After leaving the top administrative position in Merced County in May, Raul Lomeli Mendez is back working in the assistant county executive officer position at Stanislaus County, according to his LinkedIn profile.

That’s the same position he held before he was appointed Merced County’s CEO in early 2022, a job he held for three years.

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Mendez led the county through a number of challenges during his tenure, including the historic Planada flood in 2023, high turnover in the Sheriff’s Office, skyrocketing health insurance premiums for county employees, and the closing of fire stations.

The Merced County Board of Supervisors last month hired longtime county veteran Mark Hendrickson as the new CEO, promoting him from assistant CEO. 

Earlier this month, Hendrickson released a video on the county’s Facebook page to unveil “Your Voice Matters,” described as a community feedback form for residents to provide insight to help improve the county.

“Your feedback helps shape the way we serve,” Hendrickson says in the video. “It helps drive the changes that matter most…We’re listening and we’re committed to making every experience better.”

Hendrickson’s move to improve how communication between the county and the residents it serves may not come as much of a surprise.

He recently told The Merced Focus his top priorities as CEO include driving customer service, ensuring the fiscal stability amid challenging times and enhancing the connection between county officials and the community.

Hendrickson also recently made an appearance on KYOS 1480’s “Community Conversations,” where he spoke to host Roger Wood about his upbringing in Atwater and further elaborated on his goals in the county’s top administrative seat.