Planning Commissioners Academy
March 16-18, 2022
Marriott San Ramon
2600 Bishop Drive, San Ramon, CA
Academy Information
Registration Open
Pre-Conference: City Center Walking Tour
Explore San Ramon’s new downtown area on this guided group tour and get an inside look at the latest developments since the 2016 Planning Commissioners Academy. Experience the new 300,000 square foot City Center, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, which opened in the fall of 2018 and offers a range of dining, shopping, and entertainment options. Learn about planned updates to the Bishop Ranch Business Park with the recently approved CityWalk Master Plan which will guide the development of residential and commercial uses, along with public amenities within the Master Plan area, to complement and support City Center Bishop Ranch. The buildout of the Master Plan envisions the addition of up to 4,500 dwelling units over 25 years; a 169-key hotel; 166,000 square feet of commercial uses, and more than 38 acres of parkland.
Walking Tour Leads
Lauren Barr, Planning Manager, San Ramon
Jeff Dodd, Senior Vice President, Retail, Sunset Development Company
Jerry Engen, Senior Vice President, Development and Construction, Sunset Development
Pre-Conference Workshop: Understanding Public Service Ethics Laws and Principles (AB 1234)
State law requires elected and appointed officials to receive two hours of training in specified ethics laws and principles every two years. Newly elected and appointed officials must receive this training within one year of becoming a public servant. Join us to learn from an expert on how to navigate ethics laws and principles.
Speaker
Nicholaus Norvell, Partner, Best Best & Krieger LLP
Pre-Conference Workshop: Harassment Prevention Training for Supervisors and Officials (AB 1661)
This informational and interactive workplace harassment prevention training will focus on current and emerging issues resulting from the #MeToo movement, and teach officials and supervisors how to identify, prevent, and properly respond to workplace harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and abusive conduct in order to avoid personal and agency liability in compliance with AB 1825, AB 2053, AB 1661 and SB 396.
Speaker
Heather R. Coffman, Associate, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore
Opening General Session
Creating a City Where People Want to Live: Why Working Together is so Important
Great places and great cities don’t happen by accident, they are purposeful. Full of examples and anecdotes, this keynote shares the
important role that planning staff and planning commissioners play in improving the quality of life of their communities. Building relationships, listening, and establishing expectations are important components of an effective planning
process that can lead to a meaningful experience for all involved.
Debbie Chamberlain, President, Planning and Community Development Department, League of California Cities and Community Development Director, San Ramon
David Hudson, Mayor, San Ramon
Keynote Speaker
Mick Cornett, Mayor of Oklahoma City, 2004-2018
Concurrent Sessions
Planning Commission 101: The Nuts and Bolts of Planning
Fundamentals Session
Commissioners will learn the basics about planning laws, typical planning documents, and how they fit together. Speakers who have worked as planning staff, planning commissioners, and consultants will introduce the nuts and bolts of general plans, housing elements, specific plans, zoning codes, subdivision ordinances, design review, and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Understand the typical project review and decision-making processes that commissioners need to be successful. Participants will also learn how plans, codes, and regulations can be written to ensure that principles of sustainability, equity, and community-building are incorporated in new development.
An Irregular Meeting of the City of Dysfunction Junction Planning Commission
Emerging Issues Session
Speakers
Concurrent Sessions
CEQA: An Introduction
Fundamentals Session
Hear an introduction about the role of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in the planning process, as we cover the basics in this dynamic session. Join us as we pull back the curtain on parts of the process, including the types of documents you will see, how environmental decisions are made, and the responsibilities of staff and the commission at each stage in the process. The tools and approaches taken by those who prepare the documents for your review will also be discussed, with an opportunity to ask questions throughout the session.
Presider and Speaker
Tools for the Trade: New Resources for Planning Commissioners
Emerging Issues Session
Planning commissioners must balance the needs of their city, the vision of their community members, and state and local regulations while making decisions that are in the best interest of all they serve. To effectively do this, planning commissioners must be fast learners and seek out resources to become more effective leaders. Join a panel of planning experts to hear about emerging issues and trends in the planning field and new resources that can help you do your job better and with more confidence.
Speaker
Eric Nelson, Department Director, Planning and Community Development Department, League of California Cities and Planning Commissioner, Dana Point
Jenni Byers, Community Development Director, Lakeport
Peer-to-Peer Connections
Registration Open
Networking Breakfast
Understanding and Navigating SB 9 (Atkins, 2021) in Your City
SB 9 (Atkins, 2021) allows “upzoning” of single-family neighborhoods irrespective of zoning codes, community input, and environmental review. As planning commissioners, you may have questions: Does SB 9 override Common Interest
Development or Homeowner Association restrictions? How can municipalities preserve local control? How does SB 9 interface with Accessory Dwelling Unit laws? Must a city approve eight units on a single-family lot (a duplex and two granny
units on each parcel after a lot split)? Or may cities approve only four of those units? Discover the answers to these questions and more as we assist planning commissioners in navigating the intricacies of implementing SB 9.
