BUILDING THE MOVEMENT TO HOUSE LA

About Abundant Housing LA

Abundant Housing LA is a grassroots nonprofit organization working to solve Southern California’s housing crisis by advocating for more housing at all levels of affordability.

AHLA envisions a Los Angeles County where everyone can find a home they can afford, that meets their needs, in their neighborhood of choice, and where we can live in sustainable and diverse communities that are not car-dependent.

To realize this vision, we need housing abundance.

We believe housing abundance is a necessary precondition to progress on issues we care about:

Affordability: we believe that nobody should have to spend more than a third of their income on housing, and that building more homes will make housing more affordable.
Human Rights: we believe that housing is a human right, and that Los Angeles’ mass street homelessness is a human rights violation that is a direct consequence of the city’s housing shortage. We have a moral obligation to house everyone.

Livability: we believe that people should be able to live in pleasant, walkable neighborhoods near jobs, with a high quality of life.
Inclusion: we believe that people should be able to find housing that meets their needs at every phase of life, without having to leave their neighborhood.
Sustainability: we believe that legalizing walkable urban density to limit sprawl, preserve habitat, reduce car dependency and fossil fuel use, and ensure climate resilience is critical to ensuring the long term health of our planet.
Racial justice: we believe that the housing shortage is rooted in a long history of racist practices designed to maintain segregation, and that it is impossible to redress America’s history of systemic racism without addressing housing policy.

Creating housing abundance without exacerbating displacement or harming vulnerable tenants requires a four-part policy approach. We need to legalize more homes by reforming zoning to end apartment bans. We must also reform permitting processes to make homes easier to build. To prevent displacement and protect tenants from market swings, we have to strengthen renters’ rights. Finally, we have an obligation to fund affordable housing and end homelessness.

We work toward a Los Angeles with abundant, inexpensive housing near good jobs and convenient, sustainable transportation by supporting reforms to land use laws like zoning codes, by speaking in favor of new housing projects, and by doing research and public education on the benefits of more housing. We support a holistic, development-without-displacement approach, and work towards more public funds to build subsidized affordable housing.

As a 501(c)4 organization, we engage in political activity to support pro-housing candidates for office. Together with the Abundant Housing LA Education Fund, our 501(c)3 partner organization, we are the YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) voice for Los Angeles. To maintain our independence, we do not take large donations from for-profit real estate developers, nor do we allow for-profit real estate developers to serve on our boards.

Abundant Housing began in 2017 as an all-volunteer organization, and most of our work is still done by volunteers. You can get involved by becoming a member and joining our Housing Advocates Council.

Read our Policy Agenda here.

Read our housing element policy letters here.

Abundant Housing Los Angeles (AHLA) advocates for more housing of all kinds. As such, it is a pro-development organization. It is not, however, a developer organization. While developers will play an essential role in ending LA’s housing crisis, AHLA is an organization formed by and composed of community members whose primary interest is making housing more affordable. Our leadership has no financial interest in constructing new housing, and is committed to transparency.

Abundant Housing LA does not accept direct donations from housing developers or their land use consultants. This is to prevent any conflict of interest on the part of our organization. In order to prevent donations from these sources, we investigate donations of significant value which we define as over $5000.00 total per year. Individuals who are employees of a development company are permitted to purchase a personal supporting membership to the organization or ticket in order to attend events, but contributions must be limited to below $5000.00 per year per company. If you have any questions about our donation policy, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at contact@abundanthousingla.org. Fees charged for classes (for which attendance is required), events, or goods provided by AHLA to the general public or to our membership are not considered donations. Our support of a project is made completely independently from donations received.

We do not allow the following individuals to serve on our board of directors:

For-profit developers; or
Individuals with a financial interest in or any other conflict of interest with any entity doing business with the organization (for example, land use consultants).

