Cutting through red tape

Advancing the efforts by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to cut through the city's red tape on development projects, the Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved the appointment of Bud Ovrom as director of the Department of Building and Safety.Daily News.

"It all comes down to customer service," Ovrom told the council as he was questioned about his plans. "I have no preconceptions about the department and I don't have a predetermined cookie-cutter approach, but I do know we need to improve."