Perlin Nominated for Housing Panel

Retired Navy lieutenant commander and longtime community volunteer Bernhard Perlin has been nominated by Mayor Richard Riordan to serve on the city’s Affordable Housing Commission.

The commission conducts public hearings, recommends policies and goals and advises on housing matters to the mayor, the City Council and the housing department.

Perlin, a resident of Granada Hills, has previously been appointed to a number of city panels, including the housing and Van Nuys Airport advisory committees and the Council on Aging.

He has also worked as a volunteer for several organizations, including the Red Cross, Meals on Wheels and Canoga Park Elementary School, where he served as a “surrogate grandfather.”

“I’ve been dealing quite a bit with senior issues and I feel that I have a lot of input to contribute,” said Perlin, who added that he was concerned about the lack of affordable housing options for seniors in the city.

“The national guidelines for paying rent say that it should cost about 30% of household income,” Perlin said. “We have seniors here who are paying about 84% of their income to rent.

“The more of us who are concerned about these issues, the better we can help these people.”

Perlin has been nominated to fill a vacancy on the commission created by the resignation of Dorene Dominguez.

If, as expected, he is approved by the City Council, his term will end Sept. 30, 1998.