(Dick
Platkin, a former city planner and now a planning consultant, wrote this analysis of what the change in leadership in the LA City Planning Department means for the city. He welcomes
comments on this article at rhplatkin@yahoo.com )
Why a Change in the Planning Department’s Management
Will Not Produce Changes in LA’s Planning Process
By Dick Platkin
City employees and members of the public who follow city planning issues in Los Angeles rapidly traded emails in response to the June 30 announcement by the Director of Planning, Gail Goldberg, that her last day of work would be July 16, 2010. Her bombshell was paired with a similar announcement from the Mayor’s office, indicating that one of Gail Goldberg’s deputies, Vince Bertoni, would become the acting Director of Planning though late August. What happens after that is anyone’s guess.
Those who think that Gail Goldberg’s departure will usher in new planning policies or practices, such as the enforcement of conditions and codes, in Los Angeles are well meaning, but engaged in wishful thinking. In reality, changes in the management of the Department of City Planning are highly unlikely to affect any planning policies and practices. If there is any rift between the Planning Department and the city’s elected officials, it is not over planning policies, but only over the speed at which discretionary actions, such as zone variances and zone changes, can be processed so over-sized real estate projects can more quickly receive building permits.
Nevertheless, Los Angeles is in desperate need of serious city planning and code enforcement. After all, its General Plan Framework was adopted in 1995 and is based on antique 1990 census data. It has not been monitored in over a decade, should have already been replaced, and is generating law suits against the city. Similarly, most of the other General Plan elements are out-of-date, such as several infrastructure elements. They were adopted in the 1960s, years before many current Los Angeles city planners took their first breath. Even the city’s 35 community plans, several of which are now being updated, are on a slow track. Based on current schedules, it will take over a decade to revise these aging community plans, at which time the fresh 2020 census data will quickly render them obsolete.
This failure of the city’s elected officials to properly plan Los Angeles is unfortunate for many reasons.
First, Los Angeles is legally required by California State law, as well as its own Charter, to have an accurate and timely General Plan. When it fails to comply with these laws, it not only sets a dismal example for its own residents, but also leaves itself wide-open for law suits. Second, without accurate and current plans, City Hall muddles through its frequent budgeting crises with short-sighted political haggling, rather than turning to carefully developed planning policies based on rigorous data analysis, community participation, and a long-term policies.
But, despite these compelling reasons why Los Angeles’s official city plans should be updated and implemented, there are even more pressing reasons for the city to follow it own laws and policies. It is L.A.’s miserable day-to-day realities: its declining quality of life. After all, we have this country’s worst traffic congestion, worst street conditions, and worst air quality. Furthermore, Los Angeles has experienced two highly destructive civil disturbances, Watts in 1965 and the aftermath of the Rodney King trial in 1992. Finally, L.A. is sitting on dangerous earthquake faults and could, at any moment, face the famous “Big One,” an enormous earthquake larger than the 1994 Northridge earthquake. These are all reasons to kick start city planning.
But these reasons fall of deaf ears at City Hall, where the long-range planning Los Angeles urgently needs now rests on the shoulders of two remaining staffers. In reality, only one planning principle now prevails: the primacy of turbulent market conditions. This approach, camouflaged by the benign maxim of making the city business friendly, is antithetical to planning. In planning practice “business friendly” means ignoring or misrepresenting legally adopted plans, while using the business models of flippers and speculators as the criteria for dishing out land use entitlements regardless of local conditions, in particular infrastructure capacity. If this year’s real estate fashion is condos, then that is what gets approved. If next year’s trend is shopping centers, then the rules and procedures will bend that way.
Of course, a city whose compliant local government gives a green light to every developer’s request cannot be planned. This is why the city’s plans are disregarded, why adopted plans become shelf documents which eventually expire, and why the updates of community plans are attempting to increase densities. It also explains why a change in the Planning Department’s management will not translate into a change of planning policies or practices.
It is hard to imagine how this situation can continue for much longer. Will the city become so unlivable that only the very rich and very poor remain, divided by an ever larger LAPD? Or will a combination of law suits and enormous public pressure finally force the city’s planning process to be revived and implemented?
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking.
Maybe it will take the wake up call of the Big One to get a plan force by a razed city; then they’ll have to start all over from square one.
It’s like a dangerous intersection that people complain about, but the city won’t put up stop signs until someone or several someones are killed.
Hindsight rules!
The Planning Department in this city is not needed, as every project is the result of the Mayor, Council Office and developer negotiations. Since every project is approved regardless of the Community Plans, traffic, infrastructure, environmental conditions or community opposition, why have this costly and useless middleman. The developers can directly take their plans to the Planning Commissions where as usual they will be approved. At least, the communities will be aware of this public hearing charade and won’t be under any illusions that they count.
