New job for ex-Supervisor Carrillo

Former Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo has been hired by Burbank Housing to lead its community and government relations work.|

Former Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo, who left elected office last year in the wake of political fallout from a 2013 arrest, has been hired by Burbank Housing to lead its community and government relations work starting next week.

The Santa Rosa nonprofit affordable-?housing builder announced Carrillo’s new role Tuesday and said he would have a range of responsibilities that also include business and project development. Carrillo is starting in his position, a new one for Burbank Housing, in a part-time capacity, according to CEO Larry Florin, who declined to say how much the organization will pay the former supervisor.

Carrillo’s first day at Burbank Housing is Monday.

“We’re taking a more strategic approach to dealing with the housing crisis at the macro and policy levels, not just on the ground,” Florin said. “We want to collaborate with the local governments to figure out where there are opportunities, and we think someone with his insights and experience can provide a basis for us to work more effectively with the community.”

For Carrillo, who served two term on the Board of Supervisors, the new job marks a return to a realm with which he has become intimately familiar: working with government and for affordable housing, among Sonoma County’s most pressing issues during his tenure representing the west county. His duties will include advocating for funding, helping the organization improve services to its residents and working on policy changes at the local and regional levels, Florin said.

State law prohibits Carrillo from lobbying his former colleagues at the county for one year.

“It’s not our intent, certainly during any kind of blackout period, for him to lobby (county) staff or the board,” Florin said.

Carrillo was first elected in 2008 to represent the 5th District, which stretches from west Santa Rosa to the coast and includes Sebastopol and the lower Russian River. The seat is now held by Supervisor Lynda Hopkins. Carrillo was board chairman in 2011 and 2016.

His political career was upended, however, after a high-profile pre-dawn arrest in 2013 on suspicion of prowling - an incident he said stemmed from his desire to have sex with his neighbor, a woman he barely knew. A jury found him not guilty of attempting to peek into her home.

“Housing is fundamental to the health and vitality of Sonoma County,” Carrillo said in a statement. “I am humbled to have this opportunity to effect change for individuals and our community as a whole.”

Burbank Housing has played a big role in the development of lower-cost homes in the area, constructing about 4,000 affordable rentals in more than 60 properties and selling more than 800 affordable homes over the last few decades.

The announcement of Carrillo’s new job there comes more than one month after the Center for Climate Protection, a Santa Rosa nonprofit focused on fighting climate changed, announced he had joined its board of directors.

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