The evening of Saturday, Jan. 5, found the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History at the McPherson Center in Santa Cruz packed in spite of torrential rain as 5th District Supervisor Bruce McPherson was sworn in.
An estimated 350 people were on hand to witness the 6 p.m. ceremony.
Describing himself as being “as excited as I’ve ever been to serve (the 5th District),” McPherson was administered the oath of office by Santa Cruz County Treasurer Fred Keeley, a former Santa Cruz County 5th District supervisor.
Assisting with the swearing-in proceedings were McPherson’s grandchildren Sydney and Cooper Kistler, who held an antique Bible from the 1800s that belongs to the family.
“It felt personal and not so much political,” McPherson said of the relatives, friends, and supporters who offered congratulations.
In a brief speech, McPherson said he was ready to begin his new job against the backdrop of more state burdens being shifted to local governments, a trend he described as “the biggest shift in government in 30 years.”
Once sworn in, one of the first orders of business on Monday, Jan. 7 before his first board of supervisors meeting the following day was to appoint Felton resident Renee Shepherd as the 5th District representative on the county planning commission.
McPherson said that Shepherd, the sales director for Renee’s Garden seed company, was his choice because of her background of community involvement.
“She’s thorough and she’s always there and she’s got a tremendous background,” he said. “I just think a person of her caliber would be an excellent choice.”
McPherson also appointed Rick Jones as an alternate for the planning commission seat, a role in which Jones served under former Supervisor Jeff Almquist.
McPherson was appointed during the meeting Tuesday to be the county’s representative on the oversight board of the Scotts Valley Redevelopment Successor Agency.
