SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-06) announced that U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro will address nearly 350 regional business, civic, and elected officials who will travel to Washington, D.C. in April for the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s annual Capitol-to-Capitol (Cap-to-Cap) program. Each year, the Congresswoman hosts the delegation in the Cannon House Office Building for lunch, and this year Secretary Castro will share with the delegates ways the Obama Administration is promoting urban development.
“Secretary Castro’s demonstrated leadership has helped communities across our nation transition into the 21st century economy,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “HUD programs, such as the Promise Zone designation for Sacramento, are having a concrete impact on the positive transformation of our city. I’m incredibly pleased that Sacramento area leaders will have an opportunity to hear from the Secretary about ways we can partner at the federal, state, and local level to spark urban development and continue to expand opportunities for residents in our region.”
Secretary Castro was sworn in as the 16th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on July 28, 2014. In this role, Castro oversees 8,000 employees and a budget of $46 billion, using a performance-driven approach to achieve the Department’s mission of expanding opportunity for all Americans. As Secretary, Castro’s focus is ensuring that HUD is a transparent, efficient and effective champion for the people it serves. Utilizing an evidence-based management style, he has charged the Department with one goal: giving every person, regardless of their station in life, new opportunities to thrive.
Under Castro’s leadership, the Federal Housing Administration lowered mortgage insurance premiums to make homeownership more affordable for responsible families. HUD also released its new Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule to fulfill the full promise of the Fair Housing Act – helping families’ access strong neighborhoods with housing choice vouchers and empowering local leaders with new tools to invest in their communities. In July of 2015, President Obama helped launch one of Secretary Castro’s signature projects, ConnectHome, which accelerates Internet adoption in 28 communities, providing broadband and electronic devices to children living in public and assisted housing.
“As a region dedicated to attracting and maintaining a strong workforce with a capital city recently named one of the most charming mid-sized cities in the country, we know our region is a desirable location for many to place roots and stay,” said Scott Shapiro, Downey Brand’s Managing Partner and 2016 Cap-to-Cap Chair. “Our delegation is thrilled at the chance to hear directly from Secretary Castro on the Administration’s priorities for creating access to affordable housing and strengthening our communities.”
Comprised of 11 policy teams, the Cap-to-Cap delegation identified three critical areas of investment for our region: infrastructure, people and strategic initiatives. All policy papers for the 11 teams and the executive summary of the 2016 priority issues can be reviewed on the Metro Chamber website.
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