The City of Los Angeles — under Villaraigosa, Garcetti, Perry and all the rest — already has a very clear and simple plan: whatever the developers want.
The purpose of the Planning Commission is to apply the rubber stamp to the ink and then to the paper.
I was going to comment here, but Walter Moore and the comment just preceding his “July 2, 2010 9:05 PM” are right on point. Thank you.
Buried in this informative and accurate article, is a mention about the community plans being rewritten.
What people fail to understand that major planning changes are underway; some of which detrimentally impact longstanding Specific Plans (laws crafted for “specific” land use areas in a community that, for the most part, complement the Municipal Code).
I think it is safe to say that with these new plans, most communities in Los Angeles don’t realize that what goes where and why is no longer something that will benefit them. Notice and review of the new plans will be done is some obscure manner (like posting at a library) as opposed to notices mailed to all property owners because there is no money to keep the public in the loop (what a great excuse!).
As a result, most of the work will be done behind closed doors.
It is true – the pro-development sentiment in this City is what guides planning. There is never a cumulative review of how any large scale development impacts the area it is proposed let alone down the street or one mile away.
For so long as the area and city planning commissioner remain political appointees (i.e., by the Mayor) the only hope any of us have to preserve and protect our neighborhoods and business communities is to “fight” each project one at a time. And, try to get our Council Members somewhat receptive to our ideas. But that takes tremendous effort, and Planning well knows most people can’t spend the time, and fund lobbyists anyway!
Until the tide turns, when citizens realize the stake they truly have in long-term and short-term planning matters, it won’t matter who helms Planning.
I am very glad Goldberg is leaving – she was all talk to the communities and all ears to the Mayor and developers.
What happens when the “COOKIE MONSTER” gets caught raiding the cookie jar?
A) The City gives it more cookies.
B) The City gives it a time out.
C) The City removes both cookie and jar.
D) The City is left with the crumbs.
E) The City gives it an Epicurean Award.
F) None of the above.
Damn, I hate it when I have to agree with Walter Moore.
The very sad thing is that:
1) you can sign a petition to block a project. But if you have to work, and you can’t make it to a hearing, then the project gets passed – no matter how many opposed it.
2) you don’t find out about the PLUM hearing. The Council member for the project sends their blessing. It is passed in PLUM.
3) you go to Council to complain. The item is passed without anyone being heard because it was passed in PLUM.
4) even if you have new information – even if you want to talk about a potential hazard – the Council member is always right.
5) the Mayor sends his blessing to the developer.
6) Who will know who is writing the Community Plans and will anyone have the chance to comment?
We won’t know anything about our population and demographics until the CENSUS is done. When will we get that data?
Wendy Greusome is showing the city of her inept ability with these audits. She’s not doing HER job because she should have done something to collect the millions owed the city. She wants to be Mayor so she better prove she has the guts to AUDIT CRA AND CITY COUNCIL OFFICES. Whoever has the guts to go after that will be a serious contender for Mayor or re elected. Do you all notice that not one city council member or other politician are speaking out on the Mayor’s abuse of freebies.
7/4 07:41
They may not be speaking out agin’ it, but Zine is sure speakin’ out fer it.
See Orlov’s two stories in today’s Daily News.
Zine is an A-hole and flip flopper. What a weasel of a man!! No guts, no leadership but a stupid kiss ass to a corrupt Mayor. Funny he comes out a month after the fact. I’ve come to accept there is no ‘MANHOOD’ in Los Angeles with the male politicians. Ok, where is this development money coming from? Does USC have its millionaire club donating for this? Is this on private land or is the city involved?
USC plans $900-million shopping and residential upgrade
7:41 you demand that Wendy Gruel audit City council offices BUT choose as always to overlook the fact that your power-hungry, just thwarted from circumventing the city charter and constitution, carpetbagging mascot and puppet of Cooley – none other than Tritanich – HAS BLOCKED WENDY FROM AUDITING ANY OFFICIALS, INCLUDING OF COURSE HIMSELF, AS WELL AS CITY COUNCIL. He’d promised Laura Chick to support her right to audit but threw her under the bus before he even took office – remember the furor started on Doug McIntyre’s program about his treachery? OF course NOT – you people are pathetically too easy to dupe and mislead by your two-timing, double-speaking, use anyone and stab ‘em in the back, mascot.
9:05 calls his #1 fan, fellow Republican, soul-mate, fellow KevJames-regular, co-opportunist-in-chief, fellow buffoon, Smarter than Everyone while talking and acting like a Clown: Denny Zine, “an A-hole and flip-flopper. What a weasel of a man! No guts, no leadership no leadership but a stupid kiss-ass to a corrupt Mayor (or DA or – fill in the blanks)…” Peas in a pod, eh?
