Santa Barbara Announces New City Planner Allison De Busk
De Busk Has Worked in City’s Planning Division for Nearly 20 Years, Most Recently as Senior Planner
The City of Santa Barbara announced Thursday that longtime Planning Division employee Allison De Busk has been officially appointed as city planner.
De Busk began working for the city in 2004 — she is just a few months shy of the 20-year mark — and has moved up the ranks in the Planning Division as a project planner and senior planner.
According to a statement released by the city, “Allison has been a key member of the City of Santa Barbara’s Planning Division for nearly 20 years and is respected throughout the organization and community for her exemplary customer service skills and content knowledge.”
Before arriving in Santa Barbara, De Busk earned her bachelor’s degree in urban studies and planning at UC San Diego (with department honors) and cut her teeth as an assistant planner at the City of Carpinteria, where she worked from 1999 to 2004.
“Experienced with many high-profile, complex projects, Allison is respected by customers and colleagues alike for being imminently capable, professional, and solution oriented,” the city’s announcement read. “We are delighted that she has accepted this role and look forward to her continued guidance and mentorship of the City’s Planning team.”
De Busk is taking the reins from Principal Planner Dan Gullett, who stepped in as interim city planner after Renee Brooke left the top spot to move to Oregon back in October 2022. De Busk’s appointment comes at a time when the city is facing a number of big planning challenges, including a rush to get the city back in compliance with an adopted housing element.
