Mr. Palombi is a native of Los Angeles who grew up in the Pico–Union District near downtown L.A. He has more than 25 years of experience coordinating land use development projects and real estate matters in southern California. As the current Director of Planning and Community Development for the City of Montebello he oversees the following divisions: 1) Economic Development; 2) Planning; 3) Housing; 4) Code/Parking Enforcement; and 5) Building & Safety.
Mr. Palombi began his career as a member of the Environment, Land and Resources Department for Latham & Watkins LLP. During his time with Latham & Watkins, he worked on several major development projects including the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment District Specific Plan (Staples Center/L.A. Live project), Dodger Stadium, the NBC Universal Evolution Plan, and the Loyola Marymount Master Plan. Mr. Palombi's most rewarding experience and reason for his passion in urban planning comes from working on the former Staples Center project where he helped deliver positive development enhancements to the neighborhood he was raised in.
Mr. Palombi's governmental experience includes being part of Los Angeles World Airport’s (LAWA) Capital Programming and Planning Group where he worked with a team to secure approvals for several airport modernization projects including the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Northside Plan Update, the Argo Drain Sub-Basin Facility (Prop O), and the LAX Sign District. Joseph’s experience includes regulatory compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Mr. Palombi attended West Los Angeles College and Arizona State University where he earned a degree in political science while working and raising his family. In an effort to give back to his community, he has volunteered for Los Angeles Team Mentoring (LATM) where he worked with the Los Angeles Unified School District to serve as a mentor to middle school students at Richard Merkin Middle School in the Pico-Union District of Los Angeles. Joseph enjoys spending quality time with his family and the great outdoors.