Norman Murdoch

Norman Murdoch, who has alternately drawn criticism from homeowner groups and developers during 13 years as head of the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Department, is transferring. Murdoch, 61, will fill the newly created position of director of economic planning, working under county Chief Administrative Officer Richard Dixon.

Norman Murdoch, who led the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission from 1974 to 1988 and later developed a detailed street-tree plan for his Windsor Square neighborhood, has died. He was 80. Murdoch died Oct. 8 from complications of myelodysplasia, a bone marrow disorder, at Garden Crest Convalescent Hospital in Los Angeles, said his daughter, Cathy Jaramillo. When he came to Los Angeles as the county planning director from a similar position with the city of St.

Norman Murdoch, who led the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission from 1974 to 1988 and later developed a detailed street-tree plan for his Windsor Square neighborhood, has died. He was 80. Murdoch died Oct. 8 from complications of myelodysplasia, a bone marrow disorder, at Garden Crest Convalescent Hospital in Los Angeles, said his daughter, Cathy Jaramillo. When he came to Los Angeles as the county planning director from a similar position with the city of St.

Norman Murdoch, who has alternately drawn criticism from homeowner groups and developers during 13 years as head of the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Department, is transferring. Murdoch, 61, will fill the newly created position of director of economic planning, working under county Chief Administrative Officer Richard Dixon.

The county Regional Planning Commission has unanimously approved a compromise land-use plan for Malibu that is designed to gain Coastal Commission approval. Regional Planning Director Norman Murdoch said the county would reduce the amount of development planned in the Malibu coastal zone from 12,095 apartments and houses to 6,582, a figure suggested by the Coastal Commission.

Thank God for Norman Murdoch's Oct. 29 commentary, "It's Crazy to Rule Out Subways for L.A." Subways are the only viable transportation solution to our deadly traffic nightmare. There is a suspicion that it's a tax on the middle class for what would only benefit the poor. Untrue--ask anyone who has taken the subway in D.C., San Francisco, Boston, London or Hong Kong and you'll find it is a pleasurable experience. All of these cities faced similar problems to those L.A. is facing installing our subway system.

The population of the Santa Clarita Valley is growing at a much faster pace than previously believed and could reach 358,000 by 2010, according to a Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission report released Monday. The new estimate is based on housing development proposals pending before the commission. The current population estimate for 2010 is 270,000, adopted in December as part of the Santa Clarita Valley general plan.

The Board of Supervisors on Thursday approved a package of raises for Los Angeles County's highest-ranking administrators that will boost Sheriff Sherman Block's pay above the $100,000 mark if he wins election later this year. The board legally cannot raise the pay of an elected official while that official is in office. It did, however, raise the sheriff's pay from the current $91,319 to $110,000, effective when whoever wins the upcoming sheriff's election takes office in December.

The California Coastal Commission adopted a land-use plan for Malibu on Thursday that halves the amount of development that Los Angeles County officials have wanted to permit there. At the same time, a carefully crafted compromise between county planners and commission staff collapsed, leading commission Executive Director Michael Fischer to predict that agreement has been pushed "from months away to years away."

James E. Hartl, a 20-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Department, was named director of the department Wednesday. Hartl, who will be paid $84,250 a year, has served as acting director since July, when then-Planning Director Norman Murdoch transferred to the new position of director of economic planning, working under the county's chief administrative officer. Murdoch was viewed by many community activists as strongly pro-growth. But he also had ups and downs in his relations with the pro-growth, conservative majority on the Board of Supervisors.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved a $75,000 planning study of the Castaic area in response to concerns about rapid growth. County Planning Director Norman Murdoch said the study is necessary because developers want to change the 1984 plan for the Santa Clarita Valley to allow more residential growth, which could place pressure on local services.

Sandy Kennedy, a landscape designer who restored gardens at several historic homes, including the Getty House, the official residence of the Los Angeles mayor, has died. She was 64. Kennedy died Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of complications from a bacterial infection, according to her partner, Linda Lack. A native of Los Angeles, Kennedy studied horticulture and landscape design at Pierce College, Cal Poly Pomona and UCLA, and became a licensed landscape contractor.