Ring that Bell!

If you’ve ever seen the classic Jimmy Stewart movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” you know that every time a bell rings, an angel gets his (or her) wings.

Of course, there are exceptions to that rule.

If you’re visiting the County Department of Planning and Land Use (DPLU) offices in Kearny Mesa and you hear a bell, it means someone’s just gotten their building permit!

DPLU Director Eric Gibson said the department instituted the practice a few years ago after streamlining the building permit process and that it’s become a popular feature of the department’s lobby.

“It’s a fun way for us to remind the County’s customers that we care about them and their projects,” Gibson said, “and that getting their permits issued to them is just as important to us as it is to them.”

Every time a customer is issued a permit, DPLU’s counter staff gets to ring the 7 ½ inch brass “Ye Olde Permit Issuance Bell,” situated behind DPLU’s permit counters.

The department bought the bell on the web for about $45.

The building permit process is one of the County’s most important public safety services. Issuing building permits ensures that the homes, businesses and building in which County residents live, work and play are safe — for example, that buildings are structurally sound enough to resist earthquakes and that faulty wiring in electrical systems won’t cause fires.

In February alone, DPLU issued more than 500 building permits, green-lighting everything from building new homes, to remodeling projects, home additions, garage conversions, business improvements, electrical and plumbing upgrades — even the installation of electric car chargers.

A Rare Bird

SDCERA employee Larry Foos holds one of the pigeons he raises at his home.

They come in a wide variety of breeds.  Judges gauge each against specific criteria.  Training keeps them standing tall and on their best behavior during competition.

We are talking, of course, about – pigeons.    

“They all have personalities.  They’re really interesting to look at,” says Larry Foos, who raises and shows pigeons when he’s not working as a communications officer for the County Employees Retirement Association.

Foos keeps his birds in a cluster of pens atop a slope in the yard of his Rancho San Diego home.  Forget your image of pigeons as statue-staining rats-with-wings.  These are pedigree show birds.  In fact, one of the breeds Foos prefers sports the regal name Show Kings. 

“They’re pretty,” Foos says. “They want to show themselves.”

His passion for pigeons began as a child growing up in Bakersfield, where raising the birds was a common hobby.  He bought his first pair for $2, and quickly got hooked as he saw the birds progress through stages of development and lay their own eggs. 

Foos joined clubs to learn more, then started writing about and taking pictures of the birds for publications within the pigeon-raising community.  That experience grew into a more general interest with journalism he explored in high school, majored in at San Diego State, then took up as a career.

Along the way he dropped the pigeon hobby, but the interest never went away entirely.  About 10 years ago, conditions were right to start acquiring the birds again and get back into competition.

One of Foos' pigeons in a show pen, in front of a poster detailing standards for the breed.Foos currently has about 50 birds in his home’s pigeon “lofts,” with units divided up by various functions.  Pairs, which mate for life, get their own pens.  Young birds that have yet to mate share a pen with others of the same sex.  There are “show pens,” used to train the birds for exhibition.

One pen is for “worker pigeons,” whose jobs include taking care of the eggs and young of the Show Kings.  They may be beautiful , Foos says, but, “they’re terrible parents.”

It’s quite an operation.  The various tasks of feeding, cleaning and otherwise caring for the birds take Foos about an hour a day.   But for Foos, it’s all part of the attraction.

 “It’s therapeutic.  You can come up here and relax,” he says. “You feel like you’re in another world up here.”

Foos is not in it for the money, but he does sell pigeons he’s raised.  His top price: $500 for a pair.  That didn’t include the cost of shipping – to a buyer in Romania.

Interacting with other pigeon enthusiasts far and near is another big draw to the hobby.  Shows are social affairs, and Foos says he enters about five a year.  He’s active with clubs and sometimes hosts meetings in a deck built right outside his pigeon lofts.

“It takes a certain person,” Foos says of his fellow pigeon raisers.  He describes them as people who enjoy the simple things in life.  “There’s no high-tech in this business.”

Foos’ expertise was called upon recently when a pigeon with an injured wing was found outside SDCERA’s offices in Mission Valley.  Luckily for the bird, staff knew of Foos’ hobby and thought he might be able to help.   Foos had never rehabilitated a wild pigeon but took up the challenge.

He brought the bird home and set up an “isolation ward” in the lofts.  Foos equipped the pigeon with a “wing sling” and administered vitamins and medicine.  After several weeks, the bird healed and was able to fly around the pens.  Foos brought him back the SDCERA parking lot to release him.  The bird took off and flew to a space within the structure of the I-805 bridge.  Mission accomplished.

