Rebuild L.A.’s Salazar Issues Call for Unity

Tony M. Salazar, who has taken over as the fourth co-chairman of the Rebuild L.A. effort, says conditions in Los Angeles are formidable in the wake of last year’s rioting.

“This is a very tense city,” Salazar said, after being chosen for the position last month. “There is tension between the public sector and the private sector, among community groups, blacks and Latinos. . . . Everyone has to hold hands and get in the boat together. Only by doing that will we make change in this town.”

Rebuild L.A. had been under pressure to name a Latino co-chairman to make the organization’s leadership more reflective of the city’s population, which is 40% Latino.

Salazar, 40, a community development specialist, is the former chairman of the National Council of La Raza. He is on leave from his position as senior vice president of McCormack Baron & Associates, a nationwide real estate firm that has been widely acclaimed for its work in redeveloping urban areas.

“I think my selection clearly sends a signal that Rebuild L.A. is opening up its arms--publicly and in every other way--to the Latino community in its efforts to rebuild L.A.,” Salazar said. “Ultimately, Rebuild L.A. will look beyond South-Central and look at areas of need throughout the city.”

Rebuild L.A. board members said Salazar’s expertise in affordable housing and in joint ventures of government, corporations and nonprofit organizations made him ideal for the job.

Salazar, who was born in Kansas City, Mo., is a graduate of the University of Missouri. He has a master’s degree from the University of Michigan.