Mayor Villaraigosa must appoint a planning director who will overcome the sprawling bureaucracy that has hindered much of the LA's endeavors, says the Los Angeles Times.
Departing Planning Director Gail Goldberg found her "success was limited by a sprawling bureaucracy that works outside and often around her department; by a political establishment that gives City Council members extraordinary control over projects and makes development an exercise in political negotiation rather than carefully considered land-use policy; and ultimately by City Hall's poor budget and staffing decisions that left her without the resources to do her work."
The Mayor must streamline and unify the planning process if he "is serious about the "real planning" and "smart growth" approach to land use that he embraced when running for mayor."
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