Moderator
Eric Nelson, Department Director, Planning and Community Development Department, League of California Cities and Planning Commissioner, Dana Point
Speakers
Joan Cox, Partner, Burke Williams & Sorensen
Barbara Kautz, Partner, Goldfarb & Lipman LLP
Concurrent Sessions
Relationship Between Planning Commission, City Council, and Planning Staff
Fundamentals Session
As a city official, there will be various competing values and priorities that drive you and your colleagues within your city. Your success on the planning commission requires an effective relationship with your planning staff and city council, where everyone’s values are respected and represented. Learn how to work together while cultivating each of your diverse roles.
Moderator
Meghan McKelvey, Department and Member Services Manager, League of California Cities
CEQA: Advanced
Emerging Issues Session
This session assumes some familiarity with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Hear an in-depth discussion on the process of crafting mitigation measures, long- and short-term impacts, and how the CEQA landscape changes with legislation, court decisions, and agency preferences. Dive into why CEQA documents look the way they do, the role of findings, and what to do with late-hit letters. Finally, some of the more technical sections of the document will be demystified.
Presider and Speaker
Mark Teague, Managing Principal, PlaceWorks
Speaker
Shannon George, Vice President/Principal, David J. Powers & Associates
Networking Lunch
Streamlined Housing Laws and New Housing Legislation
Learn about the recently adopted laws SB 35 (Weiner, 2017) and SB 330 (Skinner, 2019) that provide for expedited processing and approval of qualifying housing projects, review recent court cases interpreting SB 35 and the Housing Accountability
Act, and provide an update on new pro-housing legislation signed by Governor Newsom, including SB 9 (Atkins, 2021) and SB 10 (Weiner, 2021). Planning commissioners are tasked with understanding how to consider and process streamlining
applications. Speakers will review whether planning commissioners have the authority to approve or deny such projects and the findings that need to be made if they deny a project. Lastly, understand how the legislature has limited decision-making
roles in making decisions on streamlining applications.
Moderator
Debbie Chamberlain, President, Planning and Community Development Department, League of California Cities and Community Development Director, San Ramon
Patricia Curtin, Attorney, Wendel Rosen LLP
Coffee Chat
Concurrent Sessions
How to Prepare Findings and Conditions of Approval
Fundamentals Session
As a planning commissioner, your decision to approve an application is based on whether you can make the required findings and draft conditions of approval that can be implemented. Learn the reasons why findings are so important in rendering a decision on a project and what conditions of approval are and how to prepare them.
Moderator
Joel Rojas, Immediate Past President, Planning and Community Development Department, League of California Cities and Development Services Director, San Juan Capistrano
Speakers
Patricia Curtin, Attorney, Wendel Rosen LLP
Speed Sessions
Post-COVID-19 Zoning Playbook: Value Capture Meets Quality of Life
Emerging Issues
The post-COVID-19 world’s economy is being driven by consumer preferences and online retail, private sector investment has shifted from retail and office to residential and industrial. Urban is moving to suburban, and rooftops (housing) now yield more economic impact given work and consumer buying activity. To counter losses, sales tax, zoning, and entitlements can generate currency when used to capture value via entitlement agreements that use density and financing tools in exchange for amenities and infrastructure. Learn about the “development currency and value capture” tools that cities can use to reset local economies and maximize community and fiscal benefits through land use, zoning, and entitlement tools.
Speaker
Larry Kosmont, Chairman and CEO, Kosmont Companies
Wildfire Planning in the General Plan
Emerging Issues
Senate Bill 1234 (Kehoe, 2012) revised the safety element provisions in California state law which requires all cities and counties whose planning area is within the State Responsibility Area or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones to address and incorporate specific information regarding wildfire hazards. This includes the risk, policies, and programs to address and reduce unreasonable risks associated with wildfire. The specific requirements are codified in GC § 65302(g)(3) and 65302.5(b). Learn about this important law before a wildfire occurs in your city.
Speaker
Brian Barkley, Fire Captain, CAL FIRE
Burning Questions, No Judgement
Emerging Issues
What Planners Need to Know About City Finance Today
Learn the essentials and the latest hot topics in city finances in a session specially geared to city planners and planning commissioners. Hear about the rules and trends in taxes, fees, and other city revenues; the relationship with the state budget; and problems and prospects for reform. Explore the valid relationship of city finances with land use planning, and get your questions answered about the most pressing fiscal issues facing cities.
