Fans whirred inside the Seaside social services building to block out the heat as Monterey County residents continued to drop in for the last few days of its services until its closure.
County officials decided to shutter the building due to a $3.9 million price tag to fix the building’s noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was reported in a June 2025 audit.
While plans have been in the works for years to improve or replace the building, the closure of the current one means that it will move out of its central hub in Seaside and to a satellite office in Marina. The last day for the Seaside office is Friday, Oct. 30, and operations will start in Marina (at 2620 1st Ave.) on Nov. 2.
“This location is such a staple in the community,” says Rose DeFranco, deputy director of the community benefits branch. “There’s a connection factor where people do come in because they know our staff well.”
Jose Canales, a five-year Monterey resident waiting outside the building, says he’s been here about 15 times before, and is here on a recent day to maintain Medi-Cal for his mother-in-law. They also visited to bring paperwork to maintain benefits for his wife.
His family got used to coming to the Seaside location, and the closure will extend their travel time.
Interacting face-to-face with an actual human being is what Seaside resident Albert Palmero prefers – it’s why he is also at the social services building. He estimates he has come to the office 20 times in the last 15 years.
County guidance has encouraged people to apply for and upkeep their benefits online. However, Canales and Palmero both note they don’t have much access to the internet.
People often come to the building to apply for CalWorks, CalFresh, and sometimes they come in with questions about their paperwork or drop off documents, according to DeFranco.
Social Services staff see on average 120-150 clients per day, primarily residents of the Monterey Peninsula, DeFranco says. (She emphasizes that Monterey County residents can visit any social services location.)
County Supervisor Wendy Root Askew says maintaining a center in Seaside is a county priority.
The Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 in January to rebuild the building. Officials are still looking for a temporary location in Seaside and concurrently are pursuing plans for revamping the existing site with a building that may also include the Seaside library.
Root Askew recalls being a customer herself years ago to file paperwork when she had informal custody of her cousin. It was cramped, crowded and the bathrooms were dilapidated, she recalls.
“It wasn’t a dignified place,” she says. “It didn’t feel good to sit in that office.”
Despite the dilapidation of the building, it still became a hub for people, whether they needed to check in on their benefits, or for homeless residents to charge their phone.
“The feeling that it’s a known place where you can go and see some people that are going to be friendly, there are parts we can’t duplicate because we’ve been part of this community for so long,” DeFranco says.