400 Miles, 5 Days, 2 Wheels - One Tough Employee

Child Welfare Services supervisor Laurie Horton and her husband, Steve, during the 400-mile endurance race.

You might jump at the chance to travel around the county seeing the Juan Bautista DeAnza trail, Penasquitos Canyon, Lake Hodges, San Diego Bay, Torrey Pines and other sites. But what if you had to do it as part of a self-supported endurance bike race that covered 400 miles in 5 days?

Laurie Horton, a Child Welfare Services supervisor for the Health and Human Services Agency, was one of 49 brave souls who set out when the race started in Idyllwild. When the bikers crossed the finish line, Horton was one of just 26 who survived the grueling race.

“Every mile ridden in endurance biking is equal to two miles of biking on the road,” said Horton. “So this race was the equivalent of 800 miles, or eight stages of the Tour de France.”

Endurance biking is done on dirt trails and off-road. There are no first aid stations, no rest stops and no water stations – even during the 60-mile stretch of desert riding.

“You’re completely on your own and you base the distance you travel each day on your water and food supply,” she said.

Bikers are able to stop by convenience stores or even restaurants along the way, but that all eats away at your biking time.

“We never stopped at restaurants – too much time,” Horton said.

You start biking in the dark and end the day the same way. You have to carry everything with you on your bike – 20 pounds of gear in Horton’s case, including a sleeping bag, change of clothes and any food or water she felt was necessary.

Horton did the race with her husband to celebrate her 50^th birthday. It was the first multi-day race she’s competed in.

“I never mountain biked until my husband and I were married 11 years ago,” she said. “I never even rode a bike as a kid, but I turned 50 this year and wanted to do something big.”

Her first endurance race was seven years ago in Arizona. It was 25 miles long.

“My husband did it with me and he had to promise me he wouldn’t leave me behind,” Horton said. “We were the last bikers to finish.

“I was so beat up, practically in tears, and I just wanted it to be over.”

You might think that would deter a person from doing it again. Not Horton.

“I never thought I could do it, but it was such a sense of accomplishment, I was addicted.”

Horton enjoys the workout she gets and she rides most Saturdays and Sundays, and she puts in 4-5 hours during the week at spin class. All this exercise helps clear her mind and relax from the stresses of her 17-year career with Child Welfare Services, she said.

“This job is so stressful and this helps you work up a sweat and cleanse your system,” said Horton. “It really forces you to concentrate when you’re riding and to be in the moment”

Horton plans on competing in 4-5 races this year.

CIO Tuck Wins Technology Lifetime Achievement Award

Days before retiring from the County, Chief Information Officer Harold Tuck received a major award from the National Association of Counties (NACo.)

Tuck accepted NACo’s Technologist Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday at the organization’s annual conference in Pittsburgh. After 26 years with the County, Tuck is set to retire Wednesday.

He called the award “extremely humbling.”

Often such awards are given posthumously, Tuck said, and at 59 years old, he said he appreciated being able to enjoy it.

“I told my staff, it’s nice to smell the roses while you’re still alive,” he said.

Tuck said NACo told him they wanted to recognize the assistance he had given not only NACo but counties all over the country on technology policy issues “without question and whenever anyone calls.”

Tuck said the organization also noted that he is “always there to respond and that (he) is known throughout the country as someone who is there to respond.”

Tuck said he has always accepted invitations to speak about technology at regional and national NACo events and events put on by industry partners.

Internally, Tuck is also being recognized for his strong body of work.

A recent County Technology Office report describes Tuck as having been “a driver for IT innovation in the public sector” since his earliest days at the County.

“Harold’s vision and leadership (have) been pivotal in growing IT to its current position within County government and making it a model of excellence for other government agencies nationwide,” the report states.

After joining the County in 1986 as an Electronic Data Processing coordinator, Tuck rose through the ranks and became regional General Manager for the HHSA’s Central Region. He also served as Director of Housing and Community Development, then became General Manager for the Public Safety Group in 2002. In 2008, Tuck was named Chief Information Officer, a position where all information technology functions for the County were his responsibility.

Tuck has no immediate plans for his retirement, though he hasn’t ruled anything out. He doesn’t plan to work again full-time, but says he’s “too young not to do anything.”

His most pressing plans are to celebrate his birthday (July 23) with all five of his siblings and their families. They’re all flying in from around the country.

