On May 30th VCHTF hosted our 8th annual event to support development of new affordable housing in Ventura County. The event was held at the beautiful Maravilla Gardens in Camarillo, attended by 200+ business and community leaders, with State Treasurer Fiona Ma (keynote speaker) and included a reception, dinner, FUNdraising activities, live auction, and recognition of our donors.
The event highlighted the need to develop housing to provide a reliable local workforce, thereby boosting the region's economy and business outlook. Inadequate and unaffordable housing for employees is a leading factor hindering business expansion and economic growth.
To that end, the business community is being asked to support affordable housing by helping us raise the $10 million match available from the recently approved Proposition 1. VCHTF is in a unique position to match dollar-for-dollar all sponsorship donations. Under this program, we can receive up to $10 million from the State to invest in new affordable housing if we can raise a 1:1 match. Your support at this time is critical.
MORE ABOUT THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER STATE TREASURER FIONA MA
As the state’s primary banker, Fiona Ma oversees $2 trillion in annual payments, a $90 billion investment portfolio, and $85 billion in outstanding general obligation and lease revenue bonds for the world’s fifth-largest economy. Ma works closely with the State Legislature to ensure that its members know the state’s financial condition as they consider new legislation. She gives her own recommendations for the annual budget.
Treasurer Ma plays a key role in statewide housing:
Chair of the Tax Credit Allocation Committee that administers federal and state Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Programs which provides private investment in affordable rental housing
Member of the Board of the California Housing Finance Agency which makes low-rate housing loans through the sale of taxable and tax exempt bonds.
Chairs numerous bond financing committees which awards low-cost, tax-exempt financing for various purposes such as housing and economic development, including: Housing Committee, Housing Finance Committee, Housing for Veterans Finance Committee, and Veterans' Home Finance Committee.
Before starting her own accounting practice in San Francisco, Ma worked for Ernst & Young, one of the largest professional services firms in the world and considered one of the "big four" accounting firms.
Treasurer Ma first became involved in public service in 1994 as a small business owner and CPA advocating on behalf of the Asian Business Association at San Francisco City Hall and the State Capitol. In 1995 she was an elected delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business, which produced a report to Congress on the 60 top policy recommendations to help small businesses grow and prosper in the 21st century.
Also in 1995, she was appointed to the Assessment Appeals Board of San Francisco and became a part-time district representative for then State Senator John Burton. From 2002-2006 she served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, authoring the Local Business Enterprise ordinance and championing an end to human trafficking.
As a member of the State Assembly from 2006-2012, Ma built a reputation as a solution-oriented public servant adept at building unlikely coalitions to overcome complex problems. During these six years she served as Speaker pro Tempore, Assembly Majority Whip, and Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Domestic Violence.
Most recently, Ma was an elected member of the California Board of Equalization working to protect the rights of taxpayers while ensuring California collected its fair share of tax revenues. Through external audits she helped lead the biggest reforms for accountability and efficiency in the agency’s history.
Ma received her B.S. from the Rochester Institute of Technology (NY), her M.S. in Taxation from Golden Gate University (SF), and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She has been licensed in California as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) since 1992 and is a member of CalCPA and their Public Policy Task Force, CA Women Lead, San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign, and Screen Actors Guild (SAG).
With close ties to our Ventura County community, Ma is married to Jason Hodge, an Oxnard native, full-time firefighter and an Oxnard Harbor Commissioner.