Commissioners fire Rudolf C. Montiel, head of LA Housing Authority

The Housing Authority Commission fired Rudolf C. Montiel late Monday after several tenants of public housing projects renewed complaints that Montiel had evicted those he considered troublemakers. (File photo)

After months of turmoil, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles fired its director after complaints about his tactics and a fight with the agency's commission over travel expenses.

The Housing Authority Commission fired Rudolf Montiel late Monday after several tenants of public housing projects renewed complaints that Montiel had evicted those he considered troublemakers.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who appoints the commission, said he supported the decision to dismiss Montiel, who was paid nearly $450,000 to oversee the $1 billion agency and was eligible for 10 weeks vacation a year.

"The mayor supports the decision to terminate his employment and knows (the commission) will work aggressively to find a permanent chief executive to lead the agency," Villaraigosa's office said in a statement.

Efforts to contact Montiel for comment were unsuccessful.

HACLA is the nation's second-largest housing authority and oversees the Section 8 subsidized housing program.

Montiel, who headed the agency since 2004, has been at odds with the seven-member board for some time. Their relationship apparently reached a breaking point in recent weeks when he asked commissioners to return thousands of dollars he said were improperly reimbursed to them for travel expenses submitted without receipts.

That request followed media reports detailing extravagant spending by commission members on travel, restaurants and alcohol. Those

expenses were reimbursed by the city although the commissioners received per diem payments for travel.

Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who had been critical of Montiel's refusal to meet with tenants or appear at a City Council hearing on the problems, said he had recently improved relations with Montiel.

"I was the one who shouted, `Where's Rudy?' when he failed to appear before us," Rosendahl said. "Since then, we have met over issues I have in my district and he was very helpful."

Councilman Herb Wesson, who chairs the Housing Community and Economic Development Committee, said he had expected some type of action involving Montiel.

"I know he's had a rocky relationship for the past 18 months or so," Wesson said. "It's probably a good idea to look at some rearranging on how they operate."

The tenants complained that Montiel was arbitrarily evicting renters who criticized the way he ran the agency - including practices such as the agency taking pictures of tenants who participated in protest rallies. They said he targeted a group of tenants who had protested outside his Rancho Cucamonga home.

And, while Montiel drew most of the criticism, some members of a group calling itself POWER (People Organized for Westside Renewal) said there was a deeper problem with the agency. Over the years, critics of the agency have complained about a range of problems such as the condition of its housing projects and the way it treats tenants.

"The problem doesn't go away with Montiel," said POWER leader Veronica Mendoza of San Pedro. "We're still going to need to make changes to the commission to protect our homes. We're going to keep fighting."

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