We, the undersigned residents of Marin County, California, in support of Marin City’s Golden Gate Village, hereby demand the immediate termination of Marin Housing Authority (MHA) director Lewis Jordan for serious and persistent mismanagement of Golden Gate Village.

Despite unanimous public pressure and increasing community awareness of his behavior, Mr. Jordan continues a divisive, wasteful and multi-year pretense of cooperation with the Golden Gate Village Resident Council(GGVRC) while refusing to do what is right, equitable or fair.

Specifically, Mr. Jordan has:

— Refused to abide by the court-ordered Memo of Understanding (MOU) that requires him to engage the GGVRC as an equal partner.

— Received consistently failing or near-failing scores from HUD for not addressing GGV’s physical needs.

— Been named personally in a $200 million civil rights and habitability lawsuit filed by GGV residents.

— Consistently tried to ram through “build first” development — at considerable taxpayer expense — while ignoring the Resident Plan for renovation.

The Resident Plan addresses all three issues recently raised by HUD: over-housing, senior needs and community space. It includes detailed recommendations and action steps that have been developed by three highly qualified and well-respected firms, at no cost to taxpayers.

In fact, Mr. Jordan has announced he plans to hire new consultants — at considerable taxpayer time and expense — before giving the Resident Plan a full and fair hearing, not even considering the loss of many more years of residents continuing to live in deplorable conditions.  

The Marin County Board of Supervisors must immediately demand Mr. Jordan’s resignation or terminate him, and appoint someone qualified to lead a complete and fair vetting of the GGVRC Plan as the preferred alternative.

There is simply no good faith reason to allow the existing entrenched bureaucracy, rife with racial inequity, to continue. The people of Marin demand better from our county government. 

Thank you.