PLANNING WATCH / PLAN-IT LOS ANGELES

Although it is hard for the general public to fathom what takes place at City Hall, we know this much about recent changes imposed on LA’s Department of City Planning. Gail Goldberg, the Director of Planning, recently quit her job. One week after her last day at work, the Mayor nominated the Chief Zoning Administrator, Michael LoGrande, to become the new Director of Planning. Many others have written about this management change, with plenty of ink and tears spilled over the new Planning Director’s level of knowledge, seniority, and servility to real estate developers. But, I don’t think the real question is the new planning director's history and style, but why the Mayor and his consigliere, Austin Beutner, decided they wanted a City Hall backroom player to take over the Planning Department. Some turn to personal scheming for an explanation, but I think the deeper answer is the poor state of the local, regional, and national economies. As they continue to decli...

Although it is hard for the general public to fathom what takes place at City Hall, we know this much about recent changes imposed on LA’s Department of City Planning. Gail Goldberg, the Director of Planning, recently quit her job. One week after her last day at work, the Mayor nominated the Chief Zoning Administrator, Michael LoGrande, to become the new Director of Planning. Many others have written about this management change, with plenty of ink and tears spilled over the new Planning Director’s level of knowledge, seniority, and servility to real estate developers. But, I don’t think the real question is the new planning director's history and style, but why the Mayor and his consigliere, Austin Beutner, decided they wanted a City Hall backroom player to take over the Planning Department. Some turn to personal scheming for an explanation, but I think the deeper answer is the poor state of the local, regional, and national economies. As they continue to dec...