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Santa Cruz County public fiduciaries describe court-appointed guardianship, limited funding and referral process
Summary
On a Gov 101 podcast, Santa Cruz County public fiduciary leaders said their office is a court-appointed guardian and conservator for incapacitated adults, relies on wards' benefits rather than county funding, and receives most referrals from Adult Protective Services and medical providers.
Cecilia Mejia, public fiduciary director for Santa Cruz County, and Giovanni Mike Elena, deputy public fiduciary, described on the Gov 101 podcast how the county's Public Fiduciary Office serves court-appointed wards and how cases are referred and managed.
Mejia said the office is "governed by the Supreme Court" and acts as "court appointed guardian and conservator for incapacitated persons," adding that staff oversee medical appointments, bill payments and other needs for people the court designates as wards. "Once we get appointed, we do a lot for that person, and we call them Ward of the County," she said.
The office does not receive a dedicated county funding stream. "We actually don't support them. The county doesn't give us any funding," Mejia said. "We work with what that individual receives from Social Security, from their benefits. So we work with their benefits and how we pay for their rent or their…
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