By Jorge Casuso

September 20, 2022 -- Andy Agle -- who helped ensure more than 2,000 units were earmarked for low-income tenants and worked to acquire more than 20 acres of private land for the City -- will retire at the end of the year, City officials announced Tuesday.

During the past 15 years, Agle served as director of Housing and Economic Development before assuming his current post as director of Community Services after a major restructuring of departments in 2020.

Andy Agle (Courtesy City of Santa Monica)

Since joining the City in 1998, Agle has been a key figure both behind the scenes, where he negotiated real estate deals, and at the podium in the Council Chambers, where he pushed programs he helped develop.

“I started my career in local government more than three decades ago because it was and is foundational to me that my work makes a difference in people’s lives, particularly those with the greatest needs,” said Agle.

“I am so grateful that my time with the City has supported my passion for making a difference in the community where I live," Agle said in a statement Tuesday.

"I have been blessed to have worked with colleagues who are talented, dedicated, and caring. Santa Monica is incredibly fortunate to be supported by such passionate and capable public servants who are dedicated to enriching the experience of those of us who live here.”

Starting in 2007, as head of Housing and Economic Development, Agle used more than $100 million a year in earthquake redevelopment funds to build affordable housing before then Governor Jerry Brown dissolved California's more than 400 redevelopment agencies in 2011.

Agle also led efforts to use redevelopment funds to purchase private land for public open space, affordable housing and community facilities, including a fire station and a transit terminal.

The purchases included a 2.57-acre site at 4th Street and Arizona Avenue that he cobbled together by picking up banks, office buildings and surface lots in the heart of Downtown.

The site has been earmarked for affordable housing after the City Council killed the Plaza mixed-use hotel project last year.

Agle also led efforts to help create one of California’s first local minimum wage laws, as well as the Preserving Our Diversity (POD)program, which provides cash-based assistance to help vulnerable seniors stay in their units.

“Andy is a talented leader who has positively impacted so many aspects of life in Santa Monica," said City Manager David White. “We’re grateful for his steadfast service and we’ll miss his positive, solution-oriented presence.”

After Agle’s last day on December 15, Danielle Noble, the assistant director of Community Services, will step in as acting director.

Noble served as the City’s Deputy City Manager for three years before becoming assistant director of the Community and Cultural Services Department in 2017.