Ovrom to head Building and Safety

Robert "Bud" Ovrom, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's deputy mayor for business development, was tapped Tuesday to take over as general manager of the city's Department of Building and Safety. Daily News.

In a letter to the City Council, Villaraigosa said Ovrom's 30 years of economic development experience would help him streamline the permit process and stimulate job creation. Among Ovrom's first tasks will be to implement the mayor's program to consolidate the city's 12 permitting agencies to just two.