Jeff Burum
| Jeff Burum | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| 🏡 Residence | Rancho Cucamonga, California |
| 🏫 Education | Claremont McKenna (BA) |
| 💼 Occupation | Chairman of Diversified Pacific Development Group |
| 🏛️ Political party | Republican |
Jeffrey S. Burum is a Southern California-based real estate developer, affordable housing leader, and philanthropist.[1] He is the founder and chairman of the Diversified Pacific Development Group, a real estate development company, and founder of the affordable housing nonprofit National Community Renaissance (National CORE).
Early life and education[edit]
Burum grew up in Maryland, where he lived with his mother and brother and apart from this father. As a teenager, Burum moved to Phoenix, Arizona where he lived with his father, who died a couple of years later.[2] Burum graduated with honors from high school in Phoenix. When the local school district sought to close down his high school, Burum staged a peaceful sit-in and led students away from resorting to violence.[2]
Burum moved to California to attend Claremont McKenna College, where he had obtained a scholarship. He graduated in 1985 with a degree in international relations.[3] Burum also studied Mandarin and his senior thesis pertained to the reunification of the People's Republic of China and Taiwan.[2]
Business career[edit]
After college, Burum moved to Rancho Cucamonga, California, where he started his career in real estate and continues to reside.[3]
In 1990, Burum founded Diversified Pacific Development Corp. in Rancho Cucamonga.[4] In 1997, Burum co-founded Colonies Partners LP, which bought several hundred acres of land adjacent to the Foothill Freeway in Upland, California for residential and commercial development, becoming the Colonies at San Antonio planned community and Colonies Crossroads shopping center.[4][5]
In 1998, Burum and Matt Jordan founded Diversified Pacific Development Group, a homebuilding company focused on high-end, executive housing in the Inland Empire.[3]
In 2008, Burum and Jordan founded the blind investment pool Diversified Pacific Opportunity Fund,[6] with more than $60 million in private capital.[7] The Fund, with Diversified Pacific Development Group serving as the Managing Member, currently owns more than 5,000 residential lots.[6]
Burum has served on numerous boards, including AIG SunAmerica's Asset Management Company.[6]
Colonies litigation[edit]
In March 2002, Burum sued San Bernardino County "after he and county officials reached an impasse over who was responsible for paying for flood-control improvements at the Colonies' development."[4] The lawsuit charged "that the county's flood control easements did not permit the county to direct at least 80 million gallons of water per hour... onto Colonies' property."[8] In November 2006, after several court victories and a five-year legal battle, the county approved a $102 million settlement with Colonies.[4]
In July 2009, the San Bernardino District Attorney's Office announced it was investigating alleged corruption related to the Colonies' settlement in 2006. In May 2011, a 29-count indictment was filed against Burum,[8] former San Bernardino County supervisor Paul Biane, former chief of staff for San Bernardino County Supervisor Gary Ovitt Mark Kirk, and former assistant county assessor Jim Erwin.[4] The charges included "conspiracy, bribery, conflict of interest, misappropriation of public funds, forgery and perjury."[8]
In pre-trial litigation, which involved two oral arguments before the California Court of Appeal and one before the California Supreme Court, each of the seven charges against Burum was dismissed by courts at least twice, "in the end leaving four bribery-related charges that were reinstated by appellate courts or charging amendments by the prosecution."[9] In January 2017 the trial began and after nearly eight months, jurors found Burum, Biane, and Kirk not guilty of all charges on August 28.[8]
Affordable housing initiatives[edit]
In 1991, Burum began to promote affordable housing initiatives with the foundation of the nonprofit Southern California Housing Development Corp. The mission of the organization was to "provide quality affordable housing and community centers where residents could obtain onsite job training, day care and other social services."[3] In 1996, Burum founded Hope Through Housing, "an organization providing programs and day care and job training for adults."[4]
In 1998, Burum established the National Housing Development Corp. (NHDC), where he served as executive director, to advance affordable housing on a national scale by "acquiring at-risk affordable housing developments and transferring them to local nonprofit housing providers."[10][11]
In 2000, Burum was named as one of the 22 members of the congressional Millennial Housing Commission, which focused on America's affordable housing needs.[10]
