Santa Cruz County supervisors will begin a search for a new top administrator to succeed Carlos Palacios, who is stepping down after almost 10 years.
Palacios was the city manager of Watsonville when he was appointed the county’s executive officer in 2017, becoming the county’s first Latino executive.
“He led us through some of the toughest times our community has ever faced — from wildfires to a pandemic to historic flooding,” Board of Supervisors Chair Felipe Hernandez said Thursday when Palacios’ December retirement was announced.
As the county’s top staff member, Palacios guided the community through multiple major disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the devastating CZU Lightning Complex Fire, and the 2023 winter storms, officials said.
Palcios also instituted the Office of Response, Recovery & Resilience, improving disaster preparedness and response efforts and laying the groundwork for climate adaptation.