Planning Commission - Cronies and Clowns

In discussing the Planning Commission we normally use the abbreviation PC to save time, but in recent weeks I’ve been thinking that the “PC” really has other meanings too, that are far more accurate than the words “Planning Commission” –

PC = POLITICAL CRONIES

As nearly everyone knows, the last 4 appointments by the Voigts-Robinson coalition were all cronies, related in some way or other to Voigts and/or Robinson personally (e.g., Brower worked for both of them, Fuentes is Voigts’ “best friend”, etc.). Putting someone on a Commission because they’re your best buddy is not good public policy. If they are well qualified and it turns out they’re also a friend, no one would really care. But the wanton appointment of people whose sole qualification is their friendship or allegiance is disgraceful.

The results are usually disastrous. Take a look -

• Since Robinson joined Voigts at the dais, the PC has had more decisions appealed and more decisions overturned than in the prior 20 year history of the City. And there are more appeals on the way even as I write this column.
• More people resigned from the PC (and the Council) since Robinson joined Voigt at the dais than in the City’s prior 20 year history.
• The PC is so bogged down that it can take more time to finally reach a decision than ever before. One week they decide to do this, and then reverse themself at the following meeting, and to top it off, perform a double reverse a month later. If this were college football we’d be impressed. Because when it has to do with the quality of life for 80,000 people, it’s simply disgraceful.

Of course, not all cronies are a disaster. Commissioner Tom Ludden has been particularly impressive. He is thoughtful, does his homework, and sometimes even does the homework that the highly paid staff should have done. At the opposite extreme, Commissioner Fuentes has been a total disaster. When she isn’t absent, her comments are almost mythical in their inanity. She can be rude to public speakers as well as her own Commission members, and (since Marcia Rudolph was defeated) she is the only public servant I know that sulks openly.

PC = PACK OF CLOWNS

Going to a PC meeting has become a replacement for watching sitcoms. The PC manages to deliver laughs at an extraordinary rate. One recent lobbyist asked quietly, “Is it always like this?” and when he was assured that it was, shrugged his shoulders and said disparagingly “Clowns!”

It’s hard to single out any one moment that is the funniest, so here’s a potpourri of delightful ditties –

• Both Hamilton and Fuentes insisting that the Planning Commission had no right to do any planning. (Duh!)

• Fuentes asking that statutory guidelines be drawn up that used the number 0.5 instead of 0.4 because she found it easier to do the math.

• Brower taking a lot of time to make a decision, then going to the bathroom and returning and asking that his decision be reversed.

• Fuentes angrily calling her fellow Commission members “anti-business”

I know there are more, but this is all I can recall from the top of my head.

BOTTOM LINE

The responsibilities of the Planning Commission are enormous. The future quality of life for our City rests in their hands. Fortunately, there are many factors that are beyond their control – the weather, our location, and the economy come to mind immediately. But there are many other issues over which they have control that do impact our life, and here are a few –

• Crime – By allowing (and continuing to allow) an over-concentration of stores selling alcohol in our city, we have one of the highest rates for violent crime among our neighbors.

• Traffic – By allowing 5,000 new homes to be built, the PC will add more than 40,000 vehicles trips per day to a city that already has more deep concerns about traffic congestion than any other City in South Orange County.

• Education – By refusing to tie development to building new schools, we will get more than 6,000 school aged children in our classrooms in the near future, almost all of whom will require being driven to school thus exacerbating our traffic problems even more.

Even worse than what they have done, is what they haven’t done. That’s the subject of our next column.