If you want Wendy to audit, pressure Zine his Sidekick and other councilmembers (more than one of whom is happy to avoid scrutiny themselves) to get the City Attorney’s office to drop its lawsuit AGAINST Wendy’s right to audit other officials and keep his promise.
Albeit hundreds of thousands of dollars and over a year too late. (At least ONE of his promises.) Yes, let her dig into the cost-benefit analysis of monies that go to CRA and allegedly get back more in revenue than they get by revitalizing run-down neighborhoods, among other things. SPARE NOTHING.
And, let’s let her audit HIM and find out what he’s really spending, vs. what we’ve paid out: what it’s cost to rehire dozens of lawyers Rockard let go to help balance the budget, as well as an astounding 200 well-”gizmo’d” secret police intended in his own words “to police the police” whose own hiring is frozen, along with his “clients” the city officials, contrary to the specific terms of his job which he confuses with the DA’s (of course, there’s no difference the way he and Cooley are handling things) and feds…NAH, just keep blaming Wendy for what he won’t ALLOW HER to do.
Damn you 10:19 a.m., the thread is about Planning, yet you managed to put in your stale anti-Tutanich tirade.
“where the long-range planning Los Angeles urgently needs now rests on the shoulders of two remaining staffers”. Give me a break. A plea for more staff. There were approximately 300 staff in Planning Department for most of Gail’s tenure of four and a half years. The Community Plans had a completion date of 3 years. Why were they not completed a year & half back. Just increasing staffing is no substitute for incompetence, inexperience and lack of skills. Even with ERIP and other staff departures, and the hogwash used by Gail for non-completion of the Community Plans, one begs the question, just what do the remaining 250 staffers do? The new reality with shrinking budgets will be quality over quantity. Get used to it.
Angelenos need to praise Mayor Villaraigosa for being consistent at FAILURE while he brought Gail Goldberg in from SAN DIEGO to make a difference and failed as usual.
LosT Angeles Council and mayor allow developers to use national traffic studies that DO NOT work here in LA, LA County, or CA for their mega projects then Angelenos including LA County vote to tax themselves on a 40 billion transit project, Measure R.
1:22 July 4, you might want to mix a bit of fact into your ad hominum bile.
It’s been a full year since Laura Chick wrote the following letter to the Daily News (July 23 09), and the matter’s not only not been resolved but he’s dug in his heels and escalated the fight with the controllers so they can’t audit other officials including of course him, Wendy can’t do her job.
Laura admonished him: “When Carmen Trutanich was running for City Attorney he asked for my support and for me to stand by his side at a press conference. I did so because he was declaring that if elected he would issue a new opinion that would allow the City Controller to audit any program whether it is housed in an elected official’s office or not.” (Whether or not Carmen had the authority to issue such an opinion, which he is now saying he never had, this is what he swore to do – he either lied to her, as she believes, or was ignorant of the law before shooting off his mouth to grab attention, not for the first time as we’ve seen.)
“So far all we’ve seen is fancy footwork and empty words,” Chick added.
“I call upon the City Attorney to fulfill his campaign promise and issue an opinion that clarifies the controller’s right to audit anything and everything through which taxpayer dollars pass.”
Of course, we know he ignored her again and dragged the case out in court, where it’s still in appeals. NOW he’s agreeing with those who believed in the first place that it should have been resolved BEFORE going to court (like Weiss, I think, as well as the majority of council) and failing that, needs to be put on the ballot as an initiative.
He promised last year to write language to that effect but as the Daily News wrote back in December 09 just before Christmas, “his office took the fight to new levels of absurdity” and even IF he writes ballot language, until we see it on the ballot, “his past performance says he can’t be trusted not to reverse course again.” Guess that’s why even that other clown Doug McIntyre called him not an “Ace with a steady hand” when it comes to flying the plane but “Tailgunner Nuch in Freefall.” Still diving, veering and careening.
Speculation is, he doesn’t want Wendy to get her hands on figures for HIS office or give her any ammo for her run for Mayor. So it’s best to keep the citizens in the dark about how OUR taxpayer dollars are spent throughout the city, Laura Chick’s pleas on deaf ears.
Wacko, the thread is on Planning not on Trutanich.
braindead Trutanich troll: He’s tied Wendy’s hands as to what she can audit, i.e. NO elected or appointed officials’ depts., got that? Promised Chick that he’d support right to audit “anything and everything through which taxpayer dollars pass,” in her words, but again lied. It’s not just about him doing so to hide the facts and figures of his own office but that in order to do so, rendered the Controller effectively useless and tootless. Idiot.
under Villaraigosa, Garcetti, Perry and all the rest — already has a very clear and simple plan: whatever the developers want.The purpose of the Planning Commission is to apply the rubber stamp to the ink and then to the paper.
Mark Taylor
testking 642-415 certified