Orange County board honors social workers and marks retirement of Marilyn Holmes

Chairman Doe opened the March 13 session by reading a proclamation recognizing March as National Social Work Month and thanking county social workers for their service, citing recent county efforts including the Santa Ana Riverbed remediation.

Mike Ryan of the Social Services Agency accepted the board’s recognition on behalf of the agency and the county’s roughly 4,000 SSA staff, telling the assembled employees, "the work that you do matters, and we thank you for dedicating your career to Orange County." Richard Sanchez, director of the Health Care Agency, thanked the chair and said he represented about "451 social workers in the health care agency" at the presentation.

Supervisor Bartlett presented a separate proclamation honoring Marilyn Holmes, who retires after 15 years as a manager in the watershed management division. The supervisor credited Holmes with helping secure more than $40,000,000 in state grant funding for water-resource projects in the 5th District and noted more than $5,000,000 in grants for recycled-water distribution and habitat restoration along Aliso Creek.

Holmes told the board it had been her privilege to serve the county. "It's been my privilege to work for the County of Orange for the past 15 years and I loved every day of it," she said.

The board then recessed into the regular business of the meeting. The presentations did not carry formal votes; they were recognitions and proclamations to county staff and neighbors.