Claudia Cappio Appointed Director of Department of Housing and
Community Development
On June 27, Governor Brown appointed Claudia Cappio as director
of the California Department of Housing and Community
Development. Cappio has served as Executive Director of the
California Housing Finance Agency since 2011. Her extensive
resume includes several positions in local government planning.
Counties rely on an effective relationship with HCD to ensure
that California appropriately plans for housing for all income
levels, as well to promote economic development, housing, and a
broad array of other community development priorities through the
Community Development Block Grant program in California’s
thirty-nine “non-entitlement” counties. CSAC looks forward to
supporting Cappio’s confirmation in the Senate and working with
her in this new role.
Transportation
Federal Highway Trust Fund Shortfall Approaches
On July 1, the Secretary of the US Department of Transportation
wrote to Congress and state departments of transportation
outlining the cash management steps USDOT would take beginning
August 1 if Congress does not take action to avert the impending
shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). USDOT expects there
will be insufficient funding in the HTF to meet all of the fund’s
obligations by the end of August. Absent a fix by August 1, USDOT
will distribute available funding to states based on their
proportion of total HTF funding. Caltrans has estimated that
California would receive approximately 70% of its normal monthly
allocation under such a scenario. Without a federal gas tax
shortfall fix, Caltrans will likely stop obligating funds to new
federal aid transportation projects at the end of September.
CSAC will keep counties informed as we receive additional
information from Caltrans and our advocates in Washington.
Information on the impending shortfall and the USDOT’s cash
management steps can be found online here.
