Honoring the Career of Donald J. Smith on His Retirement

HONORING THE CAREER OF DONALD J. SMITH ON HIS RETIREMENT (Extensions of Remarks - March 23, 2004)

HON. MAXINE WATERS OF CALIFORNIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2004

Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to honor a wonderful public servant and a good friend who has made pioneering contributions to the field of public housing administration in the City of Los Angeles and throughout our country, Donald Smith.

Don will be retiring on April 30 as executive director of the Housing Authority for the City of Los Angeles (HACLA). For 32 years, Don has played a vital role in improving the lives of countless families by helping them to obtain clean, safe, and affordable housing; and he will be sorely missed. His expertise, sound judgment, and good humor are tremendously rare and valuable assets. He will be leaving very big shoes to fill.

Don began his career as HACLA's director of management from 1971 to 1980 before moving to the Los Angeles County Community Development Commission, where he served as assistant director of the housing division, director of assisted housing, and assistant executive director of housing. In 1994, Don returned to the HACLA as executive director.

Since Don's return, HACLA has been rated as a "high performer" by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in recognition of its high lease rate in public housing and its record of achieving 100 percent section 8 voucher utilization even in a difficult market. In addition, under Don's leadership, HACLA was the first housing authority to receive a Welfare-to-Work grant from the U.S. Department of Labor and subsequently received local and national recognition for its excellence and success with this program.

During Don's tenure, HACLA has helped to improve and beautify my City of Los Angeles by demolishing public housing that dates from the 1940s and replacing it with vibrant, mixed-income communities including Harbor Village/Normont Terrace in the Harbor area and Pico Aliso and Aliso Village/Pueblo del Sol in Boyle Heights. Don was a prime reason why HUD chose the HACLA to administer all of its section 8 properties in 10 Southern California counties.

HACLA is a state-chartered public agency that administers the largest stock of affordable housing in the Los Angeles area. While the HACLA gets the majority of its funding through HUD, Don has built many key partnerships with city and State agencies, nonprofit foundations, community-based organizations, and private developers, which have proven invaluable to achieving HACLA's mission.

Mr. Speaker, in recognition of his dedication to the City of Los Angeles and the thousands of people he has helped, I have introduced a resolution recognizing Don for his outstanding work. I hope that the Congress will join me in thanking Don for his service to Los Angeles and to our Nation.

Thank you, Don, for your tremendous work and for your friendship. I wish you all the best in your retirement.
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