It was an instance of one more feature that attracts Foos to raising pigeons: always learning new things.

“It’s a miracle watching all this,” he says.

Foos invites anyone who is interested in pedigree pigeons to contact him at larry.foos@cox.net .

If you or another employee have an offbeat hobby you’d like to share send a note to Communications@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Foos holds a "frillback" pigeon, which he describes as a rare breed.

Sign of Spring, Sign of Hope

HHSA's Jill Monroe (left) receives her Daffodil Days delivery from COB's Elizabeth Russell.

Vases of bright, yellow daffodils dot the desks of County employees and brighten the bedside tables of local cancer patients. Why daffodils?  The flowers are part of Daffodil Days, one the oldest fundraisers for the American Cancer Society. Bunches of the beautiful blooms were delivered the first day of spring, Tuesday.

Employees paid $10 or more to buy the flowers during the three-month campaign which started in January. They bought the blooms for themselves, others in the office, families or donated towards Gifts of Hope. The fund helps cancer research, educational programs, services for cancer patients and their families, and yes, donates flowers anonymously to cancer patients here in our region.   

The lead coordinator for the County event, Land use/Environmental Planner Stephanie Gaines, says she was a caregiver for her mother until she passed away from lung cancer in 2006. The next year, she walked into an American Cancer Society office, told them her family history and said she’d like to volunteer. They asked if she’d heard of Daffodil Days, she said no, but throw it at me.  Now, “I make it my mission to have a Daffodil Days campaign at the County every year,” said Gaines, “It’s fun, people enjoy it, you receive something for the donation you make.”

In the past, County employees have given as much as $24,000 for the Daffodil Days campaign. In recent years, the economy has taken its toll but this year saw an uptick over last year.  Employees raised more than $12,000 – about $3,000 more than last year's total. Every little bit helps.

“You are diagnosed with cancer one day, you get up at 3 a.m. because you’re beside yourself, you don’t know what it means,” said Gaines. “You can call the Cancer Society and you can talk to them for as long as you need.” The Cancer Society’s hotline is manned by trained volunteers 24/7 and that is just one of the free programs it runs. Another involves free rides to and from treatments.

When you think about it, almost everyone is touched by cancer in some way. It is the second most com­mon cause of death in the United States, exceeded only by heart disease. That is nearly 1 of every 4 deaths.

One of Stephanie’s co-workers, another Land Use Environmental Planner, shared her story. Marsha Cook was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2002. At one point, the disease collapsed her right lung. That same week, a routine mammogram brought another diagnosis, breast cancer.  

Years later, Cook is matter of fact about it. “I survived the collapsed lung and the lumpectomy took care of the breast cancer,” said Cook. “And it turned out my brother was the perfect match for me as far as a blood stem cell transplant.”

That was her only chance for a cure with the type of lymphoma she had. In 2006, she underwent the transplant and last year she marked her fifth year anniversary of being cancer-free. “That’s a wonderful milestone for a cancer survivor,” said Cook. “After five years, there is a higher survival rate.”

When Cook returned to work, her friend Stephanie asked if she’d be interested in the Daffodil Days campaign. She’s now a co-coordinator. She feels a certain affinity with others who are now undergoing cancer treatments.

“I know what it feels like,” said Cook. “I know it’s very helpful to have a wig or a hat on your head when you’ve lost all your hair from chemo.”

They both have delivered daffodils to patients. They say the patients are so grateful. If they can lift a patient’s spirits for just a little while, the two women say it’s worth it.

“The Cancer Society and their programs give people the support they need,” said Cook. “It gives some of us a way to give back in appreciation for what we’ve received.”

Putting for San Pasqual

Public Defender Community Outreach members at the first charity golf event in 2010.

For the third year in a row, a group of County employees with the Public Defender’s Office have organized a charity golf tournament and barbecue to support the foster youth who live and learn at the County’s unique San Pasqual Academy.

This year’s tournament is Friday, March 30—Cesar Chavez Day—at Riverwalk in Mission Valley.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Ron Roberts and Supervisor Greg Cox—both longtime supporters of San Pasqual—will be out swinging in the 18-hole friendly competition.

Public Defender Community Outreach members are hoping about 200 other golfers will join the supervisors to help meet a new fundraising goal.

“The last couple years we’ve raised $50,000, and we’re looking to double it this year,” said Frank Barone, a deputy public defender and Community Outreach board member.

The employee group works with the nonprofit Friends of the San Pasqual Academy to route the tournament money to educational and extra-curricular needs at the school in the San Pasqual Valley, east of Escondido, Barone said.

