By David Khorram, superintendent of Building and Safety/building official for the city of Long Beach. Responsible for new construction permitting and inspection services throughout the City for more than 10 years.
From Signal Hill and California Heights and all across Long Beach from east to west, there is a commonality I believe that many people hold as their top priority in life: how to best ensure the well-being and safety of themselves and their loved ones.
A simple but important aspect of ensuring that sense of security has to do with the building safety of the various places where we live, work and socialize. I am talking about all the gathering locales we use and visit such as houses, offices, schools and stores, which are collectively known simply as the built environment.
That is why, as the City of Long Beach’s top building official, I heartily encourage more public awareness about why the International Code Council each year designates May as Building Safety Month. This year’s theme is “Mission Possible.”
The constructional integrity of any built environment should certainly be considered fundamental to helping sustain thriving and healthy communities. Proper and professional design and construction standards absolutely help ensure structural resiliency and reliability.
The California Building Codes, which are adapted by the City on a triennial basis, ensure that buildings and facilities are planned and constructed based on the latest building, fire, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, energy and green building regulations.
These codes, spelled out in technical detail across hundreds of pages of manuals, are what I and the staff at the Community Development Department’s Building and Safety and Planning bureaus know very well.
In 2023, city crews conducted over 42,000 residential and commercial inspections ranging from home improvement projects to multi-story developments.
And did you know that all buildings must at least meet the minimum requirements of the state and city codes? Whether they are accessory dwelling units (ADUs), high-rise mixed-use projects, residential photovoltaic installations, major electrical service work or seismic upgrades of existing historic buildings, they all must receive scrutiny and approval.
Each business day, in addition to personnel handling engineering/plan reviews at our City Hall Permit Center, dozens of bureau inspectors head out to conduct safety inspections in the field. And we certainly do a lot of inspections.
In 2023, city crews conducted over 42,000 residential and commercial inspections ranging from home improvement projects to multi-story developments. For the first quarter of this year, we have already completed 12,200 inspections.
Of course, all this staff work requires that city personnel receive constant training and updates on the building codes. And keep in mind that those in the building industry such as contractors, design professionals and developers also must be up to date on the codes.
Public information and outreach about the codes and what they mean have always been an important priority for the City’s management and leadership. To help commemorate Building Safety Month this year and promote public understanding of city services, department staff will visit some of the local college and high school campuses.
We will reach students studying aspects of engineering, engineering technology, architecture, construction and related career pathways as well as those with an interest in public service. We will share information on the various aspects of community development such as project entitlement, permitting approval and, of course, the inspection process.
Our overall goal is simply to demystify the general operations of the department and help the public develop a better understanding of the city’s key role in ensuring the safety and sustainability of Long Beach.
We also aim to show how the good work of our professional staff over the years has helped transform Long Beach from what once was an older coastal urban zone to that of a destination city with a growing and vibrant skyline.
For more information about the Community Development Department, visit: www.longbeach.gov/lbcd.
