LAHSA Commission (2024)

County Members
Confirmed by LA County Board of Supervisors

City Members
Confirmed by LA City Council

Tanisha Saunders

Tanisha Saunders is a passionate advocate guided by curiosity and a desire to empower others to be the change they wish to see in this world. Born and raised in Compton ,CA she has overcome facets of adversity such as foster care, homelessness and gun violence. She graduated from Los Angeles Pierce College with an AA in Child Development in 2016 and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development from California State University, Dominguez Hills in 2018. Tanisha most recently graduated from the Los Angeles African American Women’s Public Policy Institute in 2023.

Tanisha is a community advocate who uses her skills to empower others while advocating locally, statewide and nationally around issues of homelessness and child welfare. Her advocacy efforts have been featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine, Teen Vogue, Spectrum News: In Focus, Dominguez Hills Today Magazine, and other media outlets. Tanisha has worked as a community organizer with the National Foster Youth Institute, a servant leader with the Children’s Defense Fund, and served as a Foster Youth Voice Representative for the Los Angeles County Office of Education. She completed fellowships in LA City Council and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority focusing with a focus on ending homelessness through community capacity building.

Tanisha has worked as a housing service provider since 2019 gaining firsthand knowledge of the work to end homelessness from the perspective of those on the frontlines of homeless services. In her current role as a Resident Manager for a Permanent Supportive Housing building in Venice, CA, she uses her education and lived experience to contribute to ending homelessness. As a LAHSA commissioner, she continues to utilize her knowledge and experience to champion equitable and transformational solutions to end the homeless crisis in Los Angeles.

Lindsey Horvath

Lindsey Horvath represents Los Angeles County’s Third District. She appointed herself to the LAHSA Commission in 2022 upon taking office.

Supervisor Horvath made history as the youngest woman to ever be elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. She is the first millennial, and currently the only renter to serve on the Board. Before being elected to the Board of Supervisors, she was a City Councilmember and the longest consecutively serving Mayor for the City of West Hollywood.

Supervisor Horvath has a long history of civic and social justice advocacy. She has spearheaded policies to make West Hollywood an "Age-Friendly Community" to better serve residents of all ages. She also led the City to become the first in the nation to impose financial sanctions on Arizona for its discriminatory, anti-immigration SB-1070 law.

Supervisor Horvath’s career has been defined by tackling the hardest problems, building diverse coalitions, and delivering results for her community. Supervisor Horvath’s commitment to serving others was shaped by her family and faith, which instilled in her a strong work ethic and made her a tireless advocate in addressing the complex problems facing Angelenos throughout LA County.

Wendy Greuel

Wendy Gruel was appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Commission in 2015.

A working mom and lifelong Angeleno, Wendy Greuel attended LA public schools and graduated from UCLA. Wendy started her career in public service working for former Mayor Tom Bradley on a wide range of public policy issues including child care, senior care homelessness, housing, public health and education. She helped lead the fight to combat HIV and AIDS, establishing the first city/county AIDS task force and ensuring that the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center remained open at a time when closure was threatened.

She served in President Clinton’s administration as the Deputy Director of the Interagency Council on Homelessness and later as the Southern California Regional Director at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

She worked for five years in the film industry as an executive at DreamWorks SKG leading efforts to fight piracy, protect intellectual property rights and pass strong incentives to stem runaway production, keeping these quality jobs in Los Angeles.

Wendy was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2002 and quickly developed an impressive record of accomplishment by creating jobs, preserving open space and reducing traffic congestion.

In 2009, Wendy was elected City Controller, becoming only the second woman in LA’s history elected to citywide office. As Controller, she brought a laser focus to examining government finances ensuring our taxpayer dollars were spent efficiently and greater transparency to government.

In 2013, Wendy was engaged by the Orange County Discovery Science Center to help open a new facility in the San Fernando Valley. Discovery Cube LA will be the first major museum in the area and will focus on four core initiatives: STEM proficiency, early learning, healthy living and environmental sustainability.

Throughout her career, Wendy has gained a reputation as a consensus builder, a passionate advocate and a tough fiscal watchdog.

Wendy and her husband Dean are the proud parents of Thomas, who attends public school.

Sasha Renee Perez

Sasha Renee Perez is a lifelong Angeleno, educator and community leader who is committed to advocating for policies that create social, racial, and economic justice.

Perez is a Councilmember and former Mayor in the City of Alhambra. She is the youngest woman to serve in the city’s history and the youngest Latina mayor to lead a medium-sized city in California. Pérez has championed policies that focus on improving quality of life for Alhambra residents such as providing grocery workers, pharmacy store workers and city staff with ‘Hazard Pay’ for serving their community on the frontline of the pandemic and hiring social workers and mental health workers to join the city’s public safety team. She has received several awards for her policy making work: In 2021, Active SGV honored her as Elected Official of the Year for implementing the city’s first dedicated bike lanes and passing the SGV’s first ‘Skip-the-Stuff’ ordinance, and in 2022 Congresswoman Judy Chu honored her as Congressional Woman of the Year for their partnership to establish Alhambra’s first-ever ‘Sustainability Plan’.

