There was encouragement from the city’s Department of Planning and Permitting last week. DPP Director Dawn Takeuchi Apuna told the City Council that the agency, long battling to get its backlog of permit applications under control, has reduced the backlog of applications awaiting prescreening by 70%.

It’s good to hear things are moving in the right direction; still, there’s much more to do on this front. Meanwhile, the governor has just issued an emergency proclamation to fast-track housing — more work for DPP?