Bradley Picks Deputy Mayor Avila as Interim Chief of CRA : Redevelopment: Although appointment officially is temporary, it is expected to become permanent.

Mayor Tom Bradley selected Deputy Mayor Ed Avila on Tuesday as interim head of the Community Redevelopment Agency, a move that is expected to lead to Avila’s permanent appointment as head of the powerful urban renewal agency.

Bradley has asked the CRA’s board of commissioners, which is appointed by Bradley, to approve Avila’s designation as interim head when it meets Thursday.

A former member of the city’s Board of Public Works, Avila, 47, has little experience in redevelopment but is considered highly loyal to Bradley. As a deputy mayor, Avila has provided administrative oversight of city departments that deal with housing, community development, environmental quality and public works.

A search will be conducted for a permanent director, but City Hall sources said Avila is Bradley’s choice and he is expected to win the job.

Avila will replace John Tuite, who City Hall sources said was pressured by the mayor’s office to leave the $147,000-a-year job. Publicly, however, Bradley has praised Tuite.

Tuite’s resignation in December and the $1.7-million severance package he negotiated with the CRA board brought outraged complaints from the public and the City Council, which has since moved to take greater control of the CRA.

One CRA commissioner resigned last month after a City Council committee peppered her with questions about Tuite’s buyout, then voted against confirming her for another term on the panel.

CRA officials have said that the huge agency has lacked vigorous leadership since last fall, when Tuite decided not to seek renewal of his contract, which would have ended next year.

Tuite, who headed the agency for 4 1/2 years, has had a stormy relationship with the City Council and is viewed by some in Bradley’s office as out of step with the mayor’s new emphasis on the development of affordable housing.

The CRA has been credited with stimulating $7 billion in largely commercial development in recent decades and played a major role in the revitalization of the downtown area. But the agency has run into opposition from groups in some areas of the city who view the CRA’s use of its condemnation power as heavy-handed.

Avila said Tuesday that he plans to meet with community members to persuade residents that redevelopment is not “an evil process.”

“The CRA has done a great job of developing the central business district,” Avila said, adding that he plans to direct more attention to other areas of the city and redevelopment needs.

Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, a frequent critic of the CRA, praised Avila’s selection and said he will help restore integrity to the agency. “I have a very high regard for Ed Avila, particularly in regard to his integrity,” Yaroslavsky said. “He’s shown the ability to say ‘No’ to special interests.”