Welcome Christina Mun, Chief Strategy Officer | |
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Chief Strategy Officer, LeSar Holdings, Inc
Christina Mun
We are excited to welcome Christina Mun as our first Chief Strategy Officer to lead the business growth and strategy work for the LeSar portfolio of client-facing firms: LeSar Development Consultants, LeSar Support Services, and Global Policy Leadership Academy.
Christina brings more than 17 years of housing development and policy experience in California and New York to her role as Chief Strategy Officer. Prior to joining LeSar, she served as the Interim Director of the Housing & Community Development Department for the City of Oakland, where she co-authored the department's 2021-2023 Strategic Action Plan, oversaw the multifamily and small homeowner lending teams, and drove policy and data initiatives. Additionally, Christina played a key role in securing new funding sources for affordable housing, including State Homekey and Local Housing Trust Fund awards totaling nearly $70 million since 2020.
Prior to Oakland, Christina worked in strategic planning and policy for the housing agencies of San Francisco and New York City, and she developed housing across the Bay Area with private and nonprofit developers.
Read Christina’s full bio
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House Republican’s Push Budget Proposal That Would Slash Housing Funding
Last week, House Republicans voted 217-215 to pass the Limit, Save, and Grow Act, which would lift the federal debt limit if accompanying cuts are made to domestic programs, including housing and homelessness programs managed by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the US Department of Agriculture.
As outlined in the bill, domestic spending for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 would be set at FY 2022 levels. Because the proposal would not touch defense and veteran’s programs, this means that other domestic programs will see a reduction of more than 23% or $133 billion, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. In addition to the initial funding reduction, the proposal would limit any future spending increases to 1% annually for the next ten years. And it would incorporate new work rules and requirements for anti-poverty programs, among other provisions. According to the HUD Secretary, these program reductions could result in nearly a million families losing rental assistance and would impact an estimated 120,000 who are experiencing homelessness. View the White House Fact Sheet for California, which describes overall impacts to the State’s residents here.
While the bill is likely dead on arrival in the Senate and would not get the President’s signature, it provides a good picture of Republican spending priorities. Left in the balance is the need to address the debt limit, which is required in order to finance obligations already approved by Congress. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has implemented extraordinary measures to ensure that the nation can pay bills and avoid a default on its debt pending action, but these measures will be exhausted in the next several months.
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Little Hoover Commission Hearing Focuses on CEQA
Chul Gugich, Principal
In March and April, the Little Hoover Commission held three hearings to discuss the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The first hearing featured speakers who support and who oppose CEQA amendments, with the second hearing featuring speakers who discussed the impact of CEQA.
Read more>>
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California Legislators Call for Audit of Homeless Programs
Yelba Carrillo, Principal
The State’s Legislative Audit Committee approved a request by a bipartisan group of Senators that includes Dave Cortese (San Jose), Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (Yucaipa), Roger Niello (Fair Oaks), Evan Low (San Jose), and Josh Hoover (Folsom) to audit the effectiveness of five State homelessness programs, focusing on two cities: the City of San Jose and one other city not yet named.
Read more>>
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LDC Team Members Attend Housing CA
Farzad Mashhood, Senior Associate
LeSar's housing and homelessness experts contributed to an expanding conversation about equitable solutions to the housing crisis at the Housing California conference in March. The conference was held for the first time in San Diego, where the LeSar family of companies is based.
Principal Chul Gugich presented as part of a workshop on acquisition-rehabilitation and community ownership. The panel drew on Chul's experience with acq-rehab and highlighted lessons learned on the enabling ecosystem required for successful community-led acq-rehab.
Three participants from last year’s Vienna Social Housing Field Study, produced by LeSar’s Global Policy Leadership Academy, led a presentation on the housing model that has made Vienna an international leader in housing affordability and livability. GPLA will lead 4 additional Vienna Social Housing Field Studies this year; detailed information and an interest list for future participants are available on the GPLA.co website.
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Fifteen staff members from the LeSar family of companies attended the conference, finding the wide breadth of sessions they attended to be an enriching and engaging experience. Staff were able to catch up with long-time friends and colleagues, as well, at what has come to be an essential annual moment of reflection in the statewide housing and homelessness policy landscape. Beyond the sessions that staff presented on and helped organize, LeSar staff engaged with presentations that reflected the wide range of expertise and interest, such as housing development and finance, higher education housing, state and federal legislation, ending homelessness, and more.
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In the photo above, Stacy Calderon and Danny Serrano, both Senior Associates on LDC’s Housing Team, with Mayor Todd Gloria at Housing CA. | |
Articles, Blogs, and Videos of Interest | |
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A Decent Home - Youtube Video - America Reframed, March 2023
Income Inequality in California - Fact Sheet - Public Policy Institute of California, March 2023
California Cities are Cracking Down on Homeless Camps. Will the State Get Tougher Too? – Article – CalMatters, April 13, 2023
California’s $400 Million Office-to-Housing Conversion Fund Lures Investor Applicants – Announcement - CoStar, March 7, 2023
Geographies of Gentrification with Hyojung Lee – Podcast - UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, April 2023
Lower-Income Renters Have Less Residual Income Ever Before - Blog - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, April 11, 2023
Cracks in California Labor Coalition Raise hopes for YIMBY Breakthrough on Housing Bill— CalMatters— April 24, 2023
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We're looking for talented and motivated members to join our diverse team. Please help us reach a wide group of candidates by sharing with your networks and social media channels. Learn more on our Careers Page.
Senior Staff Accountant, LeSar Holdings
At LeSar Holdings, Inc., we are a Holdings Company dedicated to supporting the LeSar Family of Companies and its future acquisitions. LeSar Holdings, Inc. provides the operations, administrative, infrastructure, sales, marketing, and development to accelerate the growth of the LeSar firms and teams.
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LeSar Development Consultants works with leaders in creating large-scale, lasting social change through customized consulting services focused on creating physically, economically, and environmentally resilient communities.
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