A coalition of veterans, former Veteran Service Office (VSO) staff and advocates took more than an hour of public comment at the Dec. 9 meeting to press the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on long‑running concerns about the VSO’s management and service delivery.

Speakers stressed that veterans depend on the VSO to access earned federal benefits, and they described staffing, management and access problems they say have emerged under current leadership. Dave Ramos, a veterans advocate, asked the board to separate the VSO from Human Services Department oversight and make it a standalone department; he said non‑veteran layers of leadership above the VSO were diminishing service quality. “I stand before you today in strong advocacy of the veteran service office… be extracted from its current leadership structure and given its own status as a standalone department,” Ramos said.

Several current and former VSO staff and volunteers recounted disruptions to long‑standing programs (holiday meals, volunteer operations) and staff turnover, including the firing of a veteran VSO that community members supported. Other speakers — including veterans directly affected by the CZU fires — accused county staff of inconsistent permitting and remediation decisions and urged the board to keep recovery promises.

County CEO Nicole Coburn told the board she had met with veteran representatives and that the county planned immediate steps: mentorship for the new VSO, a professional development plan, and an organizational reporting change for the VSO to report to Alicia Morales, division director of adult and long‑term care services. Coburn said she instructed the director to investigate root causes and scheduled a meeting with veterans, department leadership and staff before Christmas to continue work on reforms.

Supervisors thanked speakers and noted the county is not taking immediate action at today’s meeting but will return with recommendations after staff follow‑up. The board did not adopt formal policy changes at the hearing but the CEO’s commitments represent initial operational direction.