Merced County

Happy Father’s Day, Merced County!

Photo of the Week: The old Golden State Dairies building in Los Banos.

Every week, Merced County will feature a photo highlighting something that is special about our community or surrounding area. If you have a photo you would like to submit for consideration, please email it to [email protected] along with a short description of the photo (what it is and location) and your name—any external photo featured on our page will be credited to the photographer.

SCAM ALERT!

We have been made aware of fraudulent invoices being sent to members of the public claiming to be from the Merced County Planning Commission.

Please be aware:
• Merced County departments do not send unsolicited invoices.
• County payment requests will never require wire transfers.

If you receive a document claiming to be from Merced County, do not rely on any phone numbers listed on the document itself, as they may connect you directly to the scammer.

To verify whether a document is legitimate, contact the department using the official phone number listed on the Merced County website.

Help protect yourself and others by staying vigilant and sharing this information.

To report a scam please contact:
• State of California Attorney General: https://oag.ca.gov/consumers
• Federal Trade Commission: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ #/

Yesterday, County Executive Officer Mark Hendrickson met with Michelle Steele, Legal Office Manager for the Merced County Public Defender’s Office recognizing her for her exceptional service to Merced County. Michelle’s career is a testament to professionalism, dedication, and continuous improvement. Prior to joining the Public Defender’s Office in 2020, she served the Merced County Superior Court for more than two decades, where she played a critical role in opening new court facilities, implementing case management systems, and helping modernize court operations. Her extensive experience, combined with her educational achievements, including a Juris Doctorate, has made her an invaluable leader within our organization.

The Public Defender’s Office serves a vital role in our justice system by ensuring that every individual receives fair and competent legal representation. Behind the attorneys who advocate on behalf of their clients is a team of dedicated professionals who make that work possible every day. Michelle’s leadership has helped create an efficient, responsive, and highly professional administrative operation that supports attorneys in delivering quality representation.

As we continue our pursuit of becoming the highest performing county government in California, employees like Michelle demonstrate exactly what that looks like in practice. Excellence is achieved not only through major accomplishments, but through consistent leadership, innovation, teamwork, and a commitment to public service. Michelle embodies those values, and her contributions have strengthened both the Public Defender’s Office and Merced County as a whole.

A sincere thanks to Public Defender Vincent Andrade for his leadership, Ms. Steele for her outstanding work, and the entire Public Defender’s Office for their dedication to the people of Merced County.

Pictured (standing, left to right): Merced County CEO Mark Hendrickson; Merced County Public Defender Vincent Andrade.
Seated in the CEO’s Chair: Michelle Steele, Legal Office Manager.