A Farewell from Our Executive Director, Laura Ann Fernea

Dearest community,

It is a privilege to address you as ‘community’ and to be able to truly mean it. During my years working here, I have fallen more and more in love with City Heights and her people, places, and incredible beauty and resilience. 

After 12 years (5 as ED), I end my time at City Heights CDC on December of this year.

We are in discussions with the City Heights CDC’s executive team, board, and staff about how to move forward. The San Diego Eviction Prevention Collaborative is an eviction prevention concept that was born out of the CHCDC and, after several years of initial growth, we are exploring next steps. I am grateful to all of the City Heights CDC staff who supported the eviction prevention work and helped it grow. We’ve already had tremendous impact, initially in City Heights and now increasingly region-wide as our work proves to be an effective way to deter homelessness and keep families safely housed.

Know that I am deeply grateful for my time at the CHCDC and for everything I’ve learned. Leading this organization through the pandemic, initiating racial justice and equity processes that have helped our organizational culture begin taking steps away from entrenched white supremacy, and expanding the scope of our work across City Heights and region-wide are a few things I look back on with gratitude, though I’ll be the first to acknowledge those processes are ongoing and I am still learning.   

I have full confidence in the City Heights CDC’s board, staff, and network of partners and community members to continue growing this community work—I can’t wait to see what happens next in City Heights! 

As we look back on 40 years of work, I end this note where it began: with the community. It’s been an honor to be a small part of our work with and in City Heights. As the City Heights CDC continues working alongside the community, I have no doubt that City Heights will reach greater and greater heights of thriving business, safer and more accessible transit, better-planned, livable neighborhoods, community-led housing that’s affordable and high quality, services to residents that enhance and elevate everyday life for neighbors, and the list goes on!

Thank you, thank you, for being community to so many. 

Thank you for being community to me. 

I am grateful, and I am forever changed.   

Your friend, 

Laura Ann