DPW Staff Recognized as IT Innovators of the Year

The new GIS program that DPW's Victoria Loftis and Mike Krosky helped develop maps and catalogues the County's more than 10,000 streetlights. It is shown here on a BlackBerry.

Victoria Loftis and Mike Krosky fix and monitor the County’s more than 10,000 streetlights. They also track and update the electrical infrastructure that connects them.

It’s a big task, and having precise, accessible records is essential.

So about two years ago, Loftis, an engineer technician, and Krosky, an electrician, set out to update the records and, working with GIS teams, create a sophisticated web-based program that can map and catalogue the streetlights. Last week they received the County’s 2012 IT Innovator of the Year award for their efforts.

The new GIS program can be accessed anywhere via smart phone on a secured site, saving tremendous amounts of resources and speeding up fixes and customer response times. Previously, they relied on hand drawn maps stored in a complex filing system, many of which were missing or outdated.

“It’s a simple tool but it provides great information and accuracy that we didn’t have before,” said their supervisor Carl Hickman, DPW’s program coordinator for Traffic Signal & Street Lighting Systems. “This makes their work much more efficient overall.”

Murali Pasumarthi, DPW’s Traffic Engineering Manager, said the upgrades are critical to public safety and protecting public infrastructure.

“They essentially automated the County’s electrical infrastructure,” he said.

The pair was selected from a pool of 10 winning IT Innovators named over the course of the 2011-12 fiscal year. After the first and third quarters of each fiscal year, the County identifies individuals or teams from each working group who have developed outstanding information technology.

Launched in late 2010, the program is part of a broader effort to increase County employees’ computer literacy. Any employee can submit a nomination by visiting the ITIQ Knowledge Center on InSite.

Victoria Loftis, left, and Mike Krosky, won the County's 2012 IT Innovator of the Year award. Loftis is an engineer technician and Krosky is an electrician, both in DPW. 

Loftis, who has worked for the County for eight years, and Krosky, who started at the County seven years ago, were recognized as the annual winners before County executives at a Jan. 10 meeting. They received plaques and an ovation.

Each day, Loftis receives dozens of emails from residents complaining of outages and broken streetlights. The County relies on these contacts because crews do not regularly monitor the fixtures. She also gets DigAlert requests from contractors, public utilities and others asking where electrical cables and conduits lie so as to prevent accidents. Previously, Loftis turned to several applications, including hand drawn maps stored in a complicated filing system, taking her hours each day. 

Now, she can turn to the updated database and electronic GIS program and gather the same information within minutes, saving the County hundreds of dollars a day.

“Now I couldn’t imagine not having this,” she said.

Loftis and Krosky then decide which cases to tackle for the day and head into the field. While Krosky focuses on streetlights, Loftis meets with the parties who have filed DigAlert requests. In the field, they use their BlackBerries to access the new GIS system.

The volume of cases they handle is staggering.

Krosky alone fixes between two and 14 streetlights a day. His record is 18 lights in one day.

To do that, he puts about 200 miles on his County-issued boom truck each day, reaching every corner of the County from Borrego Springs to Fallbrook to Otay Mesa. In all, he’s logged 201,000 miles on the truck.

He is out in the field most of the day, every day, rain or shine.

“I do whatever I have to do to get it fixed,” said Krosky.

Loftis, meanwhile, receives at least 50 DigAlert requests a day. She is required to respond to each within 48 hours, making accurate record keeping especially important. She researches each one, then may make between five and 10 site visits each day.

Among the many benefits of having updated records and a more efficient system, Loftis and Krosky can easily identify which streetlights are owned and maintained by SDG&E versus the County, eliminating billing errors. Staff can more easily identify where streetlights should be required in new development projects and those new lights and electrical infrastructure can be added to the program more easily, preventing future accidents.

Little by little, in between their day-to-day work, Loftis and Krosky would correct inaccurate records and work with the Public Works Department’s GIS team.

Loftis would work on it when she didn’t have meetings and on rainy days.

The work hasn’t stopped. Krosky continues to catalogue all streetlights with photos, which automatically register GPS coordinates. Sometimes, they come across streetlights that exist but aren’t even in their records.

