Supervisor Dianne Jacob presented the honor to Nancy Flynn.
One volunteer brings more than music to a County facility, she brings smiles. Nancy Flynn was recognized as the San Diego County Volunteer of the Month at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting for sharing her gift of music at Edgemoor Skilled Nursing Facility.
Flynn plays piano at the facility in Santee, providing hours of entertainment to residents who are seriously ill or disabled.
Nancy Flynn
“Love Your Heart” is a campaign we hold near Valentine’s Day to improve public health by giving people free blood-pressure checkups.
The human trafficking task force we established in January will protect women, girls, children and men from being forced into prostitution and slavery.
The special procurement conference we held in October was created to make sure taxpayers get the best bang for their buck whenever local governments buy the tools, equipment or contract services they need to do the public’s business.
On the surface, these are all very different programs. But if you look deeper, they have some very important things in common.
Teamwork. Leverage. Partnerships — regional partnerships. And audaciousness.
Last February, I wrote about the importance of setting audacious goals. Not small, incremental objectives, but exciting, big-thinking challenges that can take us to the next level of excellence in how we serve the public.
One of the audacious goals we set last year was to put new emphasis on our regional partnerships with other agencies, groups and our sister cities, including the City of San Diego — to raise awareness about the partnerships we have and to build more of them.
Now, we’ve had long-standing contractual agreements with cities for many years to deliver all kinds of services. For example, the County Sheriff’s Department serves as law enforcement for nine of the county’s 18 cities, as well as our unincorporated areas. And we provide animal services, elections, vector control and beach water monitoring services countywide.
But we haven’t always immediately jumped at the chance to expand upon that teamwork. And we have often made it a point to remind people that our services are the County of San Diego’s, not the City of San Diego or other cities or groups.
It’s easy to understand. We’re rightfully proud of our work and services. Our County team does great things.
But I think it’s time to focus on building more partnerships rather than setting ourselves apart. It’s time for us to start thinking about how we can best serve the public overall, which often times means sharing initiatives with other jurisdictions, rather than drawing a line between what’s ours and what’s theirs.
Why? Because it’s become very clear to me that the public, our customers, do not know the difference between the services that the cities or the County provides. They just want the services to be there, to be excellent and effective.
Teaming up with other agencies and cities can give us the leverage to make our programs and initiatives more powerful — and available to help more people.
Just look at how we’ve improved fire protection and emergency medical services in our region, thanks to the leadership and vision of our Board, by working with rural fire agencies to create our San Diego County Fire Authority and to buy equipment and resources.
And look at how we’ve partnered with cities and agencies to help spread the message of Live Well San Diego.
So, we are expanding our regional partnerships. Here are just a few examples:
In 2013, with the support of our Board, we formed a coalition with other Southern California counties and business groups to lobby our legislative representatives to improve regional water quality through science-based, cost-effective stormwater regulations. We’ve enhanced that partnership by working with the City of San Diego to make sure we continue to protect the environment and taxpayers.
Last year, in June, we reached out to hold a historic meeting with the City of San Diego. For the first time ever, our respective executive leadership teams held a joint meeting: County leaders, myself and our executive team, and the City’s executive leaders, led by City Chief Operating Officer Scott Chadwick. We met to get to know each other, to review what we’ve worked on together in the past, what we’re doing together now and to talk about how we can expand our teamwork in the future.
In October, we convened the first regional procurement conference and brought together purchasing officials from the cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, National City, Poway, Santee and La Mesa, as well as the San Diego Association of Governments, the San Diego Unified School District, community colleges, water districts and the San Diego Regional Airport Authority. They met to find new ways to work together to benefit taxpayers when we have to buy materials and services — such as using our combined buying power to get discounts.
Last month, after the recommendation of our Board, we helped establish the San Diego Violent Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force.
Fifteen agencies — from our County’s sheriff department and district attorney’s office , to the City of San Diego’s police department, other city police departments, the California Highway Patrol, the state Attorney General’s office, the U.S. attorney and marshal’s office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); and the FBI — will combine forces to investigate, prosecute and protect.
And don’t forget Love Your Heart.
In 2013, we gave free blood-pressure screenings to roughly 2,000 people. Last year, after expanding our partnerships to include more than 90 organizations and businesses, we screened 17,000-plus people, more than eight times the previous year. These are free screenings that can save lives.
This month, when we hold the event on Feb. 13, we’re aiming for 25,000 checkups.
Teamwork; leverage; regional partnerships.
