CITY PLANNING ASSOCIATE 7941

DUTIES ANNUAL SALARY $99,305 to $145,199 NOTE: Annual salary is at the start of the pay range. The current salary range is subject to change. Please confirm the starting salary with the hiring department before accepting a job offer. A City Planning Associate does professional city planning work in long-range and policy planning, including citywide, community, and neighborhood planning; and project planning, including review, research, assessment, and clearance of land use proposals, development projects, and site plans. REQUIREMENT(S)/MINIMUM QUALIFICATION(S) Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university and four years of full-time paid professional experience in long-range and/or current urban planning; orGraduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a major in urban planning, urban studies, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, geography or a closely-related field and two years of full-time paid professional experience in long-range and/or current urban planning; orTwo years of full-time paid professional planning experience as a Planning Assistant with the City of Los Angeles. One year of graduate study in urban planning or a closely related field with completion of 24 semester units or 36 quarter units may be substituted for up to one year of the required professional planning experience. PROCESS NOTES Applicants who lack six months or less of the required experience at the time of filing may file for this examination. However, they cannot be appointed until the full experience requirement is met.Applicants qualifying under Requirement #1 or #2 must list their school name and location, type of degree earned and major in the Education section of the City application. Applicants who fail to provide this information on their application will not be considered further in this examination and their applications will not be processed.Applicants wishing to substitute education for experience must list their school name and location, appropriate course titles, their respective number of semester or quarter units, and completion dates for each course claimed as qualifying in the text box which will appear in the Supplemental Questions section of the on-line application. The substitution will not be considered for applicants who fail to provide the information at the time of filing.As a condition of employment, a valid Class C driver’s license issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is required at the time of appointment. Applicants will be disqualified or deemed ineligible for hire if their DMV record reflects three or more moving violations and/or at-fault accidents, or a conviction of a major moving violation within the last 36 months in any state or jurisdiction. The City of Los Angeles reserves the right to issue a notice of disqualification or ineligibility at any time before a final job offer is extended.For qualifying work experience gained in Requirements #1, #2, and #3, the term “professional experience” applies to positions that require possession of a degree from an accredited four-year college or university in order to obtain that position. Therefore, to be considered “professional,” qualifying experience must be gained in positions requiring a four-year degree.Please note that qualifying education must be from a college or university accredited by a City of Los Angeles recognized agency. A list of approved accredited agencies can be found at http://per.lacity.org/Accredited%20Institutions%2008-21-08.pdf .Candidates completing the examination process will be contacted by the Personnel Department to provide required proof of qualifying degree. Applicants who wish to expedite this process may attach a copy of their qualifying degree to their on-line application at the time of filing in the Attachments section.Candidates completing the examination process who qualified by substituting education for a maximum of one year of the required experience will be contacted by the Personnel Department to provide required proof of qualifying coursework. Applicants who wish to expedite this process may attach a copy of their transcripts to their on-line application at the time of filing in the Attachments section. WHERE TO APPLY & APPLICATION DEADLINE Applications will only be accepted on-line. When you are viewing the on-line job bulletin of your choice, simply scroll to the top of the page and select the “Apply” icon. On-line job bulletins are also available at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacity . NOTE: Applicants are urged to apply early to ensure you have time to resolve any technical issues you may encounter. APPLICATION DEADLINE Applications must be received by THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2026. In accordance with Civil Service Rule 4.2, all applicants who apply may not be tested in this examination. To meet anticipated hiring needs, only a limited number of qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the selection process in the following order: 1) Los Angeles City promotional applicants who meet the minimum requirements. You must have received a regular appointment to a City position or be on a reserve list to apply for this examination as a promotional candidate; 2) Applicants currently employed by the City of Los Angeles on a part-time or exempt basis who meet the minimum requirements; 3) Remaining applicants who meet the minimum requirements in sufficient numbers to meet hiring needs based on a random sampling of those qualified candidates . Applications submitted during the filing period may be kept on file in the event that additional applicants need to be tested to meet hiring needs. SELECTION PROCESS Examination Weights: Essay: AdvisoryMultiple-Choice Test: QualifyingInterview: 100% The examination will consist of an advisory essay, qualifying multiple-choice test, and weighted interview. The qualifying multiple-choice test will be administered and proctored on-line, and the following competencies may be evaluated: Customer Service; Job Knowledge, including knowledge of: the organization, functions, and responsibilities of the City of Los Angeles Planning Department and the Department of Recreation and Parks, including their relationship to their respective Commissions, the City Council, and the Mayor’s Office; the contents, organization, and elements of a General Plan, including the General Plan of the City of Los Angeles and their relationship to State guidelines and City Charter requirements; the general organization, contents, and requirements of the Planning and Zoning Code Sections of the Los Angeles Municipal Code; urban planning concepts and the various factors to consider in urban planning; City of Los Angeles ordinances related to land use; how to interpret various types of maps and architectural plans, such as topographic maps, land use maps, radius maps, on-line zoning and aerial maps, noise contour maps, site-plans, floor plans and elevations; various Federal and State regulations, such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California Coastal Act, and the Subdivision Map Act; and other necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities. Additional job analysis information can be obtained by going to https://per.lacity.org/jobs/job-analyses.cfm and clicking on Competencies under City Planning Associate. Prior to the qualifying multiple-choice test, candidates will be required to prepare