Supervisors Name Public Guardian

The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday named John Williams the county’s public guardian, charging him with protecting elderly people who are unable to care for themselves.

The appointment takes effect today and comes in anticipation of the retirement of current guardian William Baker. Baker, who also is head of the Community Services Agency, has been with the county 35 years.

In November, Williams was elected the county’s public administrator, in charge of protecting the assets of those who have died. He replaced Baker, who had held the post but did not seek reelection. In his role as administrator and guardian, Williams will earn $112,778 a year.

The board also voted to shift the public guardian and public administrator programs from the Community Services Agency to the Health Care Agency.

The move is part of an effort to dissolve the Community Services Agency. Funding for a number of its programs, including the Office on Aging and the Human Relations Commission, was slashed last week by the board.