Juvenile Justice Commission Recognizes Extraordinary Efforts to Help Youth

Sheriff's Det. Randy Avila accepts an award in the Law Enforcement category from the Juvenile Justice Commission.

Leslie Smith’s math students have to come to class each day. They don’t have a choice.

They are incarcerated at Camp Barrett, a County juvenile detention facility for young men near Alpine.

Still, “they don’t have to pay attention,” he said. “You can’t make them learn.” Their minds are focused on such basics as survival, he said.

Smith has found a way to reach them for the past seven years.

For that he was honored Thursday by the San Diego County Juvenile Justice Commission, a 15-member volunteer commission charged with monitoring juvenile justice in the county. In all, the commission presented 2012 Awards in 10 categories at a lunch ceremony at University of San Diego’s Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.

The awards honor people going to extraordinary lengths to help youth struggling in the community. Recipients ranged from law enforcement and probation officers, judges and volunteers to attorneys.

While encouragement, monitoring and mentoring are enough to turn some youth’s lives around, others need a lot more assistance, Commission Chair Kimberly Allan told attendees.

“Many are in gangs, and some have been involved even in serious crimes,” she said. “Some face lengthy periods of detention and some even go on to adult prison.”

The odds are stacked against many, who deal with family problems or no families at all, gangs, drugs or violence.

That’s where the award recipients come in.

Smith, who has taught at the San Diego County Office of Education’s Barrett High School for the past seven years, won in the “Educator/Court Schools” category. He said he looks for those “a-ha moments” in his interactions with students. 

“You have to pounce on that and realize, ‘I turned a key to reaching that student and hopefully the whole class,” he said.

In his nomination form, colleague Elmer Vigilia wrote that Smith was “one of the most inspiring and enthusiastic math teachers I have ever met in my 30 years of working in public education.” Smith said he also uses projects that team up students and allow them to compete with each other. He emphasizes that the best part of the students lives is ahead of them.

In the At-Large Category, the Commission recognized the Juvenile Forensic Assistance for Stabilization and Treatment Program Staff (JFAST). The program, started just two years ago, focuses on helping mentally ill youth in the juvenile justice system. Recipients included Jorge Aguilar, Celia Engelman, Judith Goldberg, Marc Gotbaum, John Laidlaw, Michele Linley, Marcella McLaughlin, Samantha Meadows, Andres Negron, Jo Pastore, Hon. Polly Shamoon and Christine Thompson.

Winners also included:

• Deputy Probation Officer Linda Rodriguez in the Juvenile Probation/Probation Department category
• Protective Services Supervisor Mary Sharkey in the Child Welfare Services/HHSA category
• Det. Randy Avila of the Sheriff’s San Marcos Substation and San Diego Police Officer Ryan Welch in the Law Enforcement category
• Hon. Cynthia Bashant, Juvenile Court Presiding Judge, in the Judge category
• Attorney Tanya Starkweather in the Juvenile Court category
• Erica Marina-Alicia Ward of SAY San Diego’s Reflections Program in the Volunteer category
• Juan Carlos Barraza and Crystal Del Valle in the Former Youth in Care or Probation Category
• Tim Shelton, San Diego State University graduate and former SDSU Basketball player who is now leading the “26 Seconds” campaign at SDSU for youth volunteerism, mentorship and keynote speaking

An Out of This World Hobby

 County Employee to Take Stage Again Friday at Comic-Con

It’s not easy to find a good Klingon or Romulan costume – or at least one as authentic as Lynda Woerner would like.

So the County employee makes them herself.

She’ll don her latest creation at Comic-Con Friday night as she performs with her Star Trek Fan Club, called Stranglehold. The original play will explore the adventures of Klingon and other fictional alien cultures created and popularized by Star Trek.

Woerner will play “Commander Ra’erdos,” a Romulan, who, for the uninitiated, is a rival alien species to the Klingons. This will be Woerner’s third year dressing up and acting with the group at Comic-Con, the pop culture extravaganza set to begin Wednesday night at the San Diego Convention Center. Woerner, who works as an Administrative Analyst for HHSA’s Behavioral Health Services, is one of about 50 members of the non-profit Stranglehold. Since the group was founded in 1990, it’s become known as a go-to source for all things Klingon, she said.

