Planning director leaves post, to mixed reviews

The city’s planning director, Howard Zelefsky, resigned from his post Friday after weeks of rumors that he was being pushed out by City Administrator Penny Culbreth-Graft.

The city has named planning manager Scott Hess as the interim planning director.

“In terms of a recruitment, nothing’s been decided,” said city spokeswoman Laurie Payne.

Culbreth-Graft “wishes him well,” Payne said.

Zelefsky didn’t return several phone calls for comment.

“We are losing a fine planning department director who has faithfully served the city,” said Ed Kerins, president of Huntington Beach Tomorrow, a local activist organization.

But there are others in the city who are glad to see him go.

Local developer John Tillotson of Tillotson Enterprises, who owns Plaza Almeria in downtown Huntington Beach, said, “I have worked with that planning department, and it’s one of the worst-run departments that I had the misfortune of doing business with.”

Tillotson said he stopped doing business in Huntington Beach because the planning department “creates problems where there aren’t problems” and that it was long overdue for a change.

City Councilman Keith Bohr said he thinks Zelefsky’s departure is an opportunity for the city to revamp its building permit process.

“Sometimes it becomes too difficult for someone who has been part of the status quo for many years to step back and see what changes in the process and attitude need to be implemented,” he said.

“The process for getting building permits in Huntington Beach takes much longer than almost every city in Orange and L.A. counties,” Bohr said.

Zelefsky was a 22-year veteran city employee who had negotia- ted an at-will contract coupled with a civil servant status with former Huntington Beach City Administrator Ray Silver.

Zelefsky was placed on 30-day paid administrative leave last year by Culbreth-Graft with no explanations.

When Zelefsky returned, the City Council voted 6-1 to end his at-will status, with Mayor Dave Sullivan voting against it.

Zelefsky’s civil servant protection in his contract allowed him to return to work after 30 days in spite of being let go.

“I always got along very well with him and wish him the best of luck wherever he goes,” Sullivan said.

A gag order is in place for the city as well as Zelefsky, Sullivan said.

There are also rumors Zelefsky negotiated a buyout with the city to leave quietly.

“Taxpayers again have to buy somebody out,” Tillotson said. “They should be able to get rid of nonproductive employees without having to pay them off,” he added.

The tussle between the planning department and the city administrator’s office had been well known.

Zelefsky worked on all the major developments in the city, including the Strand, Pacific City and the sale of the Bella Terra Mall, and he was involved in buying land from the Fountain Valley School District in return for expedited development permits.

Zelefsky supporters believe he was pushed out because he sided with Bella Terra Mall owners DJM Capital Partners over whether the city should give the company a $15 million subsidy, previously given to J.H. Snyder, the former owners of Bella Terra.

The City Council also rejected Zelefsky’s efforts to negotiate buying some ball fields from the Fountain Valley School District in return for permits. The city decided to buy about eight acres of land for $4 million instead.

“I don’t think it was any one thing,” Bohr said about the reasons behind Zelefsky’s ouster.

“The city has lost millions of dollars in property tax and sales tax revenues due to our inefficient permit process,” he added. “It’s high time we made changes necessary to stop the loss of revenues.”

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