We do allow not-for-profit affordable housing developers to serve on our board. The purpose of this policy is to protect Abundant Housing LA’s interests and integrity when it is contemplating entering into a transaction or arrangement that might benefit the private interests of an officer or director of the organization. This policy is intended to supplement, but not replace, any applicable state and federal laws governing conflicts of interest applicable to nonprofit and charitable organizations.

If you have a housing project that you would like to submit to us, please use this form.

If you would like to request an endorsement, please use this form.

Thank you to our Major Donors! You make this work possible. To donate to AHLA, click here!

Abundant Housing LA is committed to centering racial and economic justice in all of our work. Read our statement.

AHLA Staff

Azeen Khanmalek, Executive Director

Over the past 4 years, Azeen has served as the Director of Affordable Housing Production across two Mayoral administrations, helping to lead the City of Los Angeles’ efforts to accelerate and expand the pipeline of affordable housing. As part of this work, he has worked to lead the implementation of the Mayor’s Executive Directive 1, which has expedited the approval and permitting of affordable housing projects by over 6 months. He has worked with an array of City Departments to drive forward new initiatives to streamline the permitting and approval process. In addition, Azeen has also led housing production policy development and advocacy for new housing production programs. This has included advocacy and implementation of large-scale programs like Project Homekey, revisions to the City’s Density Bonus implementation program, and implementation of the Housing Crisis Act. An urban planner by training, Azeen previously worked at the City’s Planning Department, where he worked to establish affordable housing incentive programs as part of the City’s zoning code update, and at the LA City Council, where he helped lead the approval of the City’s first ordinance regulating home-sharing. A native Angeleno, Azeen grew up in Palms and currently resides in Cypress Park with his wife and daughter. When not working, he enjoys reading, biking, playing tennis, and the outdoors.
Jaime Del Rio, Organizing Director

LA native, born and raised in the Northeast San Fernando Valley with a bachelor’s degree from CSUN as an Urban Planner. Since 2014, Jaime has been a Community Organizer, focusing his organizing work on marginalized communities in LA County. Previously, before joining Abundant Housing LA, Jaime worked at TreePeople, where he led outreach efforts on a Needs Assessment WaterTalks survey and organized on Water Equity issues. He also worked at Neighborhood Housing Services of LA County, advocating and organizing for affordable housing/homeownership and environmental justice issues. In 2023, Jaime was appointed to serve as North Valley Area Planning Commissioner for LA City. Outside Abundant Housing LA, Jaime enjoys biking on the LA River and discovering new hiking trails to hike during his free time.
Scott Epstein, Director of Policy and Research

Scott brings over 15 years of experience in research and public policy to Abundant Housing Los Angeles. He has previously worked as a researcher at the RAND Corporation and UCLA CRESST, as well as a public health worker at UCLA’s Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center. As the Chair of the Mid City West Neighborhood Council for 7 years, Scott fought for abundant and equitable housing in his own community. More recently Scott was proud to earn the endorsement of Abundant Housing LA and a dozen other progressive organizations in his candidacy for LA City Council.

Scott is also active in the Democratic Party, including currently as a board member of the Miracle Mile Democratic Club. He earned a Master of Public Policy degree from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from Duke University. Scott lives in Carthay Square with his wife and daughter, and enjoys hiking, biking, exploring LA’s neighborhoods and restaurants, and taking in film and theater.

How can I make a difference?

Join us and help educate and advocate for more housing. We have opportunities to make your voice heard on the housing issue, ranging from just clicking a button to send a letter on housing, to testifying about your story in front of policy-makers. Simply sign up for our newsletter to learn more. Or take the next step and become an official supporting member.

