Senate Confirms Fair Housing Council Executive Director, Allan Lazo as Land Conservation and Development Commissioner

SALEM – On June 1, the Oregon Senate confirmed Allan Lazo as a commissioner on the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC or commission). Lazo’s term will begin June 1, 2022 and end May 31, 2026. Lazo is filling the seat of former LCDC Chair Robin McArthur, who represented the Portland Metro area on the commission. Lazo is eligible for reappointment of another full four-year term. He is the executive director of the Fair Housing Council of Oregon (FHCO), a statewide civil rights organization founded in 1990 whose mission is to end housing discrimination and ensure equal opportunity to housing. FHCO provides access to education, enforcement, and public policy advocacy.

Lazo has been a long-time community advocate for civil rights and social justice, especially in the areas of housing, homelessness, and racial equity. A long-time Portland resident, he currently serves on the state legislature’s Joint Task Force on Addressing Racial Disparities in Homeownership and served on DLCD’s state rulemaking advisory committee on House Bills 2001 and 2003. He also has served on a variety of commissions and committees in Portland and Gresham, including the City of Gresham Planning Commission and the City of Portland’s Human Rights Commission. In his service on Portland Human Rights Commission’s, from 2010 to 2016, he chaired their Housing Rights Task Force. 

“Commissioner Lazo will be an amazing asset in our efforts to address Oregon’s housing crisis using land use tools,” said LCDC Chair Anyeley Hallová. “The issues of housing need, displacement, and creating equal housing opportunities are core to the work of the agency. Allan’s experience as a former small business owner, his focus on housing, and his unwavering commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion will help us advance policies that makes sense and work for Oregon.”  

“I am honored to be confirmed as a commissioner on the Land Conservation and Development Commission,” said Lazo. “The opportunity to contribute to lasting change in our state’s land use system and improve housing outcomes for Oregonians is work that motivates and excites me personally and professionally.”   

Commissioner Lazo replaces long-term commission member and chair, Robin McArthur, who served the commission from 2014 to 2022. Robin’s service and leadership on the commission set the stage for DLCD to lead the state in housing solutions and climate action. As former planning and development director at Metro, Robin set an ambitious course for the Department of Land Conservation and Development  in her time as commission chair. Both McArthur and Lazo are long-term residents of Portland.

“Our commission attracts some of Oregon’s most talented, broad-minded, and inspiring people. I look forward to Commissioner Lazo’s contributions and expertise in the work ahead,” said DLCD Director Brenda Bateman.