Reborn San Diego Planning Department Gets New Director

"Bill Fulton, a nationally recognized urban planner, was named yesterday as San Diego's 11th planning director, a position Mayor Bob Filner is bringing back in his first departmental appointment and reorganization since taking office last year," reports Roger Showley. "Fulton, 57, a former mayor of Ventura, currently is vice president for policy and programs at Smart Growth America, a Washington, D.C. think tank that promotes non-sprawl planning."

"'I thought folding planning into development services was not the best thing to do as a city,' Filner said at a special meeting with about 200 development staffers," adds Showley. "He said he looked forward to taking advantage of Fulton's extensive career experience and reputation: 'He's an inspiring figure which is what I was looking for.'"

In other promising news, Showley says that Filner is "setting up an office under UC San Diego visual arts professor Teddy Cruz, to 'incubate' new ideas in city development" and "thinking of reviving the post of city architect."