BECOME A MEMBER

Joshua Gonzales, Education Director

Josh comes from the psychology and therapy space and uses training as a social worker to engage with community, build relationships, and advocate for social justice. He began working with Abundant Housing LA to establish a USC Chapter and joined the team as a Field Organizer shortly before graduating with an MSW from USC. Now working as Education Director, Josh is taking on the challenge of amplifying a pro-housing narrative with a sturdy foundation of racial justice and equity. Aiming to make housing history and community leadership accessible to all, Josh relies on empathy and compassion to craft pro-housing narratives that respect and validate differing perspectives as a means of finding a YES where we may have only heard NO.
In his free time, Josh enjoys music, meditation, and reading tarot cards to relax and recharge.
Cynthia Clemons, Field Organizer

Cynthia has a background in providing homeless services in both New York City and Los Angeles. She currently lives in Los Angeles. Cynthia has worked as a Case Manager and Residential Manager for The People Concern in Santa Monica. Working from a shelter and directly with its clients, she learned more about the causes of homelessness and the barriers those affected face to becoming housed. Desiring to make more of an impact on the policies and resources available in the community, she became involved with Abundant Housing LA and later joined the organization as a Field Organizer.

Cynthia’s experience also includes serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Crimea, Ukraine, comedy writing, and teaching English. In her free time, she enjoys beautifully designed LA cafes and restaurants, exploring California, and film and television.
Omar Prudencio Gonzalez, Director of Engagement & Leadership Development

Omar Prudencio Gonzalez is a South Central LA native and a proud son of immigrants from Mexico and El Salvador. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Sociology from Long Beach State. He held numerous student leadership positions, including serving as student body President during the COVID-19 pandemic. He joins AHLA with experience in the local and national government, political campaigns, and university student affairs.

During his free time, he enjoys working out, spending time at the beach, hanging out with friends, and loves to dance.
Jacob Pierce, Field Organizer

A former journalist, Jacob spent more than a decade living in Santa Cruz, California, where he prioritized coverage of homelessness and affordable housing. He later worked for the county of Santa Cruz. In southern California, Jacob helped run Monrovia Housing and Tenants Advocates, a local chapter of Abundant Housing LA. He grew up in one of LA County’s more exclusionary communities. He is passionate about reversing patterns of segregation, exclusion and inequity in the region.
Alexandro Zambrano-Tamayo, Programs Administrative Coordinator

Alexandro Zambrano-Tamayo was born and raised in the South Bay (Carson) and is a proud son of Immigrant parents from Mexico. After attending the University of California Santa Barbara, he moved back to LA to pursue his passion of giving back to the community that helped mold him into the person he is today.
Alex has spent the last six years at CASA of Los Angeles working towards providing advocacy to foster youth and families in the dependency system. During his time at CASA, he aided in establishing new policies and programs to better serve the needs and wants of the volunteers and the families they worked with. He has seen first-hand the effects of housing, lack of resources, and lack of support within our communities.
During his free time Alex enjoys photography, running, and actively going to Disneyland with his wife.
Courtney Alicia Miles, Field Organizer

Courtney Miles is a Gardena native who expressed a passion for social justice and public service early on in life. With ongoing support from family, friends, and church members, she found the confidence to come out of her shell and find a voice within her calling. Courtney‘s primary motivation for approaching social justice issues starts with the kind of world that she would like to leave behind. In her spare time, Courtney enjoys dancing, yoga, cooking, collecting records, and going to Trader Joe’s with her son, Stevie.

Boards of Directors

Abundant Housing LA and the Abundant Housing LA Education Fund are led by a committee of volunteers who are passionate about housing affordability and choice. Their biographies can be found below.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jamarah Hayner,

Jamarah Hayner brings extensive experience in political communications and strategy, which includes work in administrations, campaigns or signature projects of a number of leading elected officials and civic leaders, including Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, Karen Bass, Mike Bonin, George Gascon, and Aja Brown. She has managed strategy for advocacy organizations including #PayUpHollywood and the Compton Pledge, a guaranteed income program launched in 2020. Her career footprint spans communications, social justice advocacy, economic inclusion, infrastructure and real estate, and healthcare advocacy. She serves as Vice Chair of the Greater LA African American Chamber of Commerce, and is a former executive board member of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, a former LA County Workforce Development Commissioner, and is a board member of the Miguel Contreras Foundation, Mercy Housing California and a number of other civic organizations. She lives in Long Beach and is a graduate of Barnard College at Columbia University.
Alan Greenlee, Board Chair