“If it’s Klingon-related in San Diego, it’s probably our group,” Woerner said.

The group has been performing at Comic-Con for decades, since before the event got so “big,” she said.

Woerner spent a few months preparing her costume and character alone. She started researching her character online and even re-watched her Star Trek movies and TV episodes with Romulan characters. Some of the more unusual items she needed, like the prosthetic forehead piece weren’t available in stores, so she turned to the Web. Once she assembled all the pieces, Woerner spent a few weeks putting together the actual costume. She worked for the equivalent of “four Star Trek movies” or eight hours, hand-stamping a special pattern onto some of the costume material. And she cut a black wig that she already had into a “more Romulan shape.”

It’s not only the costumes that Woerner and her fellow Star Trek devotees went all out on. The group started writing the script for the play in January. They spent weeks readying props and practicing battle scenes. The presentation will take place in Room 6A (one of the larger rooms) at the Convention Center at 8:30 p.m. Friday. Hundreds of people are expected to watch.

So, how does one land in a group like this? For starters, Woerner has always been interested in science fiction. She’s read Tolkien’s classic fantasy novel, The Lord of the Rings, each year for the last two decades. And she was already into costuming when she heard of Stranglehold while attending a Renaissance Fair in Escondido a few years ago. A friend joined the group so she did too, and she quickly bonded with other members.  Her husband is also a member and they meet with the group monthly, alternating between business and workshop-style get-togethers in Mira Mesa and East County. Group members work on perfecting their stagecraft, talking over how to do certain accents and create characters and practicing improvisation skills. The group also performs as pirates and characters from Steampunk, another science fiction and fantasy genre.

A big draw, she said, is the fun of just playing a character. Woerner doesn’t do a lot of ad libbing, but she said some in her group do and are fabulous at it.

“We play with the crowd,” she said.

She’s come a long way since joining four years ago. Back then, Woerner said she would have been too scared to get up on stage in front of all of those people. But the acceptance and encouragement she got from the group have helped her shed her fears.

“I’ve grown and changed a lot,” she said. 

And the Volunteer of the Month Certificate Goes To….

Out of nearly 30,000 volunteers at the County, only one was singled out as the Volunteer of the Month at the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday. That one volunteer is David Katzenmaier, a park host volunteer at Rancho Los Peñasquitos Open Space Preserve. 

“Our parks and libraries have been recognized on a national level,” said Board Chairman Ron Roberts. “I can tell you the secret behind it is volunteers who assist us.”

David Katzenmaier has given his time to the Parks department for the last eight years. During that time, he seems to have done it all. He’s helped with park maintenance, safety, special events, opening and closing the park and even animal care. He’s even built community garden boxes.

As a master craftsman, he’s also used his skills to showcase what life was like at the historic ranch in the early 1800s. He constructed animal pens, worked on the interior framework of the barn and created display cases that give visitors a glimpse of the past.

While the Board honored Katzenmaier’s dedication and outstanding service at the award presentation, he in turn thanked the County. “Thank you for this award. I really appreciate being able to work for the county,” said Katzenmaier. “It’s a good place to work.”

Katzenmaier and the other 30,000 volunteers truly make a difference. All told, they’ve contributed  more than $33 million worth of service to the County in just one year.  

Boxing is in Her Blood

Jesus "Chuy" Vega (right) is seen here during the Olympic Trials, prior to competing in the 1968 Games in Mexico City. He is the father of ARCC's Gaby Pugh.

She knows all about upper cuts, jabs and champion boxer Manny Pacquiao.

When County employee Norma “Gaby” Pugh talks boxing with her husband, she jokingly says it’s like a “man to man” discussion.

Pugh learned the sport from a pretty good source. Her father, Jesus “Chuy” Vega competed in boxing in the 1968 Olympic Summer Games in Mexico City.

Both will be closely following the boxing competition at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, which start July 27. While Pugh’s father, now 66, will watch from their hometown of Culiacán, Mexico, Pugh, 42, will watch from her home in Chula Vista.

Pugh, who works as a departmental technology systems technician at the Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk’s office, didn’t follow her father’s path into athletics. Neither did her three siblings. But her father’s success in the sport inspired in her a love of boxing—she never misses a big fight on TV—and taught her many other life lessons.  

