SEAL BEACH : Fife Resigns Post on Planning Panel

Phillip Fife, the city planning commissioner whose position was put in jeopardy because he lives less than 300 feet from a proposed development, resigned his post this week.

Fife said he made the decision after City Councilman Frank Laszlo, who appointed him to the commission six years ago, asked Fife to “resign gracefully” or face possible removal by the council.

The move comes several weeks after Fife discovered that he was at the center of a regulatory Catch-22 situation.

Under state conflict of interest laws, Fife is prohibited from voting on developments that are less than 300 feet from his property. As a result, Fife cannot participate in the Planning Commission’s upcoming review of a proposed housing development at the corner of Seal Beach Boulevard and Lampson Avenue.

But a separate city ordinance requires that the neighborhood most affected by a proposed development be represented on the commission when a vote on the project is taken.

City officials considered changing the rules or appointing “alternate” commissioners who could fill in on the panel when conflicts arise. But several council members said that either move would take several months and probably couldn’t be completed before the project went before the commission.

Laszlo said he asked for the resignation out of concern that Fife’s College Park East district be represented when the project comes before the commission. “This is a major project,” he said. “We felt it was imperative that we have a vote on it. . . . We need to be represented.”

Fife said Laszlo’s resignation request also stemmed from disagreements the two had over the way Fife voted on several issues. Laszlo admitted that he didn’t always agree with Fife’s decisions but said his request was based only on the need to have a College Park East representative on the commission.

Fife expressed concern that the council hasn’t moved to change city rules to prevent another planning commissioner from being caught in the same quandary.

“I think (the council) quickly embraced those avenues that involved me leaving the commission,” he said. “I am disappointed that the city is not facing up to the issue.”

Laszlo said he plans to select a new commissioner over the next few weeks.