City approves new director of Sacramento public housing agency, after some delays
After deliberations stretching across three weeks, the Sacramento City Council appointed Tuesday a new leader for a local agency tasked with overseeing public housing.
Sacramento City Attorney Gustavo L. Martinez said the council during its closed session meeting unanimously selected Kris Warren, a senior vice president of consulting firm CVR Associates, as the new executive director of the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. The SHRA is a joint powers agency led by the city of Sacramento and Sacramento County. It is a government agency responsible for housing Sacramento’s most vulnerable.
The Board of Supervisors on Jan. 27 appointed Warren and selected CVR Associates to audit SHRA. The $348,000 contract between SHRA and CVR Associates for interim executive officer services spanned from Feb. 1 of this year until Jan. 31, 2027, with an option to extend the contract for one year.
But the City Council did not approve of Warren’s position until Tuesday after meeting Jan. 27, Feb. 3 and Feb. 10 to discuss selecting a new SHRA director. On Tuesday, the council did not make any comments about its decision during a special meeting with a single item to approve of the new contract.
Tuesday’s vote also comes shortly after three county supervisors voiced disappointment and frustration over the delayed approval of a leader to oversee the government agency.
“It is disappointing that the City Council has been unable to align around this shared goal and take action with us,” wrote Supervisor Patrick Kennedy in a previous statement.
Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty and some council members previously declined to comment on Warren’s appointment because the vote happened in closed session.
On social media, McCarty said Tuesday he was confident Warren will increase efficiency and expand “affordable housing opportunities for Sac families.” He also called for an audit and assessment to modernize SHRA.
“In the era of federal threats, and the state fiscal climate, this step is crucial for ensuring the agency’s continued relevance and effectiveness,” he wrote.
Councilmember Karina Talamantes said on social media that elected officials “did not know all the details until recently” of the contracts, including its price tag which totals about $1 million. She called for better collaboration with the county when dealing with SHRA.
“It’s imperative that we do our due diligence,” she said.
A report written by the city of Sacramento to approve of the SHRA contracts said both city and county staff collaborated in the search for a new executive director.
The Board of Supervisors and City Council also amended the joint powers authority agreement to allow a newcomer to lead SHRA. For decades, SHRA’s leader has been an employee who climbed its ranks.
La Shelle Dozier, SHRA’s longest serving executive director, retired in October. She’s now the CEO of Washington D.C.-based Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, a nonprofit that works with public housing authorities across the nation.
Since October, both the city and council appointed James Shields as SHRA’s acting executive director. Shields’ contract last for 30 days and has been renewed four times. He has worked at SHRA for about 23 years.
After the council did not approve SHRA’s new director upon the third opportunity Feb. 10, Sacramento County CEO David Villanueva declined to renew Shields’ contract that had been set to expire on March 3, according to a letter obtained by The Sacramento Bee and sent to Sacramento City Manager Maraskeshia Smith.
“We look forward to working with the Sacramento City Council to appoint a new interim director to this critical position,” according to the letter sent on Feb. 10.
This story was originally published February 17, 2026 at 5:04 PM.