As of September 1, 2011, ALL 1,875 retail establishments are prohibited from providing light-weight, single-use plastic carryout bags to customers at the point of sale. MORE

By Jason Islas
Lookout Staff

September 28, 2011 -- The Santa Monica City Council selected Parks and Recreation Commissioner Richard McKinnon to fill a vacancy on the Planning Commission Tuesday.

The dais was split three to four between Paul Rosenstein, a former Planning Commissioner and Mayor and son of the late activist Millie Rosenstein, and McKinnon.

Before the council voted, local activist Jerry Rubin addressed it to say, “We need someone who is specifically not anti-development.”

McKinnon, who is a strategic marketing consultant by trade, is most certainly not anti-development.

“Developers are lining up to build hotels, offices, retail, condos, apartment blocks; millions of square feet of development are coming; thousands of new residents,” he said in his official application for the position.

“It's an exciting time to be appointed to the Planning Commission,” McKinnon told The Lookout Tuesday. “The challenge is to now help shape the development to suit Santa Monica and benefit our community here. It's a big job.”

Aside from his time on the Parks and Recreation Commission, McKinnon has worked actively with the city and Santa Monica Spoke to help develop the Bike Action Plan, which the city has described as the LUCE for bikes.

He is also the chair of Bike It! Day, the semi-annual event in Santa Monica where students are encouraged to walk, take the bus or ride their bikes to school. He has also worked on the executive board of the Santa Monica High School Parent Teacher Association and has been a board member of the Pico Youth and Family Center.

McKinnon was appointed to fill a position left vacant by Gwynne Pugh, who had to resign in May.

Pugh had applied for a position as a consultant to the city, but later learned that the city considered that a conflict of interest.

“They gave me the choice of one or the other,” Pugh told The Lookout after he had to step down from the Planning Commission.

Pugh said he was surprised by the finding, noting that “historically” there have been numerous commissioners and councilmembers whose professional lives have intersected with city business. When business comes before the council or commission in which there could be a conflict of interest, they simply recuse themselves, Pugh had said.

McKinnon will complete Pugh's term, which ends in June 2012. After that, if he reapplies, he will be eligible to serve two full terms, as per the city's term limits rules.

Mayor Richard Bloom, Mayor Pro Tem Gleam Davis and Councilmembers Pam O'Connor and Kevin McKeown voted for McKinnon. Councilmembers Bobby Shriver, Bob Holbrook and Terry O'Day voted for Rosenstein.