Sacramento County County Appoints Director Of Community Development

Press release from the Sacramento County Government:

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, at its Feb. 8 meeting, concurred with the County Executive’s appointment of David Defanti as the Director of Community Development. Defanti begins his new position on Feb. 14.

“We are fortunate to have a candidate with the knowledge and leadership of Mr. Defanti, who has 20 years of senior-level experience leading community initiatives in Sacramento, El Dorado and Placer counties,” said Mike Penrose, Interim Deputy County Executive for Community Services. Defanti started his public service career working for Sacramento County as a planner before promoting to a senior planner position. In 2013, he left to serve as the Community Development Agency Assistant Director for El Dorado County.

Since 2016, he has served as the Deputy County Executive Officer for Placer County where he oversees multiple departments, including Community Development, Public Works, Facilities, Parks, Agriculture, and Clerk/Recorder/Elections.

His broad community development experience includes creating a first ever five-year Capital Improvement Plan, merging multiple departments into a newly-created agency, and serving as a lead negotiator for tax-sharing agreements.

He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations with an Environmental emphasis from UC Davis.

The Department of Community Development provides a range of development services to ensure that all development is consistent with state law.

It includes the offices of Code Enforcement, Planning and Environmental Review, Engineering, and Building Permits and Inspection.

This press release was produced by the Sacramento County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.