“Our Dad is like our hero,” Pugh said. “He’s had a huge, huge influence on my life. A lot of what I am now is because of him.”

Growing up in Mexico in the 1960s, Pugh’s father found in boxing an escape from a dysfunctional, hardscrabble upbringing. One of 11 siblings, Vega was always competing for attention and support, she said. In his late teens, he competed in a neighborhood boxing tournament in Culiacán, the capital of Mexico’s Sinaloa state, and discovered he was pretty good at throwing punches. He kept getting better and better, Pugh said, and eventually ended up leaving home to train hours away in Mexico City.

As Vega rose to higher and higher levels of competition, he got the chance to travel to Cuba, Europe, the US and other international spots. Despite what Pugh described as a climate of social and political upheaval in Mexico City in 1968, Vega made the Mexican National Boxing team and got to compete in the Mexico City Olympic Summer Games. He was eliminated in the first round, she said, but continued to compete internationally. In 1972, he retired from boxing to start a construction business, which he continues to operate. Pugh’s mother, Josefina, retired as a teacher after selling the private school she founded.

Pugh credits her father’s discipline, competitive streak, tall, lean physique, healthy diet and other lifestyle habits with his success in the ring.

That focus has rubbed off on her, Pugh said. She moved to San Diego from Mexico 12 years ago to study a semester at the University of San Diego as part of a Masters program in Business Administration at the Instituto Technológico de Monterrey. Previously, she had also earned a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from the Instituto.  Today she is fluent in English, has a successful career here in San Diego, and is married with a nine year old daughter. Pugh is in the final stages of becoming a U.S. Citizen.

Her father’s Olympic run doesn’t come up very often in conversation—in fact, her coworkers at the County didn’t even know about it until last week. But the experience has certainly left a lasting impression. The most important lesson she learned from her father? If you want to achieve success, expect to make sacrifices.

“If you don’t sacrifice before, don’t expect it to happen later,” Pugh said.

Have an Olympic tale to share? Send it to Communications@sdcounty.ca.gov.

County Employees Toss Out Olympics Tales

You’ve watched the world’s best athletes both in person and from afar. And at least one of you came oh-so-close to competing yourself. Here are a few of your best Olympic stories and memories. Got more you want to share? Send them our way at Communications@sdcounty.ca.gov by July 10. The London Summer Games start on July 27!

Here is my story of almost seeing history at the Olympics. Back in 1984, my father surprised the family by winning the chance to purchase Olympic tickets for the Los Angeles Summer Games.  He chose three events: Opening Ceremonies, Track and Field Decathlon and Men’s Platform Diving Finals.   

While the Opening Ceremonies were actually a little boring (I was 13, what did I know), the Decathlon was pretty interesting as events were going on all over the place at the same time. 

The Men’s platform Diving--never got to see it. My Dad spent hours driving around the area looking for the event.  Instead of stopping someone and getting actual directions or at least a map, my Dad refused to believe he was lost.  Turns out we had missed watching Greg Louganis win the gold medal for the US. Later on, he said the Olympics must have moved the venue because, as he stated, “I never get lost.”

-Luigi Diaz, Department of Child Support Services

We went to the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles at the Sports Arena and watched Evander Holyfield compete in boxing. He went on to win a bronze medal for the USA and later became a professional heavyweight boxing champion.

When we drove to the event, we allowed ourselves several hours of extra time due to expected traffic congestion. However, due to all of the advance warnings about bad traffic there was no delay whatsoever. We even arrived several hours early. We have never experienced traffic that light in Los Angeles. It was like a ghost town.

-Charlie Lackey, ARCC

I went to several events during the 1984 LA Summer Olympics. My brother’s soccer team ran a concession stand at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to raise money and my father made me go with him to work it. It was quite an experience.

One day we sat next to the track as the women’s marathon runners entered the arena in the final qualifying round. We had a front row seat and American marathon runner Joan Benoit, who later won a gold medal, walked right in front of us.

When business slowed on another day, we were allowed to watch. We saw many Americans compete and win including U.S. Track and Field gold medalist Carl Lewis. We watched a women’s relay team that included a woman from San Bernardino, our hometown. She and one of her sisters had qualified, and one ended up running for the gold. After they won they came up to our concession stand knowing we were from the same town and took pictures with us and signed our uniform caps. Somewhere I still have that picture and cap.

