Commission fills enough seats to meet

Alicia Robinson

The city’s Planning Commission now has enough members to hold a

meeting, following the appointment of planning consultant and former

Mayor Sandra Genis Tuesday night.

In a 4-1 vote with Councilman Gary Monahan dissenting, the Costa

Mesa City Council named Genis as an interim planning commissioner, so

the group can conduct business at a meeting Monday.

The lack of a quorum on the commission happened after two members

-- Eric Bever and Katrina Foley -- won election to the City Council

in November, and another of the five commissioners, Dennis DeMaio,

took a leave to have back surgery.

Meanwhile, the City Council decided to change the procedure for

naming planning commissioners from direct appointments by each

council member to a vote of the full council.

The new procedure doesn’t become effective until Feb. 7, when the

council is expected to pick a new slate of commissioners.

While the council could have let the Planning Commission’s

business sit until February, two time-sensitive issues could be

considered approved by default if no action is taken before February.

City staff members noted that the two issues at risk of default

approval could be appealed by the public or the council, and Monahan

said his colleagues were unnecessarily making “a whole lot of ado” by

appointing a commissioner for one meeting.

But some of the items on the commission’s agenda have been

continued several times already, Councilwoman Katrina Foley said.

Genis, a former city planner for Newport Beach, will join Planning

Commission Chairman Bruce Garlich and Vice Chairman Bill Perkins to

address a full agenda on Monday.

She plans to be as diligent as if she were serving a full term,

she said.

“If you want me, I definitely will be asking questions,” Genis

told the council.

“I would not just be rubber stamping.”

Tuesday’s appointment temporarily solves the shortage of planning

commissioners, but the council still has to choose a new set of

members for the Planning Commission as well as the Parks and

Recreation Commission next month.

A total of 31 people applied for the posts, many of whom have

served the city before.