TO: HONORABLE MAYOR FROM: Jennifer A. Maguire
AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: June 7, 2023
SUBJECT: ADOPTION OF STATEMENT OF POLICY AND CITY COUNCIL
QUESTIONS FOR THE PROSPECTIVE DIRECTOR OF HOUSING
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a Statement of Policy and City Council Questions related to the selection of a prospective Director of Housing as described in this memorandum, in compliance with City Charter Section 411.1.
SUMMARY AND OUTCOME
The results of this action will be City Council input to me regarding the selection of a Director of Housing, in compliance with City Charter provisions.
BACKGROUND
In compliance with City Charter Section 411.1, the City Council adopted a process for City Council confirmation of Department Director appointments. The process requires that the City Council, prior to meeting with the City Manager’s recommended candidate for Department Director positions that are subject to the City Charter’s requirements, adopt a Statement of Policy for the involved department, along with proposed questions for the City Council to present to the City Manager’s recommended candidate for the appointment.
At my direction, staff is coordinating the nationwide recruitment efforts with the executive search firm, Mosaic Public Partners, for the City’s next Director of Housing. In August, the Administration will conduct an interview process for the position guided by the input provided by the City Council through its adoption of the attached policy and questions, as well as other stakeholder feedback. I will then present my recommended candidate for Director of Housing to the City Council for confirmation in a Closed Session meeting, along with the written answers to the questions adopted as part of this action. If the City Council confirms my recommended candidate, the appointment will be formally announced at that afternoon’s City Council meeting.
COUNCIL AGENDA:
FILE:
6/20/23
23-924
ITEM: 3.5
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 7, 2023
Subject: Adoption of Statement of Policy and City Council Questions for the Prospective Director of Housing
ANALYSIS
The proposed Statement of Policy (Attachment A) contains the broad goals, objectives, and aspirations for the department as reflected in the Housing Department’s mission, core services, performance measures, and resource allocation as approved by the City Council as part of the 2023-2024 Proposed Budget.
The proposed City Council Questions (Attachment B) reflect those questions adopted for recent Department Director hiring processes, as well as ones specific to this recruitment. The development of the City Council questions reflect input received during meetings with internal and external stakeholders asking the following question of all stakeholders:
1. What are the most important issues that you would like the new Director of Housing to address in their first year on the job?
2. What experience and accomplishments should the new Director of Housing bring to the position?
3. What skills and characteristics are most critical for someone to succeed in this role?
4. Is there anything else we should know for the recruitment?
5. What would you tell candidates about why they want to apply for this position? (City Councilmembers only)
The internal stakeholder outreach and input included:
• Interviews with the Mayor and all City Councilmembers; • Interviews with Senior Staff from primary partner departments; • Three focus group meetings with 20 randomly selected Housing Department employees; • An anonymous Housing Department employee survey taken by 20 employees; and • Interviews with the Director of Housing, Housing Assistant Director, and Housing Deputy Directors.
The external stakeholder outreach and included:
• Five in-person community meetings and one hybrid community meeting conducted in four languages (English, traditional Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese) including translated presentation fliers and handouts;
• A Citywide and anonymous community survey taken by 190 residents in the English language, eight residents in the Spanish language, one resident in the Chinese language, and one resident in the Vietnamese language;
• Over 10,000 general emails to stakeholder contacts in the Housing Department and the Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services Department’s contact databases communicating the logistics of the community meetings and the community survey; • Over 40 personalized emails from the City Manager’s Office to key stakeholders; and • One-on-one meetings with key stakeholder organizations, representatives, and individuals including, but not limited to:
o Business and Homeowners Network;
o California Apartment Association;
o County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing Continuum of Care Chief Executive Officers;
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 7, 2023
Subject: Adoption of Statement of Policy and City Council Questions for the Prospective Director of Housing
o Housing and Community Development Commission Chairperson and some Commissioners;
o Lived experience individuals (tenants and unsheltered residents) referred by the City Council and the Housing and Community Development Commission Chairperson;
o Market rate and affordable housing providers, homeowners, and landlords; o Market rate and affordable housing developers;
o R.E.A.L. Coalition Housing Justice Group;
o Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS;
o SV@Home Executive Director;
o United Housing Alliance; and
o United Way of the Bay Area.