-Rosana Hopper, HHSA, North Inland Family Resource Center

I was 15 years old when I competed in the 200 meter event at the 1972 Track & Field Olympic Trials. I placed fourth and was invited to train with the Olympic team prior to the Olympics in Germany.

I flew to Ohio and trained with the females training in the 400-800 meter events. While there, the coaches asked me to be an alternate member of the US Track & Field team for the 200 meter event. This was my dream come true. However, I had a dilemma. By taking the alternate spot, I would be replacing my own teammate who had been partying instead of performing at the training camp.

Painfully, I decided I could not accept the offer. I felt it would be unethical and a betrayal to my teammate despite her behavior. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the 1972 Olympics became infamous and tragic when 11 Israel athletes and coaches and others were killed by terrorists.

The following year I made the American Junior Track & Field team and competed proudly and successfully in Russia, Poland and Germany.  I also had the privilege of carrying the American flag in the Opening Ceremonies. Go USA!

-Maureen Abare-Laudy, Parks & Recreation

The 1984 Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles but the Cross-Country phase of the Equestrian “Eventing” competition took place at the golf course of Rancho Santa Fe’s new Fairbanks Ranch Country Club before it was used for golf. I packed a thematic picnic lunch and appropriate beverages with a bunch of friends. We spent the day outdoors watching the horses jumping over logs, stone walls, banks and water features that had been specially installed for the event. The horses were great and the athleticism of both the horses and the riders was amazing. I significantly remodeled my kitchen the same summer. The Olympics was a lot more fun.

-Kaye Hobson, Community Services Group Executive Office

Prior to moving to San Diego, I worked in Washington, D.C. for a huge Canadian Public Relations firm. One of our Canada-based clients was Bombardier, an official supplier to the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics. Makers of snow-management equipment, Bombardier provided snow grooming vehicles to prep the slopes for competition in the Snowboard, Alpine, Downhill, Biathlon, and Nordic Jumping events.

From my desk in DC, I was coordinating a media event in Salt Lake for the client to promote its behind-the-scenes involvement. We decided to arrange ride-alongs on a snow groomer following the completion of the Snowboard Half-pipe event, with reporters taking turns in the vehicle as it filled in the half-pipe and prepared the slope for the upcoming women’s downhill.  I received many calls in response to the news release but the best one I got came just a few days before the Olympics were start. It was Bombardier asking that I fly to Salt Lake to coordinate the event in person.

In February 2002, the memory and effects of 9/11 were still fresh, so travel and access to the Olympics was quite an experience. My hotel room was adjacent to the ski slope where the event was to take place, and I could see armed military personnel everywhere.

The day of the event was more than we could ask for, as the U.S. men swept the medals in the half-pipe (to be honest, I guess my Canadian clients weren’t as excited about that as I was). That evening, a crowd of Olympic officials and security, Bombardier reps, reporters and I gathered at the foot of the half-pipe and waited for the arrival of the snow grooming machine. As we waited, the Olympic officials encouraged us to explore the half-pipe. Within minutes, all of us were walking up the side of the half-pipe, dangling our feet over the edge, and then sliding down the walls of the half-pipe like little kids. After we were soaked, freezing and sweating all at the same time, the snow groomer finally appeared. It came to a stop just in front of us, and we each took turns climbing inside the cab to ride with the driver as he made his way up the slope, then turned around to head back down, pushing snow into the half-pipe, filling the void until it was smooth, flat and ready for the downhill skiers.

The event was a great success - even NBC’s Al Roker did a TV spot for the Today Show sitting on one of the snow groomers. But the best part was the incredibly rare and amazing opportunity I was given to be a part of the Olympic experience. And it is a memory that I will never forget.

-Michael Davis, Office of Emergency Services 

The 1984 Olympics were held in Los Angeles. Part of the path of the Olympic torch went through San Diego County, and I watched it from the intersection of 54^th Street & University Avenue. One of my classmates from Crawford High School even carried the torch for a bit. This summer, I will watch the Track & Field and Women’s & Men’s Basketball competitions. Hopefully softball will return in 2020.

