City must reopen planning seat
The Costa Mesa Planning Commission will have to wait until next month to find out who will replace a commissioner who suddenly resigned earlier this week.
Filling former Commissioner Edward Salcedo’s seat, which he resigned Monday, should have required a 10-day notice before the City Council could appoint another person, city officials said Friday afternoon.
The directive came from the city clerk’s office after Tuesday’s council meeting, during which Commissioner Colin McCarthy was unanimously reappointed to the position to serve the remainder of Salcedo’s term. He will have to apply again for the seat.
The question of whether Salcedo’s seat could be filled was raised Tuesday, though after receiving City Attorney Tom Duarte’s approval, the council approved a motion — with Councilwoman Wendy Leece dissenting — to waive policy and proceed with all three appointments.
Salcedo, president of Costa Mesa-based GCAP Services, cited unspecific personal and business reasons for his departure. He term was set to expire in February 2015.
The city is accepting additional applications to the Planning Commission until 5 p.m. Thursday.
Timothy Sesler, a corporate attorney, and Jim Fitzpatrick, a former planning commissioner, were each appointed for four-year terms on the commission. Their appointments will be unaffected. Each begins their terms on the Feb. 11 Planning Commission meeting, as will the third seat.
Hours before Salcedo announced his resignation, Fitzpatrick announced his departure as a board director of the Costa Mesa Sanitary District, an elected position he received in November 2010.
The city is also accepting applications for the Parks and Recreation Commission until 5 p.m. Thursday. The council chose to wait until Feb. 4 to fill vacancies on that commission in order to have time to interview all the candidates.
Twitter: @bradleyzint
