PlanCheck steering committee members had the pleasure of meeting with Gail just a few days after Gail announced her retirement. Gail has always been warm and friendly to PlanCheck and neighborhood council representatives and this meeting was no different. She says she’s not going anywhere and is looking forward to helping us if called upon. Many feel that Gail was not given the latitude and support to do the things necessary in City Planning. She is gone officially as of the end of August. Vince Bertoni is the acting GM until he is either confirmed as the GM or a new one is brought in. Gail emphasized that we need to be aware of staying on top of our Community Plans, Specific Plans and the 12-2 Program. Upcoming plans to be released are Hollywood, Sylmar and Granada Hills. There are others but those are at the top of the list. 12-2 is a system where instead of the applicant going to 12 different departments, all they will do is go to two. Progress was made for the 12-2 program in that there are now “Project Managers” who will see applications from start to finish and City Planning will be releasing a new CDMS system which will track and monitor conditions placed on development approvals. It will be important for neighborhood councils to stay alert to who the next Planning Director will be and hopefully we will have a seat at the table when it comes time to make the choice. It will also continue to be important for neighborhood councils to stay informed and educated. PlanCheck will continue to be the resource for LA City planning issues.

The steering committee plans to meet with Acting GM, Vince Bertoni in early August.

-Cindy Cleghorn
Co-Chair, PPP-OSC