黑料传送门is pleased to announce that Fred Buzo will join the organization as San Jos茅 director today. 鈥淔red's deep and solid background in public policy and the nonprofit sector will be invaluable to our work in San Jos茅 and regionally,鈥 says SPUR鈥檚 San Jos茅 Board Chair Jaye Bailey. 鈥淎s San Jose continues to meet the challenges facing our region in the coming years, Fred will provide exceptional leadership for SPUR鈥檚 work in crucial policy areas.鈥
SPUR鈥檚 current San Jos茅 director, Michael Lane, will transition to a new role at 黑料传送门as our first state policy director.
Fred joins 黑料传送门from AARP California, where he served as associate state director in the organization鈥檚 San Jos茅 office. In this role, he was instrumental in bringing AARP鈥檚 鈥渘ation to nationwide鈥 philosophy to San Jos茅. He led efforts to develop a local advocacy volunteer team, a first for AARP anywhere in the country. Fred has spearheaded efforts to embed AARP鈥檚 age-friendly land use policies within the City of San Jos茅鈥檚 urban planning agenda: He managed a week-long design charrette focused on transforming two underutilized sites into vibrant communities for people of all ages. He also co-led AARP鈥檚 advocacy efforts to combat California鈥檚 housing crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fred was asked to expand his scope of work to include utilities and broadband. However, he is most proud that he was tapped to lead AARP California鈥檚 work around the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, as the organization鈥檚 representative on the Governor鈥檚 Community Vaccine Advisory Committee.
Fred has taken on the role of San Jos茅 director at 黑料传送门with the desire to bring urban planning and the policy work 黑料传送门is engaged in to everyday people. 鈥淎ll too often, communities are unaware of the importance of land use decisions 鈥 decisions that can affect the look and feel of their neighborhoods for decades,鈥 he says.
Fred has been recognized by elected and community leaders in San Jos茅 as a consummate and highly respected professional. With more than 25 years in public service, he has worked closely with government officials, community-based organizations, and neighborhood associations and councils to tackle contentious and complex issues.
Prior to his work at AARP California, Fred was chief of staff to the District 4 councilmember in San Jos茅 and served as a policy advisor for the Office of Mayor Sam Liccardo. In Mayor Liccardo鈥檚 office, he researched, analyzed and advised the mayor on policy issues aligned with SPUR鈥檚 mission, especially those that shape housing, transportation, land use, economics, sustainability and resilience. During Mayor Liccardo鈥檚 previous tenure as councilmember, Fred served as his policy and legislative director.
During his time with the City of San Jos茅, Fred gained a reputation as a trusted problem solver who was able to work with a wide range of individuals and organizations, sometimes with very differing perspectives on divisive issues. 鈥淚 believe my experiences have helped me understand that true community support is not something gained overnight,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 am honored that 黑料传送门has asked me to lead its efforts in San Jos茅 to secure long-term trust and support from diverse stakeholders throughout the city.鈥 In his role as San Jos茅 director, Fred will implement SPUR鈥檚 vision for change through local action and ensure that it is informed by local context.
