Momentum Building for New Asian Pacific Islander Group

It’s an idea more than three years in the making.

After much behind-the-scenes work, a group of employees is getting close to launching the County’s newest Employee Resource Group: the Asian Pacific Alliance of County Employees (APACE).

So far, they’ve got a core group of leaders. They’ve got the support of top County officials. And they’ve built an InSite page, website and a Facebook page.

Now, organizers are seeking input from you, their colleagues. They want to know how many of you may be interested in joining or even serving in a leadership position? Which kinds of activities are you interested in going to?

Organizers said APACE is asking employees to participate in this brief survey by Feb. 14.

“We’re trying to gauge interest in the group, and what employees are interested in” so that APACE’s leadership can plan effectively, said APACE Interim Secretary Mary Grace Sadile.

So far, in addition to a “core committee” of 20 employees, another 60 employees have expressed interest in joining.  

APACE Interim President Thai Sukrachan said organizers hope to expand that list in the coming months, leading up to a planned kickoff event in May, which is Asian Pacific American Heritage month. It’s still a ways away, but Sukrachan and Sadile said the event will offer multicultural food and costumes. Official elections and a meet-and-greet event are expected to take place next month. They are also starting to pursue non-profit corporation status.

“The momentum is continuing to build,” Sukrachan said. “It’s definitely a journey we’re on.”

The idea for the group first came about three years ago. That’s when Jose Mallari, a Filipino-American and an Administrative Analyst II in the Department of Public Works, first thought how great it would be to see a group of Asian Pacific Islanders, alongside the other employee resource groups at the County. Then, last year, he noticed the growth spurt of ERGs and decided to make the idea happen. Mallari is the group’s Interim Vice President.

The term Asian Pacific Islander describes people who come from or whose ancestors come from the Asian continent (including China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Thailand), as well as Hawaii, Guam, Samoa and other Pacific Islands.

To participate in the survey, visit APACE’s survey website and for more information, visit APACE’s website or email them at APACE@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Shining a Spotlight on African-American Culture, History

Supevisor Greg Cox presented a proclamation to (from left to right) Zenobia Howard, Toroshinia Kennedy and Debrah Champion, all of the African American Association of County Employees.The County’s new African-American employee resource group was recognized by the Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning, less than a year after forming.

Supervisor Greg Cox presented a proclamation to the African American Association of County Employees (AAACE) declaring February Black History Month in San Diego County. As part of the honor, he commended AAACE for its “outstanding leadership” in the short time since it formed in 2013.

“We’re delighted to have such an active and vibrant group of County employees that are focusing on encouraging employees in San Diego County to get training programs and to progress into leadership positions in the County,” Cox said. “It’s nice to have such strong representation of African-American employees in the County.”

A few AAACE leaders accepted the honor, including Interim President Zenobia Howard, Secretary Debrah Champion and Vice Chair of County Initiatives Toroshinia Kennedy.

Howard said she was elated when Cox’s office first invited her to accept the honor.

“I was just excited and honored all together,” she said.

Howard said the 121-member organization is thrilled to have such strong support from the Board of Supervisors and other top County officials.

Howard encouraged County employees to learn more about African-American culture and history this month by attending one of a few events planned in the coming weeks. This Saturday, Feb. 8, the San Diego County Library, AAACE and other sponsors will put on a Black History Month celebration at the Spring Valley Library from 1-4 p.m. The event is free. AAACE is also planning a Black History celebration Thursday, Feb. 13 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the County Operations Center’s plaza area. The events are open to everyone.

Employees can also visit such websites as the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC or the California African American Museum in Los Angeles.

AAACE also suggested the following books about African-American history and culture:

•    “Mirror to America, The Autobiography of John Hope Franklin”
•    “My Bondage and My Freedom,” by Federick Douglass and John David Smith
•    “The Souls of Black Folk,” by W.E.B. Du Bois
•     “The Mis-Education of the Negro” and “The Education of the Negro,” both by Carter G. Woodson
•    “Up from Slavery: An Autobiography” by Booker T. Washington
•    “Army Life in a Black Regiment,” by Thomas Wentworth Higgison.

What You're Checking Out at the Bookmobile

The San Diego County Library's bookmobiles visit various locations each week, including several County facilities.

See what your colleagues were checking in and out at the COC today and view the bookmobiles' schedules online.

Happy reading, watching and listening.

What You're Saying About the Kaiser Kiosk

Sometimes, the worst thing about seeing a doctor is just getting to the office. The County has a resource that let's you skip the trip.

