Probation, DA Staff Lead Shop With a Cop Spree

Deputy Probation Officer Michael Keeley and two lucky girls take a breather during a previous Shop With a Cop event.
After 12 months of planning and fundraising, it’s now down to the little details for Saturday’s 20TH Shop With a Cop. The holiday event involves law enforcement from across the region but is cohosted this year by the County Probation Department and District Attorney’s Office. It pairs underprivileged children with an officer or two and gives them a fun morning that culminates in a $100 shopping spree at Target.

Supervising Probation Officer Linda Yoakum-Latimer and Supervising District Attorney Investigator Julio Barrios usually participate by taking a child shopping, but this time they took the lead in planning the event.

“It’s been challenging, but our goal was to raise the bar on it,” said Yoakum-Latimer of all the planning and fundraising.

The goal was met by reaching out to the community more with fundraising, coming up with new fundraisers such as a softball tournament and a motor poker run, inviting all law enforcement agencies in the County and hosting a logo design contest among Juvenile Hall youth, she said. The final logo was a combination of the three best entries, said Yoakum-Latimer.

Shop With a Cop is such a positive experience for the children and officers, said Yoakum-Latimer. She is thrilled that she had this opportunity to organize this year’s event with the help of other probation officers and the District Attorney’s Office.  

“It’s certainly a worthwhile function, it is worth the effort, but it is time consuming. Linda has been an absolute rock star with this event. It could not have happened without her,” said Barrios.

The planning committee sent out corporate letters to get sponsorships and organized fundraising events to raise enough money to hold the event. SeaWorld, Target, STAR/PAL, and the San Diego Crime Commission also help sponsor the event.

This year, approximately 330 third-grade children were selected by school counselors to go on the shopping spree and approximately 360 officers from law enforcement agencies across the county including federal and state officers will participate. The kids and their law enforcement partners will also be treated to breakfast and a private animal show at SeaWorld first before caravanning over to the Midway area Target store with lights and sirens blaring.

Yoakum-Latimer happily lists all the things that are planned which includes having Chief Probation Officer Mack Jenkins lead the caravan, Santa Claus flying overhead in a police helicopter and then landing at Target, free giftwrapping for the children, and a law enforcement vehicle display fair.

“It’s about giving and it’s kind of an exciting thing. My heart is in this,” said Yoakum-Latimer.

String, Spaghetti and Scotch Tape

Click image to view larger

Sounds like the title of a movie but really they are just tools in the HR training toolbox. So are scavenger hunts and marshmallow challenges. Recent graduates of the Dynamic Management Seminars (DMS) made the discovery during on-the-job training.

Employees with management potential were nominated from all five groups to take part in the latest round of seminars so they could get a broader idea of how the County operates.

So what does that have to do with string, spaghetti and scotch tape? All three are part of the marshmallow challenge.  Teams compete to see who can build the tallest tower with those three items and still have it withstand the weight of a marshmallow. The key word is teams. The marshmallow challenge is a team- building exercise.     

In another lesson, the 33 DMS participants read clues on cards, then took part in a scavenger hunt at the County Operations Center to learn about the three different County initiatives: Safe Communities, Sustainable Environments and Healthy Families.

FGG CAO Staff Officer Andrew Strong was surprised at the ‘out-of-the-box’ training methods but more importantly he gained a new appreciation of the County’s inner workings.

“I thought the content was well thought out and it gave you a thorough look of what’s behind the curtain of County business,” said Strong. 

And that’s just it. Fun and games aside, the seminars have a serious purpose. Participants already know their piece of the puzzle, how their department works. The seminars are designed to show them how all the pieces come together to create the big County picture. The program ran every Friday for eight weeks, sometimes for half days and other times for full days. Some students were impressed at the amount of time and resources the County devoted to the training.

“The training was an eye opener to me,” said Treasurer/Tax Collector Assistant Manager Ezequiel Vasquez. “The General Managers and even Helen came to speak to us.”    

That would be Helen as in Chief Administrative Officer Helen Robbins-Meyer. She talked about regional leadership during one of the sessions. County Counsel Tom Montgomery discussed the County’s scope of authority at another. The five group general managers took part in a panel discussion where they talked about their experience at the County and how they got to where they are today.  