-Danita Washington, HHSA, Child Welfare Services-Foster Care

I lived in Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympics. It was a fun time; a 24 hour party. People were trading Olympic pins like crazy. It was great for the City of Atlanta. Since I was on a budget, I went to the free events such as bicycle races and running marathons. There were free concerts at Centennial Olympic Park, which had replaced a slum. The French Olympic team came in to eat at the French pastry shop where I worked. Everything was fine, fun and good until a Tuesday, during the second week of the Olympics, when the crowded park was bombed. Many people were injured and two people died as a result of the blast. That took the air out of the Olympics. It was no longer fun. I stopped going to events. They tried to pin the blame on the police officer who had saved more people from being injured. It took a long time for him to clear his name, however eventually the right person responsible for the bombing was found.

-David S. Pilch, Public Defender’s Office

Like many others, my first experience seeing the Olympics in person was in 1984. My father picked the tickets so we saw Track and Field heats from the back of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. We saw many famous athletes but only from a great distance.

Fast forward to February 2010. My sisters and I had been to Vancouver many times and we had avidly watched the Olympics since the 1970s. So when we heard Vancouver would host the Winter Games in 2010, we knew we had to go.

I strongly advise everyone to go in person to the Olympics at least once in your life. Vancouver is always a lovely place to visit but there was something extra special about the city then. Total strangers talked to each other and locals went out of their way to make visitors feel welcome.

The Games were very well organized. Volunteers ready to help were everywhere and public transportation was free with an Olympics ticket so we were able to see a little of Vancouver before we went to our events.

There were many highlights. We saw Apolo Anton Ohno win his 7^th Olympic medal in Short Track Speed Skating and we saw J.R. Celski get a medal as well. Being Short Track Speed Skating fans, we recognized J.R. Celski’s mother and Apolo Anton Ohno’s father in the crowds.

The best part was meeting people in the crowds. We were all so excited to be there. When we saw one lady, who may have been from Japan, taking a picture of the rest of her group in front of an Olympic banner, we didn’t need to speak her language to know she wanted her picture taken with the rest of her group. We mimicked taking a picture of them and they agreed. So we took their picture in front of the Rings.

Standing in front of the Olympic torch was a magical moment. We spoke with a Vancouverite who was also trying to put the Olympic feeling into words. The best we could come up with was to say that at the Olympics we all felt like we were part of something bigger than ourselves. No matter which flag we were carrying we all felt proud of our country and we were all rooting for our home teams. We were human beings first. We were all part of one big family.

I wish I were going to London for the 2012 Games. Those who are going will have a fabulous experience.

-Brenna Ring, San Diego County Library - Rancho San Diego Branch

I feel very fortunate that I got to see a couple of Olympic events in person in 1984 and 1996.  In 1984, one of my cousins got tickets to the Diving Preliminaries where we watched the great Greg Louganis compete. My cousin and I were also impressed by a diver from Egypt who was only 13 years old at the time. In 1996, my family, along with my sister-in-law and her family drove to Atlanta the day after the bombing. I remember getting calls from friends asking if we would still go on with our trip and of course, you know the answer to that (silly) question. We got to see the superb Michael Johnson strut around the track with his golden shoes after winning the 200 meter event.

-Maria A. Munar, HHSA-Community Action Partnership

The closest I have been to any Olympic event was just before the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. I took my wife and three kids there a few weeks prior to the opening of the Games. (My kids would have school during the Games.) Even then, preparations were already in the final stages and everywhere you looked were symbols of the Olympics. Our hotel was right outside the Olympic Stadium, BC Place, where the opening and closing ceremonies would be held. I felt like I was at the Games when I stood outside the International Broadcast Center, visited Grouse Mountain where the NBC Today Show would broadcast daily, shopped for Olympic souvenirs, saw the Olympic rings illuminated by the harbor and posed in front of the Olympic Countdown. Just without the humongous crowd.

I want to inspire my kids to excel in a sport they love. Since they are into swimming, I enrolled them in swimming lessons and taught them myself. Now my daughters, ages 9 and 11, can swim comfortably in any pool. It’s primarily for their safety in water environments but also for fitness and the chance to earn a college scholarship one day or even a spot in the Olympic Team. Why not?

-Zulim Obispo, Department of Child Support Services

Above and Beyond and Into the Ocean

A small nine-month-old poodle is safe and dry after nearly being swept out to sea Thursday. Animal Control Officer Melissa Prettyman jumped into the water alongside the jetty at Hospitality Point to rescue the puppy.

