County Administrative Office

Mission Statement:
To lead with innovation and collaboration, ensure fiscal responsibility, and promote equitable, results-oriented services under the guidance of the Board of Supervisors and on behalf of Santa Cruz County residents.
 

The County Administrative Office supervises County departments and functions and is responsible for the County budget, strategic management initiatives, communications, legislative advocacy, intergovernmental relations, and emergency operations, as well as management of the Board of Supervisors' meeting agendas and records.

The County Administration Officer is also the ex-officio Clerk of the Board, Director of Emergency Services, Executive Director of the Public Finance Authority, and a member of the Santa Cruz Library Joint Powers Authority Board, Santa Cruz Regional 911 Joint Powers Authority Board and the Animal Services Authority Board of Directors.

For more on Mr. Palacios, click here.

CAO STAFF

 
Nicole Coburn
Nicole Coburn is an Assistant County Administrative Officer and oversees the County’s public safety and justice departments, budget, strategic and operational plans, communications, legislative affairs, and Clerk of the Board. She has spent the last two decades living in Santa Cruz County and enjoys sharing its natural and cultural diversity with her family and friends.
 
Elissa Benson
Elissa Benson serves as Assistant County Administrative Officer and oversees the County’s general government operations including Parks, General Services, County Fire, Information Services, Emergency Management and Climate Change, Countywide Program Performance Measurement & Process improvement, and County Economic Development and Housing Priorities.
 
Marcus Pimentel
Marcus Pimentel brings 27 years of financial leadership as the County Budget Manager, responsible for the County’s $1 billion budget and fiscal sustainability. He has served on State boards and committees, including as the 2021 President of the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers. He also volunteers to create equal access to health care, including serving a Board Member of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District. He is a native of Watsonville who enjoys spending his time with his wife and two daughters.
 
Melodye Serino
Melodye Serino currently serves as the county’s Deputy County Administrative Officer, working with the team to provide ideas and solutions that make our community robust and resilient while strengthening the equitable delivery of services. Her career spans experiences in the public, private and non-profit sectors, allowing her to forge critical partnerships to carry out the work of the county. Born in Chicago, she has lived all over the United States and in Europe but remains a loyal Cubs fan.
 
Jason Hoppin
Jason Hoppin is the county’s public information officer and is responsible for countywide communications and legislative affairs, working closely with county staff to help get information to the public. He is a native of Santa Cruz and enjoys spending time with his family, mountain biking and rooting for the hapless Oakland A’s.
 
Dave Reid
Dave Reid, Director, Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience. Dave leads a talented OR3 team addressing our emergency and disaster readiness and response, CZU Fire recovery support, and our efforts around Climate Change Resilience through an equity and healthy outcomes for everyone lens. Dave enjoys bike riding, tide pooling and camping with his kids and partner. Dave has been known to dabble in IRONMAN triathlons and hopes to someday return after his extended “parenting sabbatical”.
 
Tatiana Brennan
Tatiana Brennan, Senior Administrative Analyst, Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience, lead on climate resilience efforts with a driving focus on equitable results that improve the health and resilience of all County residents, flora and fauna. When not reading the newspaper, Tatiana enjoys Russian novels, preferably in a cabin, on a cozy couch, with a fire crackling and a snowstorm swirling outside.
 
Annie Puckett
Annie Puckett is an Associate Administrative Analyst responsible for grants management and other administrative functions in the Office of Response, Recovery & Resilience and helps disseminate public information during emergencies. She lives with her husband and children in Watsonville.
 
Amanda Gullings
Amanda Gullings is an Emergency Services Analyst with the Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience, helping with all aspects of emergency operations including planning, coordination and organizing training exercises for County staff and partners. She has worked in public safety within the Santa Cruz region for more than a decade and is passionate about serving her community. When Amanda isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her son and family, hiking, fishing, traveling, cooking, bicycling and reading.
 
Clare Peabody
Clare Peabody is an Emergency Services Analyst with the Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience, specializing in all-hazards mitigation planning and project implementation to increase County-wide resilience to natural disasters. Clare is a lifelong resident of Santa Cruz County and is passionate about surfing, gardening, playing the fiddle, and public service.
 
Sven Stafford
Sven is a Principal Administrative Analyst leading the County’s strategic initiatives to create a data-driven government aligned towards equitable results. He likes baseball, biking, black cats, and alliteration.
 
Peter Detlefs
Peter Detlefs is a Principal Administrative Analyst and leads strategic initiatives related to affordable housing, economic development, facility master planning, and public finance. He also advises on departmental budget and policy activities for the Planning Division of Community Development and Infrastructure and Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services. Peter is a native of Santa Cruz County and enjoys outdoor activities in our scenic community.
 
