A Double Dose of Help for Our Hearts

How's your blood pressure?  

There is an old saying that when the state Capitol in Sacramento sneezes, local government catches a cold.

Here at the County, few events get our collective blood pressure spiking more than when the governor releases his proposed spending plan for the upcoming year.

Historically, during tough economic times, our friends in Sacramento solved their fiscal problems by pushing them off on counties. Whether it was through cost-shifts, realignments, unfunded mandates or pure cuts, we counties held our breath to see just how bad we were going to get punched. Even if you don’t deal directly with County finances, understand that the decisions they make up north and the dollars they send our way – or don’t – have a huge impact throughout our organization.  

When Governor Jerry Brown began his second stint as governor in 2011 (for you millennials he also served as governor from 1975 to 1983 when your parents were mere youngsters), he took the reins of a state government that had a budget deficit of over $26 billion. And I for one, didn't have a lot of nice things to say about Sacramento.

So how great is it that today I can say Sacramento has a rainy day fund and actually is paying off some of the debt owed to counties? The governor's proposed budget actually has gotten praise from the California State Association of Counties. It's not all sunshine and roses, but it's the best we've seen in a long time.

Despite the good news budget, the governor did offer words of caution regarding an inevitable economic downturn in California. And the roller coaster stock market gives us plenty of reason to keep a bottle of Pepto Bismol by our side. So it’s no time to let up on our own fiscal discipline as a County. 

Thanks to the outstanding work of our employees we were able to maintain our quality level of service to the customers we serve during several years of uncertainty from Sacramento. And we stand ready to do so again while also tending to our public safety priorities and beefing up our assistance to the poor, the homeless and those in need of mental health services.

So bottom line, after reviewing the governor's proposed budget, my blood pressure is well within the normal range. But let's talk about something more important. How is yours? 

On Feb. 11, why not take a short break from your hectic work environment and focus on your heart health? Next week is our annual "Love Your Heart" campaign. We are teaming up with local health care providers at more than 100 sites to provide free blood pressure screenings around the region, even into Mexico. That will include a couple dozen County facilities. Our audacious challenge this year is to set a new record of 25,000 screenings! 

Let's enjoy a healthy Sacramento budget and also a healthy heart.  

An Early Wake-Up Call to Count the Homeless

Fueled by the promise of making a difference (plus a lot of caffeine and sheer will), hundreds of County employees got out of bed early Friday and hit the streets at 4 a.m. to take part in the Point-in-Time Homeless count. More than 500 employees gave up some shut-eye to tally the number of homeless people they see in various neighborhoods throughout our region.

The numbers from this snapshot in time are important because they will be used to apply for federal funding to help this at-risk population. The count also helps County staff identify the scope and impact of the problem and work on solutions.

The volunteer counters had to register at deployment centers by 3:30 a.m. so they could begin scouting for homeless people from 4 to 7 a.m.    

The Point-in-Time count is led by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless. In 2014, County employees made up about one-fourth of the volunteer force. In 2015, nearly a third. This year, the County reached its goal of 500 volunteers. In all, 531 County employees signed up for the count out of 1,650 total volunteers.

Did you participate in the homeless count? You can email any photos you took or your impressions of the experience to communications@sdcounty.ca.gov and they might be added to the story.    

North Central FRC Employees Celebrate Black History Month by Giving Back

Members of the Black History Month Committee at the HHSA North Central Family Resource Center hit the streets in East Village in December to distribute donated clothing and blankets to homeless individuals and families. The employees are doing another drive in February.

In December, members of the HHSA North Central Family Resource Center’s Black History Month committee hit the streets in East Village handing out blankets, jackets and clothing donated by fellow employees to homeless families and individuals.

The experience was so rewarding – and the responses from the recipients so heart-warming – that the group decided to forgo their annual Black History Month observation and hold another donation drive to help those in need.

