Public Defender Makes Argument for Mexico’s New Judicial Reform

Attorneys in Mexico will finally get a chance to emphatically slam a hand down on the table to make a point and face the judge in their cases, all in the public eye.

This summer, Deputy Public Defender Jesus Romero will travel to Mexico to help prepare his counterparts there for a historic change to its judicial system.

Mexico is transitioning to oral, open trials from a system where lawyers submit arguments and evidence in writing to a judge. This change was mandated by constitutional reform.

 Romero, 47, a skillful orator who has worked as a public defender for nearly 22 years, will share his expertise as the keynote speaker at the National Congress of Mexican Public Defenders. The conference is set for July 12 in Merida, Yucatan.

“It’s an incredible honor because I’m probably going to be speaking to some of the best defense attorneys from every state in Mexico,” said Romero. “They’ve asked me to speak on the role of the public defender both as an advocate for the client, for the administration of justice, and for the community-- which is what I do here as a public defender.”

Romero, whose parents are Mexican, said he feels his cultural background and fluent Spanish have made him a popular volunteer speaker on the American judicial system  in Mexico. An oral trial skills instructor since 1996 in the United States, Romero has also held various trainings with public defenders, prosecutors and judges in Mexico and Central America.

 In 2005, Mexico determined it would switch from written argument trials to oral trials so testimonies and rulings would be more transparent to the public, said Romero. The system will be nearly identical to ours, except Mexico will use a three-judge panel instead of a jury.

Currently, the country remains in transition.  Some states are still submitting all trials in writing because they do not have the funding to build courtrooms, retrain judges, attorneys and court staff.  Many other states like Tabasco, Yucatan and Oaxaca have made significant changes  in the last five years.

The change to oral trials is controversial within the legal community in Mexico. The younger attorneys see a benefit in having the trials be more public and in establishing a method for a speedy trial, Romero said.  However, some judges and attorneys don’t see a need for the change and don’t think it will work. Some attorneys who have never  spoken publically may be a little nervous at first, but after they speak in court, most later agree it is a better presentation of the case, Romero said.

“Judges will make their rulings in front of the public and in front of the press.” Romero said. “This will alleviate some of those notions of corruption and favoritism because the new system is transparent and more efficient.”

 In July, Romero plans to tell the Mexican attorneys  what it is like to work as a public defender in San Diego County. Romero works  cases at the South Bay Superior Court including homicides, and drug and gang cases.

“Being a public defender is not just a job. I think it’s a way of life. You cannot just work from 8 to 5, go home and forget your clients. That’s been my work ethic working for the County of San Diego,” said Romero. “If you don’t believe in this kind of work, you should not be a public defender. It’s being part of an important constitutional concept that people’s rights should be respected.”

Romero said it is also apparent that there is a disparity in salaries for prosecuting attorneys and public defender attorneys in Mexico.  Public defenders have to buy their own reams of paper and ink and many cannot afford to support a family on their salaries. Without parity, the system will not work because people will not choose to go into public defense and those who do will be quickly overwhelmed, he said.

“It’s important for the community to understand that public defenders are doing important work and we deserve the respect of the public," said Romero.

Kittens, Kittens Everywhere!

They leap, they pounce, and they jump straight into the air when they’re startled. They purr, cuddle and love to fall asleep in your lap. No doubt about it, kittens are cute.

And right now, there are plenty of them, especially Tweenies. Why the name? They fall beTWEEN the age of 4 to 8 weeks old and need foster care until they’re big enough to be adopted.

The Department of Animal Services (DAS) is still looking for a few good foster parents among the County’s ranks. DAS loves to recruit County employees   because they’re so good at it. In fact, we played Mom and Dad to more than 500 kittens last year.

More importantly, it’s the kittens’ best shot at getting adopted. Tweenies who’ve been fostered are healthy and they look it. They’re not afraid of people. They want to play, and they are the little balls of fur that appeal to future forever families.  

