OCEANSIDE — A proposal to change how the city’s Planning Commission members are appointed failed to gain support from the City Council during a Jan. 25 meeting.
The proposal, introduced by Deputy Mayor Eric Joyce and newly-elected Councilmember Jimmy Figueroa, sought to shift the appointment process by allowing each of the four council members to appoint a commissioner from their district, while the mayor would select three at-large members to complete the seven-member body.
Currently, planning commissioners are interviewed and appointed by a majority vote of the council. The proposal also included limiting commissioners to two-year terms, though Joyce later suggested extending the limit to four years after hearing concerns from current commissioners.
Joyce and Figueroa argued that the change would ensure better district representation, improve transparency, and increase accountability on a commission that makes critical decisions on development projects across the city.
“It is extremely important that we constitute the Planning Commission in the best possible way it can be,” Joyce said.
The proposal failed to gain traction, with the remaining three council members opposing the changes.
Mayor Esther Sanchez said she believed the existing appointment process is more effective and warned that the proposed changes could lead to partisan influence over the commission.
“I think what we have works best,” Sanchez said.
Planning Commissioner Tom Rosales also opposed the proposal, expressing frustration that commissioners were not consulted beforehand.
“You could have reached out to us and said, ‘Hey, we want your input,’ as opposed to this forum,” Rosales said.
Joyce acknowledged an email error delayed his outreach to the commission before bringing the item to the council.
Commissioner Louise Balma also criticized the proposal, arguing that the appointment process is fair and nonpolitical.
“It’s not political, it’s not favoritism, it’s ethical,” Balma said, adding that under the proposed system, council members could appoint friends, colleagues, or political allies, creating potential conflicts of interest.
Both Balma and Rosales pushed back on the original two-year term limit, arguing that commissioners need more time to fully understand the role’s complexities.
“If you understand what the Planning Commission does, it takes a year to get used to what’s going on,” Balma said.
With the lack of support, the proposal failed to move forward, keeping the current appointment process in place.
