LA HABRA : 2 Seats on Planning Commission Filled

After interviewing 17 applicants, the City Council has filled two vacancies on the Planning Commission.

Paul Thornburg, who has already served 6 1/2 years on the Planning Commission, was selected to fill the vacancy left by Juan M. Garcia’s appointment to the City Council last month. Garcia left the commission to join the City Council after Beth Strader’s recent resignation.

Thornburg, whose previous Planning Commission term expired March 31, will serve the remaining two years of Garcia’s term on the Planning Commission. Thornburg was prevented from seeking another full four-year term on the Planning Commission because of a city law that prevents officers from serving more than 10 years.

Garcia and Thornburg were both applicants for the City Council seat.

The council also appointed Patrick M. Kelley to the Planning Commission. Kelley has served on the city’s Traffic Commission since 1983. He is a traffic engineer for a private consulting firm and has lived with his wife and two children in La Habra for more than 16 years.

Kelley said that the new position will enable him to be more involved in the city. “Because of my work with transportation planning, I know how the machinery works,” he said. “And my experience in working with other cities could be used to operate on the Planning Commission.”

Applications are now being accepted for Kelley’s vacancy on the Traffic Commission.