Wooden Resigns From Planning Commission After 18 Years : County government: Often at odds with environmental groups, he cites time conflicts as reason for stepping down.

Earl Wooden said Thursday that after nearly two decades he is stepping down from the Orange County Planning Commission because of time conflicts with his position as a local union business representative.

Wooden said the economic downturn in the county forced layoffs at the Painters and Allied Trades Union, increasing his workload and forcing him to leave the Planning Commission.

“I don’t think I’d do my best for the county anymore,” Wooden said. “I’ve only been to one meeting since February. I’ve got more responsibilities here that I have to give priority to.”

Wooden said that he’s been with the union for 23 years and that balancing his union work with his Planning Commission duties has always been a struggle.

Wooden was first appointed to the commission in 1974 by Supervisor Robert Battin and was reappointed by Supervisor Phil Anthony.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Roger R. Stanton, who also reappointed Wooden to the commission, said that he plans to name a replacement next week.

Stanton would not discuss possible candidates for the job, but sources said that Michael Potts, executive director of the Orange County Building and Construction Trades Council, is the leading candidate.

Stanton said that when he joined the Board of Supervisors in 1981, he planned to leave Wooden on the job only temporarily and appoint his own choice to the critical planning post.

“But it’s 11 1/2 years later, and what happened was I found that Mr. Wooden had a universal respect among the staff,” Stanton said. “I quickly realized after the first six months that he was the best guy for the job.”

Wooden said he is the longest-serving planning commissioner since the 1930s.

“Back then, the county was so small it had commissioners and supervisors that sort of died at their desks,” he said.

Wooden said he believes the commission’s greatest achievement during his tenure was the passing of the county’s master plan of arterial highways, which includes the San Joaquin Hills and Foothill corridors.

“We had to use eminent domain to build the (Santa Ana) Freeway,” Wooden said. “We won’t have to do that anymore, because we already have the right of way for that land.”

His support for the transportation corridors put Wooden at odds with county environmental organizations.

Asked about Wooden’s departure, Sherry Meddick of Silverado Canyon, a community activist who is past president of the Rural Canyon Residents’ Assn., said: “Glad to see him leaving. Performance quality: poor. Goodby.”

An opponent of many developments in Orange County’s canyons, Meddick said Wooden appeared to represent “a solid vote” for virtually any development project, with the attitude of “the bigger, the better.”

Elizabeth Brown, a member of the Laguna Greenbelt conservation group, said that it’s time for a change on the commission.

“The feeling I got about Wooden was if it had cement in the project, he’d vote for it,” she said.

But Planning Commission Chairman Roger Slates dismissed such criticisms.

“He tries to do the best he can for the county and for the economy,” Slates said. “I don’t listen to that stuff.”

Slates said he nominated Wooden last year as Outstanding County Planning Commissioner of the Year for a statewide association, an honor that Wooden won. “I’ll miss him. He’s one of the finest men I’ve ever met,” Slates said.

Stanton also praised Wooden for his “unique” ability to deal with a variety of constituencies--from builders to community groups and county staff members--during his tenure on the commission.

“He has been the voice of reason and sanity on that commission,” Stanton said. “He’s never riled. And I never had a complaint about the guy.”

Wooden said he understands people’s opposition to some of the decisions made by the Planning Commission but defended his position on the transportation corridors.

“All you have to do is look at North County and its congestion to see how far planning has come,” he said. “People can’t see how much we’ve done because all the arterial roads aren’t completed yet.”

Wooden said he joined the Planning Commission just as the county was developing its General Plan and trying to comply with all the elements of a new environmental quality act.

“Before that, planning was just a matter of zone changes. But with the introduction of master planning, we were able to improve the quality of life in Orange County,” Wooden said.

“It’s hard to leave something you’ve been doing for so long. I guess I’ll have to find some other way to fill my spare time.”

Times staff writer Eric Lichtblau contributed to this report.