PSG CAO Staff Officer Michele Cummings and her fiancé are fostering three kittens, two boys and a girl. She says it’s amazing to see them grow. Within weeks, they went from being tiny ‘fraidy cats to curious feline adventurers.

Dexter, Mini and Skid (for skittish) came with everything such babies need: blankets, toys, supplies and food. DAS provides ongoing medical care. “You’re not doing anything out of your own pocket,” says DAS Tweenie Coordinator Vanessa Brush.

Brush says the idea is to make fostering as easy as possible. Foster parents are giving these animals the loving care they need plus exposure to the sights and sounds that make everything a home. The Tweenies get used to the vacuum cleaner, the slam of the microwave door, the T-V, maybe even squealing children, and other cats and dogs. When the time comes for adoption, these kittens won’t be hiding; they’ll want to be with people.

Cummings says fostering the little ones was a great experience and she would totally recommend it but with one caveat. “We didn’t necessarily want pets long-term. We planned to give them back but now we’re completely attached,” said Cummings. “They were just so cute, they reeled us in.”

You guessed it; Cummings just adopted one and may adopt another. Brush has a term for these foster parents, and it comes with a big, broad smile –foster failures. It means one more kitten was saved, maybe even two!

OES Senior Emergency Services Coordinator Michael Davis fostered two Tweenies this spring. His family loves kittens and that’s why they have three cats. Oh, and a puppy. What with the animals, and two boys, ages 9 and 13, they already have a full house. So they don’t have room for more ‘forever’ pets, but the idea of caring for Tweenies appealed to them. From the get-go, the kids knew the kittens would go back.

They brought home a brother and sister, and within minutes the boys gave them names, Gracie and Oliver. “We got them just this side of feral, they were hissers and hadn’t had much human contact,” said Davis. “It was great to see the boys be caregivers, teaching them how to play a parental role.” 

By the end of their stay, Davis said the kittens meowed to be picked up and purred in their arms.

At two pounds, though, Tweenies are big enough to return to the shelter. Davis wrote up bios on Gracie, the adventurous one and Oliver, the orange one, who plays hard and crashes. While he expected Oliver to go first, Gracie was adopted within hours.

Every day, Davis checked on Oliver via the DAS adoption web page. His picture showed he was still up for adoption. Davis wondered whether it was time for a talk with the family about what to do. Meantime, Davis decided to pay Oliver a visit.

Amazingly enough, in the time it took to travel to the shelter, Oliver was adopted. Davis had just missed him and the two families that had been fighting over him!

It was bittersweet, but Davis says his boys were okay with the adoptions. Overall, he says the experience was awesome and he’d do it again.

Brush says foster families are saving each kitten’s life to make someone else’s life that much happier. So maybe you can’t change the world, but you can make a world of difference to one… or maybe even two!

If you’d like to know more about the Tweenie program, contact DAS Volunteer Coordinator Marlena Young at (619) 767-2611 or Marlena.young@sdcounty.ca.gov.  

What’s Out of this World and completely edible?

 

Okay, so it’s not really fair food fare, (no bacon, after all) but it is an entry in the edible structure category at the San Diego County Fair. Public Works’ own LeAnn Carmichael and family created this tableaux taking off on the fair’s theme Out of this World.

The scene features a flying saucer, aliens, R2D2 and even Easter treats-turned-extraterrestrial Peeps mesmerized by a slab of granite. That slab is a nod to all you 2001 Space Odyssey fans. Except for the flag, the sign and the board it sets on, all of it is completely edible down to the landing site of crushed graham cracker crumbs.

It would seem to be quite a departure for LeAnn who is a LUEG Program Manager involved in environmental reviews for County projects like roads, bridges and airports. But it turns out experience as a program manager comes in handy since she has managed this Home and Hobby entry for the family for the past six years.

“It’s a great family project,” says LeAnn. “And the kids love to see their work featured at the fair.” Their hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Over the years, they’ve earned third, second and first place finishes as well as Best in Show.

