May 23, 2025
April 29,2025
Statement of Interest and Qualifications
Vernon Housing Commission
Ulisses Sanchez
As a resident at Avenue, I humbly submit my Statement of Interest and Qualifications for the Vernon Resident slot in the Vernon Housing Commission. It is my desire to serve on the Vernon Housing Commission as I believe that I can contribute during this time critical period in which the City will be making decisions that are aligned with its goals of growth that incorporate strategic opportunities which will include residential and business development.
Through my professional experience - working in local and state government along as a business owner who has consulted on various housing development projects - I have been able to witness first-hand how access to housing serves as the fundamental building block to any sustainable community. One key example is my work on the Weingart Center’s Weingart Tower 1 and 2 in Skid Row, which include over 400 units of housing with a mix of permanent supportive housing and affordable housing aimed at helping veterans within our community. In this project, I oversaw the community outreach efforts and assisted with the entitlement process with the developer and non-profit partner with the City of Los Angeles. It is a project that all of us involved are very proud of as it was built with the intent of bringing an attractive construction model that incorporated innovative architectural designs that are seen more often in major market rate developments. We knew that being proud of one’s home uplifts residents and that goal was achieved, setting a new standard for housing developments throughout Los Angeles.
When you begin to incorporate mixed-use development strategies, you begin to include amenities that are essential for any area to grow as a community, let alone begin to feel like one.
Exploring opportunities that will allow for the inclusion of businesses that are essential to building healthy communities (such as markets, restaurants and general goods) is something that I hope to be involved with through the Commission, providing input and be engaged in a manner where my contribution will serve as a real benefit to those who call Vernon home and serve as an attraction to those who explore the City of Vernon’s new housing opportunities.
Recently, I had the honor to serve on the City of Vernon’s Rebranding Steering Committee, which allowed me to engage with city staff and other stakeholders on how we see our city and how we wish to represent our city to others - from those who are familiar with the city to those who are new to the city. One key message that I walked away with from this experience was that the City of Vernon is ready to go in a new direction. away from the motto “exclusively industrial”.
Ultimately, we saw that in the logo and the tagline we selected - “Industry | Community | Innovation” - which the Council voted and adopted during the March 4th Council meeting.
Being a member of the City’s Housing Commission will allow me to be a part of the City’s efforts to incorporate that mission and that vision. It is a role that I willfully and wholeheartedly will do, ensuring that my time on the Commission is one seen as a productive term that helped the City of Vernon move forward.
I thank you for your time and consideration.
29 May 2025