As for the award, Loftis and Krosky say they are honored to receive it, but that they were just doing what needed to be done.

“This is what our job is,” Loftis said.

Library Director Wins Recognition from Alma Mater

Bard College has honored County Library Director Jose Aponte with the 2013 John Dewey Award for Distinguished Public Service. Bard College gives the award to Bard alumni for extraordinary contributions to the public sector. Aponte was nominated by the Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees for his leadership on two County Library programs.

One involves the award-winning Foreclosure Prevention HOME clinics which have provided $2.9 million in free housing assistance to San Diego County residents since 2009. The other program gives career assistance to ex-offenders who want to rejoin the workforce.  

“I am honored to receive the John Dewey Award and thrilled to join the ranks of prior award-winners who continue to set the bar for public service,” said Aponte. “The County Library is devoted to developing life-changing programs and services that will help our communities build the best lives possible.”

The award is named after American philosopher and educator John Dewey who has been called the father of progressive education.  

Probation Officers Take Part in Indoor Triathlon

Three deputy probation officers will be swimming, cycling and running for a good cause: a law enforcement triathlon that benefits youth programs and a law enforcement memorial fund.

 Fernando Gonzalez, Adam Stanton, and Vivian Miramontes, all assigned to the Post Release Offender Unit, are taking part in the “Tri-N-Harder-4-Kids” triathlon to raise money for students in the STAR/PAL police athletic league. The triathlon will take place from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, 4126 Executive Drive in La Jolla.

STAR/PAL   brings at-risk youth and law enforcement together for programs that promote youth safety through crime and violence prevention education, civic engagement and enrichment activities.

A portion of the money raised will also go to the San Diego Police Officer’s Association Law Enforcement Memorial Fund in memory of Officer Jeremy Henwood, a San Diego Police officer killed in the line of duty Aug. 6, 2011.

“Officer Henwood worked with Probation quite a bit doing searches, so he was known throughout our department,” said Supervising Probation Officer Carl Heidemann.

The indoor triathlon will include 10 minutes in a lap pool, a 20-minute stationary bicycle ride and a 15-minute treadmill run. The individual or relay team with the most distance gained within that time will be the winner in the challenge.

Other law enforcement agencies are also participating as well as firefighters, lifeguards and community leaders including San Diego City Councilman Kevin Faulconer, San Diego Police Assistant Chief Shelly Zimmerman, La Mesa Police Chief Ed Aceves, San Diego Fire Chief Javier Mainar and Harbor Police Chief John Buldoc.

To learn more about the event, visit http://www.starpal.org/.

Holiday “Biggest Loser”

Sabrena Marshall is $105 richer after winning weight loss challenge.

Some people gain up to 10 pounds during the holidays. Not Sabrena Marshall.

By watching what she ate and increasing her physical activity, she managed to not gain any weight. In fact, she lost 13 pounds.

The weight loss earned her the top spot on Behavioral Health Services’ (BHS) “Biggest Loser-Holiday Edition,” an adaptation of the popular weight loss competition on NBC.

“I AM THE WINNER.” she replied in capital letters when asked about the competition results.

Marshall, manager of strategic planning for BHS, bested 21 co-workers who each pitched in $5 to participate in the month-long competition.

Overall, the group managed to lose 46 pounds—nine lost weight, nine stayed the same and four gained a few pounds.

Marshall was so committed to the competition that during the group’s holiday luncheon she only ate salad (with dressing on the side) and minestrone soup. She did not touch the mouth-watering, buttery breadsticks.

She started to watch what she ate a month before the holiday competition began. Marshal also increased her speed when walking and jogging.

The result? Marshall lost 28 pounds over the last two months of 2012.

 “It was a last minute effort not to gain weight during the holidays,” said Marshall, who walked away with $105.

How did the group celebrate their accomplishment? With a “very healthy potluck.”

Hazardous Materials Specialist Takes Charge at Crash Scene

Todd Burton, a member of the County’s Hazardous Incident Response Team (HIRT), was driving home from work one afternoon last week when he came upon a collision at Black Mountain and Twin Trails roads just seconds after it happened. No emergency responders were yet on scene, although several motorists stopped to assist.

