Fay Darmawi has been appointed as the new Deputy Director of Housing Development for Oakland’s Housing & Community Development (HCD) Department. In her new role, Darmawi will oversee the city’s efforts in affordable housing production, preservation, and asset management.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee commented on the appointment, stating, “Deputy Director Darmawi brings exactly the kind of expertise and passion Oakland needs as we work to ensure every resident has access to safe, affordable housing. Her decades of experience in affordable housing finance, combined with her deep understanding of community development and displacement, make her the ideal leader for this critical work. I’m confident that with Fay’s leadership, we will continue to make meaningful progress on the housing challenges that matter most to Oakland families.”
Darmawi has over 30 years of experience in affordable housing finance and project management. She has worked as a consultant with developers, commercial banks, and community development financial institutions, with clients such as Bank of America, Silicon Valley Bank, LISC, BRIDGE Housing, and Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation.
Emily Weinstein, Director of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department, welcomed Darmawi to the team. “We are thrilled to welcome Fay to the HCD team,” Weinstein said. “The City of Oakland has made great progress in recent years, and Fay will help us continue our critical work to create truly affordable homes right here in Oakland. We know homelessness and housing affordability are top priorities for Oakland residents and we are addressing these issues through our ‘3P’ framework: Protect Oaklanders from displacement; Preserve the existing affordable housing stock; and Produce new, deeply affordable housing units.”
In addition to her work in housing finance, Darmawi founded the SF Urban Film Fest and produced a documentary film about the Filipino community’s efforts against gentrification in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood. She holds a master’s degree in city planning from M.I.T. and is based in the Bay Area.
The City of Oakland has been active in building affordable housing. In 2025, nearly one thousand affordable homes were under construction, with more than 60 percent designated for people exiting homelessness. This includes six Homekey sites recognized by the State of California. Over the next six months, another 700 affordable homes are expected to begin construction, with about one-third set aside for those exiting homelessness. These efforts are supported by significant investments made possible through Measure U.
Oakland’s HCD continues to implement strategies aimed at increasing affordable housing options for residents.
