LOS ANGELES – Mayor Karen Bass today announced the appointments of two Deputy Mayors, following Wednesday’s announcement of three Deputy Mayors and three Directors in her Administration.
The appointments reflect her continued commitment to ensuring her Administration prioritizes the safety of Angelenos and brings unhoused Angelenos inside with urgency. Mayor Bass has worked on issues relating to public safety in Los Angeles for decades, dating back to her time as a community organizer in South Los Angeles.
“These innovative and experienced leaders will help move our City forward in ways that will improve the quality of life for all Angelenos,” Mayor Bass said. “I thank the previous Deputy Mayors who have stayed on to help my Administration transition into office and take on our City’s toughest challenges.”
Guillermo Cespedes, Deputy Mayor of Community Safety - Guillermo will establish and lead the Office of Community Safety, which will be a key component in the Mayor's strategy to prevent and reduce crime in Los Angeles. Cespedes is a leading global expert in Community Safety with extensive experience in community based public health violence reduction models, program design, and municipal government. Cespedes leads the City of Oakland’s newly formed Department of Violence Prevention, where he provided conceptual, technical and administrative leadership in program development, implementation and evaluation strategies. In addition to more than a decade working internationally on public safety issues, Cespedes previously led the City of Los Angeles’s Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development under former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Jenna Hornstock, Deputy Mayor of Housing - Jenna Hornstock will lead the Mayor’s housing portfolio. She is currently Deputy Director of Planning for Land Use at the Southern California Association of Governments, where she oversees its Housing and Economic Empowerment, Inclusive Economic Growth and Sustainable and Resilient Development departments. She has spent more than two decades in local government with a focus on public/private real estate transactions, affordable housing policy and delivery, and community and economic development, and her experience includes working for LA Metro and the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles. She is currently on the Board of Community Health Councils, and is a former Public Director of the American Institute of Architects Los Angeles. She also serves on the City Planning Commission.