Santa Clara County child welfare chief, who led agency after baby’s drug-related death, will resign

The director of Santa Clara County’s child welfare agency, which drew intense scrutiny after the fentanyl-related death of a 3-month-old infant that brought to light the agency’s troubling practice of keeping children in unsafe homes, announced this week that he is resigning.

Damion Wright, who became director of the Department of Family and Children’s Services several months after the infant’s death in May 2023, said in a letter to his staff that the recent death of his father prompted his decision to accept another position in Southern California, the Mercury News reported Thursday.

Damion Wright will step down as director of the Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children’s Services next month.

(Santa Clara County)

Wright, who previously served as assistant director of the agency that is responsible for investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect throughout the county, said he believed the agency had made significant strides over the last year toward “enhancing workplace practices that prioritize child safety.”

“I firmly believe that by adhering to the pathway forward we have laid out for safe children and safe communities, we can continue to uphold the safety of our vulnerable populations during this transition and beyond,” Wright’s letter read in part.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas issued a brief statement after Wright’s announcement, saying she wished him well in his new job and that she remains “committed to continue working with the County’s Administration and the Department of Family and Children’s Services on the reforms we started together.”

Wright’s resignation comes roughly a year after the agency came under the eye of Bay Area News Group, which launched an investigation into the agency following the death of Phoenix Castro, a 3-month-old infant who died from ingesting a lethal dose of fentanyl and methamphetamine in San José.

The newspaper found that hospital officials notified the child welfare agency amid health concerns for Phoenix. The baby had been experiencing withdrawal symptoms related to her mother’s drug use during pregnancy, the news group reported.

Despite a warning from a social worker who was already overseeing the case of the couple’s two older children, the welfare agency allowed the infant to be sent home.

Phoenix’s father, David Castro, 38, is currently facing a felony child endangerment charge in connection with the case. The infant’s mother, Emily De La Cerda, 39, died four months after her daughter from a fentanyl overdose.

As part of its investigation, the news group found other drug-related deaths of infants. It also learned that a state investigation of the local welfare agency found that Santa Clara County’s legal team was often overriding recommendations from social workers and supervisors to remove children from unsafe homes.

The legal team’s influence, the news group reported, was part of the county’s shift to keep children with their families but also placed children in harm’s way.

Wright said in his letter that his resignation will be effective Jan. 17.