Pérez is the Public Affairs Director for The Campaign for College Opportunity, a non-profit organization that fights for equitable policies that improve college access, success, and affordability. In this role she has mobilized statewide coalitions of union leaders, civil rights and student advocates to stop regressive admission requirements, end the use of the SAT/ACT at the UC and CSU system and expanded financial aid access to California students. Previously, Pérez served as Youth Leadership Senior Program Coordinator for the Pat Brown Institute where she managed their televised debates, civic education and college prep programs.

Pérez is the first in her family to graduate from college, earning degrees in Political Science and Economics from Cal State LA. She is currently a member of the Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) Leadership Institute Class of 2022 and serves on several boards and commissions, including the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, California 100 Commission, GENup and Asian Youth Center.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger

Supervisor Kathryn Barger proudly serves the residents of the 5th District — Los Angeles County’s largest — spanning 2,785 square miles, including 20 cities and 83 unincorporated communities, in the San Gabriel, San Fernando, Crescenta, Antelope, and Santa Clarita Valleys.

Kathryn was born and raised in the 5th District and comes from a family with deep roots in public service. She is married to a retired sheriff’s deputy and lives in the San Gabriel Valley.

Dedicated to providing effective, responsive representation to the residents of Los Angeles County, Kathryn began her career in public service as a college intern in the office of former Supervisor Antonovich and rose to become his chief deputy in 2001, where she served until her election to the Board of Supervisors in 2016. She both served as Chair of the Board and was reelected for her second term in 2020.

Building upon her work from her time as chief policy advisor on health, mental health, social services, and children’s issues, Kathryn continues to advocate for services and programs to improve the quality of life for foster children, seniors, veterans, those with disabilities, and those with mental illness.

Kathryn is committed to keeping our neighborhoods and communities safe, working with federal leaders, law enforcement officials, and judicial officers to implement vital public safety initiatives.

She is an advocate for the environment and has spearheaded efforts to preserve open space and enhance parks, trails, and recreational programs and facilities, as well as libraries and after-school programs to serve local communities. She has hosted several trail rides and hikes to connect with the community throughout her district.

With a strong sense of fiscal responsibility, Kathryn is dedicated to providing vital county services while protecting financial resources as a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars.

Kathryn serves on the boards of Metrolink, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, North County Transportation Coalition, High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Authority, National Association of Counties' Large Urban County Caucus and Commission on Mental Health and Wellbeing, Southern California Association of Governments, Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, California State Association of Counties, and Local Agency Formation Commission.

Yasmine-Imani McMorrin

Yasmine-Imani McMorrin is an attorney, equity advocate and mom.

McMorrin was elected as Councilmember in Culver City in November 2020 and currently serves as Vice Mayor. She is the first Black woman to serve in both capacities. She previously served as Vice Chair of Culver City’s General Plan Advisory Committee and now sits on various Ad Hoc committees of the city Council including Education, Housing and Homelessness, and Sustainability, among others.

McMorrin currently serves the Children’s Defense Fund CA as Director of Education Equity where she works with colleagues and in coalitions to further education equity at the state, county, and local levels. The Education Equity team primarily focuses on centering young people’s stories and their experiences to inform policy direction, focusing on budgets as a tool for furthering equitable policies and supporting the needs of young people and their families.

McMorrin previously worked for The City University of NY, Essex County Community College, and University of Southern California Gould School of Law. She has also organized parents with the Culver City Community of Color Collective, Culver City Unified School District Equity Advisory Committee, and LA Parents Empowered Conference.

McMorrin proudly serves on the board of Civic Well and Clean Power Alliance. She is a graduate of the Los Angeles African American Women's Public Policy Institute (LAAAWPPI) and New Leaders Council-Los Angeles. McMorrin earned a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law and B.A. in Economics from Spelman College. She is admitted to the New York Bar.

Mitch Kamin

Mitch Kamin was appointed by Mayor Garcetti to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Commission in 2016.

Mitch Kamin is a Partner in the Los Angeles office of Covington & Burling LLP, an international law firm based in Washington D.C. Mr. Kamin represents media, entertainment and other companies in complex commercial litigation, and also serves as Vice Chair of the firm’s Public Service Committee.

From 2003-2010, Kamin served as President/CEO of Bet Tzedek Legal Services, one of the leading non-profit legal organizations in the United States. At Bet Tzedek, he led a 70-person full-time staff and national network of volunteers and was responsible for running major policy initiatives, overseeing significant litigation and creatively expanding programs serving low-income families, seniors, low-wage workers and disabled residents of Los Angeles County. He also spearheaded the largest pro bono initiative in U.S. history, garnering multiple national awards including the ABA Pro Bono Publico award.

Mr. Kamin previously served as Chair of the Board of Commissioners for the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, which administers federal housing programs for thousands of low-income Angelenos. He is currently Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of One Justice, which brings life-changing legal help to those in need by transforming the legal aid system.

