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Public commenter alleges child abuse, urges county to order DFCS screening
Summary
At the Jan. 22 Santa Clara County Finance and Government Operations Committee meeting, a public commenter said child protective services had refused to screen alleged abuse and asked supervisors to intervene; no county action was taken during the meeting.
Benzie, a member of the public, told the Santa Clara County Finance and Government Operations Committee on Jan. 22 that Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) had refused to conduct a screening into alleged abuse involving his children and asked supervisors to instruct DFCS to act.
In two minutes of public comment, Benzie said the children had described sexual contact and “unnecessary bathing” and that an attorney involved in the case had sent him messages he described as supporting pedophilia. He named “Valerie Houghton” in connection with online material and said he had forwarded evidence to the Board of Supervisors. Benzie concluded his remarks by identifying himself as “Ben Zee” and addressing “supervisor Lee Hasluck.”
The committee did not take action in response to the comment. No county staff or committee member made findings or gave assurances about DFCS action during the meeting.
Why it matters: Public commenters sometimes raise potential child-protection concerns directly to the board; committees may forward such matters to appropriate agencies but do not adjudicate allegations in public meeting comment. The remarks in this session were presented as allegations by a member of the public and were not corroborated or followed by a formal report to the committee at the meeting.
The transcript shows the comment occurred during the meeting’s public comment period; no subsequent staff response or motion appears in the record for this agenda item.
