Planning Department Needs Better Planning, Says Audit

Today, City Controller Wendy Greuel released her audit of the planning department, a report that pretty much slammed the department. Via the LABJ: "In Friday’s report, Greuel was sharply critical of the department for failing to fully implement most of the previous recommendations. She said the agency still had not assigned planners to track cases and that only modest progress has been made in reducing case processing times. “One area that has long kept the city from being more business-friendly is that Angelenos spend months and sometimes years awaiting approval for zoning and land use permits,” wrote Greuel in a letter to the City Council and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa accompanying the audit." Besides not streamlining cases, Greuel criticizes the lack of implementation of the 12-2 program (it's not just the Planning Dept responsible for that program, it should probably be pointed out). The LABJ quotes Planning Director Gail Goldberg's written response, which says in part: "We are committed to an improved case processing system and we have already begun to reorganize our department to take best advantage of our remaining staff and to achieve the objectives set out in the audit." Additionally, Goldberg states that layoffs have made it "difficult to reduce permit processing times and implement the recommendations." Via JGMINC
· L.A. Plannning Department Hit by Audit [LABJ]