Last year, some of the $50,000 raised in the golf tournament combined with donations from several local foundations, the NFL and County funds to help realize the dream of a home football field for the San Pasqual Dragons. Before the new field, San Pasqual’s players regularly travelled to Ramona for their “home” games, making it difficult for other students to attend and get into the school spirit.

“These kids had never had a home game for as a long as they’d been in existence because they’d never had a football field,” Barone said.

San Pasqual Academy is home and school for up to 184 students, ages 12 to 18, and it’s the nation’s only residential program for foster youth.

The 238-acre campus has an accredited high school, a technology and career information center, an assembly hall, recreation fields, and a swimming pool. 

Far more than just a school, the San Pasqual is a community for kids who have lacked stability in their lives. Cottages and attached apartments house students, alumni, transitional age foster youth, staff and volunteer “grandparents” who nurture and mentor the young people.

Barone said supporting the school meshes well with the Public Defender Community Outreach group’s goal of enriching the lives of local people in need.

Maybe you’re the kind of person who likes to donate to causes with a County connection. Or maybe you know someone who likes to golf who would enjoy a fun tournament that also supports foster youth at San Pasqual. Employees and all community members are invited to join the March 30 tournament, which starts at 1:30 p.m.  Players will compete in four member teams, scoring the best ball on each hole.

Registration is $135 per player and includes a golf cart, box lunch and a BBQ dinner with prizes, an awards ceremony and a charity auction. Non-golfers are invited to join the BBQ and evening festivities for $75.

For more information and to register, visit http://www.pd-outreach.org. The registration deadline is Friday, March 23.

How’s Your Weight Loss Program Going?

(L-R) Larise Baker, Kim Madigan, Lisa McAvoy, and Pam Jordan are enjoying the results of "Weight Watchers at Work."

Did you resolve to lose weight this year? Are you looking forward to bathing suit season? If your conscience is weighted (sorry) down, maybe there is help right at work.

As part of our Employee Wellness program, HR has arranged for us to participate in the Weight Watchers At Work program at County facilities where there is an interest. Informational meetings about the program are being held in six County buildings. If a minimum of 15 employees commit to the program after attending the meeting, a Weight Watchers meeting will be set up at that location, said Teresa Yerbury, Weight Watchers At Work Specialist. (See list of locations below.)

Looking for some motivation? How about four COC employees who joined the Weight Watchers At Work pilot program at the County Operations Center last August? They set a healthy goal for themselves and achieved it.

 Forty-five employees started the program and lost a total of 540 pounds as a group, said Yerbury. Four women achieved lifetime member status and many more members are close to reaching their goals.

The Weight Watchers At Work Program includes an on-site meeting where individuals are weighed, discuss how to successfully follow the plan and celebrate success. Members can also access online resources and attend additional meetings in the community for $39.95 a month.

“Honestly, people are more successful when they go to meetings,” said Yerbury. “We have found a higher success rate when you are accountable to someone else.”

Pam Jordan, who works at the Registrar of Voters, lost 29 pounds on the program which assigns a point value to foods, then gives members a food budget based on their age, height and weight.

Weight Watchers staff work with individuals to teach them healthy food choices, how to earn activity points which can be traded for food points, and help them set a realistic and healthy goal. Once you reach your goal, not only will that feel good, but you may be able to continue going to Weight Watchers meeting for free!

 “I’m definitely doing the point counting and I’m walking,” said Jordan. “What I loved about the program is that we can go to the meetings on our lunch hour. Trying to catch some time after work or on the weekend is hard with everyone’s busy schedules.”

Kim Madigan, the personal secretary to Sheriff Bill Gore, has also reached her goal weight, but she prefers not to put a number on it.

“I am at a goal that Weight Watchers recognizes as a good lifetime goal,” she said, but she is continuing with the program to try to lose a little more.

Madigan said she started out doing the Weight Watchers Online program but upgraded to the Weight Watchers At Work program so that she could discuss the program with a leader and others.

“You’re meeting with a group of women every week and so that’s a better support structure,” she said. “We’re all kind of on the same journey to feel good and look good.”

Larise Baker, who works in Human Resources, has lost 15 pounds on the plan and is also a lifetime member. She had previously been successful with the online plan years ago, but went off the plan and found herself gaining again. Baker said although she didn’t have a lot of weight to lose, it was important to her to take off the extra weight and that required a plan.

“You have these daily points and you can balance them out. If there’s something you want to eat you can sacrifice something else. It makes you more accountable for what you eat,” she said. “It’s something that helps me maintain.”

Another Human Resources employee, Lisa McAvoy, has lost 22 pounds and is also a lifetime member.

