Brief

This 2025 budget recommendation requests the Bureau of Engineering to develop and present options for sustaining long-term operations and maintenance funding. Initiated by Council in July 2025, the matter was referred to Public Works Committee, where it remains pending. The Bureau of Engineering submitted a response document in August 2026, but no action has yet been taken by the committee.

Full summary

The core issue is how to permanently fund the ongoing operations of BuildLA, the city's unified digital permitting platform, which the Bureau of Engineering manages. BuildLA has been under development since 2011 and is used by multiple city departments including Building and Safety, City Planning, the Fire Department, and Transportation. While consultant costs for the project are currently paid from the Development Services Trust Fund (DSTF), which is fed by a surcharge on permit fees, city law explicitly bars the DSTF from covering ongoing maintenance, cloud hosting, or city staff salaries. As a result, Bureau of Engineering staff costs are currently absorbed by the General Fund without a dedicated funding source, and the Bureau warns that continued resource reductions will threaten its ability to keep the system running. City Engineer Crystal Lee's August 2026 report lays out three options for resolving this structural gap. Option 1, which the Bureau recommends, would amend the Los Angeles Administrative Code and Municipal Code to make long-term maintenance, system hosting, and city staff support eligible DSTF expenses. Under this approach, the Bureau of Engineering would bill LADBS quarterly for maintenance and hosting costs, LADBS would process those payments from the DSTF, and dedicated full-time positions within the Bureau would be directly funded through the same mechanism. Option 2 is similar in structure but would operate on a reimbursement basis, with the Bureau reporting annually on accrued costs rather than invoicing quarterly. Option 3 would transfer responsibility for BuildLA operations to LADBS entirely once the Bureau determines the system is substantially complete, with other departments providing support. All three options require amending city code, and Options 1 and 2 both require the City Attorney to draft an ordinance. The Bureau notes that adopting Option 1 would produce annual General Fund savings by shifting staff salary costs to the DSTF. The report was submitted August 5, 2026, referred to the Public Works Committee on August 7, 2026, and the file remains pending there with no committee action yet taken.

Activity (3)

• 2026-08-07 Bureau of Engineering document(s) referred to Public Works Committee.
• 2026-08-06 Document submitted by Bureau of Engineering, dated August 5, 2026.
• 2025-08-01 Council document(s) referred to Public Works Committee.

Documents (2)

• 2026-08-05 Report from Bureau of Engineering · report
• 2025-07-30 Budget Recommendation · other