San Diego County Library Named “Library of The Year”

The San Diego County Library system was named 2012 “Library of the Year” by Library Journal magazine and Gale, an educational publishing company, for “profoundly demonstrating service to community” by automating services, increasing circulation and the number programs it offers — despite the recession.

The award is given each year to the top public library in the nation. The journal said the County library system showed creativity and ingenuity by automating services such as self-checkout services; re-configuring library spaces to create more interaction among library staff and visitors; and offering services such as “floating collections,” which allow readers to check out a book at one library branch and turn it in at another. The journal also lauded the County for offering more programs — including the library’s award-winning Foreclosure Prevention HOME clinics, parenting classes, summer reading clubs and fitness programs — and for attracting more adults, teens and kids to them.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Ron Roberts said the County was proud to receive the award.

“We know that libraries are special places that can change people’s lives,” Roberts said, “For us, they are important centers of learning with resources to create opportunities for residents of all ages.”

In addition to improving services, increasing circulation and adding programs, the County has built seven libraries in the last five years, and is currently working on building new branches in Lincoln Acres and Lemon Grove. 

Part of the award is a $10,000 prize, which the library system plans to use to help buy more library materials.

County Library Director Jose Aponte said library employees work hard to keep their fingers on the pulse of County communities.

“San Diego County Library has always been and will always be about the people we serve, who give us purpose and inspire our dedicated staff to provide the best service possible,” Aponte said. “We’re delighted to receive this recognition and there is no greater way to honor our community, our staff and our library.”

The County is scheduled to formally receive the award June 24 at the American Library Association’s annual conference in Anaheim.

For more information about the County library system, click here.

Battling Stigma and Discrimination

Her father died by suicide. She conquered her own battle with depression. Now she runs the County’s campaign to reduce stigma and discriminations associated with mental illness.

Both her work and personal experiences are what got Karen Ventimiglia a valued spot on an advisory board to the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA).

Ventimiglia, 53,  an employee of the County Mental Health Services (MHS), is one of 22 members on the statewide Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Consortium.

“I am honored,” said Ventimiglia, who started working for MHS in 2007 and is the County’s coordinator of the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), approved by voters in 2004. “It’s a huge responsibility…our input will help drive the stigma and discrimination reduction effort statewide.”

The task may appear daunting, but for Ventimiglia these issues are important. This is what she does for a living, but they also hit close to her heart. Understandably Ventimiglia is passionate about her work.

Her father died by suicide when she was 26. At the time, she did not know about her father’s struggle with severe depression. His passing left her severely depressed, yet she felt she could not discuss the issue. She did not know where to get help.

“Suicide is something you don’t talk about. You don’t talk about it outside the family,” said Ventimiglia, “I did not know where to go and I didn’t know there were places to go for support.”

After battling her own stigma, she started to confide in a friend, but Karen’s own mental health challenges were too much for her friend to shoulder; and acting on her friend’s suggestion, Karen sought professional help.

Eliminating stigma so that people get help with a mental illness is the goal of the It’s Up to Us campaign, which also aims to increase public awareness on   suicide prevention.

“I know that if people get help early, our society would be healthier,” said Ventimiglia, who also serves on the California Mental Health Directors Association MHSA Committee and received the Mental Health Manager of the Year Award in 2010. “The way to do that is through erasing the stigma around mental health and suicide prevention.”

Before arriving at the County, Ventimiglia worked for Pfizer. After her position with the pharmaceutical giant was eliminated, she was offered a job at a pharmaceutical company in La Jolla.

She declined the offer even though it paid $20,000 per year more. She was ready to change her career path and start doing what she really wanted to do: help people. 

 “I wanted to make a difference – wanted to directly impact people’s lives,” said Ventimiglia. “I knew that here, working in the County Health and Human Services Agency, is where I could help people.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health challenges, call the County’s Access and Crisis Line at (888) 724-7240. Information and resources about mental illness and suicide can also found at It’s Up to Us.

Probation Officers Donate Books to Spring Valley Fourth Graders

Probation employees Tracy Willis, Chrystal Sweet and Linda Yoakum-Latimer with teacher Ana Diamond (third from left)

On Friday, three off-the-clock County Probation officers hauled a bunch of brand new books—and ice cream— into Ms. Diamond’s crowded fourth grade classroom at Loma Elementary School in Spring Valley.

