Supervisors Split on Planning Director Appointment

Lisa Plowman, who served with Santa Barbara County Planning and Development from 1994 to 2005, has returned to the department as its new director. Her appointment, however, was not without reservation. Dissenting in the 3-2 vote, supervisors Steve Lavagnino and Peter Adam, who want the department more streamlined and resident-friendly, were concerned in part that Plowman doesn’t represent much-needed change. Plowman has nearly 20 experience assisting private and nonprofit developers with entitlement and planning processes. For the past five years, Plowman has worked in management at RRM Design Group, a firm with more than 130 employees and four California offices. She starts with the county in March.