Alan Greenlee is the Executive Director of the Southern California Association of Non Profit Housing (SCANPH). He has served in this capacity since October, 2012. Over Alan’s 25 year professional career, he has demonstrated a commitment to helping low-income families join the economic mainstream by supporting beneficial public policy at the local, regional, state and federal levels. Alan has designed, implemented and managed programs operating from coast to coast, impacting hundreds of thousands of low-income and underserved families. As an entrepreneur, Alan developed market making products and services for the solar industry. Drawing from the full range of his experience, allows Alan to innovate in the fight against poverty tempered by the practicalities of the real world. The combination yields efficient, effective and scalable solutions.
José Trinidad Castañeda, Board of Directors

Jose Trinidad Castaneda (he/they) is a Municipal Policy Advisor and Pro-Housing advocate. He serves as Chair of the Orange County Power Authority Community Advisory Committee for the cities of Irvine, Huntington Beach, Fullerton, and Buena Park. Jose led successful campaigns to fund safe, clean drinking water, renovate parks in disadvantaged communities, eliminate barriers to Accessory Dwelling Units, and accelerate the transition to clean energy. Previously, he served on the Fullerton Planning Commission, Buena Park Environmental Commission, Fullerton School District Personnel Commission, South Coast AQMD Youth Leaders Council. When he isn’t working, you can find Jose gardening and riding his e-bike to the beach. You can find more information about Jose at www.josetrinidadcastaneda.com.

How can I make a difference?

BECOME A MEMBER

Pam O'Connor, Board of Directors

Pam O’Connor is the former mayor of Santa Monica, California. She previously served this post from 1998 to 1999, and from 2004 to 2005. She is also the former president of SCAG’s regional Council. Currently, she works as a Planning Consultant.
Michael Manville, Board of Directors

Michael Manville is Associate Professor of Urban Planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Both his research and teaching focus on the relationships between transportation and land use, and on local public finance. Much of his research concerns the tendency of local governments to hide the costs of driving in the property market, through land use restrictions intended to fight traffic congestion. These land use laws only sometimes reduce congestion, and can profoundly influence the supply and price of housing.

Dr. Manville’s research has been published in journals of planning, economics, urban studies, and sociology. He has received research funding from University Transportation Centers, from the John Randolph Haynes Foundation, and the TransitCenter, among others. He has consulted for developers, environmental groups, local governments, and the United Nations.

Dr. Manville has an MA and PhD in Urban Planning, both from UCLA Luskin. Prior to joining Luskin as a faculty member, he was Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University.
Michael Menjivar, Board of Directors

Michael Menjivar is the Deputy Director of Community Engagement for LAUSD Board District 6, supporting the office of Board Member Kelly Gonez. In this role, Michael works directly with
the LAUSD schools and communities in the east San Fernando Valley, where he was born and raised and where he attended public LAUSD schools. Michael is happy to be working in this
capacity after serving in various policy and political roles throughout the greater LA area. Prior to this role, Michael was the Public Policy Organizer for the Southern California
Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH), where he advocated and led the organization’s campaign efforts for more affordable housing in the Los Angeles area. In earlier years, Michael
was a Field Director for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, and led their efforts in the San Fernando Valley to pass Propositions HHH and JJJ in November 2016,
affordable and homeless housing measures, and to defeat Measure S and pass Measure H in March 2017.

