CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS:
This is the journey level in the Regional Planning Assistant class series. Positions allocated to this class receive technical and administrative supervision from a planning supervisor, and are assigned duties in a planning section, such as the issuance of zoning permits, land divisions, land use regulatory enforcement, plan review, geographic information systems, and research studies, for which they are expected to carry out their assignments independently; or be responsible for an element of a specialized research or planning study.

All duties assigned require familiarity with basic planning concepts, the content of local general plans, planning and zoning laws; and the application of planning techniques.  Incumbents of the class must communicate and present planning concepts, ideas and theories, and the County's planning policies and administrative procedures to the public, orally and in writing.

Participates in the research, writing, and public discussion regarding the adoption of the County's general plan, area, coastal, community, and neighborhood plans, and other specialized plans and studies.

Participates in the research and drafting of zoning, subdivision, and other land use regulations.

Participates in the analysis of complex planning problems, the preparation of population and other planning projections, public property acquisitions and disposal, highway alignments, housing needs, and parking studies.

Responds in writing or orally to inquiries from the public on General Plan policy, and subdivision and zoning regulations.

Processes applications for subdivisions, zone changes, variances, and conditional use permits.

Evaluates applications for consistency with General Plan policy, and compliance with zoning and subdivision regulations.

Conducts field inspections, prepares staff reports and public notices, coordinates with other public agencies, and follows all other necessary procedures for public hearings.

Analyzes, reviews and prepares environmental documents including Initial Studies, Negative Declarations, and both the draft and final versions of the Environmental Impact Reports.

Explains County and State environmental regulations to the general public and project applicants.

Investigates and analyzes property ownership, recorded property ownership and zoning histories; gathers and consolidates data from public records and other sources to assist in the development of written staff reports in support of recommendations for official action.

Investigates violations of zoning regulations, and discusses alleged violations with property owners, the District Attorney, and other enforcement agencies, and may make court appearances.

Prepares and makes oral presentations of planning development applications, zoning and other planning related information to the Regional Planning Commission, and civic, community, governmental, professional, and other interest groups.

Prepares graphics, exhibits, maps, and other audio-visual illustrations to present findings and critical issues of planning studies in support of the department's recommendations.

Uses computer programs or planning applications to prepare reports, maps, spreadsheets, data bases and/or graphics in carrying out planning activities.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:
Option I:  *A bachelor's degree in Urban or Regional Planning from an accredited four-year college.
Option II:  *A bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university, with specialization in Environmental Studies, Geography, Urban Studies, Public Administration, or Landscape Architecture, with 15 semester or 22.5 quarter units of upper division courses in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Urban or Regional Planning, Cartography, Urban Geography and/or Environmental Planning.
Option III:  *A bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university and one year of urban or regional planning experience in a city or county government.

LICENSE:
A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.
 

PHYSICAL CLASS:
2 - Light: Light physical effort which may include occasional light lifting to a 10 pound limit, and some bending, stooping or squatting.  Considerable walking may be involved.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION:
*In order to receive credit for any degree such as a Bachelor's, Master's, or course work, you MUST include a legible copy of the official diploma, official transcripts, or official letter from the accredited institution which shows the area of specialization with your application at the time of filing or within fifteen (15) calendar days from application submission.  Candidates expect to qualify under Option II, MUST provide a copy of their official college transcript to indicate the course work.

Applicants who will be receiving their Bachelor's Degree within six months from the date of filing may compete in this examination; however, the names of such candidates, if successful in the examination, will be withheld from certification for employment until they present original documentation that they have satisfied all the requirements for a Bachelor's Degree.

 

This examination will consist of THREE (3) parts:

Part I:  An online multiple choice test weighted 65% comprised of Reading Comprehension, Written Expression, and Data Analysis/Decision Making, Verbal Ability, Achievement, Confidence and Optimism, Independence, Influence, Reliability, and Professional Potential

Part II:  A multiple choice test weighted 15% covering Professional/Technical Knowledge.

Only candidates that achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on Parts I and II will proceed to Part III.

Part III:  A technical writing project weighted 20% consisting of Written Expression, Professional/Technical Knowledge and Critical Thinking.

Candidates must achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on each part of the examination in order to be placed on the eligible register.

MULTIPLE CHOICE TESTS ARE NOT REVIEWABLE BY CANDIDATES PER CIVIL SERVICE RULE 7.19.

NOTE:  Applicants may receive notice via email regarding the written tests and writing project and are responsible for providing a valid email address. Add fkumala@hr.lacounty.gov and 
info@governmentjobs.com to your address book and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk mail.  Scores cannot be given over the telephone.

Candidates will be notified of their final test results via US mail.  Scores cannot be given over the telephone.

TRANSFER OF SCORES
Applicants that have taken identical test part(s) for other exams within the last 12 months, will have their written test responses for the identical test part(s) automatically transferred to this examination.

This examination contains test parts that may be used in the future for new examinations. Your scores will be transferred to the new examination and may not be allowed to re-take any identical test parts for at least 12 months.

TEST PREPARATION
Study guides and other test preparation resources are available to help candidates prepare for employment tests. You can access test preparation for the computerized portion of the test by going to http://www.shldirect.com/practice_tests.html. While the guides will help in preparing for the test, we advise you to review all related materials that you deem necessary.