In 2006, Burum formed National Community Renaissance (National CORE) by combining Southern California Housing and NHDC, and he assumed the role of CEO.[12] In 2009, Affordable Housing Finance magazine ranked National CORE as the nation's number one nonprofit developer and the country's third largest affordable housing provider.[13] As of September 2017, "National CORE manages nearly 9,000 affordable, senior and market-rate units in California, Arkansas, Texas and Florida."[14]
Political fundraising[edit]
Burum, a Republican, "has given millions of dollars in campaign contributions to federal and state lawmakers, San Bernardino County supervisors, local city council members and political action committees,"[3] affiliated with both the Republicans and Democrats.[15]
Burum supported the candidacy of Mitt Romney in the 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries. He was a member of Romney's California delegate slate and a part of his "California Business and Technology Coalition."[16][17]
Burum has alleged that San Bernardino County's prosecution of him in the Colonies matter was "political persecution" to silence his political activism.[9][18]
Philanthropy[edit]
According to The Press-Enterprise, Burum has contributed to "more than two dozen charities throughout Southern California," "including a scholarship fund and an education program for government officials at his alma mater Claremont McKenna College."[3]
In 2007, Burum founded Colonies Crossroads Holiday Miracles, an annual Inland Empire charitable event that provides disadvantaged children with shopping sprees during the Christmas and holiday season at the Colonies Crossroads shopping center. Before the shopping sprees, the participating children and their parents meet celebrities, which have included Los Angeles sports Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk, James Worthy and Tommy Lasorda.[19][20][21] As of 2017, the event has served nearly 2,000 underprivileged children.[22]
Personal life[edit]
Burum lives in Rancho Cucamonga, California with his wife Kellie and two children.[3][15]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Burum a supporter of affordable housing, charities". Daily Breeze. May 10, 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Prosecution And Defense Offer Differing Characterizations Of Central Defendant". San Bernardino County Sentinel. January 15, 2017.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Concerned, connected, controversial: Jeff Burum has shaken up San Bernardino politics, housing". The Press-Enterprise. April 17, 2009. Archived from the original on October 3, 2010.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "These are the key players in the Colonies corruption case". San Bernardino Sun. December 31, 2016.
- ↑ "Judge Wades Into a San Bernardino County Flood Control Dispute". Los Angeles Times. April 26, 2006.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "About Us". Diversified Pacific Communities.
- ↑ "About". Diversified Pacific Opportunity Fund.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Timeline: A look at the Colonies-San Bernardino County clash from 1999 to 2017". The San Bernardino Sun. August 28, 2017.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Jury Ends Political Retribution Case, Finds Defendants Innocent According to Colonies Partners". PRNewswire. August 28, 2017.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Affordable Housing Champion Named to National 'Millennial Housing Commission'; Southern Californian Appointed to Federal Affordable Housing Commission". Business Wire. September 19, 2000.
- ↑ "New Fund Preserves Affordable Housing". Los Angeles Times. January 1, 2002.
- ↑ "New National Developer Emerges". Affordable Housing Finance. May 1, 2007.
- ↑ "Inland Empire-Based Non-Profit Named One of Nation's Top Affordable Housing Developers". National Community Renaissance. June 24, 2009.
- ↑ "Valencia Vista Earns 2017 National Award of Excellence from NAHRO". National Community Renaissance. September 7, 2017.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Miller's foe wants him included in corruption probe". Daily Breeze. March 4, 2010.
- ↑ "Governor Mitt Romney Announces The California Delegate Slate". The American Presidency Project. January 7, 2008.
- ↑ "Governor Mitt Romney Announces California Business And Technology Leaders Coalition". The American Presidency Project. January 31, 2008.
- ↑ "Burum urges county supervisors to hold DA 'accountable'". San Bernardino Sun. September 12, 2017.
- ↑ "Colonies Partners, Diversified Pacific and Jeff Burum". The Colonies Holiday Miracles.
- ↑ "Children's holiday miracle at Colonies". Foothills Reader. December 28, 2014.
- ↑ "Colonies provides Christmas cheer to kids". San Bernardino Sun. December 17, 2011.
- ↑ "Memories Of Colonies Holiday Miracles 2016". The Colonies Holiday Miracles. April 14, 2017.
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