Lori Ann Farrell is set to take the reins as chief executive of the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency, better known as LACAHSA, with her first day on the job scheduled for July 6, 2026. She will resign as interim city manager of Santa Rosa on June 26, according to city officials. Her appointment drops a veteran municipal finance strategist into the driver’s seat just as Measure A revenue and the agency’s first big funding rounds begin to roll across the county.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richard, who chairs LACAHSA’s board, said the agency needed “a leader with the experience, financial sophistication, and strategic vision to guide the agency through its next phase.” As reported by the Los Angeles Times, board members pointed to Farrell’s history steering large public agencies and landing hundreds of millions of dollars in investments when they made their pick.
What LACAHSA Is And How It's Funded
LACAHSA was created by state legislation as a countywide, one-stop financing authority designed to speed up the production and preservation of affordable housing. According to LACAHSA, the agency will tap Measure A, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax, along with loans, subsidies, and technical assistance to lower costs and move projects faster across Los Angeles County.
First Big Round Of Funding
In mid-spring, the agency approved just over $100 million to finance 10 developments that are expected to produce roughly 554 below-market units, its first major production round. The award shows off LACAHSA’s strategy of bundling construction loans, permanent financing, and rental subsidies to cut per-unit costs, as reported in a piece on $100 Million For 10 New Projects.
Farrell's Track Record
Farrell brings decades of experience in municipal finance and operations, including stints in Huntington Beach and Long Beach and a six-year run as Costa Mesa’s city manager. She helped grow Costa Mesa’s reserves by about $4 million above a $55 million council target and oversaw an affordable housing ordinance, eviction protections, and a rental-assistance program, the Los Angeles Times reports. The chief executive role at LACAHSA carries a base salary range of $360,000 to $450,000, according to the Times.
In Santa Rosa, city officials say Farrell proposed a budget that closes a $17.5 million structural gap and confirmed her final day will be June 26 in a City of Santa Rosa announcement.
What to watch next is whether Farrell can turn approvals into shovels in the ground by shepherding final program guidelines, voting to activate social bonds, and generally pushing Measure A dollars to move faster. As Think Forward notes, the agency has set ambitious production targets, and upcoming votes this year will test whether the one-stop model can actually translate into real housing on the ground.
