Bye bye » Controversial housing official quits

After just two weeks on the job, San Jose’s embattled new deputy director of housing is out.

Tim Jones, who was accused of mismanagement and financial abuse when he ran the Richmond Housing Authority, was hired by San Jose on April 16 and resigned on April 29, housing director

Jacky Morales-Ferrand said. She added that Jones, who was to be paid about $169,000 a year, didn’t get any additional compensation for leaving.

“We came to a mutual understanding and he resigned,” she said. “It was his decision.”

Morales-Ferrand wouldn’t cite a reason for Jones’ sudden departure, and the city refused to release his resignation letter on grounds that it was a “personal letter to a supervisor,” though San Jose has provided other officials’ resignation letters in the past. Jones didn’t respond to requests for comment through the housing department.

But perhaps the bigger question is how someone with such a blemished resume got the job in the first place.

Under Jones’ watch, the Richmond Housing Authority ran a $7 million deficit, allowed poor people to live in filth and was on the verge of takeover by the feds, an investigation by Reveal and government audits found. Jones, meanwhile, was charging lavish meals to taxpayers, including $400 steak dinners.

A federal investigation also found the agency had misspent $2.4 million on contracts, but Jones blamed the previous administration. His hiring in San Jose came at a critical time for the housing department — the City Council just narrowly passed new renter protections.

Morales-Ferrand said she knew Jones “had some challenges in Richmond,” but she said she received information that he was following orders to repay the misspent funds. Jones was hired to do different work in San Jose than he did in Richmond, she added, and emerged as one of two top candidates for the job after three interview panels.

As one of two deputy directors, Jones was responsible for overseeing the department’s homelessness programs and working with developers to secure loans for affordable housing.

“We don’t own any property so he wasn’t going to be overseeing any property,” Morales-Ferrand said. “I still believe he had the necessary skills to make him successful.”