The class’s 39 boys and girls each picked the book that looked most appealing. They’ll keep the books to enjoy over summer break and beyond.   

“They were very excited,” said Supervising Probation Officer Chrystal Sweet, who was joined by Probation colleagues Linda Yoakum-Latimer and Tracy Willis

“When they went up there, the boys were really cute to see; they were a little more indecisive than the girls.”   

Sweet and the other probation officers are part of the African American Probation Officers Association, which raised the funds to buy and donate the books. The group’s been dormant awhile, but it’s recently awakened and it’s gaining momentum planning activities that support education for low-income and minority kids, Sweet said. The association’s goals include raising enough funds to buy computers for teens heading to college.

The books the probation officers gave to the kids Friday are known among the under 12 set as “chapter books.”    

“’Chapter books—it sounds very grown up, they get excited for them,” Sweet said. The relatively long format will keep the kids busy this summer and give them a positive pastime, she added.

“A book is something you can take anywhere, and if they don’t have the best situations at home, a book is always a great escape.”

Ms. Diamond –Ana Diamond—is Officer Sweet’s fraternal twin sister, so the kids were intrigued and pressed the special visitor for the inside scoop on their teacher.

Sweet said her sister’s commitment to the school, which has some high class sizes and a majority of students who are economically disadvantaged, inspired her and her fellow officers do something for the students there too.   

And a professional association of probation officers naturally gravitates towards youth and educational causes, Sweet said. Truancy or lack of education is part of the story of many criminals and juvenile delinquents that the officers work with every day.

“We see that education is definitely the road or the gateway to staying out of trouble and being able to make positive lifestyle choices,” Sweet said.

During the classroom visit, Sweet and her colleagues told the kids about the importance of education and a making a positive contribution to their community. They also described what it’s like to be a probation officer. The association plans on doing more of these kinds of talks as they grow and get more active, Sweet said.

“We wanted to be a face for low income and minitority youth, to show them that people of color can work in law enforcement and do positive things in the community.”

 The African American Probation Officers Association is looking for new members and plans a membership drive in July. For more information, contact Chrystal Sweet at 619-252-8638. 

Promoting Health and Friendship in South Africa

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I just never got the chance,” said George Nishikawa, an environmental health specialist with DEH.

Now, he does. George leaves shortly for a 27-month Peace Corps assignment in South Africa where he will apply his degree in microbiology, knowledge of public health and skills he honed working at the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health.

“Health promotion is really important over there,” said George. “Everything from water-borne diseases to HIV AIDS. I’ll translate my technical skills in terms of being able to connect with people, offering solutions to specific problems.”

He will be assigned to a small, remote village that may or may not have electricity or running water where he will teach English, math, and science to elementary aged-children He also expects to promote one of DEH’s primary mantras– proper hand washing, which can be a simple fix in itself.

“You take a large soda bottle with a cap, punch a small hole in the top, invert the bottle, then unscrew the cap, and you have running water when you need it,” he said.

George started with the San Diego County more than five years ago, working first as a student worker inspecting swimming pools then moving into a temporary position and ultimately into his current - or soon-to-be former - position as an environmental health specialist.

“George is very good about finding solutions – then communicating those solutions,” said Gloria Estolano, DEH Chief of the Food and Housing Division and George’s supervisor.

In addition to his background in science, his work experience, and problem-solving skills, George has also taken university-level teaching courses. He has volunteered at James Madison High School in Clairemont and at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park where he served as “sort of a docent and gallery facilitator,” he said.

So why the Peace Corps?

“There are so many reasons,” he said. “I always wanted to see other parts of the world; how other people live. I’ve always wanted to live in another culture, and hopefully share my skills to promote friendships between our country and other countries. It’s also a family tradition, maybe even a rite of passage for me.”

Three of George’s uncles have served in the Peace Corps, in countries ranging from El Salvador and Paraguay to the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu.

“It was all they ever talked about during Thanksgiving dinner. Now I’ll be the first member of my family to serve in Africa,” he said.

South Africa has 11 official languages, so George will undergo three months of intensive language immersion and other training in South Africa upon arrival in July.  Then he will be assigned to his village post, where he “will have to hit the ground running.”

And after his cross-cultural assignment of service and promoting friendship?

“I plan to come back. I love what I do here - my co-workers, my chief. She has allowed me to do so many other things outside the scope of my normal work assignments.”

