SEARCH ENDS FOR DIRECTOR OF PLANNING MAYOR TAPS SAN DIEGO LEADER TO MAP OUT CITY DEVELOPMENT.

Byline: Dan Laidman Staff Writer

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has chosen the top planner in San Diego to lead the Los Angeles Planning Department, capping a lengthy search for an official who will influence how the city grows in the 21st century.

The mayor plans to officially introduce S. Gail Goldberg at a press conference Monday.

A planner in San Diego since 1988 and the director of planning there since 2001, Goldberg is closely associated with a neighborhood-focused growth strategy that has been dubbed the ``City of Villages'' approach.

``While Los Angeles is much larger than San Diego, the fact is that in both cities we have some wonderful, distinct neighborhoods that have unique characteristics and people identify more with the neighborhoods than the entire city,'' Goldberg told the Daily News on Saturday.

``I think in order to increase density or do smart growth you need to work closely with the neighborhood groups and concentrate on the areas where the folks are ready to do some revitalization.''

Councilman Ed Reyes, head of the City Council's Planning and Land Use Committee and himself a former city planner, praised the appointment.

``She brings a certain amount of energy and optimism and a down-to-earth approach that I think creates a sense of confidence,'' said Reyes.

Los Angeles officials have been searching for a new head of the Planning Department since Con Howe announced his retirement in late 2004.

In September, Villaraigosa appointed an interim director, Mark Winogrond, who spearheaded a national search. Ultimately the mayor interviewed three candidates before settling on Goldberg.

``She understands complex regional issues but she's also always simultaneously thinking of it from the community/neighborhood perspective,'' Winogrond said.

In San Diego, Goldberg was sensitive to community concerns about preserving open space and the character of neighborhoods, said David Abel, publisher of The Planning Report.

Goldberg said she accomplished this by working closely with dozens of community planning groups and by tailoring denser, in-fill development to the character of the surrounding areas.

``Given the mayor's vision for the role and value of planning the city of L.A. going forward, there probably isn't a better professional that he could have chosen in the country,'' Abel said.

Howe, who worked with Goldberg during his tenure as Planning Director and through the Urban Land Institute, called her ``a first-rate professional'' and a strong choice.

``I think they have a very good neighborhood planning program and I'm sure she'll bring some of that to the city,'' he said.

Goldberg will be moving from a department of 100 employees with a $10 million to $15 million budget to one of nearly 300 workers and a $20 million budget.

She will also confront critics who have accused the Los Angeles agency of proceeding project-by-project without a broader vision.

Some have pointed to a lack of resources to explain any neglect of long-range planning. Department officials moved last week to try to ease problems, announcing an expansion that includes 20 new planners.

Goldberg said she is aware of some of the Los Angeles agency's challenges, and she said she is heartened by the recent expansion. In particular she would like to use the additional staff to coordinate development and transportation planning.

``We have to do a good job of permit processing, but that has to be balanced with long-range plans,'' she said.

While not familiar with Goldberg, Gordon Murley said he is optimistic based on his knowledge of San Diego.

A longtime Planning Department critic as a Woodland Hills activist, Murley was recently appointed to the South Valley Area Planning Commission by Villaraigosa.

Murley pointed to San Diego's healthy downtown and university areas and to the way traffic flows through its subdivisions and freeways.

``I guess she's been working well in San Diego because a lot of their planning has been far superior to what we've done here,'' he said.

Goldberg, 62 and a San Bernardino native, said she was persuaded to leave San Diego by the excitement of working with Villaraigosa.

She said she shares his commitment to smart growth and promoting affordable housing. ``There's a lot of hope and possibilities in Los Angeles,'' she said.

Dan Laidman, [phone]

dan.laidman(at)dailynews.com