Burton, remembering his emergency response training, pulled over in his work truck to see if he could help.  

Two vehicles had collided leaving one  truck on its side with the driver  trapped inside. Then he noticed the pool chemicals and various containers spilling out of the truck bed.

Burton made sure someone called 9-1-1 then told everyone to stay away from the wet asphalt because it could be chlorine or acid leaking from the pool cleaning truck. His next concern was the driver stuck in the truck cab. Burton started talking to him through an open sliding window. The driver said he wasn’t  hurt and that he had not been exposed to any chemicals.

The driver, with the assistance of bystanders, jimmied the door open and  climbed out. Then Burton was “free to focus on all the hazmat stuff,” he said.

Burton began picking up containers and throwing  absorbent material on the spill. If the acid and chlorine mix it can create a chlorine gas and  quickly overcome people, Burton said. As it turned out, only some chlorine had spilled so that wasn’t an issue.

Burton met with responding officers and firefighters as they arrived on scene and reported the situation with the chemical spill. Neither of the drivers involved in the collision were hurt and the pool-cleaning truck driver was able to recover nearly all the chemicals for his job. Still, they were lucky a HazMat expert just happened upon the scene.

It’s all in a day’s work, said Burton, an environmental health specialist who has worked for the Department of Environmental Health for 18 years.

“Todd's modesty is grounded in the fact that any of his peers would have done the same.  They routinely respond to all types of chemical, biological and radiation emergencies. We're lucky to have such an expert group.  Few local jurisdictions, if any, have our capability,” said Michael Vizzier, chief of the Hazardous Materials division.

As it turned out, the City of San Diego’s hazardous materials team was dispatched to the scene, but Burton was already wrapping things up by then.

Employee’s Healthy Transformation Pays Off in Unexpected Ways

Sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Schaller before and after making a number of lifestyle changes to improve fitness.

Trying to kill time between meetings in downtown San Diego earlier this year, Sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Schaller went on a walk.   

He stumbled upon a crime in progress.

Out of nowhere, a barefoot man, high on drugs, began screaming and trashing a music shop nearby. The vandal threw a musical instrument against a mirror, shattering it. He walked over the broken shards, cutting his feet.

Schaller wasn’t even a patrol deputy at that time. He was serving as president of the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of San Diego County, the professional labor group representing more than 2,000 sworn Sheriff’s deputies. He planned to watch carefully so he could relay what he’d seen to the San Diego Police. Schaller wasn’t going to get involved beyond that. But after a customer stepped in to try to bring the vandal down, Schaller soon found himself thwarting the vandal’s attempts to bite, choke and kick him as he waited for backup.

That’s when Schaller had what he describes as an epiphany. The major life changes he’d made recently - exercising regularly, eating healthier and shedding 60 lbs. – had helped him at that important moment. He felt strong and able to hold the man off.

Struck by the unpredictability of the experience, he was incredibly grateful for the choices he had made.

“You never know when something like that is going to happen,” he said. “Are you in a condition where you’re going to be able to stay in the fight? Do you have the skills to deal with it?” 

The County is unveiling its 2013 Employee Wellness program this month, part of the County’s overall, Live Well, San Diego! initiative. Employees will be able to take advantage of free exercise programs, incentives and more. The County plans to offer free Zumba and yoga classes, starting at the County Operations Center this month as well as the Thrive Across America exercise incentive program, lunch-time information sessions where employees can learn about different aspects of health and much more. Check out the County’s Wellness Program site for more information.

Schaller’s health wakeup call first came in 2011 after stepping on a scale and seeing his weight had climbed higher than ever before: to nearly 350 lbs. He was more than 100 lbs. heavier than when he became a Sheriff’s deputy 20 years ago. Schaller said he has always been slightly heavy, but that the pounds slowly crept up over the years.

He also just didn’t feel well. He was tired all the time. He wasn’t getting enough sleep, wasn’t exercising and wasn’t eating right. He would wait too long between meals, then wolf down too much food. And what he ate was too often high fat, high calorie fast food. A lack of planning would lead him to make last minute decisions about meals, Schaller said.

