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.
Michael Tharp
Mr. Tharp worked for the Los Angeles City Planning Department before accepting a position as Director of Housing and Renewal for the City of Eugene Oregon. Subsequently, he joined the law firm of Gleaves, Swearingen, Larson and Potter where he dealt with urban planning and land use issues, representing clients before various municipal and state agencies and in the Federal Claims Court. Mr. Tharp was Senior Vice President of Planning at the civil engineering firm of Engineering Technology Incorporated in Los Angeles, where he supervised planning, processing and environmental staff. He has worked as an independent consultant, representing clients in planning, land use and real estate development projects, large and small, for over 20 years. Mr. Tharp is a Los Angeles native and has earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from UCLA. he has a Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern University and is a graduate of the City Focus program from the Coro Foundation of Southern California.