Mayor Orders Major Changes To Make Opening Restaurants Easier In LA

LOS ANGELES, CA — Mayor Karen Bass signed a sweeping executive directive Wednesday aimed at making it easier and less expensive to open and operate restaurants across the city.

The directive calls for simplifying Al Fresco outdoor dining permits, studying possible grant programs and reducing regulations that can delay restaurant openings and expansions.

It also directs city departments to explore grants to help restaurant owners cover costs such as rent, payroll, utilities and permit fees.

"When our restaurants succeed, our neighborhoods succeed. They create jobs, support families, and bring people together," Bass said in a statement Wednesday. "I'm proud to sign this new executive directive to make it easier for restaurants to open, grow and succeed in Los Angeles."

Under the executive directive, several city departments have been given deadlines ranging from 15 to 45 days to implement changes or report back on proposed reforms.

One of the most significant changes involves the city's Al Fresco outdoor dining program.

Within 30 days, city departments must establish a self-certification program allowing eligible restaurants to certify that certain outdoor dining installations comply with city regulations, potentially eliminating some of the permitting hurdles that can delay projects.

The program would cover features such as tables, chairs, umbrellas, planters, pergolas and other shade structures. It would apply to outdoor dining on private property, sidewalks and streets, although some installations could still require additional review or inspections.

The directive also seeks to make navigating City Hall easier for restaurant owners.

Within 30 days, officials from the departments of Building and Safety, City Planning and Transportation, along with the Fire Department and Bureau of Engineering, must work to establish recurring in-person office hours at the city's 10 BusinessSource Centers.

The goal is to allow restaurant owners to get permitting assistance from multiple city agencies in one location, including support for business owners whose primary language is not English.

Bass also directed the city's Community Investment Department to identify potential funding sources for a restaurant grant program within 15 days.

Such a program could help restaurants pay operating expenses, insurance, utilities, rent, employee wages and permitting fees. However, the directive does not establish funding for the grants or specify how much assistance businesses could receive.

City officials will also examine whether restaurants could be allowed to pay certain sewer facility fees in installments, defer payments or qualify for fee relief.

Other proposed changes include allowing restaurants to use previously approved outdoor dining plans as templates and improving coordination between city street repaving projects and businesses with sidewalk or street dining areas.

Restaurants forced to remove outdoor dining installations for street improvements would generally be allowed to reinstall their previous setups, provided they meet critical safety requirements.

The directive also addresses restrictions on alcohol sales that can complicate business openings and expansions.

City planners have been ordered to review zoning rules and explore streamlined alcohol approvals for businesses such as coffee shops, bookstores and movie theaters.

Another proposal calls for a citywide framework for designated entertainment zones, which could allow outdoor alcohol consumption during approved events and create additional opportunities for restaurants and nightlife businesses.

City departments have 45 days to develop recommendations for that framework.

Bass' directive comes a day after the City Council directed city departments to report on the feasibility of establishing entertainment zones in the downtown area.

The directive also calls for a partnership between the city's WorkSource Centers and Los Angeles Community College District culinary arts programs to help graduates find jobs in the restaurant industry.

The changes come as Los Angeles restaurants face rising expenses for food, labor, insurance, rent and construction, according to the mayor's office.