LOS ANGELES — Overseeing a staff of nearly 400, Los Angeles' director of planning Vince Bertoni is at the top of the department that reviews and green lights or halts real estate development projects of all shapes and sizes across the city.

“What we oversee is both the long-term growth and vision of the city, as well as we look at new development projects when they come in on a day-to-day basis,” Bertoni said.

Bertoni’s career spans three decades in Southern California. He has served planning departments in several other cities in and around L.A. County, including Beverly Hills, Malibu, and most recently Pasadena before joining the city of L.A. two years ago.

"Sustainability and climate have always been things rooted in what I think is very important," he said. "I think the most fulfilling thing is really the magnitude of what can happen here in Los Angeles. There are four million people here."

There are thousands of active development projects before the department. Bertoni brought us to one he said represents the heart of what his department strives to achieve: the future site of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Exposition Park.

The Lucas Museum was approved to be a 300,000-square-foot facility containing a library, theaters, classrooms, offices, and exhibition space for Star Wars director George Lucas' 100,000-piece art collection.

“What’s so exciting is people who are growing up in South L.A. who may not have the same opportunities as other parts of the city, are going to have the opportunity to come here and understand storytelling and narrative arts, which I think will really shape them so much more positively for the future,” Bertoni said.

Developments like this make Bertoni extremely proud of his department. It’s what he chooses to focus on after a year that felt like a dark shadow was cast upon the entire L.A. city planning process in the wake of a federal corruption scandal involving former Councilman Jose Huizar.

Huizar was charged last fall in a 34-count federal RICO conspiracy indictment alleging bribery and money laundering involving real estate developments in his district. Former Councilman Mitch Englander was just sentenced to 14 months in prison for his role in that sprawling case after lying to federal authorities and obstructing justice.

"It’s obviously disappointing to see these things happen in the city, but that was not about the planning department," said Bertoni. "That was about a handful of individuals. And that’s something that I really want to make sure that we’re really clear about. The planning department was not part of that."

Bertoni explained that while the planning department makes approvals and recommendations, many actions and appeals — especially when they pertain to things like zoning and entitlements — are routed to the City Council via the Planning and Land Use Committee, known as PLUM. Huizar and Englander both held leadership positions on PLUM.

Bertoni added that while City Council members may have political agendas and priorities as elected officers, he hopes people remember that the planning department itself is not political, nor does it want to be. He said he knows his department has work to do in re-gaining the public trust.

"There’s always intended to be that there’s checks and balances," said Bertoni. "Almost our entire department, except for really a handful are civil servants. And so there are specific civil service rules that really removes them from the political process. We are here to really provide a clean and open process for everyone, and we will continue to do that."