COMMISSION RECOMMENDS REGIONAL PLANNING PANELS.

Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer

Responding to criticism that the city Planning Commission is not representative of or sensitive to every part of Los Angeles, the appointed Charter Reform Commission is proposing the creation of several regional planning panels, including at least one for the San Fernando Valley.

The proposal, authored by charter Commissioner Anton Calleia of Northridge, is also an effort to present an alternative to the creation of dozens of elected neighborhood councils with decision-making power over planning and budget issues.

The appointed commission has been stung by criticism that it has not gone far enough in localizing decision making, because it has proposed only advisory neighborhood councils.

``Regional planning commissions will go a long way toward shortening the perceived distance between our citizens and their government while avoiding the chaos and balkanization that would result from hundreds of decision-making neighborhood councils,'' said Calleia, a former deputy mayor for Tom Bradley.

The separate elected Charter Reform Commission has recommended that elected, decision-making neighborhood councils be created.

A key issue left unresolved by the elected charter panel is whether neighborhood councils would be able to make local land-use decisions.

To blunt that idea, Calleia and the rest of the appointed charter panel voted Wednesday to endorse the regional planning commissions, although their number, selection and powers still need to be ironed out.

Creating the regional planning commissions, Calleia said, is ``a way of heading off the destructive polarization that is developing over the issue of neighborhood councils.''

Calleia suggested that up to nine regional planning commissions would be a good number, and that they should meet in the region they cover - which could address complaints about the current system requiring residents to go downtown for hearings.

Regional planning commissions would not likely suffer from the same ``NIMBYism'' (not in my back yard) that might arise from having many more neighborhood councils, he said.

While the appointed charter commission endorsed the concept, it asked its staff to develop options for how the regional planning commissions would operate.

Under Calleia's proposal, a citywide Planning Commission expanded from seven to nine members would continue to operate and decide land-use issues affecting the whole city, such as expansion of Los Angeles International Airport and the city's transportation management plan.

The citywide Planning Commission would also take over the role of the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Calleia proposed that up to nine regional Planning Commissions would make initial decisions on local land-use issues. If the local decision does not conflict with the city general plan, the citywide commission would concur in the decision, which would be appealable to the City Council.

However, Charter Commission Chairman George Kieffer said he does not want to add another layer of decision making, so he may support allowing decisions of regional planning commissions to be appealed directly to the City Council or to the citywide commission and not the council.

Calleia said the proposal addresses concerns by some Los Angeles communities that they are not represented on the Planning Commission.

Mayor Richard Riordan has been criticized for only appointing West Los Angeles and West San Fernando Valley residents to the Planning Commission, leaving no representatives from East and South Central Los Angeles.

Planning Commissioner Bob Scott, a Woodland Hills attorney, said the concept of regional planning commissions is appealing, because it would allow for commissioners who better know their area.

However, Scott said he would be concerned if the regional planning commissions do not have power to make final decisions and if they are not in some way linked to neighborhood councils with fiscal responsibility.

Otherwise, Scott said, the regional commissions might block development without regard to how it affects the city financially.