[News Release] – Gary Jones took the oath of office last month as Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors, following his appointment to the position by the County’s Board of Supervisors.
Jones, who had served as the Department’s acting director for eight months, said he was honored to have been entrusted as leader of a department committed to the stewardship of the County’s beaches and the Marina del Rey harbor.
“My goal is to maintain and, wherever possible, improve on the excellent track record of a department whose dedicated employees work hard to maintain the County’s stunning beaches, and the beautiful harbor and its public landside amenities in Marina del Rey,” Jones said.
The oath was administered by Sachi A. Hamai, the Executive Officer of the Board of Supervisors, at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration.
Prior to assuming the top executive position, Jones had served as Deputy Director in charge of the Department’s asset management and planning divisions since 2009. His responsibilities have included managing the County’s portfolio of long-term ground leases in Marina del Rey that generate $42 million in revenue each year.
Jones was the lead County negotiator for new lease agreements that cleared the way for more than $100 million worth of redevelopment in the Marina. In 2011, he was instrumental in garnering state Coastal Commission approval for a major change to the Marina’s Local Coastal Program and helped secure a master Coastal Development Permit, accomplishments that provided for more streamlined redevelopment of the Marina’s waterside properties and for the modernization of six aging anchorages. He created a new Boating Section within the Department to ensure that redevelopment efforts would also include serving the needs of recreational users of the Marina and enhancing public boating amenities.
Jones also oversaw capital projects on County beaches and in the Marina, including an $11 million dredging effort to remove nearly 800,000 cubic yards of sediment from the harbor entrance channel. Dredged sand was used to restore an eroded section of Redondo Beach and provided infill for Long Beach Port’s Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project.
With more than 22 years of experience in real estate, development and urban planning, Jones previously managed assets for the City of San Diego for nearly 10 years. There he was responsible for a real estate portfolio generating more than $70 million annually.
Born and educated in Great Britain, Jones received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Southampton University and his Master of Science degree in Real Estate Studies from De Montfort University in Leicester. He recently became a naturalized U.S. Citizen.
In his spare time, Jones, an avid sports fan, follows and supports the Leeds United soccer club and enjoys watching his two young sons play basketball and lacrosse. He also enjoys opportunities to volunteer in his sons’ classrooms at school.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.
0 Comments
You can be the first one to leave a comment.