Move over Boy Wonder, here comes CALReUSE Supergirl, Deana Carrillo. Boy Wonder may be able to leap buildings in a single bound, but Deana can administer millions of dollars to a worthy project.

As the Program Manager for the California Recycle Underutilized Sites (CALReUSE) and the Sustainable Communities Grant and Loan (SCGL) Programs, she is tasked with assisting to find and fund projects that will not only put a brownfield site to great use, but that will ultimately have a tremendous impact on California’s social and economic landscape.

With more than $55 million available for loan and grants, the CALReUSE program is quite innovative in its nature. Depending on the program to which you apply, there can be funding from $300,000 to $5 million. No stranger to trailblazing, Deana Carrillo and the state of California have brought financing for brownfield redevelopment to the next level.

The California Recycle Underutilized Sites (CALReUSE) Program is administered by the California Pollution Control Financing Authority (CPCFA), and is comprised of two distinct sub-programs: the Remediation Program and the Site Assessment Program. Strategic Partners, selected government or private entities, assist in selecting projects, distributing funds, and marketing and administering the program. The Remediation Program has a number of strategic partners including the N BAs.

Currently, the Remediation Program is where her focus lies. Authorized by California voters in 2006, the Remediation Program provides loans and grants up to $5 million for brownfield cleanup that promotes housing and mixed-use development in California’s infill areas. The program was scheduled to finance its first projects in November, providing much needed housing opportunities for Californians.

Assessing the situation
The Assessment Program provides forgivable low-interest loans up to $300,000 (or $500,000 for housing projects) to help developers determine whether or not they want to develop a site. It provides funding for Phase I and Phase II assessment so that developers can discover what type of contamination a site contains.

This funding is especially appealing for developers because, should these assessments be undertaken and the contamination be deemed too costly for them, they can walk away without having to pay back the loan. It is important to note that while the loan may be forgiven, the program does require a financial “match” from the developer to play in “the game.”

The Assessment Program strives to fill in the funding and information gap that exists in brownfield development, while at the same time encouraging developers to convert these sites into a highly productive use, thus turning uncertainty into opportunity.

Takes it in stride
Administering such a dynamic program is no small feat, but Carillo takes all of it in stride. She is quick to mention that she by no means knows everything and is constantly learning something new every day. This attitude was solidified during her early years in public policy where she had the opportunity to serve under former California State Treasurer Phil Angelides and manage special initiatives.

She saw Angelides as a leader in smart growth long before it became in vogue. Working with him inspired her to step up her efforts to work on decreasing California’s social and economic divide. Deana realized that while her professional experience was important in shaping the future of her public service career, she also needed the financial know-how to assess the projects and programs that she would encounter down the road. For this reason, Carillo returned to school to obtain a Master’s degree.

Her current role continues to demonstrate her tireless commitment to being a tremendous public servant. Although it is challenging to balance the development of a flexible, user-friendly, effective program with the fiduciary and regulatory responsibilities of the state, she knows that what she’s doing will have a dynamic impact on so many communities. She admits that it is an interesting time to be funding money in light of the current economic crisis and the fact that CALReUSE lends money in the pre-development stage; but she believes that this program is necessary particularly for working families.

Carillo has built her career around making a difference and the CALReUSE project is just her latest society-changing endeavor. She is especially proud to be part of a program that will result in so many well-qualified and amazing projects. So, next time you look up, it may not be a bird or a plane, but CALReUSE’s Supergirl, Deana Carrillo, changing California’s landscape, one project at a time.

(For further information on the CALReUSE Programs, please visit: http://treasurer.ca.gov/cpcfa/calreuse.asp)