San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Alex Smith’s County Connection

Pam Smith and Alex in Washington D.C. last year after a meeting with the Speaker of the House to talk about the needs of foster youth.

If you’re a football fan who’s been dedicated to a particular team year in, year out, you know about the heady highs and the depressing lows.

Now, imagine the intensity of being wrapped up in every season, every game, every play, not just for fun and from habit, but because the starting quarterback is your son.

Some of you may know, Pam Smith, our County’s HHSA East and North Central Regions head and Aging and Independence Services director, is mother of Alex Smith, the San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback who helped take his team within a game of the Super Bowl this year.

Alex Smith’s  fraught career—from number one draft pick in 2005, to six straight disappointing seasons with numerous injuries with the 49ers, to his career redefining season this year—and his likability and persistence have drawn a lot of media attention lately. He was featured in the Sports Illustrated cover story earlier this month.

“They see it as a story of perseverance,” said Pam Smith. “...that patience and hard work can pay off.”

Smith said the 49ers loss to the New York Giants Sunday after their wildly exciting victory over the favored New Orleans Saints the weekend before—with Alex playing a central role—was the kind of heart-rending drama she’s learned to handle as she’s supported her son through his career's struggles.

Working under three coaches, a different offensive coordinator every year, and sitting out the entire 2008 season due to a shoulder injury, until this year, Alex Smith’s talents, persistence and opportunity had never quite jelled.

“It’s been a long, hard road, I tell you,” Pam Smith said.

Smith and her husband Doug have attended every one of Alex’s NFL games, and Alex’s three siblings and large extended family go to as many as they can.

“We’ve been the first faces he’s seen after some of the worst games,” Smith said. “Sometimes you search for words, but it’s always about helping him get through it in a positive way.”

Despite its disappointing end Sunday, Smith said 2011 was a, “very, very exciting season.”

It almost didn’t happen.  Alex was a free agent after the end of the 2010 season, and his family had urged him to leave San Francisco. But a new coach, Jim Harbaugh, a former NFL quarterback himself, liked what he saw in Alex.  Encouraged by the new leader and guided by loyalty to the 49ers and his longstanding aim to play his best in San Francisco, Alex signed a one-year contract with the team.

At Candlestick Park Sunday, the national anthem was interrupted by the wild cheering when the camera turned on Alex Smith. It was a marked contrast to 2010, when during one low point in a game, home fans had booed Smith and called for the backup quarterback to take the field.

“When they like you, it’s out of proportion, and when they don’t like you, it’s out of proportion,” said Pam Smith.

That’s why it’s been important to keep fan reaction and everything about an NFL career in perspective, Pam Smith said. Alex has a knack for this.

“He’s down to earth, he’s humble, he’s the nicest guy you’ll ever meet; he’s not any different now than he was when he started playing,” Smith said. “He feels he’s lucky to do something he loves; lucky for the opportunity.”

In the past couple years, getting married and having his first child, a boy, have also been sources of joy for Alex, 27.

Also helping Alex keep a healthy perspective has been his work with the Alex Smith Foundation, whose mission is to support transitional age foster youth. Alex founded the organization at the outset of his NFL career, and the work has been a  positive constant throughout football’s ups and downs.

“Through all these bad years, his foundation has done a tremendous amount of work and good,” Smith said.

In one of the foundation’s programs,  foster teens get to take a special course at SDSU, so they can experience college and envision themselves there. And the foundation’s Guardian Scholars Program at SDSU supports former foster youth to help them earn a degree. Fewer than 2 percent of former foster youth who enter college graduate, Pam Smith said. Alex’s scholars so far have achieved a 75 percent graduation rate.

Alex first became interested in supporting foster youth after attending a San Pasqual Academy football game shortly after being drafted into the NFL. San Pasqual Academy is the County’s unique residential high school for foster youth near Escondido.

“He just linked with those kids,” Pam Smith said. “Here he was 20, and he was facing the daunting task of going into the NFL number  one, and he had a lot of family and support to help him.”

“These people were 17, 18, and frankly, he couldn’t imagine it...starting life at that age with no family support.”

Alex Smith’s connection to the County means it’s not just his mother who’s invested in his career. HHSA employees have also been rooting for him, and they’ve been happy for Alex and Pam Smith this year, said Denise Nelesen, Communications Manager for Aging and Independence Services.

“It’s like he finally gets some just deserts for all his work and his effort...you can hear people talking about it up and down the hall.”