In addition to the stakeholder groups listed above, the Administration will continue engaging community members and groups throughout the process, as needed.
The City Council may modify, add, or subtract from this list of suggested questions at the June 20, 2023 City Council meeting and, of course, the Mayor and City Council will be able to ask further questions of the recommended candidate during the Closed Session meeting.
The City Council’s adoption of a Statement of Policy and City Council Questions for the prospective Director of Housing, as described in this memorandum, is in compliance with City Charter Section 411.1 and is an important step in the evaluation and selection process for a new Director of Housing. It is currently anticipated that a recommended candidate will be brought forward for City Council confirmation in fall 2023, pending identification of a recommended candidate.
EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
No additional follow-up with the City Council on the Statement of Policy and City Council Questions for the prospective Director of Housing is expected at this time. A recommended candidate is currently expected to be brought forward for City Council confirmation at a Closed Session meeting in fall 2023, pending identification of a recommended candidate, where further discussion will take place regarding that candidate.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
This memorandum will be posted on the City’s Council Agenda website for the June 20, 2023 City Council meeting.
In addition, the Administration convened discussions with an inclusive group of stakeholders to gather feedback on the knowledge, skills, and abilities that should be considered for the selection of the Director of Housing, as well as an understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the Housing Department. Those stakeholders included the Mayor and City
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 7, 2023
Subject: Adoption of Statement of Policy and City Council Questions for the Prospective Director of Housing
Councilmembers, Senior Staff from primary partner Departments, Housing Department employees, and a broad set of external community members, including businesses, residents, and non-profit and community-based organizations.
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION/INPUT
No commission recommendation or input is associated with this action.
CEQA
Not a Project, File No. PP17-010, City Organizational and Administrative Activities resulting in no changes to the physical environment.
PUBLIC SUBSIDY REPORTING
This item does not include a public subsidy as defined in section 53083 or 53083.1 of the California Government Code or the City’s Open Government Resolution.
JENNIFER A. MAGUIRE
City Manager
For questions, please contact Dolan Beckel, Chief of Staff for the City Manager, [email protected] or (408) 745-9696.
Attachments
Attachment A: Statement of Policy - Housing Department
Attachment B: City Council Questions - Director of Housing
ATTACHMENT A
STATEMENT OF POLICY
HOUSING DEPARTMENT
Department Mission
To strengthen and revitalize our community through housing and neighborhood investment.
Department Core Services
1. Affordable Housing Portfolio Management
Manage the City’s affordable housing loan portfolio, including loan servicing and monitoring, compliance of income restricted apartments; retain and extend the length of the restrictions to preserve the long-term affordability of the apartments.
2. Affordable Housing Production and Preservation
Provide financing for the rehabilitation, development, and construction of affordable housing; provide technical assistance to market-rate developers to meet their affordable housing requirements; offer limited homeownership loans and administer Inclusionary and Housing Impact fee programs.
3. Homelessness Intervention and Solutions
Provide a coordinated response to homeless residents including street-based outreach, case management, essential services, referrals, and housing options; invest in interim short-term housing solutions.
4. Neighborhood Capital Investment and Public Services
Invest in at-risk residents and neighborhoods, provide funding for housing and community development capital projects, and provide support to public service organizations.
5. Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protection
Administer rent stabilization programs and requirements that stabilize rents, while assuring landlords a fair return, protect tenants, mitigate impacts of displacement, and prevent retaliation.
6. Strategic Support
Planning and Policy Development, Public Education, Budget, Financial Management, Clerical Support, Human Resources, Audit Supervision, and Emergency Response and Recovery Infrastructure and Mapping, Financial and Contractual Administration, Technology Services, and Human Resources.
