At their July 17 meeting, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors authorized the County Executive to appoint Bruce Wagstaff as Deputy County Executive, Social Services, effective July 8, 2018.
“Bruce Wagstaff has already demonstrated his ability to be an effective and valuable leader in the County when he was previously the Director of the County’s Department of Human Assistance and the Agency Administrator for Countywide Services,” said Board Chair Susan Peters. “We’re pleased to welcome him back in this new role, where his expertise in social services will serve the people of Sacramento County well.”
“Bruce Wagstaff is highly qualified to lead our Social Services Agency, given his more than 40 years of experience in human services at the county and state levels,” said County Executive Nav Gill. “His experience and education attest to his ability to identify and solve complex issues effectively, and we look forward to his continued leadership in that agency
Mr. Wagstaff has been serving as Interim Deputy County Executive for Social Services since February 2018.
Mr. Wagstaff worked for the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) in the area of human assistance and social services for 30 years. Appointed Deputy Director in CDSS in 1995, Mr. Wagstaff had the lead responsibility for the statewide development and administration of critical social services programs, including CalWORKS, Food Stamps, Child Care, Refugee Services, Child Welfare, Foster Care, and Adoptions.
In his capacity as Deputy Director, Mr. Wagstaff was also the executive sponsor of four different statewide information technology projects: the Statewide Automated Welfare System (SAWS), Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), Statewide Finger Imaging System (SFIS) and the Child Welfare Case Management System (CWS/CMS).
Mr. Wagstaff was the Director of the County’s Department of Human Assistance (DHA) from April 2005 to January 2010. As Director of DHA, he was responsible for the County’s operation of public assistance programs, including CalWORKS, Food Stamps, Medi-Cal, and General Assistance, as well as Senior Nutrition, volunteer programs, and programs to address homelessness. He oversaw a department with approximately 2,000 employees and a budget of more than $650 million.
In January 2010, Mr. Wagstaff became the Interim Agency Administrator for the Countywide Services Agency (CSA), and in August 2010 he was appointed as the agency’s permanent Administrator. In these roles, Mr. Wagstaff worked with the various CSA departments to produce the agency’s response to the County’s budget strategy, stressing staff and stakeholder input and encouraging the development of new ways of doing business.
In July 2012, Mr. Wagstaff left the County to become the Social Services Administrator for the County of Santa Clara, where he remained until 2014. In this role he was responsible for the operation of the County’s public assistance, child welfare, and senior services programs, overseeing an organization of approximately 3,000 employees and a budget of more than $600 million.
Mr. Wagstaff holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science/Public Service from the University of California, Davis, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University, Sacramento.