertise. It’s a joint effort under the direction of the Mayor.

I’m pressing the issue a bit—who provides the vision for the rebuild? Clearly the public is demanding to rebuild quickly, and the City is promising the build back will be better. But who’s defining what "better" means and who is the trustee for the next generation?

From day one, the Mayor stepped up and gave us very clear direction and a strong vision on the recovery. That vision is: build it safe, build it quickly, and help people through it. She has issued several executive orders that we have all followed, and they’ve been extremely effective at getting things done quickly and safely.