Residents have criticized the number of building permits issued in the Pacific Palisades – 23, according to Mayor Karen Bass’ office — since the deadly Palisades fire in January.
Some believe that artificial Intelligence might be the answer to accelerate that pace, compressing approval timelines to get residents building and into their homes faster.
City, state and philanthropic leaders are looking to AI as a way forward in a process where all have sought to cut “red tape” to speed up the city’s recovery.
Real estate developer and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso serves as the chairman of Steadfast LA, a non-profit group established with a goal of rebuilding the city after January’s wildfires. Caruso announced that Steadfast LA partnered up with AI platform Archistar to bring a plan checking model to the city to expedite plan approval.
Archistar, an AI platform targeted towards property professionals, is providing the software at no charge through a partnership with the state.
The software will automatically check submitted plans for compliance with local zoning and building codes, according to a release from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.
Archistar says their technology shifts weeks long permitting processes into just minutes. After design files are uploaded to the system, Archistar’s system checks submissions against the submitter’s city’s regulations and codes. It instantly provides a pass or fail results with a more detailed report showing specific requirements that have been met or not, so submitters can adjust plans if needed.
The company has previously been used for plan checks in Austin, Texas, Canada and Australia.
“This AI tool has the potential to save homeowners valuable time by helping them submit code-compliant plans from the start,” County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said.
Current processes called lengthy
The road to rebuilding includes many steps. After applying for a building permit, residents must submit their design plans for approval. Then, a design professional can submit the plans to the city for review.
Staff at the county Building and Safety Department assesses the plans and notifies homeowners if there are other agencies at the state or local level that will need to weigh in. After that, a permit can be issued, according to the L.A. County Public Works website.
“Bringing AI into permitting will allow us to rebuild faster and safer, reducing costs and turning a process that can take weeks and months into one that can happen in hours or days,” Caruso said in a statement.
FILE Rick Caruso (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)L.A. County established “one-stop” permitting centers for residents of the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, where residents can make appointments with various permitting agencies, get questions answered and schedule inspections.
Mayor Bass issued executive orders to quicken the process. She issued an emergency executive order that established a self-certification program to check plans, where qualified architects attest that their plans meet California code, so a plan check is not needed and an executive directive for the city to explore the use of AI.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, chats with California Governor Gavin Newsom while surveying damage during the Palisades Fire on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, CA. .Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)The directive orders the Department of Building and Safety to provide Bass’ office with a report that explores parameters for what aspects AI should use to help with and provisions for ensuring a person reviews before a final decision is made on a permit.
“Last week, I signed an executive directive to spearhead an AI pilot program to streamline the permitting process for Palisades residents. With the announcement of this AI solution, we’re infusing new technologies into City Hall processes to ensure nothing stands in the way of families getting home – and to keep our recovery effort on track to be the fastest in modern California history,” Bass said in a statement.
Caruso has emphasized his belief in public-private partnerships throughout the recovery process, advocating for the city to shift its culture to partner with more private sector businesses.
“That’s the solution to this,” he said at a webinar in April, where he lamented the low number of permits issued.
He disparaged the current pass system used to enter the Palisades, where residents and contractors have a physical paper pass in order to gain entry at a webinar held on April 14.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous that we’re living in the stone age,” Caruso said.
He said he is exploring an app that would allow residents to access the burn zone in the Palisades faster and more easily. Currently, with only a few ways into the coastal area, backups of residents and contractors can create wait times to enter the Palisades, particularly difficult for those who need to leave and return to the area throughout the day.
Statewide push for AI
In addition to the use of the AI plan checker, Gov. Newsom issued an executive order on generative AI usage on April 30 in a push that called for the technology to be used to reduce highway congestion, enhance traffic safety and improve customer service at the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration call center.
Streamlining the fire recovery process has been taken on in a few other ways.
For example, in Altadena an online catalog of publicly available plans has been developed with the area’s historical and aesthetic identity in mind to allow rebuilders to easily choose plans that maintain the community’s distinctiveness.
Preservation groups in the Pacific Palisades are looking to develop a similar catalogue in their community.
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