For those of you who decorate gingerbread houses every holiday season, watch out; this is how it all started. “We saw some over at the fair,” said LeAnn. “We thought we should do one too and enter it.”

Her daughter, Madison, was about 8 years old when the family first started entering the competition. She’s 15 now and still likes to take part along with her 10-year-old brother Robert. It’s fun, creative and yes, kind of messy. What’s not to like?

Over the years, the family moved on from gingerbread houses to structures that reflect the fair’s theme. Not to give away any secrets, but judges seem to like that idea.

Dad works on the structure part, and everyone else pitches in on the rest. That flying saucer? A giant sugar cookie, don’t you know, with tootsie pop legs and candy landing lights. The saucer’s dome is hard crack sugar. If you peer intently inside, you’ll see an eyeball peering back at you. It’s chocolate.

R2D2 looks like a toy, but no, Madison made it out of fondant. That’s a fancy word for a thick type of frosting made of sugar and water. It becomes a type of a paste that can be rolled out with a rolling pin then molded into various shapes. The scary octopus-looking alien was made of fondant too. The entire project took a weekend.

And of course, disasters happen! One year, the Rice Krispies structure melted. Another time, the beach sand of graham cracker crumbs spilled on to Dad’s lap as they were loading the entry into the car. But as LeAnn says, the show must go on and the project was duly submitted. Now, this fair entry veteran always brings extra plastic bags full of graham cracker crumbs, just in case.

While she always aims for first place, her husband and kids always go for second. Why’s that? Well, if you win, you have to sit out from entering the category for a year. So how did the judges vote this year? The entry took second. Still good enough for bragging rights and the family can enter again next year, a win-win in a way.

But in the end, it’s not about winning anything at all. “We live in a big city, but it (entering the competition) feels like a little hometown thing,” says LeAnn. “It really connects you with the community.” That connection, the family tradition, togetherness and funny near-disaster stories are treasured memories and the true prize for the Carmichaels.

Employee's Daughter Collects Hundreds of Books for Juvenile Hall

Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility Director Craig Stover thanks Megan Thrush, 16.

A future juvenile hall library being  built on donated books swelled by about 400 titles Friday when Megan Thrush, 16, dropped off a dozen crates of novels and non-fiction donated by  peers and teachers at Patrick Henry High School.

"I couldn’t get every variety of book, but I certainly hope there’s enough variety that (the kids in juvenile hall) are getting to choose what to read,” said Megan as she considered the hundreds of paperbacks and hardbacks her dad and brother helped her unload at the Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility.

There are books here I would read said Megan, shuffling through the boxes and pointing out intriguing covers and old favorites.

"Freak Almighty—that’s a great book!”    

Megan, who just finished her junior year, loves reading and decided to collect books for the kids in custody with her mom’s encouragement. Our Public Safety Group's Finance Director, Dorothy Thrush, Megan’s mother, is one of many employees who was inspired by a news item about the burgeoning book collection on InSite.

Kearny Mesa Detention Facility Director Craig Stover said County departments that took up collections, and some outside groups too, have donated more than 4,000 books –maybe as many as 5,000—since the story ran.  

The titles fill bookshelves and pile up in a juvenile hall storage room being converted into the library. Thousands more wait in another room until more bookshelves arrive. A retired librarian has promised to help organize the collection. The library should be open in within a few months, Stover said.

"The response has been great,” he said.  “We have more than enough books to install a library.”

Kids in juvenile hall go to school every day and have access to books and leisure reading. But a full library with plenty of choice will be more appealing, Stover said. There is no television or video gaming at the facility, so reading becomes a primary form of entertainment for some kids.

Now we’ve got so many they can get a book and take it home if they want,” Stover said. “We want the kids to read. Not just here, but when they’re home.”

Megan said Patrick Henry students and teachers surprised her with how many books they donated. She advertised the book drive school bulletin, and placed three boxes around the school. In the two week collection period, she had to empty the boxes three times.

