Equal
Opportunity Employer/Program
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RICHARD BENBOW
CDD General Manager
Richard Benbow has been the General Manager of the Community Development Department (CDD) since June 16, 2006. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appointed him to head the Department following Mr. Benbow’s exemplary 30-year career with the City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA/LA), where he rose to the rank of Chief Operating Officer. |
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The 300 employee staff of the Community Development Department is responsible for overseeing more than $300 million in federal funds earmarked for programs such as youth development, job skills training, after school activities and family counseling and business loans. These programs are designed to improve the quality of life in the City of Los Angeles by creating economic and employment opportunities for individuals, families and neighborhoods in need.
Experience and well honed skills along with a thorough knowledge of the diverse communities of Los Angeles make Richard Benbow uniquely qualified to head CDD and understand its mission to create jobs and strengthen families.
Within three months of arriving at the Community Development Department, Richard Benbow oversaw a major Department reorganization, putting job creation programs and programs for job seekers under the same chain of command. He also united programs for youth with programs for family development. By reorganizing staff responsibilities and aligning program goals, Mr. Benbow has made CDD better equipped to respond to communities in need. |
Under the stewardship of Richard Benbow, CDD continues to make major strides. Two years ago the number of jobs for youth was 2,500. In PY2008-2009 the goal, that the Department will meet is 15,000. The CDD, through its Workforce Development System, serves nearly 100,000 people a year. The Department has also seen significant gains in its economic development programs under Richard Benbow, funding more than $230 million in Section 108 loans and approximately $210 million in bonds for a total amount of nearly $440 million. As various development projects are completed this will create up to 6000 living wage jobs in the City of Los Angeles, which underscores CDD’s mission.
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Richard Benbow is no stranger to success. At the CRA he held a variety of key positions, including Project Manager for the Watts Redevelopment Project Area. He was responsible for the completion of the Martin Luther King Jr. Shopping Center, the first new commercial development in Watts in over 20 years. He also served as Deputy Administrator for Community Development in the San Fernando Valley and managed a federal loan program following the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
He is the co-founder and past President of the Board of Directors of the Minority Program in Real Estate Finance and Development at the University of Southern California, an executive level training program that provides minority real estate professionals with the advanced tools necessary in today’s more challenging redevelopment environment. He chaired the procurement committee of Mayor Riordan’s Minority Business Opportunity Committee, developing the guidelines for pledges made by private sector firms participating in this citywide program.
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Mr. Benbow received his bachelor’s degree from Elmhurst College in Illinois and a master’s degree in Urban Affairs from St. Louis University in Missouri. He also received a certificate of professional designation in personnel management and industrial relations from the UCLA Graduate School of Management. Mr. Benbow resides in View Park in South Los Angeles with his wife Lorna. |
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