Human Services Commission

The Human Services Commission is a volunteer advisory board which meets six times a year to ensure the highest quality and maximum effectiveness of human services provided for the benefit of the citizens of Santa Cruz County. Meetings are open to the public. The Commission consists of ten members appointed by the Board of Supervisors.

The duties of the Commission (as defined in Chapter 2.60 of the Santa Cruz County Code) are to:

  • Guide long-term planning regarding meeting the socio-economic needs of low-income, disabled, disadvantaged and at-risk people in the county;
  • Advise the county board of supervisors on policies and priorities that affect the socio-economic needs of low-income, disabled, disadvantaged and at-risk people;
  • Provide advice and counsel to the Director and Senior Management of the Human Services Department on best practices in the operation of the department’s programs;
  • Provide a forum for citizens affected by county human services programs and policies;
  • Advise the Board of Supervisors on funding decisions affecting the socio-economic needs of low-income, disabled and disadvantaged people, including county allocation of resources to county programs and community programs funding;
  • Integrate efforts and initiatives affecting the socio-economic needs of the poor which cross departmental, divisional and interest-group lines;
  • Advise the board of supervisors on legislative matters concerning the county human services programs. (Ord. 4106 § 2 (part), 1991)

2024 Meeting Schedule

Human Services Commission meetings are held bimonthly on the third Wednesday of the month, from 8:30 am to 10:30 am, at the United Way’s Capitola Conference room, located at 4450 Capitola Rd #106, Capitola, CA, unless otherwise noted below. All Commission meetings are also held in a hybrid in-person/virtual format so that members of the public wishing to attend virtually may do so. To attend virtually as a guest, you may Click here to join the meeting, or you may email Commission staff at Adam.Spickler@santacruzcountyca.gov to be sent a link electronically.

The 2024 Commission Meeting schedule is tentatively set as follows:

  • January 17, 2024, 8:30 am – 10:30 am, 4450 Capitola Rd #106, Capitola CA
  • March 20, 2024, 8:30 am – 10:30 am, Watsonville Community Hospital Conference Room, 75 Neilson Road, Watsonville CA

Commission Bylaws

Human Services Commission Bylaws, approved as of 2/25/2003 (PDF, 194 KB)

2024 Agendas

2023 Agendas

CLICK HERE FOR PRIOR YEAR AGENDAS

2023 Minutes

CLICK HERE FOR PRIOR YEAR MINUTES

Advisory Commission Members

Lisa Smith (First District)

VACANT (First District)

Danny Keith (Second District)

Stephen Gray (Second District)

Betsy Clark (Third District)

Serg Kagno (Third District)

Charles M. ‘Stoney’ Brook, Chair (Fourth District)

Karina Moreno (Fourth District)

Jennifer Anderson-Ochoa (Fifth District)

Denise Hitzeman, Vice-Chair (Fifth District)

 

Board of Supervisors Meetings

2023 Calendar of Meetings (PDF 153 KB)

Upcoming Meetings and Agendas

Prior Meetings and Agendas

Video Recordings of Prior Meetings