Department Performance Goals
Department performance goals are reflected in the Housing Department’s performance measures and its resource allocation in the 2023-2024 Proposed Budget. The Department’s Service Delivery Framework is also outlined in the Proposed Budget.
ATTACHMENT A
STATEMENT OF POLICY
HOUSING DEPARTMENT (Cont’d.)
The Housing Department also plays an important role in supporting the following City Council Focus Areas as approved by the City Council with the adoption of the Mayor’s March Budget Message for Fiscal Year 2023-2024:
• Ending Street Homelessness;
• Cleaning up Our Neighborhoods; and
• Attracting Investment in Jobs and Housing.
ATTACHMENT B
CITY COUNCIL QUESTIONS
DIRECTOR OF HOUSING
1. Please describe your education, experience, and accomplishments, and explain how they have prepared you for this position. What are your strengths and areas for improvement?
2. What drives you to seek this position and what motivates you to provide public service?
3. What are the most important challenges you see for San José with respect to providing housing and ending homelessness and any other services provided by the Housing Department over the next five years? Please describe your approach to addressing them including what actions you would prioritize in your first 12 months.
4. Describe your experience in each of the six current Housing Department core services with specific focus on housing production, preservation, and prevention, as well as homelessness interventions and solutions.
5. Upon your review of the Housing Department’s mission, core services, programs, budget, and staffing, have you identified any gaps? Would you propose any changes including increasing or decreasing emphasis on any particular core service or program? How would you approach innovation and measuring impact in the delivery of the Housing Department’s core services?
6. Upon your review of the City’s Housing Element Policy of the 2040 General Plan, what are your initial perspectives? How would you approach implementing the City’s Housing Element policy? How would you incorporate an equity lens into each stage of implementation?
7. What does equitable housing policy and development mean to you? Please describe your approach and experience in engaging underserved communities. Describe your experience with urban development projects, including affordable housing, market-rate housing, commercial uses, and/or other uses and amenities. What community and stakeholder strategies were used?
8. How would you approach being a policy leader, educator, and administrator around housing and homelessness? How do you ensure a fair, balanced, and equitable approach to achieving the goals of quality housing for a community?
9. This position requires that the Director of Housing navigate, build, and maintain relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. Who do you see as the Housing Department’s customers? Please provide an example of a large-scale policy or project where multiple stakeholders were involved with competing or conflicting goals and how you achieved a satisfactory resolution. How do you approach building bridges and maintaining good working relationships with all stakeholders that have very opposing perspectives on an issue?
ATTACHMENT B
CITY COUNCIL QUESTIONS
DIRECTOR OF HOUSING (Cont’d.)
10. Describe your approach to professional ethics and a situation which challenged your professional ethics and how you handled the situation. How do you separate your professional work from your personal ideology?
11. What is your plan for transparency and maintaining good communication with the Mayor, City Council, and City Manager, as well as with the Housing Department’s employees, customers, and external stakeholders, including other jurisdictions, the community, and peer City departments?
12. Describe your approach to building high-performing teams, especially in complex areas that span across multiple departments, jurisdictions, and stakeholders. Please describe your approach to leading an organization where you individually may not have experience in all domains of the organization. Please describe your experience in making culture change in a complex organization.
13. How would you approach employee development and engagement in the department? How would you advance management and leadership development?
14. In a complex organization like the City, we have many competing priorities and not enough resources to accomplish all that our community, employees, stakeholders, and policy leaders desire. Describe how you manage priority setting and have a clear strategic plan, roadmap, and workplan to deliver quality and timely results.
15. The City both receives and distributes a large volume of funding. Please describe your experience and skills in legislative advocacy, financial administration, contract negotiation, and funds management.
16. What local jurisdictions, other models, or resources would you look to for housing and homelessness solutions and why?
17. What else should the City Council know about you?