Resources by Marlene Alfaro

Hello Resource and Referral Agency partners,

I am writing to you today with urgent information regarding licensed family child care homes in the City of Los Angeles.

In November 2021, the City of LA issued annual fire permit fees of $501.00 to all large family child care providers. Some providers contacted the City at that time and they were told that family child care providers were issued the annual fire permit fees in error and that the annual fire permits are no longer required for family child care providers.

This past month automatic billing went out to family child care providers again and this time with a late penalty of $250.50 for nonpayment, totaling $751.50 (the November bill + late fee). Family child care providers should not pay these fire permit bills. Family child care providers may have already paid the original bill of $501.00 in November, or may have even paid the current bill totaling $751.50. Family child care providers need to know that they should not pay this bill and they can apply for a refund from the City of Los Angeles if they paid these fire permit fees in the last year. Ritu Mahajan (Senior Staff Attorney at Public Counsel in LA and copied on this email), spoke with the City about this problem and they acknowledged these notices erroneously were issued to family child care providers and they should not pay the fees.

Refund Application: https://finance.lacity.org/sites/g/files/wph1721/files/2021-04/refundclaim.pdf

We request all R&Rs in the Los Angeles area to:

Please issue notices to family child care providers in the City of LA informing them not to pay the annual fire permit fee including penalties, if they have received a bill or bill including late penalties in the past year. For any questions, contact Veronica (844) 663-4411, at the City of Los Angeles Finance Department. The LA Office of Finance Fire Permit table also shows that “Day Care Occupancy/Large Family Daycare (9-14)” also should not be charged a fee.

If they have already paid this bill, providers can request a refund for annual fire permit fees or late fees charged after March 19, 2021, the date the Office of the State Fire Marshal issued statewide fire guidance stating family child care providers are not required to get an annual inspection or be charged for the fire inspection.

Please note the reimbursement form is only in English. The R&Rs should offer to help people fill out the reimbursement form in other languages. We also ask that the R&Rs issue notice to the family child care providers in the representative language in your areas.

By providing this support to our family child care providers, together we are breaking down the barriers that family child care providers continue to face and in turn, family child care providers will be able to continue to serve the children and families with child care that is in dire shortage.

Should you have any questions, please contact me at trobertson@childcarelaw.org.

In Partnership,

Toni Robertson

Toni Robertson, Community Advocate

She/Her

Child Care Law Center

trobertson@childcarelaw.org

415.558.8005 x105

1832 Second Street

Berkeley, CA 94710

childcarelaw.org

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