Commission lacks strength in numbers

Alicia Robinson

Two members do not a Planning Commission make. Costa Mesa officials

figured that out recently, when they had to cancel the commission’s

Monday meeting because the group had shrunk from three commissioners

to two -- a number too small to allow meetings.

The November election pared down the normally five-member Planning

Commission, which lost Commissioners Eric Bever and Katrina Foley to

the City Council.

Before they were replaced, the council voted to change the way it

appoints commissioners. The new procedure goes into effect Feb. 7.

One of the three remaining planning commissioners, Dennis DeMaio,

had to bow out early to have back surgery, which left the commission

with two members and no quorum for its meeting this week. The

commission could just let its business sit until it gets a new slate

of members next month, but that would mean some matters might be

approved by default, Planning Commission Chairman Bruce Garlich said.

A state law, designed to move planning issues along in a timely

manner, dictates that some requests -- such as subdivision maps and

conditional-use permits -- will be automatically approved if no

action is taken within a month or two of when they’re submitted. The

City Council will figure out how to handle the commission problem

Tuesday.

There are five options, but the simplest is probably to appoint an

interim planning commissioner so the group can deal with commission

business on Jan. 24, City Manager Allan Roeder said.

The council also could adopt an ordinance to take on Planning

Commission business itself, which would put a lot on council members’

plates, or it could do nothing and risk default approvals of planning

issues.

Another option is making the new method of appointing

commissioners effective immediately, but that would require four

council votes. Finally, the council could rescind its new method of

picking commissioners by a majority vote of the council and go back

to direct appointments by each council member.

Whatever happens, the Planning Commission will face a full agenda

next time it meets. It’s an unusual situation, but Garlich is taking

the positive view.

“It’s been a little turbulent, yeah, but it could have been

worse,” he said. “If I’d have gotten elected [to the council] instead

of Linda Dixon, we wouldn’t have had a Planning Commission in

December.”

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4626.