That’s excellence for taxpayers!
It’s a typical day at work. You’re reaching for your third cup of coffee when your desk phone rings. You answer it, stating your department and name, and an unknown person on the line tells you, “There’s a bomb in your building.” What would you do?
The San Diego County Office of Emergency Services (OES) has written up a handy flier with tips and a checklist for every employee to print and keep at their desk in the event of an emergency. The sheet offers specific advice on what to do in a wide range of situations, including: a bomb threat; a suspicious object or mail package; an active shooter in the building; a crime in progress; a medical emergency; a fire; an earthquake; an evacuation; or a directive to shelter in place. Any decisions about whether to evacuate a County facility will be made by law enforcement on scene and in coordination with a facility manager. While these scenarios are unlikely, it’s best to be prepared.
“We are making this information available as part of a continued effort to promote workplace safety and security,” said Holly Crawford, OES director. “This is not the result of any specific or known threat to County facilities or personnel.”
The two-page flier is available here.
“The idea for employees is to print this out double-sided, review it and become familiar with it,” said Stephen Rea, OES assistant director. “Keep it close by your desk. In the case of a bomb threat, one of the recommendations is to get somebody’s attention. You can use the document—hold it up, and point to where it says Bomb Threat to alert other employees nearby while you are on the phone.”
So continuing the bomb threat scenario, here are the specific recommendations: Stay calm and courteous and hear out the caller in case they give more information or make demands. Alert co-workers by holding up a piece of paper, or your flier, so that they can try to listen in and call 9-1-1 from another phone to report the information.
You should call 9-1-1 immediately if the caller hangs up quickly.
Do not interrupt the caller but do try to keep him or her on the line as long as possible. Try to note any background noise that could give a clue as to the caller’s location.
If possible, ask questions to keep them on the phone and to try to gather information even if you don’t expect them to tell you what you need to know. Ask him or her where the bomb is located, when it is set to explode, what it looks like, what it is made of, and what sets it off. Ask the person if he or she placed the bomb there and why they did it. Ask them where they are calling from and ask their name, in case they give it to you. These questions are listed on the flier.
A descriptive word list is also included on the flier for employees to reference when trying to describe what the caller’s voice sounded like when making the threat.
Another employee or a responding sheriff’s deputy can look at the information that you are writing down while you are still on the phone with the caller.
But is there anyone else in the department such as your supervisor, or in the building that you should notify as well?
“Yes, it’s important to notify 911 immediately, but it’s also important to notify other people in the County who can help everyone get back to work once it’s safe,” said Rea.
The flier includes an organizational chart showing who should be notified. Again, if you are on the phone with the caller, another employee can assist with these next steps.
The flier lists the safety protocol for evaluating and handling suspicious objects or mail as well as instructions for seven other emergency scenarios. Some of the advice listed may be familiar, but some scenarios such as an active shooter have been added due to increased frequency in other areas.
If you’re wondering now, in a case of an active shooter, the first choice is to run if you can escape safely. Leave belongings behind and help others along the way whenever possible. Call 9-1-1 after you are safe. If escape is not possible, hide, silence your cell phone and remain quiet. Your last resort is to fight--only if your life is in danger.
To read more about what you can do in the unlikely event of an emergency at work, please print out the flier.
The Farmers Market returns to the County Operations Center this week just in time to stock up on locally grown avocados to make guacamole and fresh veggies for your Super Bowl party.
Daily Harvest Market will resume selling half-priced, locally grown produce Thursday, Jan. 29. The farmers market is located in the plaza near the cafeteria at 5520 Overland Ave. Don’t forget to bring a reusable shopping bag.
The farmers market is made possible through a partnership with the County and its wellness partner Kaiser Permanente. It will be held on the last Thursday of each month at a new time—10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The market at the COC has been an amazing success since opening in August. Hundreds of County employees shop the market each month to buy fruits and vegetables. And because the program’s been wildly successful, the Employee Wellness Program is looking to expand the farmers market to additional County facilities this spring.
While exact sites have yet to be determined, Wellness Coordinator William Erese is excited about plans to bring fresh produce to even more County employees.
“We’re examining several additional sites and look forward to making healthy eating convenient and affordable to more County employees,” Erese said.
IT Manager Adrian Gonzalez lead the project at East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility that successfully installed WiFi so detainees could use Skype.
Using video chatting to allow young people in Probation’s custody to talk with a parent or guardian sounds like it should be an easy task, but it wasn’t. County information technology managers did not let that deter them.
