Santa Clara County Board honors retirees, caregivers and community organizations

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 8 recognized a series of retirees, community leaders and organizations during a session devoted largely to commendations and proclamations.

Vice President Sylvia Arenas presented a commendation for Judge Erica Yu, honoring her 24 years on the bench and her leadership of the Family Wellness Court, which Arenas said helped reconnect families and advance restorative approaches in juvenile justice. "Her compassion turned justice into healing," Arenas said, praising Yu as "a trailblazer" and a mentor to law clerks and fellow judges. Supervisor Young recalled Yu’s early courtroom practice of asking defendants whether they could pay and described several cases in which Yu dismissed fines for people who could not afford them; Young said those defendants were so moved they were "bawling" in the parking lot.

The board also honored public safety leaders. Mountain View Fire Chief Juan Diaz — who joined the fire service as a refugee in 1980, rose through ranks in San Jose, and later helped Mountain View win a Class 1 ISO rating — was recognized for more than 40 years of service. "That relentless drive would propel him through four decades of service protecting families and futures," a supervisor said. Palo Alto Fire Chief Gio Blackshire was lauded for 28 years with the department and six as chief, including leadership through the COVID-19 response, station rebuilds and efforts to diversify the fire service.

The board presented a commendation to Erin O'Brien of Community Solutions on the occasion of her retirement after nearly 30 years. Speakers credited O'Brien with steering policy shifts in juvenile justice and behavioral health and with growing her organization’s services; one supervisor said county investments in domestic-violence and intimate-partner-violence services increased "by 400%" during O'Brien's leadership (statement presented as reported in the meeting).

County officials recognized health-care contributors as well. Dr. George Kent was honored for 36 years of service at the PACE clinic and for work during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The board also celebrated Valley Health Plan’s 40th anniversary and paused to remember VHP executive David Hurst, who, the board said, was killed over the Thanksgiving weekend; VHP thanked the board and reiterated its mission to provide local coverage and support to county residents.

The board singled out in‑home supportive services (IHSS) caregivers, with the transcript noting the county has about 38,000 IHSS caregivers supporting roughly 36,000 residents. Tanya York, an IHSS provider, told the board she has been a caregiver for 26 years and described the workforce as the "backbone" of long‑term care.

A listing of county "employee excellence" award recipients followed, with brief citations for staff across facilities security, procurement, the district attorney's office, the sheriff's office, probation, veterans services, Regional Medical Center and addiction services.

The proceedings began with a procedural motion by Vice President Arenas to adopt the recommendations relating to certificates, commendations and proclamations; the motion was seconded and the clerk announced it carried by roll-call. The board closed by reminding the public the next meeting would be Dec. 9 at 9:30 a.m.

What happens next: These recognitions are ceremonial; no policy votes or new county actions were taken on the items honored today. Several speakers raised funding and programmatic concerns (for example, the loss of federal funds cited for Family Wellness Court and the larger funding pressures for service providers), which may inform future budget and program discussions.