Speaker
Michael Coleman, CaliforniaCityFinance.com
Registration Open
7:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Networking Breakfast
7:45-8:45 a.m.
Legislative Update
9:00-10:15 a.m.
Joint Session
Learn about recent bills that have passed, as well as top issues that are trending in the legislature, and their significance for planning commissioners.
Speaker
Jason Rhine, Assistant Director of Legislative Affairs, League of California Cities
Closing General Session
10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
How Planning Commissioners Can Be Leaders for Equitable and Engaged Communities
Fogbreak will share how Planning Commissioners can promote equity and be inclusive leaders. In this one-and-a-half-hour talk, organizational
change and leadership expert, Berké Brown, will present a research-based and human-centered approach to meaningful leadership. Equity, diversity, and inclusion have become words that are used so often that sometimes the meaning
behind them loses their power. If we dig deeper and understand that it is truly about being humane and empathetic, we can turn the tide from “checking off boxes” to making small but impactful actions that create equitable communities.
Berké Brown will share and lead a workshop about the tools and strategies — derived from the model of procedural justice — leaders can use in everyday interactions with community members to make this vision a reality.
Closing Remarks
Cindy Silva, President, League of California Cities and Mayor Pro Tem, Walnut Creek
Debbie Chamberlain, President, Planning and Community Development Department, League of California Cities and
Community Development Director, San Ramon
Keynote Speaker
Berké Brown, Partner, Fogbreak Justice
Adjourn
12:00 p.m.
*Schedule subject to change
- CEQA: Advanced
- CEQA: An Introduction
- Harassment Prevention Training for Supervisors and Officials (AB 1661)
- How Planning Commissioners Can Be Leaders for Equitable and Engaged Communities
- How to Prepare Findings and Conditions of Approval
- Legislative Update
- Planning Commission 101 - Early
- Planning Commission 101 - Hauge
- Planning Commission 101 - Roberts
- Post-COVID-19 Zoning Playbook: Value Capture Meets Quality of Life
- Streamlined Housing Laws and New Housing Legislation
- Tools for the Trade: New Resources for Planning Commissioners
- Understanding and Navigating SB 9 in Your City
- Understanding Public Service Ethics Laws and Principles (AB 1234)
- What Planners Need to Know About City Finance Today
- Wildfire Planning in the General Plan
2021 Academy Session Descriptions
You Can't Quarantine Laughter
9-10:15 a.m.
In a hilarious, interactive virtual keynote, Greg Schwem, dubbed “your boss’ favorite comedian” by HuffPost, discusses the role humor can, and should, play as Americans enter a new post-pandemic world. Greg provides real-world examples of companies which have used humor to improve their bottom lines and fend off problems before they became full-blown crises. Greg will also candidly discuss why he feels humor has been disappearing from the corporate world, and why it should return. Prepare to make full use of the chat box. Greg encourages (a little) virtual heckling.
Welcome and Introductions: Joel Rojas, President, Planning and Community Development Department, Development Services Director, San Juan Capistrano
Speaker: Greg Schwem, Business Humorist, Corporate Entertainer, Author
Planning Commission 101: The Nuts and Bolts of Planning
10:45 a.m.-12 p.m.
Learn the basics about planning laws, typical planning documents, and how they fit together. The nuts and bolts of general plans, housing elements, specific plans, zoning codes, subdivision ordinances, design review and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) will be discussed. Presenters will walk attendees through typical project review and decision-making processes. Learn how plans, codes, and regulations can be written to ensure that principles of sustainability, equity and community-building are incorporated in new development.
Moderator & Speaker: David Early, Senior Advisor, PlaceWorks
Speakers: William Anderson, FAICP | Marc Roberts, City Manager, Livermore
You Got Your RHNA – Now What?
1:30-2:45 p.m.
Cal Cities, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) will discuss different zoning strategies to accommodate your RHNA. This presentation will include an overview of different strategies for the site identification process, common mistakes HCD is seeing, and debunking myths. The presentation will then be followed by a discussion about specific RHNA scenarios and brainstorming through solutions.
Moderator and Speaker: Jason Rhine, Assistant Legislative Director, League of California Cities
Speakers: Paul McDougall, Housing Policy Manager, CA Department of Housing and Community Development | Sohab Mehmood, Housing Policy Specialist, CA Department of Housing and Community Development
CEQA, From the Beginning
3:15-4:30 p.m.
