Bill Fulton to end run as mayor of Ventura, leave California

Bill Fulton, a well-known writer on California affairs and the nitty gritty of urban planning before and since he became an elected official in Ventura, is moving away largely because he is losing his eyesight to retinitis pigmentosa. It's an inherited condition and he will move to Washington, D.C., where a nephew also has the affliction, and where Fulton hopes the transit system will allow him to get around easier without driving. Fulton talks about it on his blog. From the L.A. Times:

Fulton — urban planner, urbane public speaker and mayor of Ventura — was starting to stumble. In dim meeting rooms, he had trouble reading. At the civic events he attended almost nightly, he left some people puzzled — even angered — when they extended their hands and he failed to grasp them.

"I can't always see it when someone wants to shake hands with me," he said. "When you're a politician, that's not good."

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"I'm leaving not because I think I can't do the job but because this is an important part of my life I have to pay more attention to," he said. "I need to know how to adapt in a more systematic way. If my vision doesn't stabilize, at least my life will."

Monday is his last city council meeting in Ventura. He chose not to run for reelection. In Washington Fulton will be vice president for policy and programs at Smart Growth America, but will keep his California company and remain a Senior Fellow at the Price School of Planning, Policy & Development at USC. Ventura County Star, KEYT