“As a manager, your ability to grow and learn will be a valuable asset as you move through the organization,” said Assistant Chief Administrative Officer/Chief Operating Officer Don Steuer.    

The seminars also allowed participants to work on presentation and communication skills. They took the Myers Briggs personality test which helped them learn more about themselves and how to work well with different personalities.

“One of the strongest things I learned was to identify who we are (in terms of personality type), what they are and how to work with them,” said Environmental Health Specialist Bao-an Huynh.   

Not only did these students learn about personality types, they also learned more about each other and the departments where they work. Normally, they wouldn’t come across each other in their day-to-day lives. But now, if one has a question about another department or group, they know who to contact and get the answers they need.

Remember the string, spaghetti and scotch tape? These students will. As odd as it might sound, those three items were among the building blocks of a dynamic management course. No matter where they go at the County or what they do, they’ve learned skills that will hold them in good stead throughout their careers.    

Three Simple Things to Do to Be Better Prepared

Part of being committed to safety is being ready for emergencies. Watch the video to learn three things you can do today to be more prepared. Get more preparedness information from ReadySanDiego.org and more on workplace safety from the Work Safe, Stay Healthy website. 

Mo' Power to 'Em!

Click image to view largerThese guys may or may not have moustaches next time you see them. But they did for "Movember," the annual November event in which men grow moustaches to raise funds for and awareness about men's health issues. The County team The Noblest Motive raised nearly $4,000 for the cause.

Healthy Dessert Recipes? Piece of Cake!

Healthy eating doesn’t have to mean skipping dessert.

Pumpkin pie, chocolate chip cookies, carrot cake—there are healthier ways to prepare just about any of your favorite dishes.

If you have a favorite healthy dessert recipe, please share it! The Department of Human Resources is holding a contest again this year in search of the best healthy holiday dessert recipe.

The recipes all must be low-calorie, said William Erese, the County’s Wellness Coordinator.

The deadline to submit a recipe entry is 5 p.m. this Friday, Nov. 29! Email it to DHRBenefits.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov.  Download entry form View contest rules

The winning recipe will be chosen by a panel of judges, to include three chefs from the COC Cafeteria and two randomly selected County employees. HHSA employee Noel Avilucea won last year.

All entrants will receive a mini-juicer as a reward, and depending on how far contestants go, they will receive additional prizes. The winning recipe will be prepared and served at the COC Cafeteria as the “recipe of the day” in late December.

Online Appointment System Earns Innovation Award

She knew the online system for vaccination appointments at the South Public Health Center would be a success. Clients had been asking for it for a while.

What Paulina Bobenrieth did not know was that the system would earn her the Innovator of the Quarter award from the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA).

“I was pleasantly surprised and delighted,” said Bobenrieth, public health nurse manager for HHSA’s southern region. “I was so honored.”

Launched nine months ago, the Online Appointment System makes it is easier and more convenient for patients to make appointments and helps them avoid unnecessary trips when getting vaccinations for themselves or their children.

“Some clients need to be in and out, so it was really important to be more efficient with vaccination appointments,” said Bobenrieth, who has worked for HHSA for 10 years.

Bobenrieth said a recent survey indicated nearly 97 percent of clients said it was “easy” or “very easy” to use.

“The clients could not be happier,” she said.

The system, available in English and Spanish, was initially a pilot project at HHSA’s South Public Health Center, one of the busiest in the County.

Prior to implementing the new system, immunization appointments at the center were available only on a first-come, first-served basis. When the clinic reached capacity, clients had the option of calling 2-1-1 or returning another day. Now clients can schedule an online appointment and be in and out, fully vaccinated, within 20 minutes.

The online appointment system has been such a success, HHSA has decided to continue using it and will soon be expanding it to all County public health centers. The system has improved access to vaccines, part of the County’s Live Well San Diego initiative.

Currently, only 30 percent of vaccination appointments—about 300 per month—can be made using the new system, but Bobenrieth said they plan to increase the figure to 50 percent sometime next year to continue reducing the wait time at the facility and decrease disruption of clients’ work or school schedules.

