People Who Make the CRA

I should like to thank your editorial writer for the kind words about my tenure at the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, (Dec. 16), “How To Fill Helfeld’s Shoes?”

You appropriately noted the leadership of the mayor and the business community in CRA’s efforts.

I think that it is also important to recognize the essential role that the CRA staff plays in carrying out the board’s programs.

As administrator, I was prominently on view at board meetings and with the public. However, without the creativity, energy and dedication of a staff from many different professions, the programs of CRA could not have been accomplished in a manner to induce your favorable comment.

Some examples: The CRA real estate staff that purchases property and negotiates sales contracts with the private developers to the benefit of both the public and private sector, as in Library Square. The CRA housing professionals who have produced 12,500 new dwellings and supervised the rehabilitation of 6,000 more. The CRA planner and deputy administrator who conceived of the mechanism to get the Museum of Contemporary Art built. The CRA people who promote historic preservation. The policy planners who developed the strategies for Skid Row. The architects that seek to improve the quality of urban architecture through the design review process. The project managers who work with citizen groups to insure that CRA programs reflect neighborhood concerns. The transportation staff that provides ideas to balance economic growth with traffic movement in cooperation with city departments, CRA personnel that protect construction workers from receiving substandard wages. And there are many more.

This critical mass of creative people is indeed rare.

Given the exhilaration, excitement, and professional rewards during my service as administrator and given my love for this city, I would like to set the record straight in reference to your headline in the story by Rich Connell, “Power Struggle Indicated as CRA Director Helfeld Quits.”

I did not “quit.” Nor, as many letters sent to me suggested, did I “resign.” The term of my last contract (from 1980 to 1985) expired and was not renewed. There is a difference.

EDWARD HELFELD

Los Angeles