Something had to change, he realized. 

“I knew where it was headed,” he said.

 He also found inspiration in a few of his co-workers at the Sheriff’s department, who had gone through dramatic transformations.

Schaller signed up for a weight loss program through his health insurance provider, Kaiser Permanente. He started drinking protein shakes and eating salads every day. He sharply dropped his daily calorie intake and started working out 30-40 minutes a day on the elliptical trainer.

It wasn’t easy, but soon, he had lost 20 lbs.

Kaiser provided counseling and also food education classes.

He has mostly kept the weight off, which he credits to his four to five workouts a week. He has switched up his exercise routine too, mountain biking with his son, working with a trainer and doing cross training workouts with kettle bells that give him both a cardio and strength-building exercise. He hopes to lose up to another 40 lbs. He plans to sharpen up his diet again this year.

One of the many benefits of his new lifestyle is the effect it has had on his children. Schaller calls his 11 year old son his “fitness buddy” – they go cycling together—and his nine year old daughter has gotten more active too.

“I don’t want to see them battle with the same stuff I did,” he said.

In an effort to encourage others, Schaller wrote about his transformation in a column in the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association’s magazine, Silver Star, in Feb. 2012.

“I hope my experience imparts on you, ‘If he can do it, so can I,” he wrote.

For more information about the County’s Employee Wellness program offerings for 2013, visit its website.

Credit Union Web Update Won’t Affect County Paychecks

County employees who bank with San Diego County Credit Union will need to call or go to an ATM or branch location this weekend to make  some  transactions.

The credit union is planning to temporarily shut down its online banking, mobile banking and SDCCU mobile deposit operations from 10 p.m. Friday until sometime Sunday in order to make some upgrades.

The outage will not affect employees’ direct deposit payments or other scheduled transactions, according to County and SDCCU officials.

Employees can access their accounts during the outage by visiting any SDCCU ATM, most branch locations or by calling (877) 732-2848. The credit union’s Saturday hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

When the online banking, mobile banking and SDCCU mobile deposit services go live again, they will feature new security updates when customers change their user IDs, passports or email addresses and a new online “dashboard” that can be customized to list account balances and other data.

For more information, visit the San Diego County Credit Union’s website or call (877) 732-2848.

"Blue Jeans for Newtown" Reaches Out to Sandy Hook Victims

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut has shaken and saddened the entire country.

It’s also left many of us wanting to do something — anything — to help.

San Diego County’s Auditor/Controller Office has come up with a unique way to raise funds to send to the people of Newtown: a project they’ve dubbed “Blue Jeans for Newtown.”

For as little as $3 (or as much as each person would like to donate), Auditor/Controller employees can buy a one-day “blue jean” pass that will let employees dress a little more casual than usual, starting Dec. 20.

All of the money collected will be given to the United Way Sandy Hook School Support Fund, which was created to help parents and families bury the 20 children and six adults killed at Sandy Hook Elementary, and to provide other support to the Newtown community.

Sean Sander, director of revenue and recovery for the Auditor/Controller, and James Bryant, senior auditor and controller, came up with the blue-jean pass idea.

Sander also said that it was quickly and enthusiastically approved by Tracy Sandoval, the new Finance and General Government Group General Manager/Auditor-Controller, and other managers. Another co-worker created a design for blue-jean passes in short order, and Sander said employees are already lining up to donate and help.

“I think when this (Sandy Hook shooting) happened, it shocked everyone,” Sander said. “You can just tell it’s on people’s minds…whether you have kids yourself, or grandkids. It’s on people’s minds and people are thinking, ‘well, what can I do about it?’

“This is a collaborative effort to show our support for the victims,” Sander said.

County Offers $100 Credit for Employee Health Screenings

Get your blood pressure and other health basics checked and get an extra $100 in your paycheck.

That’s the deal the County is offering to employees through June 30, in an effort to encourage health and wellness. The County wants to ensure employees “know their numbers” relative to chronic diseases.

