SAN DIEGO (CNS) — The Housing Authority of the city of San Diego will Tuesday consider increasing the pay of the San Diego Housing Commission's president and CEO, even as the agency cut a popular housing voucher program earlier this year.
Lisa Jones, the Housing Commission's head, was appointed president and CEO in late 2023. Tuesday's meeting would consider increasing her salary by 5% — to $372,500 — plus $5,000 to "right-size the compensation comparable to others in similar positions," for the period of one year.
Additionally, the authority will consider adding a $14,000 performance incentive payment for Jones for her "exemplary service," according to the SDHA's Ad Hoc CEO Performance Evaluation Committee. The Housing Commission's board cited Jones' work during last year's January floods and directing negotiations for a new labor agreement as a reason for the proposed bump.
A performance review is conducted annually for the position.
This move would put Jones' base salary somewhere between the CEO/Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of Inglewood's $388,923 and the CEO of Housing Authority of King County (Washington)'s $352,873. It however, does not include benefits such as health care, a 457 plan and retirement plan, which likely elevates the total compensation package past the $400,000 mark.
The proposal wage rise comes at a strained time for the San Diego Housing Commission and the city of San Diego itself. In January, the SDHC ended vouchers for projects intended to incentivize developers to create affordable housing, citing a lack of federal funding for the program.
"Without this voucher resource over the next several years, we do expect that it will impact production, so it's concerning for all of us, a really tough decision to have to make," Jones said in January.
Meanwhile the city continues to look for budget cuts as it faces a more than $250 million deficit — reduced by millions due to cuts by Mayor Todd Gloria, but still looming large nonetheless.
Jones was previously serving as the SDHC's executive vice president of strategic initiatives before the San Diego City Council, acting as the Housing Authority, promoted her. She is the housing commission's sixth leader in its nearly 45-year history.
Before joining the SDHC in 2017, Jones worked for seven years for the Housing Authority of the county of San Bernardino. She concurrently served as executive director of knowledge and education for Your Success, a nonprofit affiliate of the Housing Authority of that county.
"I am honored and deeply humbled to be entrusted with the leadership of the San Diego Housing Commission at this pivotal time," Jones said when promoted to her current position. "As housing costs increase and resources continue to be limited, it will take innovative approaches and partnerships to make the progress that San Diegans need.
"Engaging with the community is one of my core values. I want to reach out to our community stakeholders, our community members and people across our city who don't know we are there for them to better reach and serve those that need us the most," she added.
Jones has a master's degree in business administration from the Institute of Leadership and Management with the University of West Anglia, England. She also is an alumna of the Impact Center's Women's Executive Leadership Program.
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