[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 123 (Friday, July 31, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1200-E1201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING MR. ALEX SANCHEZ'S LIFETIME OF SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 31, 2015

  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Alex Sanchez, a 
public servant and long standing friend who most recently retired as 
Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the County of Santa 
Clara. It is my great pleasure to commend Mr. Sanchez for his lifelong 
commitment and dedication to providing affordable housing opportunities 
for Californians. The reach of his legacy has gone even further, as he 
has also tirelessly and very effectively advocated for the development 
and promotion of national housing policies to serve all Americans in 
need.
  I have had the honor of working with Mr. Sanchez for over a quarter 
of a century to promote housing policies at the State and federal level 
to assist lower income households in Silicon Valley. The task has been 
incredibly daunting, given that we serve the most expensive region in 
the country.
  I first met Mr. Sanchez in 1988, when I was asked to join the 
American Leadership Forum (ALF) as a representative of the educational 
sector. ALF/Silicon Valley was just forming and a group of local 
leaders were asked to serve as Class I, which included nearly 30 
individuals representing business and local governments, educational 
institutions and non-profits.
  At the time, I worked for a local school district and also served on 
a Board of Education for a different school district. Mr. Sanchez had 
just been named Director of Housing for the City of San Jose. He and I 
spent many months together and discussed our visions and plans for 
bettering our community.
  One of the most significant moments was to take a two week trip with 
the ALF group to Colorado Springs, Colorado to discuss the value of 
community and the need to work together. During this two-week period, 
we became very close and ultimately helped each

[[Page E1201]]

other to climb the 8,000 feet to the top of Pike's Peak.
  Mr. Sanchez met his biggest challenge . . . to meet the San Jose 
Mayor's and City Council's goals to produce thousands of units of 
affordable housing. Through our time with ALF and the opportunity to 
work with each other, I was able to witness Alex's selfless and 
courageous drive to promote policies and design programs to increase 
the supply of affordable housing.
  It has been a great privilege to have shared a friendship and working 
partnership with Alex Sanchez over the years. I commend him for his 27 
years of distinguished service with the City of San Jose Housing 
Department and the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara. Alex 
has greatly improved the lives of thousands of people and I thank him 
for his years of dedicated service to Silicon Valley.
  His work has been recognized through his leadership positions in a 
number of national and state housing policy organizations. He is a 
founder of the California Housing Consortium, and served as a member of 
the Housing Leadership Council of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. 
Most recently, he was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to Chair the 
California Housing Partnership Corporation.
  Mr. Sanchez's exemplary leadership will be greatly missed. I rise 
today to wish him my very deepest congratulations for his exceptional 
level of commitment to public service across various California 
communities, including the City of Bell Gardens and the City of Santa 
Ana. I extend him my greatest personal wishes for health and happiness 
throughout his very well-earned retirement.

                          ____________________