Manhattan Beach About Town
Newly appointed Planning Commissioner Joseph Ungoco. File photo
Ungoco appointed to
Planning Commission
The City Council on Tuesday night, after some debate, unanimously appointed Joseph Ungoco to the Planning Commission. He will take the place left vacant by the sudden passing of Commissioner Sandra Seville-Jones.
The action was the first taken by the council after the swearing in of new members Suzanne Hadley and Hildy Stern. Hadley, along with Councilmember Richard Montgomery, argued that any new appointment should wait until all new commission appointments are considered next month and made in June. Montgomery said new major projects were scheduled for consideration by the commission between now and then.
“Why not wait 28 days?” he asked.
Three of the five applicants for previous vacancies on the commission had indicated they still wanted to serve, according to the staff report.
“We are here and ready and have these people indicating to us they are very interested in this job,” Stern said. “I think we have the opportunity now to make a decision and get this done, and we are anxious for that — for getting something done.”
Ungoco, who twice ran for City Council, most recently in March, will serve the remainder of Seville-Jones term, which will expire in May 2020 and automatically be reappointed until May 2023.