City Planner

PLANNING DEPARTMENT ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY

Planning is an approach to problem solving, a process to formulate future plans and ordinances, ensuring full public participation, and providing all advisory bodies (e.g., Planning Commission) and the legislative body (City Council) with the necessary information to make intelligen­t and informed decisions.

Through the California Con­stitution, the State has delegated the responsibility of implementing local policies and development to each City through the City General Plan.

Some of the specific functions of the Planning Department are to revise the General Plan, made up of seven (7) mandatory elements and one (1) optional element, review of specific plans, amending the General Plan, keeping the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances current through amendments thereto, handling Conditional Use Permits, Specific Plans, Zone Changes, Variances, Major/Minor Subdivisions (Tract Maps/Parcel Maps), Site Plans, Adjustment Plats (Lot Line Adjustments, Lot Mergers) and Certificates of Compliance among others. The Planning Department also works with other city departments providing administrative and technical assistance with their projects.

One of the nec­essary functions of the review for any project submitted to the Planning Department is the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) application. Through the preparation of an “Initial Study”, the City determines whether or not a particular project may create a significant impact on the environment.

Policies of the General Plan and City Ordinances must be consistently applied across the board without regard as to who the applicant is and what the project may be.

Planning Department Staff
Ph: (760) 344-8822 Fax: (760) 344-0907
Gordon R. Gaste, AICP, Planning Director
Cresencia Ibarra, Administrative Secretar­y

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