L.A. planning director to retire

Gail Goldberg, L.A.’s planning director for the last 4 1/2 years, announced her retirement Wednesday, triggering speculation at City Hall about why she decided to leave the sensitive post now.

In her resignation letter to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Goldberg, 67, said she had “long been ready for retirement and new adventures,” and cited achievements in her efforts to “provide predictability for both developers and neighborhoods.”

Planning is a contentious arena where developers, real estate interests, community groups and others battle about proposed projects.

In a statement, the mayor applauded Goldberg’s “strong leadership” and said she had worked hard to develop “streamlined processes” and to “bring together distinct members of the planning community.”

But two city officials who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue said that Goldberg had been pushed out. One of them said the mayor’s office was dissatisfied with the pace of efforts to streamline the approval process for development.

For more than two years, Villaraigosa has promised to implement a much-ballyhooed “12-to-2” building reform plan, designed to eliminate what some see as unnecessary red tape. The idea is to reduce from 12 to two the number of city departments that a builder seeking to complete a project must deal with.

Goldberg, in an interview, denied being forced out of the $213,000-a-year post and said she backed the streamlining scheme. She said she sensed no tension with the mayor’s office or with First Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner, the city jobs czar, who is a major backer of streamlining.

“My interaction with him [Beutner] has always been pleasant and productive, and I never detected any kind of tension,” Goldberg said. “The decision for my retirement is my decision.”

Villaraigosa has pledged to make it easier for developers to get projects reviewed. Beutner is expected to make an announcement on that front this year.

Goldberg, who came to Los Angeles from the Planning Department in San Diego, where she developed a reputation as an advocate for community concerns, said she tried to balance development with neighborhood desires.

“I am pro-development that is consistent with community plans and community vision,” she said.

The budget crisis has hit the Planning Department hard. Goldberg said it was operating at about 50% of its authorized staff of 400 because of unfilled vacancies and departures resulting from early retirement. But, though calling the staffing issue “frustrating,” Goldberg said it was not a factor in her decision.

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this report.