Dubbed the Employee Health & Wellness Incentive Program, employees have to complete the health screening, get their doctor’s signature and fill out a Health Risk Assessment to qualify. In addition to checking employees’ blood pressure, the screening will also measure cholesterol and glucose levels, height and weight. Any employee can participate and qualify for the incentive, regardless of their health care provider.

“We want to encourage people to be proactive about their health and give them an incentive to go to their doctor before a serious condition develops,” said William Erese, the County’s wellness coordinator.

The County is not seeking individual data on employees. Erese said employees should not send their results to Human Resources, which is running the program. Kaiser Permanente and Anthem Blue Cross will compile results they receive and send them to the County in the aggregate form. The County will use that data to get a better sense of which health issues employees as a whole are facing and therefore which health-related programs and activities to offer.

To get started, visit the Employee Health & Wellness Incentive Program web page to access instructions and a confirmation form for the program. Employees need to fill out that form to participate.

Employees need to complete the screening by visiting their doctor or one of the Kaiser Mobile Health Vehicles, which will be visiting County offices in March. Obtain a doctor’s signature on the confirmation form.

Employees also need to fill out a Health Risk Assessment (HRA) through their provider. Kaiser Permanente and Anthem Blue Cross assessments are available on each of their websites or through the County’s Employee Health& Wellness Incentive Program web page.

Employees who use other insurance carriers will also need to complete same the steps: completing the screening and filling out the confirmation form and Health Risk Assessment through their health insurance providers.

Employees should then send their confirmation form (with their doctor’s signature) to the Human Resources’ Employee Benefits Division by: 

•          Mail at 5530 Overland Ave., Suite 210, San Diego, CA 92123
•          Fax at 858-694-3938
•          Mail Stop O7
•          Email at DHRBenefits.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov

For more information, visit the Employee Health & Wellness Incentive Program web page or call HR’s Employee Benefits Division at 858-550-2203.

Now that’s threading!

What does Public Works have to do with kitty cats? Well, nothing unless a road crew happens to hear some faint meowing. Then they are in the kitty cat rescue business!

Gaston Vidal and Glenn Millican from Public Works Station 14 don’t usually work a particular area of Jamul but several weeks ago they were out on Highway 94 at Peaceful Valley Road when they heard some plaintive meows. 

They tracked the sound to a storm drain and sure enough, there was a gray cat stuck inside about ten feet down. The crew called for reinforcements and Ashley Springfield of Animal Services responded to the scene. 

“This drain was a dangerous confined space with fumes, so I had to devise a plan to get the cat out of the drain safely,” said Springfield.          

Did I mention the sewer grate was on the 94 along with some busy traffic? No problem, Millican and Gaston set up some safety cones and removed the sewer grate. Now it was Springfield’s turn to work her magic.

She called the cat to her, but he was too scared to approach her. Maybe a little cat food might do the trick. Springfield dropped some down; the animal slowly came out of his hiding spot in the drain and began eating. Springfield continued talking to the cat softly and she managed to guide her catchpole down the hole, slip a cord around him and lift him to safety.

Amazingly enough, as she held him, he began to purr. And it didn’t stop even when the vet looked him over and found the cat was suffering from several fractures.

“During all of his vaccinations, all the poking and prodding, he still managed to be a love bug and purred the entire time,” said Springfield.

She also discovered he was microchipped. This little boy’s name was Zoom and he had disappeared five days earlier from his home 20 miles away. No one knows how he got to Jamul or what happened to him along the way.

Due to the high cost of his medical care, the owner decided to relinquish Zoom to Animal Services. The department used its Spirit Fund for animals with medical needs to pay for Zoom’s surgery.

Zoom is still recovering from his injuries but his future looks bright. His foster mom plans to adopt him as a Christmas gift for her two children.

Springfield couldn’t be happier.

“This is one of those calls that really touched me and reminded me yet again that I love what I do!" said Springfield. “This call from start to finish demonstrated a great cooperation between different departments in the County.”

A few faint meows, some good ears on the part of Public Works and soft words from an Animal Control Officer (OK, and a little kibble) and this little guy’s life was saved. Zoom is taking off again - well on his way to a happy home and warm lap land.     

Public Works employees and occasional cat rescuers Glenn Millican (left) and Gaston Vidal.