Letter from the ULA COC Chair

Program Guidelines:

Measure ULA requires the COC to develop long-term program guidelines to prioritize and guide the allowable uses of the House LA program funds for eleven program categories. Between February and August 2024, the COC Ad Hoc for Permanent Guidelines met 25 times to deliberate. In the end, the full committee unanimously approved the 250 pages of guidelines for 11 programs, and forwarded to the City Council. On December 10, 2024, City Council approved the COC’s Permanent Program Guidelines.

COC Members and Seats:

Per the Measure, we are a “robust oversight body, made up of members with significant experience in housing, tenant advocacy, and lived experience.” The Measure defines specific criteria and terms for all fifteen seats, each holding over five years experience representing a different stakeholder and expertise in the housing sector. The current roster below exemplifies the diverse range of perspectives and experience that each seat brings.

Seats 1-6: Housing, Development, Preservation & Finance:

Seat 1: Nancy Lewis, Retired, Nancy Lewis Associates Inc.- Nancy Lewis holds over 40 years experience in the development of affordable housing. At Nancy Lewis Associates, she worked in senior-level decision making in non-profit affordable housing development. Nancy Lewis joined the COC in January, 2025.

Seat 2: Taylor Holland, Director of Development, Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation- Taylor Holland brings five years of experience in her current role at Wakeland Housing, having assisted the development of nearly 3,000 affordable homes throughout Southern California. She also holds experience managing real estate development for affordable housing developments, and working with the City of LA in Homelessness Policy. Taylor Holland joined the COC in August 2024.

Seat 3: Michelle Espinosa Coulter (Chair), Associate Director, Financial Consulting at California Housing Partnership- Michelle Espinosa Coulter brings two decades of experience in affordable housing development, and has served as the Chair of the Oversight Committee for two years. She has directed financial consulting at the California Housing Partnership since 2020, and spent ten years prior directing Meta Artist Housing. Chair Coulter joined the COC in March 2023.

Seat 4: Kristal Romero, Director- Future of Work, LA County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO- Kristal Romero brings five years experience at the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, and four years coordinating the Port Division campaign with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Kristal Romero joined the COC in March 2025.

Seat 5: Roberto Barragan, Executive Director, ICON CDC – Roberto Barragan brings over 40years’ experience in community development lending, financial services, and affordable housing. Roberto joined the COC in July 2025.

Seat 6: Jacob Lipa, Principal Partner, Lipa Consulting Group- Jacob Lipa serves public and private real estate clients in managing financing, planning and serves on the Affordable Living for the Aging and Los Angeles Family Housing boards. Jacob joined the COC in March 2023, and is currently serving his second term.

Seats 7-8: Renter Protection & Support:

Seat 7: Zella Knight, Regional President- Resident Leader, Residents United Network (RUN) LA- Zella Knight brings over a decade of experience as a tenant advocate with RUN LA and as a Tenant Commissioner for the LA County Housing Authority. Zella joined the COC in September 2024.

Seat 8 (Pending Confirmation): Antonia M. Routt, Senior Wellness Program Facilitator – Antonia M. Routt is an energetic leader and instructor focused on empowering diverse communities across Los Angeles County to achieve better health through prevention, nutrition, and physical activity. Antonia is expected to join the COC upon formal confirmation in August 2025.

Seats 9-13: Lived Experience & Expertise:

Seat 9: Jeanne L. Nishimoto, Executive Director, UCLA Veterans Legal Clinic- Jeanne Nishimoto provides legal assistance to veterans, caregivers, and families who access services at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs West Los Angeles campus. Her primary areas of practice are issues related to homelessness, housing justice, and access to government benefits. Jeanne joined the COC in May 2025.

Seat 10: Zerita Jones (Vice Chair), Co-Founder, Baldwin Leimert Crenshaw Local LA Tenants Union- Zerita Jones is a community organizer, as a cofounder of the Baldwin/Leimert/Crenshaw Tenants Union and member of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment. She also serves on the board of the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA). Zerita joined the COC in February 2024, and was elected as Vice Chair in February 2025.

Seat 11: Leilani Reed, Regional Vice President, SEIU Local 2015- Leilani Reed holds over 20 years’ experience as a home-healthcare and supportive services provider with SEIU 2015. She now serves as an executive board member and bargaining committee member of SEIU 2015. Leilani Reed joined the COC in March 2023.

Seat 12: Alma Morales, Political Organizer, SEIU Local 2015- Alma Morales brings decades of experience as an organizer and community health worker. She currently serves as the Political Organizer for SEIU 2015. Alma joined the COC in March 2023.

Seat 13: (Pending Confirmation)- Fernando Abarca, Associate Director of Capital Strategies, Right to the City Alliance- Fernando Abarca advocates for high-quality transit near affordable housing and job centers and for identifying mobility options associated with the production of affordable housing. Fernando is expected to join the COC upon formal confirmation in August 2025.

Ad Hoc Subcommittees:

Per Section 6.02 of the ULA-COC Bylaws, we approved the following Ad Hoc subcommittees for the year at the February 13th COC meeting:

Governance: a subcommittee to edit or update the COC Bylaws as needed; address matters of vacancy and conflicts of interest; nominate ULA-COC leadership, and address any matters concerning the day-to-day operations of the COC.

Communications: a subcommittee to maintain news updates on the ULA-COC website; create marketing materials for activities of the COC; research priority populations to support community outreach efforts; develop media communications to promote work of the ULA-COC to the broader LA community; and any other matters concerning the communications needs of the ULA-COC.

Town Hall: a subcommittee to plan content and the run of show for the 2025 Town Hall; address the budget and finances of the Town Hall; convene a team of volunteers to support the Town Hall; and address any other matters concerning the planning of the 2025 Town Hall.

These subcommittees will operate until the end of 2025, and will present any materials to the full Committee for approval.

2025 and Beyond:

In 2025, we are excited to continue our work as an Oversight Body as LAHD begins program implementation. We are also working to conduct the first audit of House LA funds to share in December. The past two years have been foundational to develop the infrastructure of the COC and ULA programs, and we look forward to working with LAHD as program implementation begins to ensure ULA funds can work as the authors of the ballot measure – and the voters of Los Angeles – intended.