Hear an introduction to the role of CEQA in the planning process, as we cover the basics in this dynamic session. Join us as we pull back the curtain on parts of the process, including the types of documents you will see, how environmental decisions are made, and the responsibilities of staff and the commission at each stage in the process. The tools and approaches taken by those who prepare the documents for your review will also be discussed, with an opportunity to ask questions throughout the session.
Moderator: Eric Nelson, Director, Planning and Community Development Department, Planning Commissioner, Dana Point
Speakers: Shannon George, Vice President/Principal, David J. Powers & Associates | Mark Teague, Principal, PlaceWorks
Speed Sessions
9-10:20 a.m.
Moderator: Ernie Schmidt, Immediate Past President, Planning and Community Development Department, Planning Commissioner, Redwood City
In the Trenches with Your General Plan
9–9:40 a.m.
The general plan is more than the legal underpinning for land use decisions; it is a vision about how a community will grow, reflecting community priorities and values while shaping the future. It is critical for planning commissioners to understand the purpose and role of general plans. This session will provide an overview of general plan history, content and legal requirements, relationship to regional plans and programs, and current policy trends. This session will also discuss the importance of the general plan and how planning commissioners use the document regularly to make land use decisions and environmental determinations.
Speaker: Dan Amsden, AICP, Director of Planning Services, MIG
Value Capture: Zoning and Entitlements as "Currency" Generators for Cities
9:40–10:20 a.m.
In a post COVID-19 digital economy private sector, land use preferences are shifting from retail and hotel to residential and industrial. Many cities have monetized land use by approving projects that emphasized sales tax and TOT. Post-COVID, the private sector will submit projects less accretive to a city’s economic sustainability. How can cities capture sufficient value from future applications? This session focuses on “development currency “tools cities can use to reset local economies including examples of how to maximize community and fiscal benefits through land use, zoning and entitlement policies that capture value and improve quality of life.
Speaker: Larry Kosmont, Chairman & CEO, Kosmont Companies
How to Prepare Findings and Conditions of Approval
10:45 a.m.-12 p.m.
As a planning commissioner, your decision to approve an application is based on whether you can make the required findings and draft conditions of approval that can be implemented. Learn the reasons why findings are so important in rendering a decision on a project and what conditions of approval are and how to prepare them.
Moderator: Debbie Chamberlain, First Vice President, Planning and Community Development Department, Community Development Director, San Ramon
Speaker: Patricia Curtin, Partner, Wendel Rosen LLP
City of Dysfunction Junction: How to Conduct an Effective and Respectful Planning Commission Meeting
9-10:15 a.m.
Enjoy a mock planning meeting skit, where you will learn some do’s and don’ts for when you are seated on the dais.
Moderator: Caitlin Cole, Conference Program Manager, League of California Cities
Facilitators: Christi Hogin, Attorney, Best Best & Krieger | Michael Jenkins, Of Counsel, Best Best & Krieger
CEQA, In the Weeds
10:45 a.m.-12 p.m.
This session assumes some familiarity with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Hear an in-depth discussion on the process of crafting mitigation measures, long and short-term impacts, and how the CEQA landscape changes with legislation, court decisions, and agency preferences. We will delve more into why CEQA documents look the way they do, the role of findings, and what to do with late-hit letters. Presenters will seek to demystify some of the more technical sections of the document.
Moderator: Eric Nelson, Director, Planning and Community Development Department, Planning Commissioner, Dana Point
Speakers: Shannon George, Vice President/Principal, David J. Powers & Associates | Mark Teague, Principal, PlaceWorks
Relationship Between Planning Commission, City Council, and Planning Staff
1:30-2:45 p.m.
As a city official there will be various competing values and priorities that drive you and your colleagues within your city. Your success on the planning commission requires an effective relationship with your planning staff and city council, where everyone’s values are respected and represented. Learn how to work together while cultivating each of your diverse roles.
Moderator: Meghan McKelvey, Manager, Department and Member Services, League of California Cities
Speakers: Debbie Chamberlain, First Vice President, Planning and Community Development Department, Community Development Director, San Ramon | Eric Nelson, Director, Planning and Community Development Department, Planning Commissioner, Dana Point | David Sander, Council Member, Rancho Cordova
The Planning Commission's Role and State Limits on Its Discretion
3:15-4:30 p.m.
The Planning Commission, implementing the City’s General Plan and Zoning Code, decides which projects are built in the city. The Commission’s decision to approve or deny a use permit or variance is often an exercise of discretion. The State Legislature recently limited the Planning Commission’s discretion through both the Housing Accountability Act and Housing Crisis Act as to certain kinds of housing projects. This presentation will explore the bounds of the Planning Commission’s discretion and the limits of State law, with a particular focus on new state legislation.