some written material related to the duties and responsibilities of a City Planning Associate. This essay material will not be separately scored, but will be presented to the interview board for review and consideration, which may include discussion, in the overall evaluation of the candidate. Those who do not complete the advisory essay will not be invited to the qualifying multiple-choice test and will be considered to have failed the entire examination. To be considered complete, the advisory essay must include a substantive response for each question or problem included in the advisory essay for which a candidate is required to provide an answer. Please note that candidates must complete the advisory essay and meet the minimum qualifications as stated on this bulletin in order to be considered further in the examination process. The advisory essay will be administered on-line. Candidates invited to participate in the examination will receive an e-mail from the City of Los Angeles outlining the specific steps needed to complete the on-line advisory essay. Candidates will be required to complete the on-line advisory essay between MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2026 and MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2026. Candidates who fail to complete the advisory essay as instructed may be disqualified. The qualifying multiple-choice test will be proctored and administered on-line during a single session. Candidates invited to participate in the on-line multiple-choice test will be able to take the test from a remote location (i.e. their home) using a computer with a webcam and a reliable internet connection. Candidates will receive an e-mail from the City of Los Angeles outlining the dates and specific steps on how to take the qualifying multiple-choice test on-line. It is anticipated that the remote proctored multiple-choice test will be administered between TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2026 and MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2026. Candidates who do not complete and submit the remote proctored multiple-choice test on-line using a computer by the specified date and time will not be considered further in this examination. FAQs for on-line testing are available at https://per.lacity.org/faqs/employment-testing-process.html . Only candidates who demonstrate a hardship may be offered the option to take the qualifying multiple-choice test onsite at a City facility. Passing Score for the Qualifying Multiple-Choice Test The passing score for the qualifying multiple-choice test will be determined by Personnel Department staff after the qualifying multiple-choice test is administered. Consideration will be given to the number of candidates taking the test and the existing and anticipated number of vacancies, such that there are a sufficient number of eligibles on the list to satisfy current and future vacancies for the next two years. Therefore, the passing score for the qualifying multiple-choice test may be set at, above, or below 70%. Candidates must complete the advisory essay, achieve a passing score on the qualifying multiple-choice test, and meet the minimum qualifications in order to be invited to the interview. The examination score will be based entirely on the interview. In the interview, the following competencies may be evaluated: Judgment and Decision Making; Attention to Detail; Self-Management; Customer Service; Oral Communication; Written Communication; Job Knowledge, including knowledge of: the organization, functions, and responsibilities of the City of Los Angeles Planning Department and the Department of Recreation and Parks, including their relationship to their respective Commissions, the City Council, and the Mayor’s Office; the contents, organization, and elements of a General Plan, including the General Plan of the City of Los Angeles, and their relationship to State guidelines and City Charter requirements; the general organization, contents, and requirements of the Planning and Zoning Code Sections of the Los Angeles Municipal Code; urban planning concepts and the various factors to consider in urban planning; City of Los Angeles ordinances related to land use; how to interpret various types of maps and architectural plans; various Federal and State regulations, such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California Coastal Act, and the Subdivision Map Act; and other necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities. Candidates will be notified later by e-mail of the date, time, and location of the interview, which may be held in Los Angeles or on-line. NOTES: This examination is based on a validation study, and as provided by Civil Service Commission Rule 4.20, the qualifying multiple-choice test will not be subject to candidate inspection.As a covered entity under the Fair Employment and Housing Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and upon request, will provide reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. To request a disability accommodation, please complete the Disability Accommodation Form within 14 calendar days of the submittal of the City application. The Disability Accommodation Form can be obtained at http://per.lacity.org/exams/verify_disability.pdf .Applications are accepted subject to review to ensure minimum qualifications are met. Candidates may be disqualified at any time if it is determined that they do not possess the minimum qualifications stated on this bulletin.In some City departments, employees’ work schedules may vary from a five-day, forty-hour work week, and may include regularly-scheduled night meetings.In conjunction with Civil Service Rules, applicants who have received a regular appointment to a City position or are on a reserve list will be considered Promotional candidates while all other applicants will be considered Open candidates.The promotional list will ordinarily be used ahead of the open competitive list. However, if open competitive candidates receive a higher score, without military credits, than the highest available promotional candidate, after adding seniority credit at the rate of 0.25 of a point for each year of continuous classified City service, the Civil Service Commission, upon request of the appointing authority, may approve certification of such open competitive candidates ahead of the promotional candidates.A final average score of 70% or higher in the interview portion of the examination is required to be placed on the eligible list. Notice : If you receive and accept an offer of employment to a regular position with the City of Los Angeles, your employee benefit coverage (including health and dental coverage as well as life insurance) will commence approximately six weeks after your original regular appointment. Not all positions in the City receive benefit coverage; you should inquire regarding the availability of employee benefits prior to accepting a position. All City employees are required to be Disaster Service Workers. THIS EXAMINATION IS TO BE GIVEN BOTH ON AN INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROMOTIONAL AND OPEN COMPETITIVE BASIS The City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, creed, color, ancestry, medical condition (cancer), or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER For additional information and FAQs regarding the City's hiring process, please go to: https://per.lacity.org/faqs/employment-testing-process.html