Former Watsonville Woman Lands Plum Job

Santa Clara County Executive Jeffrey V. Smith announced the appointment of Maria E. Love to the position of Manager of the County Executive’s Office of Immigrant Relations, a new office authorized by the Board of Supervisors during the budget hearings last June.

“The establishment of the Office of Immigrant Relations comes at a critical time,” said Smith. “Santa Clara County has a diverse immigrant population facing unique challenges. These are challenges that Maria Love understands from firsthand experience. That sensitivity and her public policy background will be assets in her new role.”

Love grew up in El Salvador and immigrated to the United States at the age of 14. She lived in the Santa Cruz and Watsonville areas for the last 24 years.

For the past 13 years, Love has worked for both the County of Santa Cruz Human Services Department and the Health Services Agency. At the Human Services Department, Love provided guidance to county staff as to changes in agency work operations related to Medi-Cal, Foster Care, and CalFRESH programs based on changes to state and federal policies.

At the Health Services Agency, Love managed the Santa Cruz County Healthcare Outreach Coalition, where she coordinated the work of county staff and staff from community-based organizations to maximize outreach and insurance enrollment strategies. Love was instrumental in the Newborn Enrollment Project, Healthy Kids Steering Committee, Statewide Covering Kids and Families Coalition, and Santa Cruz County Safety Net Coalition, among other efforts. She also served as the County’s lead for the planning and implementation of the County’s Low Income Health Program.

“Immigration issues are dear to my heart since I came to this country as an immigrant,” said Love. “I am honored and excited to work with the County’s team at the Office of Immigrant Relations to fulfill the mission of the office,” she continued. “My goal will be to promote and apply best practices for effective immigrant integration and to work with community partners as we plan and implement programs in response to various developments in immigration reform.”

Love earned her Masters of Public Policy degree at the Leon Panetta Institute for Public Policy at California State University Monterey Bay in 2012. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Community Studies from University of California Santa Cruz in 1999. During the fall 2013, Love also taught about health policy and public health insurance programs for a semester at the California State University Monterey Bay.

She is married to Matthew Love and they have a daughter name Gwenyth who is a fifth grader. Her appointment is effective on September 14, 2015.