Quick Take
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors has hired a new county executive officer following Carlos Palacios’ retirement announcement in June. The new executive will be formally announced either Wednesday or Thursday.
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors has chosen someone to move forward in the hiring process for the county’s next top executive, and expects to formally announce the hire of a county executive officer this week.
Following a closed-door meeting Tuesday afternoon to discuss the public appointment process for the role, District 1 County Supervisor Manu Koenig told Lookout that the board made a tentative decision on who will replace outgoing CEO Carlos Palacios, following months of searching. Koenig added that he expects an announcement either Wednesday or Thursday.
Palacios, who announced his retirement in June, is the most powerful non-elected person in county government. He has held the position for eight years, and was the first Latino county executive officer upon his hiring in 2017. Palacios has been in local government within the county for decades, beginning in 1992 in the CIty of Watsonville, where he became city manager in 1996.
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