Review of CRA, Housing Dept. Sought

The resignation of the director of the Los Angeles Housing Department and the ongoing financial woes plaguing the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency have prompted a call for a top-to-bottom review and reorganization of several areas of the vast bureaucracy.

In a pair of letters to Mayor Richard Riordan and Council President John Ferraro, Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas proposes consolidation of departments involved in economic development and housing, including the CRA. Such a reorganization was suggested initially by a special council committee three years ago, and again in a council motion passed this March.