Permit fees waived for rebuilding

As it did after San Diego's 2003 wildfires, the San Diego City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to waive demolition and building permit fees for homes destroyed in last week's fires and to give homeowners vouchers to haul waste and recyclable materials to the Miramar Landfill and city-approved sites.

The council also directed city staff to expedite fire reconstruction permit applications, an effort that will be undertaken with existing personnel.

The estimated cost of waiving the fees and distributing the vouchers is $1.7 million in the current fiscal year and $580,000 in fiscal 2009.

In all, 362 homes in Rancho Bernardo were destroyed and 62 others damaged, Councilman Brian Maienschein said. There was also property damage in the San Pasqual Valley, according to a city staff report.

- Matthew T. Hall, staff writer