Before jumping into organizing, coalition-building, and campaigns, Michael spent four years in non-profit fundraising. Always interested in making the transition to policy work, Michael complemented his professional experience by remaining active in his community, and joined the North Hollywood North East Neighborhood Council in 2015, serving time as the Treasurer and
Chair of the Land Use Committee. Michael is motivated to affect positive improvements at the local level to bring greater equity to the San Fernando Valley communities.
Monique Davis, Board of Directors

Monique Davis began leading Habitat for Humanity of Orange County in May 2022 out of a passion for helping people learn how to break the cycle of poverty and create generational wealth through homeownership. To help her accomplish that mission, she brought with her more than 20 years of experience in the housing and operations sectors. Her knowledge of housing needs in Southern California, DEI work and expertise in overseeing diverse teams put her in an optimal position to successfully carry forward Habitat OC’s mission.

In addition to her role as Habitat OC’s President and CEO, she also serves as the Executive Director of the Buena Park Collaborative. Previously, Monique served as Chief People Officer at Brilliant Corners and Chief Operating Officer at Skid Row Housing Trust.
Eduardo Mendoza, Board of Directors

Eduardo Mendoza is the policy director for the Livable Communities Initiative and a professional city planner based in Los Angeles. He is an active member of the Santa Monica Democratic Club and Parking Reform Network. Mendoza received his Master’s in Planning from the

USC’s Price School of Public Policy. He is a former Board Chair for the Transportation & Equity, and Elections committees on the Palms Neighborhood Council. Mendoza is also a demographer who has worked with Children’s Hospital Foundation, Lucile Packard Foundation, Haynes Foundation and whose work has been featured on Cityscape, Slate, and the Wall Street Journal.
Annie Bickerton, Board of Directors

Annie Bickerton works with foundations, government, and nonprofits to design, scale, and strengthen initiatives that increase economic mobility and redistribute opportunity for a more equitable society. Annie’s journey with AHLA began as a chapter lead for Westside for Everyone. Here in LA, she has co-led mutual aid organization Westside Friends, served as Renters Committee co-chair for the Mar Vista Community Council, and was a board member for Heart of LA Democratic Club. Annie is a proud union organizer and served as President of AFSCME local union Social Policy Workers United from 2021-2023. She currently works at The James Irvine Foundation where she supports organizational learning and impact assessment. Annie has a M.S. in Nonprofit Management from The New School and a B.A. in Government from Hamilton College. She lives in Mar Vista and is an avid film photographer, hiker and aspiring sailor.
Amy Anderson, Board of Directors

Amy Anderson is Senior Vice President, Lead Social Impact Specialist supporting the Wells Fargo Foundation Housing Access & Affordability strategy. In her role, Amy provides strategic leadership for national philanthropic investments in change makers and transformative initiatives that expand the supply of homes that are affordable, especially for underserved and historically marginalized communities.

Based in Los Angeles, Amy joined Wells Fargo after serving as the Chief Housing Officer for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, where she helped advance increased housing production and a stronger safety net for vulnerable and economically disadvantaged Angelinos.

A former Planning Commissioner and Housing Commissioner in the City of Santa Monica, Amy has over twenty-five years of experience in the fields of urban planning and real estate, playing active roles in advocating for the production of more affordable housing for California’s most vulnerable. She served on the California Interagency Council on Homelessness from 2018-2022 and as a public director on the American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles Chapter board from 2021 – 2022.

Amy has a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from UCLA and a B.A. from Cornell University. She lives in Santa Monica, California.

C4 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Brent Gaisford, Board member

Brent also serves as the chair of the board of the Abundant Housing LA Education Fund.

Prior to his volunteer work with Abundant Housing LA, Brent was the CFO and co-founder of Treehouse Co-Living, a strategy consultant with Bain & Company, and a project manager for Bayes Impact, where he managed teams of data scientists working on non-profit projects to combat homeless, improve education, and reform criminal justice.

Brent has a long-standing passion for local politics and in 2010 he was elected to the Westwood neighborhood council and served its treasurer from 2010-2012.

In his free time, you can find Brent backpacking, skiing, or climbing in the mountains, or at a coffee shop working on his science fiction novel.