It all started when a San Diego police officer called Animal Services to come out and assist her with capturing the black and gray animal. The dog was trapped on the jetty and wouldn’t let anyone near her, and there were fears the incoming tide would take the pooch along with it.

Officer Prettyman scrambled over the rocks along the entire length of the jetty all the way to end and wouldn’t you know it, the puppy made a U-turn and ran back the way it had come. About half-way back, the dog leapt into the water and the current started sweeping her toward Dog Beach and then out west into the waves.

A nearby surfer tried to help, but the frightened dog tried to bite him so the surfer couldn’t corral her. That’s when Prettyman jumped into the water herself and swam after the dog. The pooch tried to bite her as well but Prettyman managed to capture her and bring her safely to shore.

After bringing the poodle back to the animal shelter on Gaines Street, Prettyman dried off as well she could and went right back to work to deal with her next call.

Shelter officials called a number on the dog’s tag and it led them to the owners. The two were so happy to see her again, they nearly cried. They said Aurora had been missing for three days.   

As for Officer Prettyman, she said she felt like a billy goat climbing amongst the rocks on the jetty but that it’s all part of her job.

New County Web Page Answers Gift-Giving Questions

Plots of land. Artificial turf. Money.

Citizens regularly think of the County when they’re considering where to donate gifts. They’ve generously given all of these items and more in recent years. The gifts, which can be made in the form of cash or assets such as land or equipment, help support important community services and programs.

Questions about the process regularly arise, and now a new County Web page can help answer them. 

There, citizens seeking donation opportunities can get a better idea of the County’s needs and where they can contribute, from Animal Services’ Spirit Fund to donating funding to plant native trees in County parks. In all, more than 20 specific ideas and programs are listed.

The newly developed page also offers answers to Frequently Asked Questions, from whether donations or gifts are tax deductible to whether citizens can donate their time. (The answer is yes to both!) Check it out.

Dronenburg Receives Government Excellence Award in LA County

Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk Ernest DronenburgPublic service can bring all kinds of surprises.

Winning the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s 2012 Award for Excellence by a Government Official qualified as a big one for Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk Ernest Dronenburg.

In fact, it was so unexpected, Dronenburg hadn’t planned to be at the presentation at all.

Given to a top public sector tax professional—not necessarily from Los Angeles—each year, bar association officials presented this year’s award to Dronenburg on May 24 at the 2012 California Tax Practitioners’ Conference in downtown Los Angeles. About 600 people attended the event.

Organizers let Dronenburg know he was the winner to make sure he made it to the presentation. He had planned to leave the event early to catch a plane.

“I was surprised and honored,” he said. "I’ve been recognized many times for many things and it’s always a surprise because I just do my job.”  

Previous winners have included California State Controller John Chiang, former Los Angeles County Assessor Rick Auerbach and State Franchise Tax Board Executive Officer Selvi Stanislaus. Dronenburg was selected from a pool that included other county assessors, members of the state Assembly, attorneys and State Board of Equalization members, said Chris Matarese, a Glendale-based attorney who chaired the event.

“All the attorneys hold him in the highest regard,” Matarese said.

Before becoming San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk in November 2010, Dronenburg served 20 years on the California State Board of Equalization. During that time, he served five stints as Chairman and heard more than 20,000 tax appeals. He also wrote the initial rules for 1978’s Proposition 13, which capped property taxes across the state.

A graduate of San Diego State University with a degree in Business Administration, Finance and Accounting, Dronenburg also worked for 12 years as a national Tax Partner at accounting firm Deloitte & Touche. He served on the San Diego County Board of Education for six years.

Dronenburg has testified at the local, state, national and international levels on taxation, published several tax-related papers and been a frequent lecturer at universities and technical groups.

In his current position, Dronenburg said he has focused on customer service and efficiency. He re-opened Assessor/Recorder/Clerk offices in Kearny Mesa and Chula Vista and pushed the office’s closing times from 4 to 5 p.m. Dozens of additional forms are now available to the public online.   

Dronenburg also hired additional assessors to tackle a backlog of property tax assessment appeals, triggered largely by the economic downturn. The effort is saving the county over $2 million in its first year, he said.

Over the past few years, the number of assessment appeals has finally started to level off and is “not increasing by a significant amount” any more, he said.

“Things are pretty quiet now,” he said.