“It was really easy. I was not hungry because you can eat as many fruits and vegetables as you want, and whenever I got hungry in between my meals, I would eat fruits and vegetables,” said McAvoy. “At first it was challenging just trying to understand the food you were eating and how to make better choices. Now, it has become normal for me to maintain.”

McAvoy said the meetings are very helpful because all the members talk about what is working for them. They share low-fat food choices and recipes. She said it’s kind of like working together as a team.

To learn more about the Weight Watchers At Work Program, the County is holding informational meetings from noon to 1 p.m. at the following locations:

• Health Service Complex in the San Diego Conference Room, 3851 Rosecrans St. in San Diego, on Wednesday, March 21
• County Operations Annex in the DPLU Hearing Room, 5201 Ruffin Road in San Diego, on Thursday, March 22
• East County Regional Center in the Jury Lounge, 250 E. Main St. in El Cajon, on Friday, March 23
• North County Regional Center in the Jury Lounge, 325 S. Melrose Dr. in Vista on Friday, March 23
• County Administration Center in the Bayside III room, 1600 Pacific Highway in San Diego, on Tuesday, March 27
• Hall of Justice in Room 363B, 330 W. Broadway in San Diego, on Wednesday, March 28

Social Worker Honored for Volunteer Efforts

The Jay Hoxie Award is given annually to a San Diego County social worker who volunteers their time in the community after work hours. The award was presented Wednesday during the annual social worker appreciation event. From left, Kerry Hoxie, Jay Hoxie’s mother; Elvin Gonzalez, this year’s Hoxie Award winner; and Debra Zanders-Willis, Director, HHSA Child Welfare Services.There are many adjectives to describe social workers: caring, kind, compassionate, giving, dedicated, nurturing…the list could go on and on.

To reward the social worker who embodies these qualities in the community – outside of work - each year the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency Child Welfare department gives the Jay Hoxie Award to one deserving person. This year the award went to Elvin Gonzales.

Gonzalez traveled to Haiti to help rebuild their infrastructure; collected clothes, beds and cribs and started ‘The Closet’ project in his church for needy families; created a “Birthday Box” with gift cards and party supplies so foster children could celebrate birthdays; collects school supplies and food for soup kitchens in Mexico; and runs in the Rivers of Hope Foundation’s 5K race to raise money for foster children.

The other nominees for the award were Gisella Aguilar, Lauren Davenport, Will Durning, Rodney Bates, Laura Quintanilla, Adrianna Alvarez and Francesca Ruble.

“The Jay Hoxie award is presented every year to an employee that demonstrates a compassionate commitment to others by volunteering in the community,” said Debra Zanders-Willis, CWS Director.

This award has been presented to an employee every year for the last 22 years during national Social Workers Appreciation Month. It is named after employee Jay Hoxie, who died in a tragic car accident in 1990.

County News Center has an in-depth look at the Child Welfare Services operation focusing on one protective services worker.

County Probation’s Research Director Honored for Study

  

County Probation’s Dr.  Natalie Pearl has been honored by the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) for her study on a tool our Probation Department uses to help predict juvenile offenders’ risk of further trouble.

Dr. Pearl, Probation’s Director of Research, received the 2011 “Sam Houston State University” award at the professional association’s annual conference, held in San Diego last week.

The award goes to one person who publishes an article that enlightens the profession with “new information and insight into the operation, effectiveness or future of,” community corrections, according to APPA.

Dr. Pearl’s research on the “San Diego Risk and Resiliency Checkup” was published in the  industry publication Federal Probation, so it may indeed influence juvenile supervision nationwide.

The study has certainly already influenced our Probation Department. Based on Dr. Pearl’s research, the department has refined the way it uses the Risk and Resiliency Checkup to decide what level of “community supervision” a particular teen on probation needs.

The Checkup is 60-item survey of the risk factors and the positive influences in a young person’s life. Pearl’s research confirmed that the assessment is effective in predicting a juvenile’s risk of reoffending.  But it also found that certain items on the survey were even more predictive than others.

“Delinquency factors,” as a group, turn out to be particularly powerful predictors of whether or not a youth will commit another crime.

Delinquency factors include things like prior arrests, whether there is significant crime in the child’s neighborhood, whether the latest offense came while the youngster was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, a history of fights or assaults and a lack of community support, positive adult relationships and structured activities.

The research was so compelling, the Probation Department decided to use just the delinquency score to determine what level of supervision a young person should get in the community. Other items on the Risk and Resiliency Checkup are used to make a case plan to fit each individual youth.

The study wasn’t the first time Dr. Pearl has shaped the way the Probation does things. Departmental leaders say that, in her five years with the Probation, she’s been “indispensible” in steering the department towards evidence-based practices.