Collecting the books was easy, Megan said, but she also thinks the contributions could have a real impact. After all, reading has always been a positive part of her own life. She said books help her learn and carry on interesting conversations. And she just loves books and the prospect of discovering something new to read, even demanding her parents stop every time they pass a used book store.   

"I knew it was important. I have lots of books—my grandmother always gave me books,” she said.  “I read and I read and I really enjoy it.”

Communications Office Clinches Three Emmy Awards

What do authorities really mean when they ask you to report suspicious behavior? Are tattoo parlors safe?  And can local students have fun with solar engineering?

Video pieces exploring these questions earned the Communications Office three 2012 regional Emmy awards over the weekend. The high-profile honors recognized “outstanding achievements in television” in the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Pacific Southwest region, which covers Las Vegas and much of Southern California. The regional chapter announced the winners of its 38^th Annual Emmy awards at a reception Saturday, June 16 at La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad.

In all, three County-produced programs received the awards: The Eight Signs of Terrorism by Assistant Director of Communications Tammy Glenn and Videographer Dominic Fulgoni in the Informational/Instructional-Program or Special category; Solar Cars by Suzanne Bartole in the Education-Single Story or Series category; and Safety Stickler, also by Bartole, in the Video Essay (Single Camera Only) category. 

The awards push the Communications Office’s overall Emmy tally into the dozens over the past decade. County employees paid their own contest entry fees.

“This reinforces the level of quality of video content we’re producing,” said Michael Workman, Communications Director. “We’ve got excellent storytellers on staff who also bring outstanding technical expertise to what they do.” 

In The Eight Signs of Terrorism, Glenn and Fulgoni used graphics, video footage and detailed explanations to help the public understand what suspicious activity to look for and what to do if they notice something unusual. Glenn produced and provided the script and Fulgoni shot the video, which has been used to train County and City of San Diego employees. It’s available on the Ready San Diego’s Terrorism web page.

In Safety Stickler, Bartole focused on a local tattoo parlor and how the County regulates such businesses. In the piece, she tells the story of a local tattoo artist, how he got started and how he stays on top of the County’s Body Art regulations.

In Solar Cars, Bartole visits a solar car design competition for sixth, seventh and eighth graders. Through the video, she offers a window into how the young students can have fun while tackling cutting-edge science and engineering questions. The annual competition, called the San Diego Junior Solar Sprint, was founded by the National Renewable Energy Lab.

To view these and other programs by the Communications Office, visit County News Center or watch the County Television Network. 

Putting Her Experience to Work

It seemed like forever. It was only one year, but it was a long year for Janet King.

That’s the time King, 54, was receiving public assistance. She was embarrassed. Just like others caught up in the Great Recession money was tight.  

“It felt like forever,” said King. “It was over a year, and it was one of those things you didn’t want to do.

“But being a single parent, I needed to think of my son.”

King wanted her time on public assistance to be as short as possible so she got involved with the San Diego County Work Experience (WEX) program, which gives unpaid work experience to help people build their resumes and return to the workforce.

Her experience is a tailor-made success story for the WEX program.

“I’ve always wanted to do something for someone and I went to school to be a medical assistant, but there were no jobs out there when I graduated,’ King said.

She and her son moved in with her mother. She wanted to help out with expenses, which was difficult to do without a paycheck.

“There is a stigma about welfare,” King said. “It was embarrassing, but I had to rise above it and do what I needed to do. “The assistance helped me a lot.”

When applying for assistance, she learned about the jobs training program that offers resume and job search assistance.

“It was mostly things I had done before, but it was a great refresher course,” she said.

 “I did anything that was needed and anything a WEX worker could do,” King said. “I was happy to be able to be doing something and it made me feel like I was doing something for the assistance I was receiving.”

While she was volunteering as WEX worker, she applied for a job as an office assistant in the County Health and Human Services Agency’s Ramona Community Resource Center (CRC).

“It was a nice surprise when I got the news that I had been hired,” she said. “It just seems so unreal sometimes, and I live in Ramona so I was fortunate enough to be placed here.”