Check out testimonials from County employees who have used (and love) the convenient Kaiser Kiosk located at 5530 Overland Avenue on the second floor.

Visit HR's website for more info on the kiosk. 

County Rewards Employees’ Bright Ideas with Awards, Cash

From left, DIBBS winner Felipe “Gen” Gonzalez, Jr., Supervisors Dave Roberts and Ron Roberts, DIBBS winners Philip Larson and Julieta Espiritu, Chairwoman Dianne Jacob, and Supervisors Greg Cox and Bill Horn.

There had to be a faster way to crunch the numbers.

Felipe “Gen” Gonzalez Jr. was new on the job as an associate accountant at the Department of Child Support Services. He noticed how much time and energy it took for his colleagues on the audit team to check figures on cases. They would type and re-type the numbers into calculators, using the copy and paste functions over and over again. They would then check one another’s work.

“There was a large possibility for human error,” said Gonzalez, who was recently promoted to Audits and Contract Monitoring Manager.

Not only that, Gonzalez thought cutting down on all the copying and pasting might be a better way to work – ergonomically speaking.

For that, Gonzalez was among a handful of employees recognized by the Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning as the 2013 winners of the Do It Better By Suggestion (DIBBS) Program. Begun in 1958, the program encourages employees to look for ways to save the County money and time by rewarding them with a portion of the anticipated savings.

The six employees recognized received between $50 and $2,513.50 for their suggestions. In addition to Gonzalez, who received $1,000, they include:

-Julieta Espiritu, a Probation Aide with the Probation Department, won $50 for her suggestion to use an electronic worksheet to collect client information and store it on a shared drive, saving Probation Officers time gathering information for their cases.

-Andrew Gerdeman, a Senior Protective Services Worker for the Health and Human Services Agency, won $241.50 for his suggestion to purchase monthly parking passes instead of daily tickets at a parking lot near the Hall of Justice. The idea is expected to save the County several thousand dollars annually.

-Philip Larson, a Senior Electronic Security and Systems Technician, and Rick Derkatz, an Electronic Security & Systems Technician, of the Department of General Services, each received $2,513.50 for their suggestion to replace telephone lines that connect to building fire and burglar alarms and monitoring stations with radio transmitters. Eliminating more than 400 phone lines saves the County $45 per line, or thousands of dollars.

-Joel Madero, an Election Worker Specialist with the Registrar of Voters, received $1,000 for his suggestion to update the process for verifying voter addresses in newly reapportioned or redistricted precincts. The improved process cuts down on manual data entry errors, as well as the time it takes to review and correct addresses and the staff time needed for the work.

 In Gonzalez’s case, his manager at the time, Brenda Jaeger-Das, said she had asked him to look into the process and “clean up the form” used for the financial auditing.

He “went above and beyond” what she had asked, coming up with suggestions on how to make it better, she said.

Gonzalez said he was surprised but thrilled to win.

For more information or to submit an idea for the DIBBS program, visit the DIBBS page on InSite.

Shared Recipes: Keeping the Super Bowl Super Healthy

We're ditching the fried fare and greasy junk food this weekend and instead whipping up lighter, healthier options for the Super Bowl game.

County employees submitted their favorite healthy snacks to munch on — guilt-free — during the big game and we're sharing them with you. Throw these side dishes together on Sunday, toss in some healthy competition and cheer a little louder knowing that all this food won’t be weighing you down.

Want to share your recipe? Email Us by 5 p.m. Jan. 30 and your recipe could be featured!

Click on each of the recipes for a printable version.

Lentil Bruschetta Dip (Submitted by Shannon Singler, Parks and Rec)

Weight Watchers Jalapeno Poppers (Submitted by Mary Ann Merrell, Communications)

Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip (Submitted by Melanie Ngo, HHSA)

100% Natural Guacamole (Submitted by Monica Magale, HHSA)

Salmon Cream Cheese Spread (Submitted by Debra Polomsky, HHSA)

Access Flex Benefits on the Go

A new app is making filing flex benefits claims a lot quicker and easier.

ASI Flex, the company that handles flexible spending account benefits for the County, recently unveiled the new smartphone app, which allows users to view their accounts via mobile devices.

Employees can use the free app to file claims and take and send photos of receipts or other documents.  

To download the new ASI Flex app, go to Google Play or the iPhone App Store and then search for ASI Flex.

Mobile apps, or application software, allow smartphone and tablet users to perform all sorts of tasks, from checking the weather or shopping to temporarily turning their device into a flashlight. This type of software has exploded in popularity in recent years.

For more information, visit ASI Flex’s website or contact HR’s Employee Benefits Division at (888) 550-2203 or the Benefits InSite page.