Brent studied Economics at UCLA.
Jamarah Hayner

Jamarah Hayner brings extensive experience in political communications and strategy, which includes work in administrations, campaigns or signature projects of a number of leading elected officials and civic leaders, including Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, Karen Bass, Mike Bonin, George Gascon, and Aja Brown. She has managed strategy for advocacy organizations including #PayUpHollywood and the Compton Pledge, a guaranteed income program launched in 2020. Her career footprint spans communications, social justice advocacy, economic inclusion, infrastructure and real estate, and healthcare advocacy. She serves as Vice Chair of the Greater LA African American Chamber of Commerce, and is a former executive board member of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, a former LA County Workforce Development Commissioner, and is a board member of the Miguel Contreras Foundation, Mercy Housing California and a number of other civic organizations. She lives in Long Beach and is a graduate of Barnard College at Columbia University.
David Edimo, Vice chair

David has previously conducted research with Abundant Housing LA on homelessness and housing scarcity. He is a former member of the Maryland State Board of Education, where he worked to modernize Maryland’s school accountability plan, increase access to mental health resources, and support curriculum innovation. In addition, he has worked with OneOC, Southern California’s nonprofit success accelerator, to build a post-pandemic strategic plan, develop its first legislative advocacy strategy, and launch a program to increase minority representation on nonprofit boards in California.

David was a campus chair for Senator Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign and has worked for Senator Chris Van Hollen and on Representative Jamie Raskin’s congressional campaign. He graduated with honors from Yale College, where he became the first Black student in thirty years to win the North American Debate Championship and wrote a distinction-earning thesis on innovative programs that improve the affordability and reliability of electricity.

How can I make a difference?

BECOME A MEMBER

Mark Edwards, Secretary

Mark R. Edwards is the Vice President of Government Relations for a leading nonprofit, which is a 90 -year leader in helping people overcome barriers to employment. Prior to his present job, Mark was the sole proprietor of MRE Communications, which specialized in assisting clients in developing and implementing clear and cost-effective strategies that achieved their goals. His last contract was the No on Measure S campaign where he was a key member of the community engagement team. Raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, he has lived in Los Angeles County since 1995.
Volunteer Background:

On the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors, the Executive Committee as Vice Chair of the Workforce Development Committee & Hollywood Chamber PAC Vice President

Treasurer, Mixed Roots Stories

Miracle Mile Democratic Club, President and a founding member and an alternate on the Los Angeles County Democratic Party Central Committee

An appointed delegate to the California Democratic Party Central Committee

Served 4 years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve (final rank of Corporal)
Jonathan Yang, Board of Directors

Jonathan Yang is an attorney and advocate for inclusive economic development. He serves as an O’Melveny Fellow at Public Counsel in Los Angeles, where he focuses on advancing an equitable small business recovery. In his private practice at O’Melveny & Myers, he focused on infrastructure and green energy, led a firmwide pro bono voter protection effort, and served as co-Chair of the AAPI affinity group.

A graduate of Harvard Law School, Jonathan represented local nonprofit and small business clients through the Community Enterprise Project, served as a Fellow in the Law and Government Program of Study and as President of the HLS Urbanists. He was part of research teams addressing state attorney general engagement with artificial intelligence, municipal power to address economic inequality, and payroll fraud in the underground economy. Jonathan has also worked with the California Attorney General’s Office and Inner City Law Center. Before law school, Jonathan handled strategic partnerships, international relations, special events, and a range of other projects for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. He studied Ethics, Politics & Economics at Yale College, focusing on US foreign policy, and served as President of the Yale Political Union. Outside of his professional work, Jonathan is an amateur chef, painter, cartoonist, and guitar player.
Kathrina Abrot, Board of Directors

