Los Angeles County planning director gets fired

From "L.A. County probes supervisors' role in land use planning" in the Los Angeles Times:

McClendon, a highly respected former president of the American Planning Assn. and the first outsider to lead the department in more than three decades, said he tried -- not always successfully -- to shield his staff from efforts by supervisors' aides to influence code enforcement, zoning and development decisions that were not supposed to be political. ...

In the city of Los Angeles, planning director Gail Goldberg has been outspoken about her belief that elected officials hold more sway over planning decisions in this region than in almost any other area in the country. But Goldberg, who came to Los Angeles from San Diego three years ago, said that during her tenure, elected city officials have used official channels and open meetings to influence decisions.

"When these decisions reach the political arena, it's fair to say the decisions are not always the best planning decisions, but that's appropriate because the elected officials have more to consider," she said. "Giving the elected officials the best planning advice we can give is the best we ask."