Lake County votes to begin voluntary transfer of county housing authority to regional agency

The Lake County Board of Supervisors, sitting as the Board of Housing Commissioners, voted to direct staff to start the application process to transfer the Lake County Housing Commission to the Regional Housing Authority (RHA) that serves Sutter, Yuba, Colusa and Nevada counties, with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2026.

County Social Services Director Rachel Duhman Parsons, who serves as executive director of the Lake County Housing Commission, told the board the county’s public housing authority is small, underfunded and lacks the staff capacity and administrative funding to expand voucher services or to pursue property development. Parsons said the county currently operates three voucher programs, including the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program and the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program, with utilization at about 80 percent and with an administrative funding gap that limits growth.

The county has been covering administrative costs with local funds and one full-time equivalent position; Parsons said the county filled that position for roughly six months last year and currently covers roughly $280,000 from the Social Services fund for administration. Parsons and HUD staff advised the board that a voluntary transfer to RHA would offer technical capacity and program options the county cannot provide now, including project-based vouchers and a family self-sufficiency program.

Gus Becerra, executive director of the Regional Housing Authority, described RHA’s experience regionalizing and operating project-based voucher programs and said RHA maintains ownership stakes in most projects it develops. He said the family self-sufficiency program can help participants save toward goals such as homeownership and that RHA has a track record of leveraging project-based vouchers to assemble finance plans for affordable housing developments.

Board members asked about protections to ensure Lake County’s vouchers serve Lake County residents. Becerra said it would be contrary to RHA’s practice to use Lake County resources outside the county and that the agency intends to maintain local representation on its board; county staff said they will negotiate terms, including written commitments, during the transfer process. The board and presenters also discussed HUD rules for project-based vouchers (the current federal cap allows up to 30 percent of a housing authority’s allocation to be project-based), portability and the difference between tenant-based vouchers and project-based vouchers (project-based vouchers are tied to a property contract, typically for a minimum 20-year term).

After public comment and board discussion, a motion to direct staff to begin the application process for a voluntary transfer to the RHA, effective Jan. 1, 2026, passed on a 4-0-0 recorded vote.

The county will return to the board with next steps for negotiation of the joint-powers agreement and transition documents, and staff said HUD and county counsel will be engaged in the process.

Votes at a glance

- Motion directing staff to begin the voluntary transfer of the Lake County Housing Commission to the Regional Housing Authority (Sutter, Yuba, Colusa, Nevada counties), effective Jan. 1, 2026 — approved, motion carries 4-0-0.