SANTA CRUZ — In light of her yet-to-be-certified victory in the race for 5th District Santa Cruz County supervisor, Monica Martinez announced she will step down from her role as leader of one of the county’s largest nonprofit organizations.
Encompass Community Services announced Tuesday that Martinez will begin the process of transiting out of her role as CEO after more than a decade, so she can ready herself for a four-year term as supervisor. Encompass, a major health and human services provider with more than 40 programs across the county, often contracts with the county to provide various behavioral health services. Martinez has previously pledged that should her campaign come out on top, she would resign as CEO, a post she has held since 2014.
“Monica Martinez has been an extraordinary leader for Encompass Community Services. Her dedication to improving behavioral health, housing, and early childhood development has transformed countless lives in our community,” said Elaine Johnson, chair of the Encompass board of trustees. “Monica’s unwavering commitment to equity and inclusion, coupled with her ability to forge impactful government and business partnerships, has made her an invaluable asset to Encompass, and these skills will certainly translate into more success as the District 5 Supervisor in Santa Cruz County. We are incredibly proud of her accomplishments, and she will be greatly missed.”
According to the release, Encompass has an annual operating budget of more than $38 million and serves more than 6,000 MediCal beneficiaries across the county. During her tenure, Martinez oversaw an expansion of Encompass’ behavioral health infrastructure and treatment capacity by, in part, helping secure a $9.4 million state grant that went toward construction of the nonprofit’s Sí Se Puede Behavioral Health Center in Watsonville. The project broke ground in June and will expand substance-use disorder treatment capacity within the 18-25-year-old age group demographic.
Martinez, a Felton resident, led Encompass through the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities process, unified its care services within a “whole person care” approach and helped establish one of the first Enhanced Care Management models in the area. The model is designed to address complex needs, stable housing and connect community members to other local services.
“As I step down from my role as CEO of Encompass, I am filled with deep gratitude for the incredible journey we’ve shared. Together with the (more than) 400 dedicated Encompass staff, we’ve cultivated a community of passionate individuals committed to making a difference in Santa Cruz County,” said Martinez in the release. “I am proud of the work we’ve done and the lives we’ve impacted. In my new role as County Supervisor, I will carry with me the inspiration and dedication of this amazing team, and a deep understanding of the needs of this community. Thank you for believing in the mission that everyone deserves access to high quality health care.”
To prepare for the transition, the Encompass board has drafted a comprehensive succession plan, according to the release, which includes recruitment of a new CEO and interim leadership.
Martinez jumped to a sizable lead in the 5th District race on election night and hasn’t looked back. As of Wednesday, she had garnered 15,055 votes, or 56.6% support while her opponent, Christopher Bradford, had 11,488 votes or 43%.
In a social media post shared a week after Election Day, Martinez declared victory as her lead expanded, writing, “This campaign was always about issues that truly matter to our district – preparing for and recovering from disasters, improving our roads, supporting our essential workers, and building a future where everyone can thrive.”
At the time, Bradford told the Sentinel that he didn’t “anticipate we are going to win,” but that he wanted to wait to share further comment until more ballots had been counted. In his own social media post from Nov. 15, Bradford wrote, “While there are votes still to be counted, unfortunately we are not going to be victorious in this election.”
He continued, “I know this was not the result we were hoping for, but I want to encourage you to be excited and empowered. Your overwhelming support and loud, vocal enthusiasm for this grassroots campaign made this race competitive in spite of huge discrepancies in resources. I am deeply proud of all the work that we did together as Team Bradford.”
Bradford, a Boulder Creek resident, added that he plans to continue to advocate for the 5th District community and is planning to launch an interactive website focused on local issues and politics.
The 5th District, home to about 52,200 residents, includes the San Lorenzo Valley, Scotts Valley and a small portion of the city of Santa Cruz.