 “When the public comes in for help, I can totally relate to what they’re going through, their apprehensions and try to make them feel at ease,” King said. “You treat people with common courtesy, decency and compassion.

“You make them feel comfortable, and I can say to them, ‘I know it’s going to get better – I’m proof it can work,’ but you can’t just sit back and do nothing.”

King isn’t stopping now either. She’s already applied for a higher-paying job as a Human Services Specialist with the County.

“I want to help people and I can’t think of a better way to do that.”

From Ashes to Gold…

The new housing project built at San Pasqual Academy in the wake of the 2007 Witch Creek fire won a Gold Nugget Award of Merit from the Pacific Coast Builders Conference recently.

The project won in the Green Sustainable Community category and also garnered a Judges Special Award of Excellence. The project is now eligible for a Grand Award. The winner will be announced during an award ceremony June 28 in San Francisco.

San Pasqual Academy is a one-of-a-kind foster youth residential campus located in Escondido and falls under the Health and Human Services (HHSA) umbrella. The Witch Creek fire destroyed 20 residences, which housed staff and ‘grandparent’ mentors to students, and two administrative buildings. They had been fairly isolated and some distance from fire hydrants.

The reconstruction allowed General Services, HHSA and the organization  that runs San Pasqual Academy, New Alternatives, to replace the structures with new, improved buildings which better met San Pasqual Academy’s needs. They worked with Legacy Building Services, a design-build contractor, which means the general contractor will work with an architect to deliver a complete package at a guaranteed maximum price.

In all, 33 housing units and a new administration center were built. They replace the old buildings and more. Now there is space to house transitional students or graduates, those who are visiting or need short term housing as they transition into independent young adults. The units are better protected from wildfires and boast green environmental features such as cool metal roofs, high efficiency heating and air conditioning system, low flow faucets and fixtures, energy star lighting, drought-tolerant landscaping and rain harvest barrels.

The Gold Nugget Award of Merit is the latest in a long string of awards for the rebuilding of the San Pasqual Academy campus. The housing units won LEED for Homes Platinum Certification and the project was also recognized by the California Center for Sustainable Energy with an Energy All star award for outstanding innovation.

Monkey Bars, Muddy Pits No Obstacle for County Employees

Falling into a pit of muddy water may not sound like a confidence booster.

But it was last month for a group of County employees from the North Coastal Family Resource Center in Oceanside.

Nine co-workers competed in the 5K Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, which had them swinging from monkey bars, pulling themselves over walls by rope and trying to avoid falling in a muddy pit—all in costume.

Called the “Bumble Babes,” the group dressed up as bees for the May 20 event. A few friends and family members joined them, pushing the group total to 12. They ordered yellow and black colored outfits on Amazon.com and paired them with comfy running shoes. There was no particular reason for the bee theme—it just sounded like a cute idea, said Human Services Specialist Sandra Rea.

The group hadn’t ever competed in a race together.  The idea came after Rea and her Family Resource Center colleague Robin Dunbar received emails from the race organizers announcing the competition. Rea and Dunbar had competed in a Mud Run in Del Mar a few years earlier and thought it would be fun to try out this race.

Human Services Specialist Rosa Raymundo, who also works at the FRC in Oceanside, normally has little time to exercise and wanted to be more active.

“I’d never done anything like that before,” she said. “We started asking everyone if they wanted to join us.”

The effort also happened to dovetail with the County’s Employee Wellness and Live Well, San Diego! initiative, launched in 2010, which aims to improve the health of everyone in the region.

To train, the co-workers would walk together at lunch. When they couldn’t, Rea said they would remind each other to walk or get active somehow.

“It’s hard when you get into work, you forget to take breaks,” Rea said. “But we tried to push it harder now that we were going to be in the race.”

The race ended up being a good “icebreaker” into the world of competition, they said.

“I think what it did is give a confidence boost,” said Rea. And it provided a lot of laughs, especially back at work on Monday, the day after the race.

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.