Hundreds of veterans urge reinstatement of county veteran services officer after sudden firing

A large group of veterans and veterans-service advocates urged the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on March 25 to reinstate Xavier Bianchi as the county’s Veteran Services Officer after he was summarily let go in March. Speakers described Bianchi as a trusted, hands-on advocate whose dismissal has left cases stalled and the veteran community alarmed.

The speakers’ concerns came during the board’s public comment period, when about two dozen veterans and supporters — including representatives of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and Veterans Surf Alliance — testified about what they called immediate operational and community impacts following Bianchi’s removal.

The veterans said that the office handles complex claims and that Bianchi’s expertise and relationships helped veterans secure benefits, sometimes in emergency situations. “He is the veteran service officer for Santa Cruz County,” said Robert Shippen, a retired Army Special Forces medic who described submitting a letter in support of Bianchi. Several speakers said they learned of the firing only after scheduled meetings were canceled and that open cases were left in limbo. Steve Curtin, a VFW member, said he was told about the firing only when an appointment was canceled: “That was the first time I knew he was fired.”

County Human Services Director Randy Morris said personnel confidentiality limits what the county can say in public, and invited the board to direct staff if it wants formal review of the department placement and management of Veteran Services. “There were a lot of comments made to you today about a personnel matter,” Morris said, noting confidentiality restrictions. He added that most California counties embed veteran services inside human services and that the decision to do so predates his tenure.

Board members acknowledged the outpouring of public support and asked Human Resources and the director of the department that oversees Veteran Services to meet with the board. Supervisor Cummings said she had never seen “that many people come out to advocate for an employee” during her time on the board and asked whether the board could reinstate Bianchi or extend his probation. Director Morris said the county would need to discuss further the history of the organizational placement and any personnel actions.

No formal personnel action was taken in open session at the meeting. Human Resources staff reiterated they could not discuss confidential employee information in public and offered to answer board questions in closed session or in private briefings. The board directed staff to meet with veterans’ representatives and said it would consider additional follow-up; supervisors expressed differing views on what that follow-up should include.

Ending: Veterans who spoke urged the board to open a prompt review of the dismissal and consider reinstatement or other remedies. The county’s Human Services director said he would participate in follow-up discussions; Human Resources asked supervisors to direct any specific policy questions through private briefings because of confidentiality rules.