It’s not just their vicarious proximity to an NFL celebrity that keeps employees interested, according to Nelesen.

“Because everyone cares about Pam, and she’s always so  good with everyone, it’s exciting to see something good happening with her and her family.”

Nelesen said she has worked with Pam Smith for 12 years and followed Alex’s progress since he was a champion quarterback and top scholar at Helix High School.

Interestingly,  many of  the successful traits Pam Smith ascribes to her son, Nelesen also sees in Pam.

“One of her strengths is positivity. She’s always looking at what can be learned from a tough situation,” Nelesen says.  “She espouses the futility of pointing a finger of blame for any failure, but rather aims all eyes toward what we can do better.”  

  Left to right, Alex's brother Josh Smith and Josh's wife Patty, father Doug Smith, Jay Leno, Alex, Pam, and Abbey, Alex's sister

Video Slideshow: Our Department of Parks and Recreation

With more than 45,000 acres of land, 34 local parks, 24 open space preserves, 15 sports facilities, eight campgrounds, seven regional parks, five community centers, and more than 200 programs for children and adults, it’s hard to capture in words everything County Parks and Recreation does. But the pictures in this video slideshow the department has put together helps tell their great story!

Child Support Employees Win Proof They’re Making a Difference

Marie Girulat (left), Chief Deputy Director, San Diego DCSS receives the Top Performing Counties award from Kathleen Hrepich, Interim Director, California DCSS.

At work, all of us have good days and bad days, but in the end do we know whether our efforts are making changes in people's lives? Child Support Services employees do and the proof came yet again in an awards ceremony last week.

For the third time in the past four years, California honored the San Diego County Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) as one of the state’s Top Performing counties.

DCSS ranked highest for outstanding performance on five federal performance measures and dollars given to families. During Federal Fiscal Year 2010-11, the County distributed $177.8 million in child support payments, an all-time high for San Diego. The department manages nearly 90,000 active child support cases.

DCSS is in the category of Very Large Counties and also won the most improved in overall performance.

“These awards are indicative of the great work by our staff to serve the families and children in our region. I am so proud of them,” said DCSS Director Jeff Grissom. “To be acknowledged as the Top Performing Very Large County in California validates the fact that our employees’ efforts do make a difference.”

The California Department of Child Support Services presented honorees with framed certificates and letters of commendation during an awards ceremony in Sacramento last Wednesday. The California agency along with 51 local child support agencies operate the nation’s largest child support program and distributed more than $2.2 billion last year.          

Friendly Competition Fosters Community

Would you believe a utility closet is the hottest place to be seen at the Health and Human Services Agency’s Behavioral Health Services offices on Camino del Rio South?

Every Monday morning a steady stream of employees makes the journey to the closet with one goal in mind – seeing shrinking numbers on a scale placed there to measure progress in their third annual Biggest Loser competition.

“That’s our super-secret hiding place – a utility closet,” said Sabrena Marshall, one of the coordinators of the contest.

Participants are on teams, and report their weight loss to Jack Haydock, who tallies the team totals for the week and provides an update. Weight loss is reported in the percentage of body weight lost for both the individual and the team.

It’s the third year in a row for the “Biggest Loser” competition. This year’s weight loss challenge even comes with an added twist – the opportunity to join a walking club whose goal is to collectively walk to New York City.

“We have a lot of new staff this year and a lot of the same people,” said Marshall. “It’s an on-going journey for some of us.”

The competition is friendly, but they do contribute an entry fee and the winner – or loser in this case – walks away with a cash prize, as does the second place finisher. There is also a Miss Congeniality-type prize this year, voted on by participants, to honor the co-worker who offers the most support and encouragement to the group.

“It really fosters a sense of community,” said Samantha Lea, who is coordinating the walking activities. “It has given everyone a great opportunity to meet other people.”

Steve Jones was the organizer of the inaugural contest and is still involved. “I’m the nagger and cheerleader.”

There have been more than 100 participants in the three-year history of the contest and this year they should easily break the 1,000-pound weight loss mark. In 2010, they collectively lost 548 pounds and the 2011 version netted a total of 317 pounds lost.

The walk to New York City was inspired by the County’s 10-year Live Well, San Diego! initiative. It’s actually separate from the Biggest Loser competition, but many people are doing both.

“We wanted to start the walk separate so others could join, but we specifically targeted the Biggest Loser group,” said Marshall. “We have more than 45 walkers so far.”

County Employee and Family Almost Win it All

 

The Grudmans wore sports-themed costumes to an October taping of "Let's Make a Deal, Family Edition." They were the first family picked from the audience and are pictured here taking the stage.

