Russell Softens Stance on City Planner : Denies She Is Leading Drive to ‘Hound’ Hamilton Out of Office

Los Angeles City Council President Pat Russell retreated Monday from her assessment that City Planning Director Calvin Hamilton is not equipped to handle a new, more pragmatic era in city planning.

She also denied that she is heading a drive to replace Hamilton and said she is concerned about efforts to have him “hounded out” of office.

Russell made her remarks to reporters in response to a Times article Monday that described her as a leader of a movement of people in and out of City Hall to induce Hamilton to resign.

“I am not trying to get him to leave. I certainly am not. I really feel that he has been doing a very good job as our planning director,” she said Tuesday.

In an interview last week, Russell said she felt that Hamilton, who has been the city’s planning director for more than 20 years, had outlasted his effectiveness. “Cal’s style is visionary and that has served a purpose,” she said. “But we’re entering an era of implementation and we need those kinds of skills.”

She also said in the interview that she had begun talking to Mayor Tom Bradley and several other city officials about how to go about persuading the 60-year-old Hamilton to retire.

Making a Graceful Exit

In the interview, Russell acknowledged that her hope is to devise a way for Hamilton to step down gracefully--without it appearing that he was being forced out.

The Times story said that the movement to replace Hamilton drew support from real estate developers, homeowner groups and other members of the City Council.

The story said that while Hamilton was valued as a “visionary” responsible for drawing up the city’s General Plan, he was faulted for uneven administration and was blamed for the city’s failure to implement the General Plan.

That failure provoked a lawsuit by a federation of homeowner groups and, early this year, led to a court-ordered settlement requiring the city to rezone about one-quarter of the city to comply with the plan.

Critics of Hamilton, including Russell in the interview last week, said they were not confident of Hamilton’s ability to handle the rezoning job, which will require balancing the interests of neighborhood groups and developers.

To reporters on Monday, Russell said, as she did last week, that the rezoning effort signals a new era in city planning.

“We are entering a new phase. . . . We will be doing planning differently,” she said Monday, maintaining that it would be a period of practical rather than conceptual planning.

While she said of Hamilton, “I don’t think administration is his long suit,” she said she thought he is well qualified to do the job that is now required.

“I think he is the best-suited person we have around,” she said.

She indicated that she was aware of a move to oust him.

“I think there may be an effort afoot to get rid of him,” she said.

Russell said that if Hamilton did decide to retire, she wanted to make sure that he did so “with the dignity and respect for his accomplishments.”

Asked if she thought he would retire, Russell said, “I think that’s between him and the mayor.”

Bradley on Monday released a brief, noncommittal “statement on Calvin Hamilton” through his press office. The statement said in full: “I am aware of discussions about the future of Los Angeles and the direction of the city’s Planning Department as we move into the implementation phase of AB283 (the law requiring conformity of zoning and the General Plan). We are all interested in the smooth implementation of the law as the city reaches its 4-million population ceiling.

“Mr. Hamilton has served the city with vision. I don’t know if or when his future plans include retirement. When it is appropriate we will reach a mutual solution which is best for the future of Los Angeles and Mr. Hamilton. Any other discussion is premature.”