Last week California Governor Newsom made three key housing leadership appointments.
Gustavo Velasquez was named director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Velasquez was most recently at the Urban Institute, where he served as senior director since 2017. He was assistant secretary for the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at the HUD from 2014 to 2017 and executive director at the Latino Economic Development Center from 2013 to 2014. Prior to that, Velasquez served as director of the Office of Human Rights from 2007 to 2013 and the Office of Latino Affairs from 2003 to 2006 for the government of the District of Columbia. Velasquez earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Zack Olmstead was appointed chief deputy director at HCD. Olmstead has been deputy director of housing policy development at HCD since 2017, where he served as assistant deputy director of homelessness and housing policy from 2016 to 2017. Prior to that, Olmstead was senior assistant to Speaker Toni G. Atkins in the California State Assembly from 2013 to 2016. Olmstead was also homeless policy director at Housing California from 2006 to 2013. He earned a Master of Public Policy and Administration degree from California State University, Sacramento.
HCD’s Doug McCauley was appointed commissioner of the California Department of Real Estate by Governor Newsom. McCauley served as chief deputy director of HCD since 2018 and acting director of the department since 2019. Previously McCauley served as executive officer at the California Architects Board from 2001 to 2018 and looks forward to returning to a key role in consumer protection, an area in which he brings 17 years of experience. McCauley earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Golden Gate University.
