LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced today that she has selected Tiena Johnson Hall as the new General Manager of the Los Angeles Housing Department. Ms. Johnson Hall will lead and implement the Mayor’s vision for the Housing Department to cut through bureaucratic red tape, drive innovation for affordable housing development, prevent people from losing their housing, and work urgently to house more Angelenos. Mayor Bass is driving a comprehensive strategy to increase housing production, accelerating more than 25,000 units of affordable housing, preserving thousands of existing affordable units in the City, and helping Angelenos stay housed by securing federal and state resources to increase the affordable housing supply. Ms. Johnson Hall will work closely with Lourdes Castro Ramirez, who will serve as the next President and CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles.
“Building and preserving affordable housing is core to confronting the homelessness crisis and the LA Housing Department must be playing a major role in delivering outcomes,” said Mayor Bass. “Tiena Johnson Hall is a recognized leader in affordable housing production, preservation, lending and financing. She brings more than 30 years of experience working within nonprofit affordable housing development, private financing, Los Angeles and California state government. I believe she will make an excellent Housing Department General Manager who will challenge the existing affordable housing system and cut through red tape to increase and maintain affordable housing in Los Angeles. I want to thank General Manager Sewill for her hard work and service to Los Angeles.”
“Under Mayor Bass’ leadership, I believe we can make lasting progress on homelessness and housing insecurity in Los Angeles, and I’m eager to advance her vision as the next Housing Department General Manager,” said Tiena Johnson Hall, Mayor Bass’ appointee to General Manager of the L.A. Housing Department. “I am honored to have this opportunity and will put my full focus toward challenging the existing system to create more flexibility, more innovation and coordination with the local housing community along with the state and federal government to bring more people inside and help them stay housed for good.”
Currently, Ms. Johnson Hall is the Executive Director of the California Housing Finance Agency where she oversees bond issuance, leverages funding from the private sector and administers funds from the state of California and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to deliver affordable housing for Californians in need. Ms. Johnson Hall was born in Los Angeles and raised her two small children in public affordable housing where issues of public housing quality, preservation and access became personally important for her.
Affordable housing leaders across California are applauding Mayor Bass’ appointment:
“Tiena's nearly three decades of dedication to affordable housing, from her early days in affordable housing development and community development banking to her leadership of California's state housing finance agency, have equipped her with the knowledge, experience, and drive to make a transformative impact on our city. Tiena's rare combination of innovation and collaboration has fueled her success as an affordable housing practitioner for 30 years. Her heart, soul, and tireless commitment to this work make her the ideal leader to address the housing challenges facing our city. The Los Angeles Housing Department has found a star in Tiena Johnson Hall. Her expertise and experience in the affordable housing industry are surpassed only by her boundless energy and passion for expanding access to affordable housing for all Angelenos. I have every confidence that under Tiena's leadership, we will make significant strides in creating a more affordable and equitable Los Angeles for generations to come,” said Robin Hughes, President and CEO of the Housing Partnership Network and formerly president of a Los Angeles based nonprofit affordable housing organization.
“I have had the privilege of working collaboratively with Tiena in her many leadership roles over the years: as a private lender, equity investor, local and state public servant, and board director. In every role, she brings innovation, practical problem solving, thoughtful decision-making, and heartfelt compassion, and I know that she will continue to work tirelessly for the people of Los Angeles,” said Suny Lee Chang, President and COO of Linc Housing.
"The Mayor has launched a multi-prong effort in helping Los Angeles turn a corner on confronting the homelessness crisis. The Housing Department plays a vital role in this work and Tiena Johnson Hall's leadership, expertise and breadth of experience will be vital to our shared efforts. The supportive housing community looks forward to working with Tiena Johnson Hall to urgently support the preservation, development and operation of permanent supportive housing,” said Dora Gallo, President and CEO, A Community of Friends.
“I've known Tiena for many years through our work together at the California Housing Financing Agency and have been extremely impressed by how her lived experience and her immense technical expertise has helped her navigate through complex challenges to lead the organization toward achieving its goals, even through challenging times. She is an adept organizational leader who builds coalitions that drive the organization's purpose forward and I believe she will bring this same approach and commitment to equity to the role of General Manager of the Los Angeles Housing Department. Mayor Karen Bass has made an excellent choice in Tiena Johnson Hall,” said Stephen Russell, President & CEO, San Diego Housing Federation.
The Mayor has appointed Tricia Keane, Executive Officer of the L.A. Housing Department to serve as interim General Manager during the transition. Ms. Keane is responsible for ensuring efficiency in implementation of the Department’s programs. She also administers the City's accessible housing program which is responsible for developing affordable housing that is accessible to persons with disabilities. Joining the Department in 2020, Ms. Keane has helped accelerate affordable housing by cutting timelines through Executive Directive 1 among other significant contributions. Mayor Bass appointed Tiena Johnson Hall to fill the General Manager position following Ann Sewill’s retirement. The appointment will be referred to the Los Angeles City Council for consideration.