Building a better future: How technology can help us

Santa Clara County Executive, announced his retirement Thursday, bringing a close to a -year career in public service. Appointed in , Smith has led the county through multiple challenges, including recovering from the financial crisis, expanding the county’s role in providing necessary services as population increased, and helping to shield struggling hospitals during the COVID- pandemic. In a statement, Santa Clara County said the work Smith had done in nearly years “will benefit county residents and employees for years to come.

“I have great faith in the county team we’ve built and I am very proud of our organization,” Smith said in the statement. “It has been an honor to serve the community together with our , county employees, who hold the fabric of society together.” During Smith’s tenure as executive he guided the county through dramatic economic growth and increased demands for county services. When he first moved into his role as county executive, the county’s annual budget was about $. billion. Now it’s $.

As lead manager responsible for employees at different county departments and services, Smith moved the office culture into goals-driven, cross-boundary workspaces. This strategy “translated into the county becoming a national leader in employee learning and innovative solutions and service delivery,” it said. Former county supervisor Ken Yeager praised Smith for seeking to make the county’s executive leadership more reflective of the broader community, and hiring diverse department heads and senior leaders.

Under the leadership of Smith, Santa Clara County made significant progress on social issues. The county became the first in the nation with an office dedicated to serving the LGBTQ community, and in April, the Children’s Advocacy Center celebrated its first years as a national model for serving young victims of abuse. During the COVID- pandemic, Smith used his special expertise to lead the county, having received his medical degree from the University of Southern California’s School of Medicine and having spent time as a chief medical officer for Contra Costa County Health Services.

I am grateful to Dr. Smith for his leadership during this difficult time. His expertise in public service and healthcare is invaluable. Supervisor Susan Ellenberg said, “Public service is obviously a deep calling for Dr. Smith and his work for our community has been tremendous.” I could not agree more. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Dr. Smith has been an exemplary leader.

Under Smith’s leadership, the county stated, the American Care Act was implemented, investment in extremely low-income housing expanded, and “redevelopment agencies that had long diverted necessary funding away from schools and safety-net services” were successfully dissolved. In June, when The Mercury News revealed that Santa Clara County had given a high-priced government history book commission to the wife of a former South Bay politician, Smith said he was “shocked” and “very concerned.

In Summary

Thank you, Dr. Smith, for your leadership during this difficult time. Your expertise in public service and healthcare is invaluable. Supervisor Susan Ellenberg said, “Public service is obviously a deep calling for Dr. Smith and his work for our community has been tremendous.” I could not agree more. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Dr. Smith has been an exemplary leader.