A snapshot of the planning departments in four cities. Santa Monica was found to have the worst customer service and slowest approval times in a study conducted by a group of MBA students from USC.
CITY ANNUAL BUDGET STAFF CASES/YEAR Santa Monica $2,565,389 18 190 Burbank $1,701,192 13 126 Culver City $1,136,336 13 40 Pasadena $3,200,000 34 100 Notes: Staff figures exclude building and safety, and support staff. Cases handled exclude those settled “over the counter” and license applications, in an attempt to show the quantity of cases related to local merchants.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 14, 2004. Read the original PDF.