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15 Years: A Reflection
It was a March day a lot like this one in 2009, when I flew to San Francisco for my first day as CHC’s Executive Director, a position I have been proud to serve in for the last 15 years. CHC was based in the Bay Area at the time, in a shared office, but not everything was different. That day, I met Carol Galante, then the CEO of BRIDGE Housing, who was the first to welcome me into the affordable housing world. She would certainly not be the only brilliant housing leader I would have the good fortune to work with in this job.
I remember Linda Mandolini asking me in those early years what CHC’s “value proposition” should be—especially as we began to think about how to position this organization to shape a policy debate in a Sacramento that didn’t prioritize, or sometimes even recognize, the importance of affordable housing. I told her I hoped the time would come when CHC’s influence would speak for itself to such an extent, we wouldn’t even need to ask the question.
That, I believe, is where we have made it today, and I hope you’ll join me in taking a moment to recognize how far we’ve come.
Our 15 years of working together have never been anything but a group effort, one we started by building a strong and active board of directors, helmed by a series of visionary Chairs and supported by a capable staff whose long tenure gave us a lasting foundation. From the beginning, Nancy Martin has worked diligently to sustain our growth through stellar fundraising and membership. That hard work allowed us to hire Maureen Higgins as our contract lobbyist in Sacramento, who over a decade introduced us to the Capitol and helped increase our reputation. Marina Wiant’s arrival accelerated CHC’s growth, as she built the relationships and expertise that delivered our first in a long line of policy successes.
Today, CHC is recognized as the preeminent, statewide advocate for affordable housing in California—with years of legislative campaigns, ballot measures, and budget wins under our belt.
While other housing organizations do excellent work and are key partners in everything we do, we have defined a distinct place for ourselves in the policy world: CHC stands for the production and preservation of affordable housing. That statement has guided us for more than a decade, informing everything we do, whether it is co-sponsoring legislation, leading successful bond campaigns, or providing technical expertise to CHC members on land use, financing, or other industry issues.
Together, we’ve built a one-of-kind organization with real influence in Sacramento. It has been a privilege to serve for the last 15 years as the leader of this team—to learn from you, to tap into your expertise, and to harness our efforts to build more of the safe, affordable homes Californians need.
Thank you for your partnership. I look forward to many more years to come.
Sincerely,
Ray Pearl
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