City Planning Department

IMPARTIAL SUMMARY BY SHARON M. TSO, CHIEF LEGISLATIVE ANALYST This measure proposes changes to the City’s planning and land use management. The measure would specify in the City Charter (Charter) the authorities and duties of the City Planning Department and Director of Planning, while concurrently modifying the authority of City Council to review planning and land use matters and replacing the seven Area Planning Commissions with a single new Neighborhood Appeals Commission. The City governs planning and land use through the Charter (City’s constitution) and ordinances (City laws). The Charter is the foundational document that establishes the powers and duties of key decisionmakers, which include the City Planning Department, City Planning Commission, Area Planning Commissions, Director of Planning, Office of Zoning Administration, the City Council and the Mayor. The Charter also establishes the processes and appeal rights for certain land use entitlements including General Plan Amendments, zone changes, variances, conditional use permits and similar quasi-judicial approvals. This measure would: ● Replace the seven Area Planning Commissions (APCs) and their 35 Commissioners with a single, new Neighborhood Appeals Commission (NAC) with at least seven members, subject to qualification requirements concerning geographic or other representation to be defined by ordinance, and grant the NAC the power to hear administrative appeals and consider those appeals anew and without deference to earlier decisionmakers. This will eliminate the APC system that has been in place since the current Charter became effective in July 2000 and return the City to an oversight and decision-making structure that mirrors one that existed prior to 2000 which consisted of a single, five-member quasi-judicial body, the Board of Zoning Appeals. ● Specify in the Charter the responsibilities of the City Planning Department and Director of Planning by amending the Charter’s section on the Office of Zoning Administration to grant the Department authority over quasi-judicial applications and the Director of Planning authority to appoint staff beyond the Office of Zoning Administration to perform the duties of quasi-judicial review, as authorized by ordinance. ● Remove Charter sections that establish the processes and appeal rights for certain land use entitlements including General Plan Amendments, zone changes, variances, conditional use permits and similar quasi-judicial approvals, and delegation of legislative authority, thereby authorizing such matters to be governed by ordinance. ● Make changes to the existing process for City Council to assert jurisdiction in planning and land use matters. This measure will: (1) create a 30-day time limit for the City Planning Commission or Neighborhood Appeals Commission to concur with or dissent from City Council upon remand, after Council asserts jurisdiction; (2) require the Commissions’ action on remand to be referred to City Council for a final vote; and (3) require City Council to act within 21 days or the action of the Commission becomes final. City Council’s authority to assert jurisdiction in the planning and land use context is unique in that Council has the ability to act in place of the underlying Commission upon asserting jurisdiction. ● Deem General Plan Amendments automatically approved if City Council does not act within 75 days of approvals by the Mayor and City Planning Commission. This measure will: (1) replace current City law which provides for an automatic disapproval of the General Plan Amendment if the City Council does not take action on the matter, and (2) codify the 75-day time limit for City Council to act, which already exists in City law, in the Charter. ● Allow the City Council to change the Floor Area Restriction limitation by ordinance. The Charter currently imposes a floor area limit of 13 times the buildable area of a site. This measure will become effective if approved by a majority of voters.

FINANCIAL IMPACT STATEMENT BY MATTHEW W. SZABO, CITY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER This measure will establish one Neighborhood Appeals Commission to replace the seven Area Planning Commissions; establish a process for City Council review of Neighborhood Appeals Commission and City Planning Commission decisions; change the timing and process for City Council action on certain planning decisions; grant the Planning Department the authority to investigate, hear, and determine applications for quasi-judicial review; and, allow the City Council to make changes to floor area regulations by ordinance. This measure is not anticipated to impact revenue. The annual administrative costs for commission staffing and resources are estimated to be reduced by $360,000 from $1.1 million to $740,000. The cost reduction would positively impact the Planning Case Processing Special Fund, which is subsidized by the General Fund.

ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF CHARTER AMENDMENT PL Los Angeles has experienced the consequences of a planning system in which individual land- use decisions can become entangled with politics. When the rules are unclear or decisions depend too heavily on political discretion, it creates opportunities for special interests to seek preferential treatment and undermines public confidence in City Hall. Measure PL is an important step toward changing that. Measure PL modernizes Los Angeles’ planning system by establishing clearer rules, more consistent procedures, and greater accountability for how planning decisions are made. The measure replaces the existing Area Planning Commissions with a Neighborhood Appeals Commission, creating a more consistent citywide process for hearing planning appeals. It also establishes clearer procedures for when the City Council may review decisions of the Neighborhood Appeals Commission and City Planning Commission and improves the process and timelines for Council action on certain planning matters. Measure PL also empowers professional Planning Department staff to investigate, hear, and decide appropriate quasi-judicial applications, helping streamline routine planning decisions while maintaining avenues for public review and oversight. It also allows building density to be updated by ordinance, giving Los Angeles greater flexibility to respond to changing housing, development, and neighborhood needs. These reforms will make our planning system easier to understand and more efficient to navigate for any resident. Just as importantly, clearer lines of authority and consistent procedures make it harder for anyone to manipulate the system for preferential treatment. Measure PL preserves public participation and oversight while creating a planning system that is more transparent, predictable, and accountable. Los Angeles residents deserve to know who makes planning decisions, how those decisions are made, and that everyone plays by the same rules. Streamline planning. Increase transparency. Strengthen accountability. Fight corruption. Vote YES on Measure PL. PERSONS SIGNING ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF CHARTER AMENDMENT PL RAYMOND MEZA Chair Charter Reform Commission ROY SAMAAN President Engineers & Architects Association NO ARGUMENT AGAINST THIS MEASURE WAS SUBMITTED. Arguments printed are the opinions of the authors and are not checked for accuracy by any City agency. In addition, the title beneath a signer’s name is for identification purposes only and does not indicate that the individual is signing on behalf of the organization.