Employees Take Advantage of Free Health Screenings

A nurse calls the next employee for a health screening at the CAC.

Veronica Preciado knew she was overdue for a checkup.  So when free health screenings were offered at the County Administration Center Tuesday, the Treasurer/Tax Collector employee made sure to pay a visit.

“I haven’t done anything like this in a long time,” she said.  “You can just come out on your break, so it’s convenient.”

The screenings are done in a mobile health vehicle that’s making nine stops at County facilities this month.  Check out the full schedule of dates and locations.  Nurses can check your blood pressure, measure your height and weight, calculate your body mass index, and check your blood sugar.  You’ll get results on the spot.

Kaiser Permanente is providing the screenings, but employees with any health insurance are welcome to participate.  Those with Kaiser can have the screening results automatically added into their patient records.  If you have Anthem Blue Cross, you can enter the results into a self-assessment on their website.

The vehicle has two exam rooms and the screening takes about 10 minutes.  You’re encouraged to make a reservation by calling (619) 641-4194 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.  Walk-ins are accepted.  But during Tuesday’s stop at the CAC,  there was a long enough wait that many employees who showed up made a reservation to come back later in the day.  When you go, make sure you bring your County ID badge.

The screenings are no substitute for a full physical.  But even if you’re good about making those routine doctor’s visits, it’s always worthwhile to keep tabs on key health indicators. 

“There are times when incidents come up,” said Esperanza Gregorio, a Human Resources employee.  “Instead of waiting, you can take advantage of this right away.”

County Nature Center Featured on National Magazine’s Cover

When the story is environmentally-friendly design, sell it with the County of San Diego’s San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center. 

That’s the strategy for publishers of Parks & Recreation, a magazine for parks professionals around the country.  The County’s award-winning center is featured on the cover of the March issue.

And while the headline is “Green is Gold,” you should know that when it comes to LEED certification, the center is platinum – the highest rating possible. 

The article itself focuses on green building in general, with only a brief mention of our County.  You can read the whole story, but here’s the part you’re probably most interested in:

“In San Diego County, California’s first LEED Platinum park building, the San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center, serves a dual role in teaching about nature while helping to conserve natural resources. Situated in a 975-acre ecological reserve, the nature center offers public environmental education while at the same providing a living lesson in energy and water conservation. For example, solar panels on the building have generated 65 percent of the building’s power since it opened in 2009, saving the equivalent to 16.4 tons of carbon dioxide, according to Amy Harbert, County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation.”

You can watch a video about the center below.  Please note, when the video was made, the center was LEED gold.  It was later upgraded to platinum. 

DEH Earns Environmental Award; Chief Named to Presidential Advisory Board

The Department of Environmental Health Hazardous Materials Division racked up a couple of impressive honors recently, winning a state environmental achievement award and having Chief Mike Vizzier invited to join a presidential advisory council.

Vizzier accepted the invitation to join the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Good Neighbor Environmental Board, which means that for at least the next two years Vizzier’s expertise will not only help counsel 1600 Pacific Highway, but 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue — yup, the White House.

The 30-member board was created in 1992 to advise the president and Congress about environmental and infrastructure issues along the U.S.-Mexico border. Vizzier, who has also worked for years as part of the Border 2012 Program, said he was honored by the invitation and eager to get started.

But Vizzier was more excited by the “Secretary’s Environmental Achievement Award 2012”  that was presented to the County’s Hazardous Materials Division by California EPA at a statewide conference in February.

“This one was a real thrill,” Vizzier said, “because they don’t give it out every year and it’s not one that you nominate yourself for.”

San Diego County’s Hazardous Materials Division was designated as the sole agency to manage and regulate hazardous materials and wastes for the county (including its cities) in 1996. They monitor everything from gas stations to industrial businesses, medical and biotechnology firms to businesses like dry cleaners. EPA officials said the County had shown award-winning leadership by, among other things, developing and administering a web-based inspector training course that teaches inspectors around the state how to monitor above-ground petroleum storage tanks. EPA officials also praised the County’s division for working with local elementary, middle and high schools to promote careers in environmental health;  for working with the U.S.-Mexico Border Enforcement Task Force; advocating and supporting state efforts on electronic reporting; and for creating an outreach program that tracks the 10 most common hazardous material and waste violations — as a way to educate and prevent future violations.

Vizzier credited the County’s leadership, from the Board down, for the honor, because they encourage departments “to go out and do something special.”

“I feel this is an award for San Diego County, really,” Vizzier said. “This is a direct outcome of our General Management System (GMS) and the leadership of the County.”