By appointing Cea Weaver, a longtime tenant advocate, to lead the office, the mayor underscored that shift in both tone and substance. Weaver’s background is not rooted in policy theory or administrative distance, but in direct confrontation with housing violations—documenting unsafe conditions, organizing tenants, and negotiating with landlords who often held disproportionate power. Her appointment reassured residents who had grown skeptical of symbolic gestures, suggesting that lived experience would now inform enforcement.
Structurally, the office is built around two task forces designed to address different time horizons of the housing crisis. The LIFT Task Force is focused on identifying underutilized public land and accelerating the development of affordable housing. Its mandate is long-term: expand supply without relying exclusively on private market incentives. In contrast, the SPEED Task Force is reactive by design, stepping into active tenant crises to prevent evictions, respond to harassment, and stabilize households on the brink of displacement. Continue reading…