“It’s easier for the clients and it’s easier for us,” said Bobenrieth. “It runs itself.”

Resource Groups See Growth Spurt

New Pacific Islander, LGBT, African American Employee Groups Emerging

The African American Association of County Employees held its kickoff event in October. Click image to see larger.

One is off and running, and two more are planning launches early next year, bringing to five the number of employee resource groups that will soon be available at the County.

In addition to the County’s well-established Latino and Filipino employee organizations, an African-American group has formed. New LGBT and Asian Pacific employee groups are also developing.

The new African American Association of County Employees (AAACE) held its kickoff celebration Oct. 28. More than 160 people attended the event, including Chief Administrative Officer Helen N. Robbins-Meyer, Supervisor Dave Roberts and Joe Cordero, the Director of the County’s Office of Ethics and Compliance.

Cordero said the resource groups are central to the County’s commitment to diversity and inclusion and play a “rapidly increasing role in the recruitment, retention, talent development of all employees, as well as in supporting County initiatives.”

For example, he said the groups are doing an outstanding job connecting the County’s Live Well San Diego efforts with members and with traditionally underserved populations in the community. The groups have also helped raise intercultural awareness and employee appreciation, which benefits everyone, he said.

AAACE President Alison Hunter said her group surpassed its membership goal of reaching 100 by Nov. 1, reaching 120 members. A total of 17 became officers and members of the board of directors at an induction ceremony last month. A long list of activities is also planned, including scholarship and mentor programs for high school students and outings to three Chargers games next month. An event that may be of particular interest to many County employees is a Dec. 3 panel discussion at which County executives will offer tips for career success.Like most ERG activities, it is open to all employees.

AAACE formally incorporated in August and is in the process of becoming a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. When that happens, employees can make tax-deductible donations.

Meanwhile, the new LGBT employee group is coming along as well, with an official launch expected early next year. About 60 employees have expressed interest in joining so far, said Wes Moore, a policy advisor for Supervisor Dave Roberts. Its official name will be the County of San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Association, or the LGBT Association.

Moore said the group came up with bylaws and articles of incorporation and plans to hold elections and a launch party in early 2014.

A brand new, fifth group of Asian Pacific Islander employees is also forming. The Asian Pacific Alliance of County Employees (APACE) already has interim officers and an interim board of directors in place. About 20 employees have been meeting twice a month to “build a framework for what we hope the group will become,” said Thai Sukrachan, the interim president and an Administrative Analyst III in HHSA’s Dept. of Aging & Independence Services.

The group is open to anyone, and plans to hold official elections and a meet-and-greet event early next year. Also in the works is a multicultural kick-off event during Asian Pacific Islander month in May 2014 featuring food, costumes and maybe even a parade.

The term Asian Pacific Islander includes people of Asian heritage, including from Japan, China, Korea, the Philippines and Samoa, from the Indian Subcontinent, including from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan, and from the Pacific Islands.
The idea of creating an organization focused on this range of cultures stems back three years. The growth spurt of ERGs seen this year inspired Jose Mallari, a Filipino-American and an Administrative Analyst II in the Department of Public Works, to move forward with the goal. Mallari wanted to start a group that would include employees of a longer list of cultures and backgrounds, in addition to Filipino-American employees. He then approached the leaders of the County of San Diego Filipino-American Employees Association seeking their support.

“I asked if they would mind me proposing a broader network that would give more options and advantages than a single country would give,” Mallari said.

The Filipino-American group voted to stay separate but support his effort.

When he saw what he called the boom in ERGs this year, Mallari said he decided to push forward with the idea.

The group has executive sponsors and a website and InSite page are being developed as well.

For more information on the Latino, Filipino-American or African American employee resource groups, visit their pages on InSite. For more information on the new LBGT employee group, email Wes Moore at Wesley.moore@sdcounty.ca.gov and for more information on the new Asian Pacific Alliance group, email Thai Sukrachan at thai.sukrachan@sdcounty.ca.gov or Mary Grace Sadile at marygrace.sadile@sdcounty.ca.gov.