A second-generation native Angeleno, Kamin graduated from Alexander Hamilton High School, U.C. Berkeley and Harvard Law School. Following law school, he worked as a Skadden Fellow and Staff Attorney at both the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. He and his wife Susan returned to Los Angeles in 1999, where they are raising their three children.

Irene Muro

Irene Muro was appointed by Supervisor Janice Hahn to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Commission in 2017.

Since October 2015, Irene Muro has served as Executive Director for the Whittier Area First Day Coalition (First Day), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping homeless and at-risk individuals and families transition toward self-sufficiency. Driven by a life-long passion to empower, to create sustainability and to positively effect systems change in low-income communities, Irene has built a professional career working with agencies dedicated to improving the quality of life of others. At First Day, Irene is responsible for general operations of the organization, providing guidance and leadership in policy implementation, program management and financial oversight.

Prior to First Day, Irene served as a Community Benefit Manager for Kaiser Permanente where she helped manage the Community Benefit portfolio for the hospital including grant management. This work was preceded by nine years of employment at the Oldtimers Housing Development Corporation/Steelworkers Oldtimers Foundation in Southeast Los Angeles as Chief Executive Officer and Director of Operations.

Irene’s background also includes extensive legislative and community relations experience from her work as District Representative for State Senator Martha Escutia (ret.), Field Representative for Assembly Member Marco Antonio Firebaugh and as an Outreach Coordinator at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

A child of immigrant parents, Irene was taught that education was fundamental to personal and professional success, driving her decision to pursue an undergraduate education in Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master in Public Administration degree with a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from California State University, Northridge. She is a current member of the UCLA Alumni Association, Cal State Northridge Alumni Association and the American Society for Public Administration.

Most recently, Irene was appointed to the Community Benefit Oversight Committee at PIH Health which serves as an advisory body to the PIH Health Chief Officers Group and helps to guide the hospital’s Community Health Improvement Plan. She also serves as Treasurer of the Board of Directors for the Hispanic Outreach Taskforce and was elected as an alternate representative for SPA 7 to the Los Angeles County Continuum of Care Board.

Irene currently resides in Whittier with her husband and three boys.

Mayor Karen Bass

Karen Bass is the 43rd Mayor of Los Angeles and the first woman and second African American to be elected as the city's chief executive. With an agenda focused on bringing urgency, accountability, and a new direction to Los Angeles, she has started her term with a focus on housing people immediately and increasing safety and opportunity in every part of Los Angeles.

A daughter of our city, Mayor Bass was raised with her three brothers in the Venice/Fairfax neighborhood and is a proud graduate of Hamilton High School. After serving as a front-line healthcare provider as a nurse and as a Physician Assistant, Mayor Bass founded the Community Coalition to organize the predominantly Black and Latino residents of South L.A. against substance abuse, poverty and crime, and to pioneer strategies to address the root causes behind the challenges faced by underserved neighborhoods.

She then went on to represent Los Angeles in the State Assembly and was elected by her peers to serve as Speaker, making her the first African American woman to ever lead a state legislative body in the history of the United States. Her time in leadership intersected with the Great Recession, and she was honored with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for reaching across party lines and making tough decisions to keep the state from bankruptcy while protecting vital services.

While representing Los Angeles and Culver City in Congress, Mayor Bass helped protect small businesses during the pandemic, created policy to drive local jobs from federal infrastructure funding, and led the passage of what the Los Angeles Times called "the most significant child welfare policy reform in decades."

Mayor Bass earned her bachelor's degree in health sciences from CSU Dominguez Hills before graduating from the USC Keck School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program and earning her masters degree in social work from USC.

Mayor Bass’s oldest daughter Emilia planned to follow in her mother’s footsteps working for social change. The Mayor continues to be inspired by Emilia and her son-in-law Michael’s passion for life. She has three other children, Scythia, Omar and Yvette, and two grandchildren, Michael and Henry, who live in the Los Angeles area.

Melissa Chinchilla

Dr. Melissa Chinchilla is a Health Services Specialist and an Associate Investigator with the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development (RR&D) Center on Enhancing Community Integration for Homeless Veterans (THRIVe) at VA Greater Los Angeles. Prior to joining the VA, Dr. Chinchilla was a Research Scientist with AltaMed Health Service’s Institute for Health Equity, one of the largest Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in the nation, serving over 300,000 low-income patients in Southern California.

Dr. Chinchilla’s research focuses on the social determinants of health, with an emphasis on housing and homelessness. Among other work, she has conducted research on the community integration outcomes of formerly homeless Veterans housed through VA’s largest homeless program, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-VA Supportive Housing (VASH). Her work also focuses on increasing our understanding of Latinx homelessness including barriers to homeless services connection and culturally relevant engagement strategies. Her work has been published in various journals including Cityscape, the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, and the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. She also serves on various local and national committee’s including the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ Research Council and the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Race and Ethnicity Homeless Data Work Group.

Dr. Chinchilla earned her doctorate in Urban Studies and Planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds a Master of Science in Health Policy and Management from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley.

She is a Los Angeles native and the daughter of immigrants.