Rich Grudman, an IT program manager with Purchasing and Contracting, had always wanted to go on a TV game show— just one of those things he wanted to experience once in his life. It would be a silly story to tell, a novelty, and, who knows, he might just win big.

And then when he wasn’t even thinking about it, it happened. His wife Tina surprised him in October with tickets to first ever family edition of the classic show Let’s Make a Deal.

It wasn’t exactly the game he’d seen himself on, but the decision was made.

“I was thinking ‘The Price is Right,’ but she was like, ‘It’s family day, we’re going,’” Grudman said.

Family day turned out be perfect, because it meant Tina and Rich could take their kids, Alex, 10, and Maya, 8. Children aren’t normally allowed on game shows, you’ve probably noticed.

They needed themed costumes—that’s part of the show’s wacky energy. So Rich was a referee; Tina, a coach; Maya, a cheerleader, and Alex, a football player.

“They were easy,” Grudman explained of the costumes, because Maya and Alex already had the outfits.

They drove to Los Angeles and queued with the rest of the studio audience. Like everyone in line, the Grudmans had a screening interview with producers who were picking contestants. No one knew ahead of time who would be called to stage to play. Only a handful people in the audience are picked each episode.

So when host Wayne Brady called the Grudmans as the show’s very first contestants of the day, they were insensible with excitement. They bounded to the stage, screaming and pumping their fists.

How did they get picked?

“I think it’s because my daughter was so stinking cute,” Rich said.

Now Rich, his pharmacy technician spouse and his lively children are a bright bunch, but Let’s Make a Deal is decidedly not a game of strategy or knowledge. You chose a box or an envelope or a door without knowing what’s inside. You’re tempted with chances to trade your known prize for the possibility of something grander.

In the first round, the Grudmans freaked out with enthusiasm when their blind choice netted them, it was revealed, a large screen TV and an Xbox.

Alex, particularly, looked thrilled.

But that wasn’t the end of it. At the end of the show, the contestants who have won the most are offered a chance to trade their prize for a chance at a really big prize, The first and second place winners, with a car and a $20,000 vacation package, declined. But the Grudmans, with the third most valuable prize, were game. After all, behind either Door Number One, Door Number Two or Door Number Three was a $28,000 automobile.

Not that Alex was happy to give up that Xbox...

This last segment turned out to be a feat of editing. If you caught the show when it aired Dec. 21, you didn’t see the family’s painful confusion and disappointment at what happened next.

The Grudmans picked Door Number 2.  In the show’s tension-building convention, the other doors opened first. Door Number One slid away to reveal a family trip to Orlando. Rich said he felt slight pang...that would have been a good prize for the family. But, then again, they were still in the contest for the car.

Then, Door Number Three slid open. BICYCLES! That meant the car had to be behind Door  Number Two, the door they had picked!

“What really happened is we thought we won the big deal of the day. We couldn’t see the car was hidden behind the bicycles,” Rich said.  “We started screaming like maniacs.”

The Grudmans had not won the car at all, so their over-the-top reaction had to be chopped from the show’s final version.

“They did a fantastic job editing it,” Rich said.

Still mentally readjusting to the idea that they hadn’t won the car, Rich said he couldn’t help being disappointed when the $3,000 cash prize behind Door Number Two was revealed.  Oh, and a year’s supply of cookies.

“It’s quite funny we won a year’s supply of cookies; it makes the story that much more ridiculous,” Rich said.

 (Though Alex wasn’t too consoled by the absurdity, or the sweets. His parents later bought him an Xbox.)

It’s unclear when the cash and treats are coming or what quantity constitutes a “year’s supply” of WhoNus, which are like Oreos but infused with nutrients.

“I’m hoping the cookies show up as a crate at my door so I can bring some in to share,” Rich said.

Health Resolve Still Strong after Resolution Run

County Human Services Specialists training for a 10K (left to right) Eloisa Vitela, Lorena Ugarte, Lily Yakubik, Gloria Cordova, Patricia Laffiton, Taylor McDonald, Debora Arellanes

One County employee trains for triathlons.

A group of his co-workers just finished walking their first 5Ks.

Despite their different fitness levels, a group of Human Services Specialists at the County’s ACCESS center in Mission Valley have found a common way to help each other be healthier.

Their approach is to register for the same organized walks and runs, but then train at their own pace, setting personal goals.  

