In 1993 Art Agnos was named HUD Regional Administrator as part of the new Clinton-Gore Administration. He led HUD offices throughout California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii, with the regional headquarters in San Francisco.

The record of public accomplishment on key initiatives in the San Francisco California State Office is indicative of the quality work and level of commitment that took place in each of the other ten offices in the region.

California, and especially the San Francisco Bay Area, were deeply affected by a national recession that had lasted for five years. San Francisco Bay Area communities were struggling to respond to poor housing conditions and neighborhood economic decline, as well as to a homeless population that outnumbered available services.