Moderator: Joel Rojas, President, Planning and Community Development Department, Development Services Director, San Juan Capistrano
Speakers: Aleks Giragosian, Senior Counsel, Colantuono Highsmith & Whatley, PC | Matthew Summers, City Attorney, Ojai and Barstow, Colantuono Highsmith & Whatley, PC
Legislative Update
9-10:15 a.m.
Learn about recent bills that have passed, as well as top issues that are trending in the legislature, and the significance for city planning commissioners.
Moderator and Speaker: Jason Rhine, Assistant Legislative Director, League of California Cities
Speakers: Nicole Enright, Senior Program Manager, Institute for Local Government | Melissa Kuehne, Senior Program Manager, Institute for Local Government
From Dangerous Discourse to Extraordinary Engagement: Changing the Conversation on Inclusion
10:45 a.m.-12 p.m.
Diversity is a fact. Inclusion is a choice. If 2020 has taught us anything, it's that it is important to take a good, hard, long look at how we are doing business and truthfully examine how to do business better. Inclusion has moved beyond a buzzword and is now an expectation of our communities, our organizations, and our teammates. It is incumbent upon us to ask and effectively answer two questions: "Who else needs to be included in our conversations?" and "How can we effectively engage them?" This session will give you a new personal lens into conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion, and it will equip you with specific strategies for changing how you do business to be more inclusive.
Closing Comments: Joel Rojas, Department President, Development Services Director, San Juan Capistrano
Speakers: Eric Bailey, Managing Partner, Extraordinary Balance | Nicole Lance, Managing Partner, Extraordinary Balance
2021 Academy Session Materials
- CEQA 101 From the Beginning
- CEQA: In the Weeds
- From Dangerous Discourse to Extraordinary Engagement Changing the Conversation on Inclusion
- Glossary of Land Use and Planning Terms - Acronyms and Abbreviations
- How to Prepare Findings and Conditions of Approval
- In The Trenches with Your General Plan - Amsden
- Legislative Update - Enright
- Legislative Update - Rhine
- Planning Commission 101 The Nuts and Bolts of Planning - Early
- Planning Commission 101 The Nuts and Bolts of Planning - Roberts
- Planning Commission 101: The Nuts and Bolts of Planning - Anderson
- The Planning Commission's Role and State Limits on Its Discretion
- Value Capture Zoning and Entitlements as Currency Generators for Cities
- You Got Your RHNA - Now What - Follow-up
- You Got Your RHNA - Now What?
2021 Academy Access for Registered Attendees
Previous Academy Session Materials
- 2020 Planning Commissioners Academy Program
- ADU Regulation Challenges
- CEQA, From the Beginning
- CEQA, In the Weeds
- Development Agreements: The Planning Commission's Role in Reviewing Them
- Harassment Prevention Training for Supervisors and Officials (AB 1661)
- How to Prepare Findings and Conditions of Approval
- In the Trenches With Your General Plan
- LCC Planners 2020
- Legislative Update - Mehmood
- Legislative Update - Rhine
- Meeting Management Tips for Efficient and Effective Public Meetings Campbell Kearns
- Planning Commission 101: The Nuts and Bolts of Planning - Early
- Planning Commission 101: The Nuts and Bolts of Planning - Hauge
- Planning Commission 101: The Nuts and Bolts of Planning - Roberts
- Shared Mobility: Ins and Outs
- Understanding Public Service Ethics Laws and Principles (AB 1234)
- What Planners Need to Know About City Finance Today
- You Are What You Tweet: An Official Survival Guide
- Your Legal Powers and Obligations
- Downtown Turnaround: Sustaining Investment and Innovation Lessons from Long Beach
- High Hopes with Cannabis Regulations
- Homelessness Emergency Aid Program
- How To Build And Maintain The Public's Trust: Practical Ethics And The Law (AB 1234)
- Is Your City Ready for SB 35?
- Legislative Update
- Making Findings that Stand Legal Challenge
- Planning Commission 101 The Nuts and Bolts of Planning
- Planning Commission 101: The Nuts and Bolts of Planning - Anderson
- Planning Commission 101: The Nuts and Bolts of Planning - Roberts
- Sexual Harassment Prevention Training (AB 1661)
- Transportation to What Ends? Updating the Metric of Transportation Impact Under CEQA
- Understanding Density And Development Intensity
- What Planners Need To Know About City Finance Today
- You Are What You Tweet
- Your League and How To Use It