This is one venture that is undoubtedly well outside any of those previous assignments – but certainly one that will also pay immeasurable rewards.

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George intends to have an internet blog and will post weekly messages. 

Putting Doodles to Good Use

Sheriff’s Deputy Wins Wellness Logo Design Contest

Human Resources Director Don Turko presents Sheriff's Deputy Mike Moeller with a certificate for winning the logo contest. 

Mike Moeller is a doodler. He always has been.

When he was a young boy, the Sheriff’s Deputy sketched superheroes. As an undergraduate student at San Diego State, he drew editorial cartoons for the college’s newspaper, The Daily Aztec.

In recent years, his cartoons have run in the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association’s monthly magazine, Silver Star, and he has sold them to an international cartoon syndicate. For Moeller, drawing falls somewhere in between a hobby and a part-time job.

Now, one of his designs will be featured as the official logo of the County’s Employee Wellness Program. Moeller recently won a county-wide contest in which employees were asked to come up with a visual identity for the program, which launched in January.   

The County wanted an image that employees would be able to relate to, said Human Resources Director Don Turko. The program needed a symbol that would pique employees’ interest and also encourage their participation.    

Out of 40 submissions, Moeller’s image of a bright yellow traffic-style sign won over the judges. Inside the design’s diamond shape is a black silhouette of a walker, dubbed the “Wellness Walker,” striding energetically. An outsized heart is outlined in bright red. Beneath the image, reads: “Wellness Ahead.”

“What struck us was the clean design of the logo and the readily recognizable symbol,” said Turko, who was part of the judging panel. “Most people slow down and take notice when the yellow caution sign is seen.”

Moeller’s design is expected to get a lot of exposure. The logo is already featured on the program’s website and on InSite.  Human Resources Services Manager Gabriela Berry, who coordinates the Wellness Program with Deputy Human Resources Director Jan Mazone, said the logo will go on t-shirts, signs and posters.

The Wellness Program is aimed at helping employees make healthy choices, from eating more fruits and vegetables and encouraging exercise to offering convenient medical screenings and flu shots.

Employees had two weeks to design and submit entries in February. Moeller learned he won last month.

Moeller said he came up with the concept in less than an hour after reading the contest guidelines. He drew the silhouette by hand and then put together the rest of the image using a software program on his computer.

“I thought, what is the simplest picture I could make that everyone would recognize, that would convey as much of” the county’s objectives as possible, Moeller said.

He designed the image with energy, vitality and happiness in mind.

“I pictured someone whistling while walking,” Moeller said. “It ended up having that look I wanted.”

To view more of Moeller’s work, visit www.agentmoeller.com.

Charity Golf Tournament to Benefit Local Families

Dr. Bruce Klier, Debbie and Steve Patag and Chief Probation Officer Mack Jenkins play golf in the 2011 VIP Golf Tournament.There are people on probation who strive to re-enter society but struggle to pay for things like eye exams, bus passes or literacy instruction. Enter Volunteers in Probation, a non-profit organization that provides funds for these kinds of needs.

As a fundraiser, Volunteers in Probation is planning a shot-gun start golf tournament to benefit the men and women who follow the terms of their probation and work hard to support their families.  

“We anticipate that it will sell out,” said Guadalupe Rabago, supervising probation officer. “This tournament is our biggest fundraising event.”

The 16^th annual tournament will begin at noon, June 22 at the DoubleTree Golf Resort in San Diego.   The $115 entry fee includes the vintage-themed golf tournament, 18 holes and a cart lunch. It will continue until 4 p.m. and will be followed by dinner, a silent auction and the raffle winners announcement.

Not only can county employees join the tournament, they are invited to contribute items or services to the silent auction such as themed gift baskets or gift cards that can be included in other gift baskets, Rabago said.

All the money raised pays for items or services which are not otherwise provided by public funds or other community resources, said Rabago. Those items or services can also include job training, scholarships, clothing vouchers, tattoo removal and emergency needs, he said.

“One of the biggest things we’ve done is to create holiday baskets for a select few probationer families (who were in need),” Rabago said.

He said they are also seeking members who want be on the board of directors and help plan future events including their upcoming Halloween Bowling Tournament.

“We are looking for people with all kinds of experience who are interested in doing good in their community,” Rabago said. 

