Sonoma County has finally landed a permanent public-health chief, and they went all the way to Seattle to do it. Yesterday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to appoint Dr. Mia Shim as the county's new health officer, with her first official day set for today.
Shim is an internal-medicine physician with roughly two decades of experience straddling public-health leadership and front-line clinical care. According to Sonoma County, her base pay will be $351,888, plus a $25,000 hiring incentive and a $10,000 relocation allowance. The county's FY 2026-27 budget set aside $524,894 for her salary and benefits.
From Seattle Public Health To Sonoma County
Shim arrives from Public Health - Seattle & King County, where she most recently served as interim health officer and chief public health medical officer, helping steer pandemic-era operations and leading clinical programs. The department notes she is board-certified in internal medicine and has extensive public-health leadership experience.
Before stepping into the interim top job after the retirement of Dr. Jeff Duchin, Shim held a series of senior clinical and program roles in the agency, according to King County.
Steady Hand After A Revolving Door
Shim's hire follows a stretch of churn in Sonoma County's health officer post. Since spring 2023, the Board has leaned on a string of interim and short-term appointments while recruiters searched for a permanent leader. County filings and board materials detail a series of contracts and acting appointments that underscored how hard it was to lock in a long-term health officer.
Now, supervisors are betting that Shim brings the kind of stability and experience they have been looking for. “I am honored to serve such a wonderful county steeped in a tradition of public service,” she said, according to The Press Democrat. Board members have framed the move as installing an experienced clinician who can manage everyday public-health programs while also being ready to exercise emergency powers when necessary.
Big Powers, Big Projects On Deck
Under state law, the county health officer holds significant authority, including the power to declare public-health emergencies, issue health orders and pursue penalties for those who do not comply. Those statutory duties are laid out by the California Legislature.
Shim steps in just as supervisors are weighing several major public-health and behavioral-health efforts. On the agenda is a conditional $54.6 million Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program award, a potentially game-changing pot of money for local behavioral-health facilities and services. That funding discussion, highlighted by Patch and state funding notices, is likely to help shape the department's priorities in the coming months.
With a long-vacant top job now filled, Sonoma County's public-health department has a permanent captain at the helm again, and the timing could hardly be more consequential.