“It’s Not Your Grandmother’s Needlepoint”

It’s all about breaking rules and being creative for Senior HR Officer Shirley Chin.

“At work I have to deal with conflict and conform to rules,” she said, “but with needlework I don’t have to follow the rules. It’s a great way to take the stress away.”

But if you saw her intricate work you might think it would be exceedingly stressful to make all those tiny stitches (see examples below).

Chin, who works in the Agriculture, Weights and Measures department, is an award-winning needlework expert. She has been president of the local chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild three times, and she teaches others how to do it. Her diminutive projects take months to complete.

For example, she won first prize at the San Diego County Fair this summer with a small heart-shaped piece made out of 18-karat gold thread. To create it, she used the same needlepoint technique that has been employed since the Middle Ages to create ornate, ecclesiastical garments for priests.

It took her about six months to create a little gingerbread house that is actually an etui, a French word for a small ornamental case that holds tiny valuables, especially sewing instruments or cosmetics. The gingerbread house took a second place at the County Fair this year.

“A long time ago, needles would be handmade and were valuable so women would keep them in these special containers,” Chin said. The gingerbread house has a pin cushion and places to keep multiple needles.

She tries to put her two daughters into her projects, too. At the back of the gingerbread house you can see their faces peering out the windows. Chin printed the girls’ pictures on special fabric before sewing them into the little house. On other pieces she has hidden their initials somewhere in the elaborate work.

One piece that is a picture of flowers and butterflies displays different kinds of “thread painting” techniques including actually painting on the fabric, fusing Japanese paper and needlepointing with real gold and silver foil.

Some might ask, “What is the difference between needlepoint and embroidery?” It’s in the fabric, she explained. If the fabric has a loose weave and you count your stitches to complete a pattern, it is needlepoint. If the fabric is silk or has a tight weave, you embroider on top of it.

 “This is not your grandmother’s needlepoint,” she laughed. Chin explained she uses suede thread, glow-in-the-dark thread, silver and gold thread, and wire thread.  Also, she hates doing pillows - a traditional use for needlepoint.

“Pillows are boring. I like to push the boundaries of a traditional medium. I like to take something that is two-dimensional and make it three-dimensional. Plus these materials are different from what our grandmothers used,” she said.

A few years back Chin was a crime victim advocate in the District Attorney’s Office. She found that creating something with her hands helped release the terrible negative energy she encountered so much in her work. She also said working imaginatively on her off hours makes her more creative on the job.

Chin almost always has a dozens of projects in the works. When she tires of one technique, she moves to another technique on a different project. Chin does her needlework at her daughters’ dance rehearsals, while watching TV, at airports and on special needlework cruises. Soon she will branch out and create her own designs.

“This is fascinating. I love to use my imagination and see it come to life,” she said.

Saving a Life: Her Own

Patricia “Patti” McCauley knew for a long time that she must do something about her weight.

Severely overweight after the birth of her third child in 2001, McCauley’s doctor leveled with her. If the legal secretary in the County Counsel’s office didn’t lose weight and change her lifestyle, her doctor said she would probably not see her daughter graduate from high school. Her key health indicators—her blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and body mass index—were sky high, which was especially dangerous for someone with diabetes - like her.

“I was literally dying,” said McCauley, who is now 51 years old. “This was frightening to me because I want to see my daughter and son graduate and get married and be a grandma.”

But for years, she struggled to find the motivation to change. She kept using food as a comfort, packing excessive pounds onto her petite, 5 foot, 2 inch frame. She often felt terrible—tired, sick, sad, depressed. But her doctor’s suggestion of shrinking her portions didn’t work.

Finally, two months ago, McCauley took a dramatic step. She started a liquid-only diet, through a medically-supervised Kaiser Permanente program. Her doctor suggested it, though liquid-only diets aren’t for everyone. It hasn’t been easy, but so far she’s lost nearly 30 lbs. and those alarmingly high vital readings have plummeted into normal or near-normal ranges. She plans to drop up to another 60 lbs.

McCauley just plain feels better, too. Her chronic pain has lessened and she feels more energetic and upbeat.

