STUDIO CITY : Hirsh to Head Board That Oversees CRA

Studio City businessman Stanley Hirsh has been elected chairman of the Community Redevelopment Agency Board of Commissioners.

Hirsh, owner of the Cooper building in downtown L.A., was at one time a key supporter of Mayor Tom Bradley. His philanthropic efforts have included fund raising for the United Jewish Fund, and Jewish refugees from Ethiopia. Recently, Hirsh has fought to block competitors downtown from obtaining city permits to operate garment manufacturing facilities outside the traditional garment district.

As head of the seven-member CRA board, which oversees the agency’s $422-million budget, Hirsh said he will focus on improving low-income areas of the city.

“Economic development will be a critical part of that vision,” Hirsh said, adding that he aims to “help the city become cleaner and safer for all its citizens.”

Hirsh is one of three San Fernando Valley residents appointed to the board by Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.

The appointment of Bobbi Fiedler, a controversial busing opponent from Northridge, was debated by a City Council committee earlier this month. Encino attorney Dennis Luna is also a member.

The CRA’s charge is to eliminate slums and blighted areas of the city by encouraging economic development. The agency works by targeting geographic areas and issuing bonds for development. If redevelopment boosts property tax revenues in the targeted area, the increase goes back to fund the CRA, said Chuck Sifuentes, public information specialist for the CRA.

Besides approving all CRA grants and contracts, the board sets policy for the agency. In a related action Thursday, Peggy Moore, vice president and manager of the downtown Los Angeles main office of Home Savings of America, was elected vice chairwoman of the CRA board.