Kathrina Abrot provides fundraising and strategic campaign services to political candidates, PACs, and nonprofits. Kathrina has run successful, winning political campaigns to elect political candidates at the local level, managed Independent Expenditures throughout California, and helped pass sweeping legislation through issue advocacy work within local government.
Kathrina has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars working to flip U.S. Senate Seats with Flip The West, and nonprofits – engaging and mobilizing marginalized voters in the AAPI community to the polls in competitive swing districts, such as California, Texas, and New Jersey, along with raising funds for local candidates with pro housing platforms for change.
Gabe Rose, Board of Directors

Gabe is passionate about pursuing justice by investing in long-term transformational change efforts. He is currently a Senior Philanthropic Advisor at Fundamental, helping family foundations to strategically deploy their resources to achieve impact. He previously spent almost a decade as a co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Parent Revolution, a non-profit organization supporting families in LA’s most marginalized communities to organize to improve their children’s public schools. Gabe got involved with housing activism and Abundant Housing LA as he, his friends, and the families he worked with had to pay increasingly outrageous rental costs to live in LA, with no end in sight.

Before joining Parent Revolution, he was selected for and completed the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs in Los Angeles, a national experiential leadership-training program. Gabe is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where he served as undergraduate student body president during his senior year. He currently serves on the board of Coro Southern California and is an active volunteer in numerous progressive political campaigns every cycle.
Eduardo Mendoza, Board of Directors

Eduardo Mendoza is the policy director for the Livable Communities Initiative and a professional city planner based in Los Angeles. He is an active member of the Santa Monica Democratic Club and Parking Reform Network. Mendoza received his Master’s in Planning from the

USC’s Price School of Public Policy. He is a former Board Chair for the Transportation & Equity, and Elections committees on the Palms Neighborhood Council. Mendoza is also a demographer who has worked with Children’s Hospital Foundation, Lucile Packard Foundation, Haynes Foundation and whose work has been featured on Cityscape, Slate, and the Wall Street Journal.
Cameron Mockabee, Board of Directors

Cameron Mockabee is a highly motivated and dedicated individual with a deep-rooted passion for improving housing in Los Angeles. While he was a Riordan Leadership Institute fellow with Abundant Housing LA, Cameron actively contributed to the organization’s finance committee, gaining valuable insights into the intricacies of housing finance and policy. This experience further fueled his drive to address the housing challenges faced by the city.

In Cameron’s professional capacity as a software engineer, he has harnessed his technical skills to build quantitative research tools for Capital Group American Funds. Cameron holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida, majoring in finance with minors in computer science and Spanish. Currently, he is pursuing a Master of Financial Engineering degree at University of California, Los Angeles.
Christopher Tokita, Board of Directors

Christopher K. Tokita is a data scientist for social good who aims to use data and AI to make the world a better place. As both a data scientist and former policy analyst, he has used data to solve problems in federal and state government, cybersecurity, misinformation and social media, and ecology. Additionally, he has founded and led DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives in higher education.

Born and raised in Northeast Los Angeles, Chris has watched Southern California’s housing crisis cause displacement among family, friends, and neighbors. Wanting to be a part of the solution, he first joined AHLA’s Housing Advocates Council before later joining its board.

Chris is a proud product of the LAUSD K-12 public school system. He received his Ph.D. in computational ecology from Princeton University and his B.S. from Yale University. He is an avid surfer and Lakers fan.
Haley Feng, Board of Directors

Haley Feng holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from USC’s Price School of Public Policy. Prior to arriving at Price, she attended community college and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UCLA. Haley has worked in environmental justice, economic development, and housing. She currently works at Thomas Safran & Associates, an affordable housing developer.

Haley believes in fairness and is passionate about creating opportunities for all. She immigrated to the United States at 16. She is a member of Abundant Housing LA’s Housing Advocates Council. In her spare time, Haley volunteers for Shift Our Ways Collective, a nonprofit organization she co-founded, which specializes in regenerative agriculture. She resides with her partner in Mar Vista and is a mom to two cats, Toto and Spice.