Lana Martinez Davis
Lana is a Senior Analyst specializing in budgeting and assigned to the General Services Department, County Fire, Grand Jury, and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) reporting. Outside of work, Lana enjoys the many outdoor activities her hometown Santa Cruz County has to offer.
 
David Brown
David Brown is a Senior Administrative Analyst whose current role is to monitor budget and policy for the Health Services Agency, Probation, Child Support Services, and the Santa Cruz County Animal Services Authority. Dave also supports the countywide PRIMO continuous process improvement and Climate Action and Adaptation Plan initiatives. When he isn’t at work, you’ll find him volunteering with the local nonprofits our communities depend on.
 
Ryan Friedrich
Ryan Friedrich is a Senior Administrative Analyst and provides budget and policy oversite on the County’s portfolio of capital projects and technology investments while also contributing as part of the County’s budget team and managing other special projects. A native of the East Bay, Ryan has lived in Santa Cruz County since 2007 and enjoys camping with his family, local pickup soccer games, and debating macro-economic policies.
 
Gina De Martini-Kuhns
Gina is Senior Administrative Analyst with experience in fiscal services and contract and project management. Outside of work, she can be found reading or enjoying the outdoors with her family.
 
Sam LoForti
Sam LoForti is the Cannabis Licensing Manager and works on various cross departmental improvement measures. Sam is responsible for the development and management of an ever-evolving cannabis regulatory market. His technical background is geology and his prior work focused on environmental compliance and mining.
 
Fred Gomez
Fred Gomez is a Code Compliance Investigator for the Cannabis Licensing Office. He is responsible for difficult and sensitive investigations in the enforcement of County zoning, building, environmental, cannabis licensing, and other land use regulations, with major policy and liability impacts. He is a proud father, coach, motorcyclist and snowboarder.
 
Juliette Rezzato
Juliette Rezzato is Chief Deputy Clerk of the Board and is responsible for Board of Supervisors agendas, record keeping and oversight of the Assessment Appeals Board. She is a graduate of the UC Santa Cruz Politics program, and is also an avid baker, natural horsewoman & devoted dog mom.
 
Elizabeth Padilla
Elizabeth Padilla is a Senior Departmental Administrative Analyst for the Clerk of the Board and provides administrative support for Board of Supervisor agendas. She has many years of experience working in local government and is deeply committed to serving the community. Outside of work, she enjoys watching her daughters play softball and spending time with her family.
 
Lisa Ledwith
Lisa Ledwith is a Departmental Administrative Analyst for Clerk of the Board and is part of the team responsible for Board of Supervisors agendas, record keeping, and oversight of Public Records Act Requests for the County of Santa Cruz. When she isn’t at work, she enjoys listening to NPR’s News Quiz and traveling with her family.
 
Danita Gonzales
Danita Gonzales is the executive secretary to the County Administrative Officer. Danita is responsible for managing the County Administrative Officer’s calendar and appointments, addressing inquiries regarding the CAO and assuring the CAO’s office is operating smoothly, as well as other responsibilities.
 
Emiko White
Emiko White is an Administrative Aide who provides support to department’s staff and handles the department’s personnel transactions, payroll, accounting, and technology needs. Emiko likes to play the piano and video games.
 
Helen Bayly
Helen Bayly is an Administrative Aide to the Clerk of the Board’s Office. She clerks the Assessment Appeals Board, assists with Board of Supervisor document processing, supports the onboarding for new Commissioner and Board members, processes Tort Claims, and generally supports the Clerk of the Board. She is genuinely interested in helping people and loves to make her coworkers laugh.
 
Petra Rocha-Martinez
Petra Rocha-Martinez is an Office Assistant III. In addition to a wide variety of duties, Petra delights in helping community members and fellow staff. A native of Watsonville, Petra graduated from Cabrillo College with an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice, Liberal Arts, and Spanish, and has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a minor in Social Work from CSUMB. Petra loves spending time with her family, especially her daughters, along with traveling and visiting different amusement parks and beaches.
 
Lori Welch Bettencourt
Lori Welch Bettencourt serves as an Administrative Aide for Clerk of the Board and Cannabis Licensing offices. Her responsibilities include oversight of all multi-departmental Public Records Act requests, processing county and state CEQA filings, record keeping and research, paperwork for newly appointed volunteers (for board, commissions, and committees), and fielding inquiries from the public. She strives to provide quality teamwork and excellent customer service.
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