“People keep telling me I look happier,” she said. “I am happier.”

The program isn’t only about the physical. It also includes weekly group therapy sessions where participants talk things out.

McCauley wants other employees to know that if she can find the strength to make such a drastic turnaround, so can they.

“I’m just a worker bee here,” she said, adding that she loves her job. “I’m not an exercise guru, I’m not out running marathons. But I’m losing the weight.”

So, what caused her to take action?

After years of what she describes as being in denial, the County’s health and wellness offerings helped nudge her to pay more attention to her health. She started hearing about and attending “lunch and learn” events organized by the Employee Wellness Program, including one on diabetes taught by William Erese, the County’s Wellness Coordinator.

Erese also talked to the County Counsel’s office and shared information that astounded McCauley. He talked about the importance of health and fitness and sharing tips like on the importance of drinking water and eating vegetables and fruits.

“I know in my heart that God was trying to tell me something because I kept getting signs everywhere that something must change,” McCauley said. It started with Erese, then her friends, husband and doctor all were pleading with her to do something. Her husband had also lost a significant amount of weight not long before.

“I was miserable in my own skin and did not want to go on with this self-destructive behavior,” she said.

Growing up, McCauley said she didn’t have a problem with her weight. But she started to struggle with depression in her early 20s after losing her first child to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). She started to overeat to try to ease the pain, and her weight starting rising.

Two months ago, her weight had climbed higher than ever, and her blood pressure read 165/90 mm Hg, which is far above the normal range of less than 120/80 mm Hg, according to the Mayo Clinic. Meanwhile, her triglycerides (cholesterol) measured at 1,200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) compared to a healthy range of less than 200mg/dl. And her blood sugar levels were 365 mg/dL, far above the normal reading of less than 100 mg/dL.

Just six weeks into the liquid diet, her weight has dropped nearly 30 lbs. and her blood pressure is now measuring at 111/72 mm Hg. Her blood sugars are at 130 mg/dL. She believes her triglycerides are down too.
Erese said he is “most impressed by” McCauley’s health numbers.

“It shows you that when regular County employees become proactive about their health, they do amazing things,” he said.

McCauley is quick to admit that she hasn’t been perfect on this strict liquid diet. She’s supposed to consume just five vitamin- and mineral-rich shakes a day and up to two bowls of clear soup. She admits she has slipped in pieces of cheese or meat here and there, but she tries to not get too down about it. She gets a lot of encouragement and support from her co-workers.

Another addition to her day-to-day routine is exercise. McCauley tries to work out at least 30 minutes three times a week, either by walking outside with her 12-year old daughter or watching and following walk-in-place DVDs. Her daughter has been very supportive and is thrilled with the changes her parents have made, McCauley said.

Dropping solid foods from her diet cold turkey hasn’t been easy, and integrating them back into it probably won’t be either. The program McCauley is participating in will help guide her slowly back into solid foods, including offering classes on healthy eating and cooking. She knows the holidays are going to be challenging, but she plans to bring her shakes and soup to get-togethers, or just skip the events when she thinks it may just be too difficult.

The struggle has been worth it for McCauley.

“I am not perfect--I am a work in progress,” she said. “But with determination and by the grace of God, I am a strong, capable woman who can get through anything because I am a survivor.”

Our Annual Report is Out (And About!)

The County’s latest annual report has been published and you can check it out here on this website, the CAO’s web page, your home computer or wait for it --- your smart phone!

That’s right, this year for the first time ever, you’ll be able to read the County’s annual report on your smart phone.

And no, despite its name or any fusty reputations about reports in general, it won’t take a year to read the annual report. It’s designed to be a snapshot; a very, very condensed version of the Op Plan along with some extra accomplishments and fun facts and figures.

Just check out what interests you. Scan the headings and pick a topic. You can see the County’s accomplishments at a glance. If you want more detail, link to the County News Center story or video next to the various snippets of information.

Who knows, maybe you’ll see yourself or your co-workers in one of those stories. Show off what we’re doing to your friends and family. While it’s called the County’s annual report, you - the employees - make the County of San Diego the success story worth reading. Be proud!