HACLA - Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles
10/10/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/10/2024 14:12
HACLA Board Approves Employment Contract with Lourdes Castro Ramirez as President & CEO
HACLA Alum and housing industry veteran returns home to lead the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles
Los Angeles - The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) Board of Commissioners today announced that Lourdes Castro Ramirez will be the Agency's next President and CEO. In this role, she will lead and deepen HACLA's commitment to people, place and pathways and bolster the agency's collaborative efforts to increase access to affordable housing, services and community development.
"We are thrilled to welcome Lourdes back to the HACLA family at this critical time for our agency," said HACLA Board Chair Cielo Castro. "Her experience at the Federal, State and local level, coupled with her commitment to reducing poverty, expanding housing and building resilient communities, makes her the perfect person to lead our agency. The Board of Commissioners looks forward to partnering with Lourdes to build trust with our residents and communities, innovate and collaborate with our government and nonprofit partners to prevent and end homelessness, and support the talented team at HACLA, as we work together to produce the best results for the people we serve."
Having held prominent leadership roles at the federal, state and local levels, Ms. Castro Ramirez is a transformative nationally recognized leader in housing, programs to reduce poverty and disparity, and community building solutions. She brings a wealth of experience to HACLA, where she previously worked early in her career, and has a proven record of developing and increasing access to affordable housing and expanding socio-economic opportunities to residents and communities.
Ms. Castro Ramirez joins HACLA from the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, where she was appointed by the Mayor to serve as the Chief Housing and Homelessness Officer for Los Angeles. During her tenure, she worked closely with local, regional, state, and federal leaders to fast-track affordable housing, advance homelessness initiatives and implement tenant protections. In 2024, Los Angeles saw a 10% decrease in unsheltered homelessness in the city.
"There's no one better prepared to lead HACLA than Lourdes Castro Ramírez. She has been an invaluable member of my executive team as we brought thousands of Angelenos safely inside, cut through red tape to accelerate more than 20,000 units of affordable housing, secured policy changes to bring more Veterans into housing and locked arms with all levels of government to make change for the people of Los Angeles," said Mayor Bass. "I look forward to a new approach where the City and HACLA can work much more closely together to advance our shared goals of fully utilizing federal housing vouchers, housing more Veterans, modernizing HACLA's housing sites and building trust with its residents. I thank her for all that she has done for the Angelenos and all that she will continue to do."
"I am deeply honored for the opportunity to lead HACLA and eager to work together with the Board, staff, residents and partners. I returned to Los Angeles to deliver on Mayor Bass' vision for urgent change that breaks with the old ways of doing things and that is the approach that I will continue to lead with as HACLA's next President and CEO," said Lourdes Castro Ramirez. "We've made progress in keeping people housed, bringing more people inside and fundamentally changing how City Hall approaches the housing and homelessness crisis. That's the energy and intention that I intend to bring to HACLA - all of us, working together to break through the status quo for Angelenos."
Before returning to Los Angeles, Ms. Castro Ramirez served as a member of Governor Gavin Newsom's Cabinet as Secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. As Agency Secretary, she led 12 state departments with 7,500 staff members, oversaw an annual budget of $10 Billion, and implemented statewide policies and programs to preserve and expand affordable housing, protect consumers, guard civil rights and promote homeownership and economic opportunities.
President Barack Obama appointed Ms. Castro Ramirez in 2015 to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Public Housing and Native American Office with oversight of all public housing authorities, responsibility for implementing HUD's Choice Neighborhood grants, and self-sufficiency programs to advance the HUD Secretary's opportunity agenda.
Prior to her Presidential appointment, Ms. Castro Ramirez spent six years working in the San Antonio community as the President & CEO of the Housing Authority in Texas. Early in her career, Castro Ramirez worked for the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) in various roles and capacities, including the Director of the Section 8 Department. Ms. Castro Ramirez received her BA in Political Science and Chicana/o Studies, as well as an MA in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
"The Board would also like to thank Marlene Garza for serving as Interim CEO. Marlene's commitment to HACLA's mission, and steadfast stewardship of the agency have ensured continuity and stability throughout this transition." Chair Castro shared. Garza will return to her role as Chief Administrative Officer.
Ms. Castro Ramirez will begin serving as President and CEO effective December 2, 2024.
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About HACLA
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) was established in 1938 by City of Los Angeles Resolution No. 1241. HACLA is one of the nation's largest and leading public housing authorities, providing the largest supply of quality affordable housing to residents of the City of Los Angeles. HACLA provides affordable housing to over 83,000 households in its Public Housing and Section 8 rental assistance programs, and offers a range of permanent supportive housing programs for homeless households, including: Project-Based, HUD - Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing, Homeless, Tenant Based Supportive Housing, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), Continuum of Care and Moderate Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy program. For more information, visit www.hacla.org.
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Claudia Monterrosa, Director of Policy & Innovation
213-252-1871
Courtney Harris, Media & Marketing Specialist
213-252-1272