To sign up for the golf tournament or learn more about Volunteers in Probation, visit http://www.volunteersinprobation.org/.

The Incredible Shrinking Woman

BHS employee Sian Mulder was the "biggest loser" for the second year in a row and is now half the size of when she started with the program.

The Health and Human Services Agency Behavioral Health Services (BHS) staff has gotten smaller – in body weight that is. More than two dozen BHS employees participated in their third “Biggest Loser” program. 

This year’s 15-week challenge just wrapped up with 26 participants losing a total of 233 pounds. That works out to 4.5% of their collective starting weight.

Sian Mulder was the official BHS Biggest Loser for the second year in a row. She was down a whopping 16.6% of her starting weight.

After going through a rough patch, Mulder decided it was time to get back to the healthier, more athletic lifestyle of her youth. In fact, as a result of both years’ combined weight loss she is now half the size of when she started!

In order to achieve her weight loss, Mulder started making better food choices and took up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a form of mixed martial arts that provides a calorie-burning, stress-relieving work out.

“Everyone is a winner,” said Mulder. “How can you lose when you are making changes to better yourself and your lifestyle?”

The BHS group celebrated their successes with a salad bar potluck. They continue to offer each other on-going encouragement to make healthy choices.

New County Entomologist Has an Eye for Bugs

Tracy Ellis looks at bugs. Up close. Every day.

As the County’s new entomologist, she examines about 2,000 insect specimens each month from traps that are set out around the County and samples brought in from incoming and outgoing plant shipments. She looks for any invasive insects or those carrying diseases that pose a threat or could even decimate San Diego County agriculture. The most dangerous ones she’s looking for now include the Asian citrus psyllid that carries the Huanglongbing disease (HLB); any of the exotic fruit flies such as the Mexican, the Mediterranean, Oriental, or new world guava fruit fly; or the tea shot hole borer, an insect from Asia that carries a disease that threatens avocado trees and is already infesting backyard trees in Los Angeles County.

Being the County entomologist is not a position one just steps into. She worked with Dr. David Kellum, her predecessor, for four years, has served as a plant health and quarantine inspector and has the required agricultural inspector licenses.

Dr. Ellis — she has a Ph.D. in entomology from Iowa State University — has been fascinated by insects since she was a little girl growing up in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.

In high school, her first field project sent her to Washington State to study stream insects in Olympia State Park. Her college senior thesis, done while interning at the USDA, measured the effectiveness of using parasitic wasps to control the Colorado potato beetle — a serious pest of potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants that has actually developed resistance to some pesticides – and ironically a bug that is not a pest in Colorado.

“I’ve always had an interest in all sorts of biology, plants, soils, and insects,” said Dr. Ellis. “Insects are a huge part of the environment; so I decided early on to make that my life’s work.”

Along the way, she’s earned support and grants from the Explorer’s Club in New York, the Noyes Agricultural Foundation and the private sector. She earned a scholarship to Hampshire College in Amherst, and published scientific papers that got her accepted to Iowa State’s doctoral program. She’s worked for the New England Small Farm Center and School of Natural Science, a Massachusetts organic farm, a Midwestern seed company and a San Diego biotechnology company.

Before joining the County, Dr. Ellis’s specialty was developing methods for rearing insects and testing insecticides on them. She was part of the team that brought the first generation of genetically engineered microbial insecticides to the market for spray-on applications as well as developing the first transgenic plants for insect control. She is also the co-author of several patents in the field.

Like many East Coast transplants, Tracy came here with her parents to escape the winters in Boston. She recounts sitting on the sidewalk, watching the St. Patrick’s Day parade and loving the warm sunshine. After completing her education, she returned. Still later, while working in private industry, she turned down a company move back to the Midwest in order to remain in San Diego.

 “It means a lot to me to live in San Diego; it’s a very special place to me,” she said

In her position with the County, she identifies insects submitted by pest detection staff (the trappers), agricultural inspectors, landscapers, growers, and even the backyard gardener. In the case of the Asian citrus psyllid, she looks under a magnifier at yellow sticky traps at the rate of 1,500 per month for the three-millimeter insect and to determine if specimens are infected with HLB. While the insect has been discovered in San Diego County, primarily south of I-8, it is only recently that a specimen was found in Hacienda Heights carrying HLB disease.

