About Seymour Consulting Group
Seymour Consulting Group (SCG) brings more than three decades of experience in assisting clients in the areas of governmental relations, community relations, planning and zoning, land development and building and safety.
The firms principal, Jeffrey Seymour, and his associates bring to every client a winning combination of experience, political expertise, accessibility, and responsiveness to ensure the successful outcome of your projects.
The firm specializes in:
- Predevelopment Analysis
- Processing and Entitlement of Discretionary Permits
- Advocacy
- Community Outreach
- Government Relations
- Land Development
- Building and Safety Expedition
Our Team
Jeffrey Seymour
In his 40-year career, Jeff Seymour has established himself as one of the region's leading experts in the areas of planning, zoning and land use consulting, as well as public policy analysis and ordinance studies.
A veteran of both the public and private sector, Seymour established the Seymour Consulting Group (SCG) in 2002. With a team of experienced professionals, the Westlake Village, California, firm provides a diverse portfolio of clients throughout Southern California with a blend of services that includes the preparation of maps, applications and the environmental assessments required to file discretionary permits and expertise in representing clients before both elected and appointed decision makers at all levels of government.
In 1984, Jeff Seymour and the late Donn Morey co-founded Morey/Seymour and Associates (MSA) a governmental and land use consulting firm based in Los Angeles. During its 18 years, MSA was considered one of the most successful firms of its kind, representing such clients as The Getty Trust, AT&T Wireless Communications, The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, Vons Shopping Centers, Paramount Pictures, ABC and CBS Studios.
In the past, Mr. Seymour served as a senior deputy to former Los Angeles County Supervisor Edmund D. Edelman. His responsibilities included field operations throughout West Hollywood, West Los Angeles and the City of Beverly Hills. In addition, Mr. Seymour had administrative responsibilities with the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Department reviewing the departmental budget, the County General Plan, community plans and all variances, conditional use permits, zone changes and subdivisions that came before the Board of Supervisors. He was also Edelman's liaison with the Los Angeles County Departments of Parks and Recreation, Senior Citizen Affairs, Forester and Fire Warden and the Registrar Recorder's Office.
Mr. Seymour has served on a number of public and private boards and committees including Alumni Regent on the Board of Regents of the University of California, President of the Alumni Associations of the University of California, President of the UCLA Alumni Association, and a member of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. He currently sits as a member of the Board of Advisors to the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA. Seymour cofounded the California Coalition for Public Higher Education.
Mr. Seymour received both a bachelor's degree in Political Science and a Masters in Public Administration from UCLA.
Mark Olson
Mark Olson is a seasoned Public Affairs professional, recently retiring as Deputy Director of Metro Public Affairs at Southern California Edison. Olson's career at Edison included 11 years in Customer Service/Accounting/Engineering, and 26 years in Governmental/Public Affairs. His geographical area of expertise included Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. Mark has a B.A. from CSUN, and an M.B.A. from California Lutheran University. He has a strong background in business, governmental affairs, project management, issues management, media, utility engineering, customer relations, and community relations. Mark has served on many various city commissions, committees, and organization boards including time as Chair/President of Chambers of Commerce — Camarillo, Malibu, Culver City, Santa Monica and the Westside Council.
Ann Gray, FRICS, FAIA, LEED AP
Ms. Gray was Vice President at Indivest, a commercial real estate investor developing high-rise office and residential structures in West Los Angeles before accepting a position directing pre-construction activity at Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom. There she oversaw property acquisition, entitlements, master planning and the design of corporate and production facilities. During her tenure, the studio created a long-range masterplan, negotiated a development agreement with the City of Los Angeles, erected three new office buildings, installed new utility infrastructure, upgraded technical systems and launched historic preservation strategies. Over the course of her career she has been involved in nearly a billion dollars in high-quality commercial and institutional development. Recent clients include Invesco, Citibank and MCR Hotels. Previously, Ms. Gray holds a B.A. in Applied Mathematics and a Master of Architecture both from UCLA. She is the immediate past-president of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a global standard-setting organization for property professionals.