The informal fitness group coalesced after Human Services Specialist Taylor McDonald posted a flyer for the Jan. 8 “Resolution Run” 5K and 15K runs through Mission Bay Park. McDonald, 34, has been running since about 2008 and also competes in  triathlons.

When he posted the flyer in the office, McDonald was already signed up for the 15K run—9.3 miles. But he encouraged co-workers to give the shorter race a try, either running or walking.

About nine other employees got into the idea and registered for the 5K, all of them completing the 3.3 mile, Sunday morning course.

“There are some people who don’t walk much at all; for them to get out there and do a 5K was huge,” McDonald said. “To see them walk around with their race T-shirts on was pretty inspiring.”

Next up: A St. Patrick’s Day 10K around Mission Bay. The signup sheet is posted in the office.

Patricia Laffiton, for one, is getting ready. Laffiton, like McDonald, helps ACCESS phone customers in the Mission Valley office.

About four months ago, Laffiton said she was diagnosed with diabetes and she knew she had to make some changes.

“Exercise was something I just wasn’t doing,” the 36-year-old said.

In her three years with the County, Laffiton said had become accustomed to spending her lunch hour at her desk. After her diagnosis, she started walking, building up to about 2.5 miles along the San Diego River, several days a week.

Her co-worker and walking partner Yenissa Salgado has been a  mentor and a positive inspiration, Laffiton said. Salgado has helped her to stick with the routine and pick up her pace.

Laffiton said her supervisor, Gloria Cordova, has also supported her.

Her husband and kids have been encouraging at home and helped her to keep walking on weekends too. 

Laffiton said the 5K Resolution Run represented a new distance goal. She finished, even running some of the race, and now she’s gearing up for the St. Patrick’s Day 10K. She’s aiming to  build up  her endurance and speed by then.

Regular walking for the first time in her life has already improved her blood pressure, and it definitely makes her feel better, Laffiton said. 

“When you’re doing it you may get a little hot and tired, but afterwards it feels really good,” she said.

Back on Top in the Technology Game

Imagine falling farther and farther behind in the race to keep up with technology. Well now, we’re back in front of the pack thanks to the Oracle Upgrade Program.     

It took two years, $34 million and the help of everyone from clerks to the top brass in the CAO’s Office to make it happen. So what, you say? If you work with Oracle EBS Financials as part of your job, you know it is the financial tool for the County. If you don’t, Oracle EBS Financials allows the County to keep track of what it buys, how much money comes in, how much money goes out, what we own, how much it’s worth, well, you get the picture.

 In 2010, our Oracle system was so antiquated that it was no longer supported. In other words, if you had a problem with it, Oracle couldn’t help you. Schools weren’t even teaching the version we were using.

How did we fall behind? Several reasons: The current business system was phased in little by little and after that Kronos and PeopleSoft were upgraded. It took three tries to get a contract to update the business system. 

Eric Shiotsugu, Chief ERP Manager from the Auditor and Controller’s Office, put it this way. “We were on Oracle e-business 11.5.7. They (Oracle) went from 11.5.7 to 12.1.3. So we were so far behind, they stopped providing us updates.”

 The County decided to take a huge leap by upgrading to version 12.1.3 and on top of that, add two completely new applications, Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle Business Intelligence also known as the ERP Data Warehouse.    

Fusion Middleware allows the County to buy applications off the shelf and then add our own customizations and also talk between other applications.  Eric and the rest of our technology staff are excited about that: It’s the wave of the future.  Oracle is taking all its applications to Fusion applications and this will give the County the foundation to allow the transition.  

Oracle Business Intelligence or the Data Warehouse is just that, a warehouse of information. It compiles information from different sources like Kronos, BRASS, Oracle EBS and PeopleSoft. Before the upgrade, reports had to be cobbled from each financial program and then cut and pasted together. The Warehouse tool will change all that with the ultimate goal of allowing users to do statistical and analytical reporting, which they couldn’t do before. 

“Right now, if you’re a finance person, you have to know Oracle Financials, Discover, Web Focus, Brass, and PeopleSoft,” said Shiotsugu. He wants to boil it all down so you only have to learn one system. The Data Warehouse provides the first step toward reaching that goal.

 Eric and his staff knew that getting all three programs up and running was going to take a huge commitment in resources and time, plus a great amount of luck. After months of detailed preparations, County staff members, the County’s IT provider Hewlett Packard and Oracle were ready to go, but the County Oracle system would have to shut down and not just for a few hours, or even a few days, but for a total of ten days.

