[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 23, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E425]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE CAREER OF DONALD J. SMITH ON HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                           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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