“If any infected citrus trees are found here,” she said, “they would have to be uprooted and destroyed – whether in someone’s background, or in an abandoned grove. But that would be a small price to pay to save a $276 million citrus industry in the state.”

If you would like assist in the trapping process and help protect San Diego’s $1.6 billion agriculture industry, contact pest detection through e-mail at  AWM.pd@sdcounty.ca.gov  or phone toll free 1-800-300-TRAP (8727).

Employees in Weight Watchers Shed Half a Ton

 HR Analyst Anne Calle is seen here before and after she lost 50 pounds while enrolled in Weight Watchers at Work.

What do a Jersey cow, four NFL players and a Harley Davidson three wheel motorcycle have in common?

They all weigh about a half ton, or 1,000 lbs.   

That’s also how much weight a group of county employees has shed in recent months.

As of the end of April, 75 county employees enrolled in a Weight Watchers at Work program had lost  a combined 1,002 lbs., said Gabriela Berry, Human Resources Services Manager in the County’s Department of Human Resources. Berry and Deputy Human Resources Director Jan Mazone coordinate the San Diego County Employee Wellness Program, which launched in January. 

“I just gave away my whole wardrobe,” said Anne Calle, a Senior Human Resources Analyst for the County.  

Calle, whose Weight Watchers group meets at the County Operations Center, has contributed 50 lbs. towards the staggering overall total. And she says she’s not done. She hopes to lose another 30 lbs.

She credits her regimen of counting food’s point values, eating healthier and rising early to work out six days a week. The program is flexible enough that she didn’t have to drastically alter her lifestyle.

She said the shared common goal with her colleagues – and weekly weigh-ins--have inspired her too.

Calle’s group is one of five around the county that meets weekly. County employees have also formed Weight Watchers groups at the Hall of Justice downtown, the County Administration Center, the Public Health Services Complex - Rosecrans and the Mills Building/Trolley Towers on Imperial Avenue.

An initial pilot program launched last summer at the County Operations Center. Berry said that the effort worked out so well that the County expanded the program in February as part of the County’s Wellness Program.

County employees enroll in the Weight Watchers program and cover the costs. To start a new group, at least 15 employees must sign up and agree to meet regularly with a Weight Watchers representative.

There’s no end date in sight for the programs, said both Calle and Berry.

“I plan to become a lifetime member after I reach my goal weight,” Calle said.

She’s already bought some new clothes—and taken them to the tailor for re-fitting.

County CIO Earns “Best of California” Award

Harold Tuck is going out on top.

A couple months before he plans to step down as the County’s Chief Information Officer, Tuck won the Best of California 2012 Award for Demonstrated Leadership in Management of Information Technology. The competition is held by the Center for Digital Government.

“I appreciate getting singled out, but I think this award validates that we as a County are ahead of the pack in using technology to help our customers,” Tuck said.

The award comes four years after Tuck took over as CIO, whose primary responsibility is overseeing the County’s IT Outsourcing Contract. He quickly went about establishing a vision for future technology improvements by working with the five business groups to create an IT strategic plan. Its four goals: put customers first; increase workforce effectiveness; provide access anytime, anywhere; and enable sharing of data internally and externally.

Here are a few highlights of projects in which Tuck has played a leadership role:

• The award-winning  Juvenile Electronic Library System, which automates the creation and sharing of Probation reports among multiple agencies.
• A Mobility Roadmap that lays out a course to make workers more mobile and county services more accessible from mobile devices.  Early efforts include improved VPN for field workers to access the County network and an initiative to launch mobile applications for citizens.
• The Enterprise Information Exchange will enable County departments and external agencies to access and share data about customers. The system is designed to show when an individual is using multiple County services.
• An Innovation Council comprised of private sector IT firms and County staff, which Tuck brought together to focus on IT solutions.
• Oracle Financials Upgrade, an extremely complex program involving three separate projects,  multiple vendors, and close collaboration between all parties. With Tuck on the governance team, the program was completed within the original budget and schedule.

One of the best indicators of success, and a priority for Tuck, is the recent results of the annual IT satisfaction survey of County employees. Scores put the County just shy of Gartner’s “Best in Class,” category.  That’s up from a score from four years ago – when Tuck started in the position.

“My job is to help employees do their jobs,” Tuck said. “So when their satisfaction level is high, I do get satisfaction from that.”