MEND MOVE TIED UP FOR NOW IN KNOT OF BUREAUCRACY.Byline: NAUSH BOGHOSSIAN Staff Writer Caught in a bureaucratic tangle that has stymied a planned move to a brand-new center, San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. Valley's largest poverty-assistance group Wednesday had to unpack See pack. equipment at its old site in order to continue to serve needy residents. Officials with Meet Each Need With Dignity said, however, that they will still hold a ceremonial "opening" Saturday at the $8.5 million complex nearby even though they will not be able to move in immediately. And while city officials have estimated it could take up to six weeks to issue a temporary certificate of occupancy A document issued by a local building or Zoning authority to the owner of premises attesting that the premises have been built and maintained according to the provisions of building or zoning ordinances, such as those that govern the number of fire exits or the safety of for the new building, City Councilman Richard Alarcon said Wednesday he is trying to expedite the move for the Pacoima-based group. Alarcon, a former president of MEND, said he's negotiating with city departments and hopes to persuade them to allow the group to move in this week. MEND has been operating for more than 35 years out of a 10,000-square- foot warehouse on Van Nuys Boulevard and was scheduled to begin moving last Friday into the larger new complex nearby. But delays and miscommunication by the Department of Water and Power -- which donated more than $200,000 in services to the charity -- and the city's Department of Public Works public works pl.n. Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public. Noun 1. prevented the charity from getting its required temporary certificate of occupancy. Public Works officials have said they want to help but their hands are tied by a city ordinance that requires all public improvements to be completed before they sign off on a temporary certificate of occupancy. Alarcon said he has asked for clarification of the law and is working with the building and safety department. "I'm very pleased that it seems that building and safety and public works are motivated to get this done and are moving very expeditiously ex·pe·di·tious adj. Acting or done with speed and efficiency. See Synonyms at fast1. ex , and if we can get past this one glitch A temporary or random hardware malfunction. It is possible that a bug in a program may cause the hardware to appear as if it had a glitch in it and vice versa. At times it can be extremely difficult to determine whether a problem lies within the hardware or the software. See glitch attack. , we believe we can possibly see a temporary certificate of occupancy," Alarcon said. But after a discouraging meeting with city Public Works officials Tuesday, MEND staff decided to unpack their medical and dental equipment and begin rescheduling appointments that had been set for the new site. "It's detracting, in a lot of ways, from what we're about and what we're doing," said MEND Executive Director Maryanne Haver haver Verb 1. Scot & N English dialect to talk nonsense 2. to be unsure and hesitant; dither [origin unknown] Hill. "We got stuck in this awkward situation with the city bureaucracy. It's not one person's fault. It's the whole system that's broken and we're stuck in the middle of it." MEND had suspended its medical and dental clinics in anticipation of the move. "What's at stake here is services," Alarcon said. "Sometimes people get locked into doing things from the perspective of the permit process and they're not looking at the outcomes. The outcomes here are medical and social services social services Noun, pl welfare services provided by local authorities or a state agency for people with particular social needs social services npl → servicios mpl sociales including food, clothing, dental and medical care ... to some of the most disenfranchised people in the northeast San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. and the entire San Fernando Valley." naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3722 If you go What: Meet Each Need With Dignity ceremonial opening of its new $8.5 million location. Where: 10641 San Fernando Road San Fernando Road is a major street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita and the Newhall Pass, where upon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State (I-5) and the , Pacoima. Time: Ribbon-cutting at 10:30 a.m.; tours and celebration 10 a.m.-1 p.m. CAPTION(S): box Box: If you go (see text) |
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