“It’s something we’ve been thinking about for a while and something we wanted to do for some time,” said County Probation Chief Mack Jenkins. “I’m very satisfied that we were able to get over the hurdle on it.”
Ultimately, this is an example of how technology is helping County departments accomplish its goals to serve the public. In this case, it helps Probation keep young people who are in custody connected with their families. Contact with family has a positive impact on many youth’s behavior and gets them better prepared for the transition back to life in the community.
Nearly two years ago, Probation’s division chief at the East Mesa Juvenile Detention Center wondered if it would be possible for staff there to use video chatting to enable online family visits for the detainees. Staff had noticed that some youth never received visitors, and they sent a survey to detainees to find out if video calls could be a solution.
Read how the Skype solution has had a dramatic impact on one detainee’s behavior and outlook.
When IT manager Adrian Gonzalez initially looked into the concept, the cost of installing WiFi and the network security hurdles were both too high. But the technology kept advancing, so Gonzalez and Tralynn Riego de Dios, a department technology specialist for Probation, began to research new options. The increased availability of WiFi had driven costs down, and they were able to introduce the same WiFi system already in use at other County buildings to East Mesa at a low cost.
“What changed between then and now is the increased use of WiFi, and new ways of activating it,” said Gonzalez. “We were trying to find creative ways to solve the special needs for that institution.”
To make the video calls possible, staff set out to find cost-effective equipment that would also be easy enough for both youth and detention center staff placing the calls and monitoring the visits to use, Gonzalez said. Plus the video calls program had to be free to families. And because East Mesa contains concrete and steel walls, a non-commercial WiFi signal had to be placed in a location where it could penetrate that material without having to drill new holes—which would be costly. In the end, Gonzalez found an available area in the conference room in the visiting center. Eventually, staff settled on Skype because it can run on every kind of device: computers, laptops, smart phones and tablets, he said.
Senior Probation Officer Claudia Legoretta said detention center staff work with parents to help them install the program at home or walks them through setting up an account on a public computer.
Staff looked at all the options and tested them out during the four-month development process, said Gonzalez.
After choosing which equipment to use, staff implemented the final solution in just over a month of work. Since the feature was added in July 2014, between six and 10 detained young people have taken advantage of the Skype visits every week, boosting their morale and improving their behavior.
Riego de Dios helped with the procurement and maintenance of the system, Gonzalez said. She also negotiated for support services in case something goes amiss.
Jenkins said the new reaction has been so positive that Probation would like to expand use of Skype family visits to the department’s other remote locations that house probationers.
“We want to expand it to the juvenile detention camps in the future,” said Jenkins.
Gonzalez, who took the lead on this project, was recently awarded the Probation IT Manager’s Association Employee of the Year. He works in the Public Safety Group, but said in his nearly 34 years at the County, he has worked in nearly every department in an information technology capacity.
A 17-year-old youth at East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility video chats with his mother in Mexico using Skype.
Michele Clock, PSG, holds up a marked map outlining a region she was responsible for checking.
Bleary-eyed with lack of sleep and bundled for the cold, hundreds of County employees hit the streets before dawn for the Point-In-Time homeless count Friday. The annual snapshot in time is designed to capture the number of people who literally have no roof over their head. The total tally is used to apply for federal funding to help this at-risk population.
County employees made up the largest group of volunteers, nearly a third of the total number. About 540 County employees registered to show up at one of 23 deployment centers in the region by 3:30 a.m. and begin scouting for homeless people from 4 to 7 a.m.
Several co-workers shared their impressions of the experience below. If you would like to add yours, please add them in the comments section.
Brian Hagerty, Community Services Group
“I went out on the Point-in-Time Count this morning with several fellow CSG Executive Office staff. We were assigned to the downtown area between Ash, 9th, Broadway, and State. There were a surprisingly high number of homeless individuals in that area, most of whom had nothing but a piece of cardboard and a blanket. After spending several hours out on the street, I realized how fortunate I was to have a comfortable home, a steady job, good health, and a network of family & friends ready to help me if I fell on hard times.”
Supervisor Dave Roberts joined members from Interfaith Community Services surveying homeless individuals in Escondido for the "We All Count" San Diego Regional Task Force effort to end homelessness.
Paulina Bobenrieth, Health and Human Services Agency
“It was a fantastic experience in South Region with so many community partners, residents and County employees gathered at the wee hours of the morning. We were all united, knowing that we were going to help bring resources to those with most need.”
