Working With the County or Flying Under the Radar?

I wonder why it’s so hard to get things through all the required red tape when the community wants to do progressive-minded things around here? At times it feels like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I remember earlier this year . The community was in full support of finally having something that we could support and enjoy until they found out that the promoters had to go through the necessary and required “red tape” before we could have such things.

Therefore the market idea that started with a big bang ended with a thud!  We're still waiting to see if it will happen, and hopefully it will, but it has dragged on for a long time now.

A similar thing happened when the Fancy Food Truck event first started. Although not too many people knew about it except for those who followed the trend on Twitter whereby you could find out where the trucks would be located, it did manage to attract a crowd.

Of those who showed up it was a smashing success until the County got involved and made the   Somehow someone got it through the necessary “red tape” and the event was allowed to happen, and to this day it is still rather successful.

, the , the , the , you take your pick, sometimes it seems like just about everyone has run into county red tape at one point or another.

There have been businesses that wanted to sponsor community events that would require closing a small block from Lake to El Molino Avenue on Mariposa Street where so many of our small businesses are located.

If such events were allowed to happen they could bring some much needed attention to a lot of our small business owners right in that quarter that are fighting just to survive. But in order to do something such as this a lot of “red tape” is required before you can get the approval of the County.

So the question is, should Altadena event organizers and businesses continue to try to fly under the radar or can we find a way to work with the county to get events properly permitted without too much hassle?

For the sake of public health and safety certain demands have to be met or we could all be at risk. You simply can’t go around issues such as fire safety, policing protection and responsibilities, public health requirements, traffic issues, parking issues, neighborhood nuisances and disturbances, and the like.

If everyone that wanted to do things just decided to do them without the proper protocol then we would be in much worse trouble than we could imagine. But that still does not help us get over the hurdle of how does one tackle the “red-tape-machine” issues.

Ultimately the farmer’s market has to have all the permits and safety precautions in order to operate publicly. Once you go to the county’s machine then it is their job to walk you through the necessary requirements. That’s why they are hired and why they are paid out of your tax dollars.

The same was true about the gourmet truck event that ended up requiring a temporary conditional permit, which was requested and given. I believe someone assisted them in walking through the “red tape vehicle.”

After speaking with a few reps in County government I found that much of the problem has to do with people attempting to do things around the “red tape” because they assume it would cost an arm and a leg, or that it would take too much time and afford to accomplish. Some just don't realize what the requirements are.

We are actually fortunate enough to have field reps to each of our government officials located in our general area. Their jobs are to go out into the communities they represent and “handle things.” In actuality they are there to help you cut through the “red tape.”

If you have a project, a proposal, or even a complaint about things that happen in Altadena that you do not know quite where to start I would call your Supervisor’s office first and ask them to guide you through whatever is necessary. There are times when a proposal or complaint is not even possible, or true.

They are to listen to citizens  and answer in the best way possible. However when they are not approached and people attempt to go around the necessary “red tape,” then things get more complicated. 

But still there are times when it feels as though we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. In order to promote our businesses and progressive-minded events it requires that we know how to use the “red tape vehicle” that’s already in place. That would be the County services along with the people who run them.

Until or unless you know how to properly go through the County Services the chances of getting approval for progressive-minded things is very slim.

Originally I thought part of the problem was in the lack of education about the County services regarding what may be required. After speaking with a rep I found that most of the information has been made publicly available, but far too few know about it. If you’ve read a few of my articles this may sound like a broken record.

In the past things were done a certain way but we are no longer living in that era. So much has changed that makes it easier for people to communicate either globally or locally. If you go on the county’s website you can access phone numbers and departments that are there to help you.

The fact that ordinary citizens are frustrated because they feel this huge “red tape vehicle” is too insurmountable to overcome may be an assumption, but it may also be a reality as well for too many of our citizens.

Our challenge is to make sure the citizens are not intimidated when it comes to doing progressive community-building projects in Altadena because of the perception of the gigantic RED-TAPE-MACHINE.

We should be working together as a body of citizens in trying to make progressive reforms. We need to try to move the entire body together as a community rather than the head opposing the foot or the hand fighting the legs. When the entire body works as a unit it is better for everyone.