Employees Answer Call to Count Homeless

Supervisor Greg Cox speaks with a man on the street while taking part in the Point In Time count Friday.

Hundreds of County employees stepped up and volunteered to take part in the Point-In-Time homeless count Friday. In fact, more than 400 employees set their alarm clocks early so they’d be ready to hit the streets for a 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. stint.  

The annual snapshot in time is part of the “WeALLCount” campaign by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless. The final count is used to apply for federal funding and it also helps County staff identify the scope of the problem and work on solutions to best serve this at-risk population.

Last year, the region’s combined total came to 8,879 men, women and children, the third highest number in the nation. They included veterans, families, substance abusers, those living with HIV/AIDS, the chronically homeless and victims of domestic violence.   

Supervisors Greg Cox and Ron Roberts led the County’s volunteer effort Dec. 3 by asking their fellow supervisors to allow employees to participate on paid County time and the Board agreed.

“The spirit of volunteerism among our County employees is very strong,” said Supervisor Ron Roberts. “We knew all we had to do was ask for help. They responded by the hundreds.”

Supervisor Cox was among those who took part in the count Friday morning.

“It was an eye-opening experience. We talked with several homeless individuals, including a veteran and a pregnant woman. The experience was humbling and helped me gain a better understanding of the gaps in services and the many challenges facing these individuals,” said Supervisor Cox. “I want to thank the hundreds of County employees who answered the call to volunteer for this critical event. Together, our efforts will make a difference.”

Housing and Community Development's Kelly Duffek (standing, right) gets instructions on which area her team will count before heading out.County volunteers were asked not to approach anyone but just count the number of people they saw on the streets. If the homeless approached them, volunteers could ask if they would be open to an interview by others at a later date. Volunteers were able to request certain neighborhoods and go out in teams of two or three with their co-workers.    

Housing and Community Development (HCD) took the lead on coordinating the employee effort, but those who stepped forward came from across County departments and included executives and other top managers.

“The support from all levels at the County and the response to the call for volunteers was awesome.  Even better were the personal stories people shared with me regarding their experience; I can say I am truly proud to be a County employee,” said HCD Director Todd Henderson. “A huge thank you to all that woke up early to make a difference! And to those that missed the chance, stay tuned for next year…”

Health and Human Services Agency staff taking part in the count included (left to right) Diana Carillo, Robert Krause, Julie A. Bruno, Barbara Jimenez, Henry Tarke and Maria Ana Jimenez.

Spread the Health: Share Your Successful Wellness Story

Attaining a desired goal is always something to be proud of, but sharing your success makes it that much sweeter.

The County’s Wellness Program  is looking for employee stories to share in its “Hall of Champions.” Wellness Coordinator William Erese said he hopes the success stories inspire others to be healthy and make a change.

Do you have an inspiring story about personal weight loss? Have you gained healthy eating habits or a love for all-things fit? Share it with your colleagues! Send a short summary of your success story — with photos — to DHRBenefits.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Employees can check out the Hall of Champions site on beginning in the second quarter of the program, which begins in April, to see their own success stories and their co-workers’ efforts at maintaining a healthy life.

What Are Those Large, Plywood Boxes?

These plywood boxes will be molds for the concrete fountains at the CAC's future Waterfront ParkIf you’ve had a chance to look out on the north side of the County Administration Center this week (or the south side last week), you may have noticed a long row of large, plywood boxes. These hollow boxes, which initially look like storage units or even tunnels, are actually the formwork for concrete that will eventually be the foundation for the water fountains on both ends of the building.Large pipes carrying the 81,400 gallons of water will sit underneath this concrete work.

“Think of it as a mold,” Project Manager Suzanne Evans said. “These will form the steps of the fountain.”

The large wooden structures, which measure about five feet high, six feet wide and 400 feet long, essentially will be housing the pipes that will carry the 81,400 gallons of water through the fountains. Concrete will be poured over each wooden box — and fortified with rebar — in about six different stages.

Evans said there is a plywood box made for each future water jet — with a total of about 30 jets for both the north and south fountains, combined.

The south side of the CAC is one step ahead of the north side, but visions of plywood will soon be forgotten as engineers are fine-tuning fountain operations with a mock-up model.The south side formwork is a step ahead the north side, with added support beams and some stages of concrete pouring complete. 

Completion of the entire Waterfront Park is projected for this spring.

Leonard Pinson, Property Manager of the CAC, said water for the fountains will be retained in a large underground storage tank located in the same building with the fountain pumps and new CAC chillers in the northeast corner of the park.