18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY NOVEMBER 13-19, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com After a career working abroad for years and then the Central Valley, Josh Madfis landed at United Way Monterey County in 2017. “I really feel like all points have led me here,” he says. “I think Monterey County is really special in the degree to which people are willing to collaborate.” United Way Monterey County develops a tool designed to make life easier for people in need—and for the nonprofits that serve them. By Sara Rubin AT YOUR SERVICE On Monday afternoon, Oct. 13, a group of 20-some representatives of county agencies, nonprofits and policymakers are gathered in a conference room at the Monterey County Office of Education headquarters in Salinas. They’re here for the monthly meeting of the Monterey County Children’s Council, composed of 27 members representing agencies serving children directly or adjacently. Members hail from the Monterey County Office of Education, County Health Department and Social Service Department, the juvenile justice division of Monterey County Superior Court, the District Attorney’s Office and the Public Defender’s Office. The council’s mission statement is to provide “leadership and policy direction to encourage the development of a comprehensive and collaborative delivery system of services to children and youth in Monterey County.” They meet to discuss issues like nutrition services and foster care. On this particular day they’re focusing on the how of their mission—a delivery system of services. They break up into smaller groups to talk about weak points in that delivery system. Eric Mora is an aide to County Supervisor Wendy Root Askew, and is representing her as an alternate on the Children’s Council. As the sole Spanish speaker in the District 4 supervisor’s office, he is charged with answering the call when monolingual Spanish-speaking constituents knock on the door. When somebody shows up in person to their county supervisor’s office for help, “it’s often people on the verge of getting an eviction notice, or they already did,” Mora tells his group. And often, they aren’t looking for a county supervisor at all—they find a county office searching on a map. “I have nothing to tell them other than, ‘I have directions to the Social Services building.’ Usually they come just before closing. I feel horrible saying, ‘Run, go to Seaside, they are about to close at 5!’” Mora continues. But he is not a social worker; he is not trained to assess eligibility for benefits; and many of the constituents who are most desperate are not equipped to go online for support. Constituents who are better-resourced, Mora adds, often send emails and may request appointments ahead to talk to their supervisor or her staff. When people show up with a DANIEL DREIFUSS
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