COSTA MESA : Longtime Planning Commissioner to Quit

A recent promotion at work is going to keep John Palme far too busy to serve on Costa Mesa’s Planning Commission any longer.

Palme has stepped down from the commission and chaired his last meeting Monday. The City Council will appoint a replacement at an undetermined time.

“I am really, really going to miss it,” said Palme, who has sat on the Planning Commission since 1990 and has been a familiar face at City Hall for years.

He and his wife, Nancy, first got involved with local politics when a proposal came up before the City Council to build a huge office building on Harbor Boulevard near the San Diego Freeway. Locals recall the so-called home ranch project as one of the most hotly contested decisions in the city’s history. Eventually, a compromise was struck, and the building was built close to South Coast Plaza.

The pair have been hooked on Costa Mesa politics ever since. In addition to regular appearances at City Hall, the Palmes have volunteered for candidates during City Council elections and have lobbied the panel on behalf of their local homeowners association. Nancy Palme continues to serve as chairwoman of the City Council’s access appeals board, which advises businesses and individuals about city building codes aimed at promoting access for the disabled.

Mayor Joe Erickson, who served with Palme as a planning commissioner, said he was sorry to see Palme go but was not surprised by the announcement.

“John was either going to do it right or not at all,” Erickson said.

Palme, an accountant, said his new job will take up most of his time for the next year, but not to be surprised if he shows up at council meetings sometime in the future.