For comparison, PeopleSoft took two days, Kronos needed four days. This time, the County was doing everything in one shot.  “We were the first County to do it all at one time,” said Shiotsugu. “If I’m not mistaken, we were Oracle’s largest local government contract for upgrade in the country.”

The 10-day cutover plan was mapped out to the nth degree. It would take about 100 people to carry it out. Preparation was key. The target dates to go live? The end of November.

Preparing for this big project took a personal toll too. As the man in charge of the cutover, Shiotsugu ignored what he thought was a minor cold. That is, until he blacked out during a meeting. At the hospital, he discovered he was actually suffering from pneumonia. Doctors fixed him up and he returned to work.

The cutover began and everyone gave their all to make it a success. The stress level was high but Shiotsugu said no one complained. People worked until ten at night, two in the morning, even four in the morning. But Shiotsugu said everyone wanted to do it. The result? They pulled it off.

Were there bumps in the road? Absolutely. But that was expected. Most issues have been fixed and as a precaution, the Oracle Project team will remain onsite through mid-February. 

You may not see much of a difference yet and the public might not either, but Shiotsugu says we now have the foundation for a system that can be upgraded without starting from scratch, which will save money in the future.

“To have a five billion dollar organization on an antiquated financial system was scary. You do not want to be at risk like that,” said Shiotsugu. “Compared to other public entities I think we’re on the leading edge now as far as the newest technology.”  

The County is back on top when it comes to technology and the best part? The Oracle Upgrade Program came in on time and on budget. You can’t beat that! 

On Our Way to San Francisco

Members of the Communications Office return to the CAC after adding more steps to their totals..

by Sarah Gordon

In 2011, the County Communications Office was busy promoting health and fitness to the public as part of Live Well, San Diego!.

Then about a month ago, we learned an employee wellness program here was about to launch. We’d be helping promote that too.

It was finally time to ask ourselves: Are we walking the talk? Or are we sitting in front of our computers during work, eating at our desks, commuting, then flopping on the couch most of the evening?

We decided if we were going to encourage everyone to get healthier, we’d better do it too.

That’s why the County Communications Office is on its way to San Francisco! We’re walking and running there from the County Administration Center.

Who knows how long it will take each of us go the 500 or so miles, but three weeks into the trip on January 9, we’ve collectively travelled 414 miles.

Since I’m already past San Clemente and leading the pack, my colleagues generously volunteered me to write this.

Of course, what we’re really doing is keeping track of the miles we walk or run each week and charting our progress with pins on a big map. We haven’t decided if the first one to reach San Francisco gets a prize or bragging rights.

We’re counting miles travelled during lunch, breaks or on our own time. We’re using smartphone aps, conventional pedometers and online mapping programs to find our distances.

So far, the game seems to be motivating some of us. One communications specialist who was always at his desk and suspected of living in the office now announces at the end of the day he’s walking to Horton Plaza. And he really gets up and goes! A couple of us who usually walk at lunch have resisted the temptation to skip days and go out to eat, because we want to have lots of miles to report for the week.

You overhear people talking about walking.

“I walked two miles before work; I walked once around the building,” Communications Manager Linda Miller told some of her employees the other day. “And, get this, if you walk to Filippi’s and back, it’s a mile.”

The San Francisco challenge is lighthearted and just a little competitive. We have no idea whether it will keep us moving.  

But just three weeks into this quest, more than two-thirds of us had joined the game, and almost everyone in the office is talking or thinking about personal fitness levels. That’s something new for us.

We’ll keep you posted on how it goes here. Please tell us about fitness initiatives in your departments so we can cover them on InSite. Maybe we can all inspire each other to get moving!

Which District is It?

You don’t need to use a directory or stare at a map to figure out which supervisor’s district an address is in anymore.   

Staff in LUEG who develop GIS applications have produced an interactive website that lets you type in any address and find out whether it’s in District 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.

It’s very easy to use. Just type in an address in the upper right hand corner and the map will zoom to the location and the district will be labeled. Use the city name in your address search.

Give it a try here.

District 1: Supervisor Greg Cox
District 2: Supervisor Dianne Jacob
District 3: Supervisor Pam Slater-Price
District 4: Supervisor Ron Roberts
District 5: Supervisor Bill Horn

If you need to find it in the future, we've added a link on the County home page in the Board of Supervisors' section.

Your Resolutions

Getting more organized?  Learning a language?  Stressing less?

If you have a New Year's Resolution you'd like to share with your co-workers, you can post one below. Comments will be reviewed before appearing.