W
hittier officials secretly chose Jamboree Housing to replace Thomas Safran & Associates as the developer for a 344-unit affordable housing project. The decision was made in a closed-door session that sparked outrage among residents who questioned the transparency of the process. City Manager Brian Saeki cited Thomas Safran's severe health issues as the reason for his firm's removal from the project.

    Safran has also been linked to an alleged public corruption scandal involving Los Angeles Councilman Curren Price, with whom he was part of a development consortium selected by Whittier in 2022. The original plan included a $200-million mixed-use project on a 3.4-acre site that would have featured 229 condominiums and 115 affordable apartments.

    Residents are concerned about the lack of transparency surrounding the developer swap, particularly given an ongoing controversy over the removal of mature ficus trees for an upgrade project on nearby Greenleaf Avenue. "We need to publicly ask why this developer consortium backed out," said Mary Gorman-Sullens, president of the Whittier Conservancy.

    Saeki defended the closed-door session, saying it was necessary to protect the negotiation process. However, David Snyder, executive director of the First Amendment Coalition, argued that the decision may have violated the state Brown Act by allowing the council to select a new developer in secret. Jamboree Housing is a nonprofit affordable housing developer with experience building projects in Southern California.