Cantu drops 'interim' from title
- April 18, 2014
Emily Cantu has been named Housing Department Director for the city of Vacaville, dropping the "interim" tag from her title.
Cantu has been running the department since August 2013, when her predecessor, Cyndi Johnston, retired.
"I'm thrilled to name Emily the new head of the city's Housing Department," said City Manager Laura Kuhn in a press release. "She's a long-time employee who has the respect of her co-workers and the knowledge of the department that we need."
Cantu takes over a department that has been in transition for the last two-plus years. Formerly known as the Housing and Redevelopment Department, state action in late 2011 brought redevelopment to an end. As a result, the City has been working to wind down its Redevelopment Agency.
"I'm very excited and privileged to serve as Director of the Housing Services Department and to be part of the City's amazing management team," Cantu said. "The Housing Services staff is a great group of people who are dedicated to the work they do and a pleasure to work with. Because the elimination of Redevelopment hit our programs pretty hard, our focus moving forward will be working to expand the services we provide."
Cantu has been with the City since 2000, starting in the Section 8 division before moving to Housing and Redevelopment six years later. She holds a degree in Sociology from Cal State East Bay and a master's in Public Administration from Golden Gate University. Cantu is married with one son and four grandchildren.