Supervisor Greg Cox sits on a sidewalk downtown interviewing someone as part of the Point-In-Time homeless count.
Tiffany Anderson, Public Safety Group
“As I was dressing this morning in multiple layers to ensure I did not get cold while I was out counting the homeless along my route, it struck me how incredibly fortunate I am to wake up in a warm bed, with a roof over my head and cupboards full of food. I cannot fathom the kind of life where there is so much uncertainty about basic needs: where I will sleep at night, will I be too cold/hot, when will I get my next meal? I am glad I was able to participate in a program aimed at bringing more resources to our region in order to combat homelessness in our communities; I simply hope that my small effort will go toward ensuring someone no longer has to worry about the many uncertainties that go hand-in-hand with their current situation.”
Melanie Tylke, Planning & Development Services
“As a recent graduate of UCSD, it was great to contribute to this national research effort, where you know the data is needed and will be used to help make a difference in our research and funding initiatives across the nation.”
Fitness classes are starting back up again and attending just got a whole lot easier. Returning fitness gurus, newbies and everyone in-between can now head straight to class. No sign-up is required!
Yoga, Zumba and boot camp classes start Monday, Jan. 26 at 10 County office locations: Behavioral Health Services, CAC, COC, Chula Vista, Edgemoor, Escondido, El Cajon, Housing & Community Development, Mills Building and Rosecrans. The full schedule is available on the Wellness website.
“We’re continuously working to make fitness more accessible,” County Wellness Coordinator William Erese said. “All you need to do now is show up and have fun.”
Wondering what to wear and bring to classes? For yoga classes, bring a yoga mat, towel and a bottle of water. Wear comfortable workout clothes. For Zumba and boot camp, also bring a towel and bottle of water because you will sweat. Zumba dancers and boot camp cadets should wear workout clothes and sneakers.
If you can’t make any of the classes, try the Dare to Stair 3 campaign. Skip the elevator and take the stairs. The campaign started this week and runs through Feb. 27. Review the guidelines and print out a log sheet before you start your ascend. Register on LMS by searching for “Dare to Stair.”
Also watch: Tracy Sandoval, Deputy CAO for FG3 and this quarter’s executive sponsor for the Wellness Program, shares how she stays healthy with her family.
With the weather expected to heat up this weekend, we could not resist sharing this sunny snapshot from our archives. It looks like the old Health Care Agency doing some outreach beachside.
Recognize the bikini or board shorts? Tell us more in the comment section below. And share your old photos and finds by emailing the County Communications Office.
Two County employees taking the stairs at their Mission Valley office building last year.
The holidays are well behind us and it’s time to make good on your New Year’s resolution to get moving and get fit. Stretch out your legs and sign up for the Dare to Stair 3 campaign. Registration is now open and the challenge begins Monday.
Skip the elevator. Take the stairs for a week, a month or even try for all of 2015.
For this year’s campaign, climbers are virtually heading back to the world’s tallest building—the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Employee Wellness Coordinator William Erese said it takes approximately 40 minutes a week or 10 minutes a day, four days a week to climb 2,909 stairs, which is equivalent of climbing the Burj Khalifa.
"You don't need a gym membership to get active," said Erese. "You can climb stairs anywhere you have access to them."
Employees have six weeks to climb and keep a log of their activity.
Award Levels
Campaign Awards
Let your fingers do the walking for now, head over to LMS and search for Stairwell Campaign to sign up.
Dare to Stair 3 runs through Feb. 27. Review the campaign guidelines and print out a log sheet before you start your ascend. The last day to file your log sheet is March 6.
For more information, visit Employee Wellness website.
Sue Bang, Health & Human Services, submitted this photo to the County after she went on vacation and visited the Burj Khalifa.
Tax season is stressful for everyone. There are numbers to crunch, forms to fill out, addresses to update. Central Payroll is working hard to get your W-2s in order, and they can help you with answers to your questions. But you could be a really big help to them by checking out their list of frequently asked questions before picking up the phone and calling them.
Questions like “When will I get my 2014 W-2?” (they’re printed and mailed by Feb. 2, 2015), or “Can I obtain a duplicate W-2?” (Yes! You can print one immediately from PeopleSoft Self Service beginning Feb. 2, 2015).
View the complete list of FAQs with answers.
You can also access a reconciliation document to help walk you through your W-2 form. You can view and print it here. And there’s a demo showing how to calculate W-2 totals from pay advice data.
Visit Central Payroll’s InSite page for more information.
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