Traditionally, the different cultural groups represented in the workforce at the FRC host annual celebrations to mark occasions like February’ Black History Month featuring food, festivities and information about the culture being honored.

But after their successful holiday efforts, the committee decided to do another drive to honor the legacy of contributions by iconic figures in black history and embrace the County’s customer experience and Live Well initiatives.

“In the past years, many have had the opportunity to enjoy African-American cultural displays and performances of music, food, dance, poetry and art,” said Ed Wortham, co-chair of the Black History Month committee. “This time we chose a theme to showcase what is just a small glimpse of such a rich culture in an effort to share an enjoyable experience.

“In doing so, we also included an element to support the great Live Well and H.E.A.R.T. initiatives of the County and encourage all to participate in the fun.”

During the December drive, the committee received 41 blankets, 22 jackets and another 61 items of clothing such as hoodies, sweaters and hats.  They spent a few hours one afternoon at 16th Street and Island Avenue in East Village handing out the donated items directly to people on the street.

“The individuals, families and children who received these items were extremely grateful and expressed a need for more specific items that will help protect them from the winter season and nighttime elements,” said Rochelle Otis, Black History Month co-chair. “We wanted to provide a sense of caring and compassion for people who sometimes feel as though they are forgotten.”

Committee members are collecting donations of blankets, socks, gloves, jackets, jeans, thermal underwear, camping tents, tarps, large garden lawn bags, self-opening canned goods, crackers and water until Feb. 19 and will be distributing them on Feb. 27.

Picture This: County on Instagram

Come see the great things San Diego County is doing. Follow the County on Instagram.

The County recently expanded its presence online to the popular photo- and video-sharing social network site/app and has quickly garnered nearly 4,800 followers. Catch a glimpse of a rainbow over Goodan Ranch, installation of an art project at a County facility or this interesting point of view.

And if you’re a shutterbug, as we know a few of you are, help show off our beautiful and diverse County landscape and the great work you do. Take your best shot and submit photos to communications@sdcounty.ca.gov. We’ll look for submissions to feature on our feed.

The pictures should be taken at a County facility such as your workplace or a County-owned property. Show us the beautiful sunset over the County Operations Center, your favorite trail to hike at a County park or a great nook to read a book from a County library. The photos could also include you or your co-workers in action (if they’re up for it). With dozens of departments, it won’t be hard to find a County tie-in.

Submitted photos should be high resolution. Please include a description of where the photo was taken and when.

Follow the County on Facebook, Twitter and now Instagram.

What's Ahead for Wellness

What's Ahead for Wellness

Cooking competitions, stair challenges, the Amazing Race and much more. Watch the video above to see what the Wellness Program has in store for County employees for 2016. Do you have the E.D.G.E?

County ERGs March in MLK Jr. Day Parade

San Diego County’s Employee Resource Groups (ERG) honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by taking part in the 36^th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade Sunday.

The African American Association of County Employees (AAACE) led participation in the parade.

Other participating ERGs included the County of San Diego Filipino-American Employee’s Association (CSFDEA), the Middle Eastern Employee Group (MEERG), and the San Diego County Latino Association (SDCLA).

The ERGs host and participate in community events that promote diversity and inclusion within the County of San Diego.

Sheriff’s Department Wins Safety Award

Left to Right: Human Resources Director Susan Brazaeu, Undersheriff Mark Elvin and WSSH director Brian Borg.

The Sheriff’s Department recently won the Work Safe Stay Health Award of Excellence, given each year by Human Resources to a department for its efforts to promote a safe workplace.

DHR Director Susan Brazeau said the Sheriff’s Department was fully engaged in creating a culture of safety, and this engagement produced impressive results.

The department saw decreases in three important areas last year: work-related injuries, hours of lost productivity, and expenditures related to  workers’ compensation. “This is a shining example for all departments,” said Brazeau. “When you emphasize safety and create awareness amongst your employees—it will generate results.”

Senior Departmental Human Resources Officer Liza Dangca said the Sheriff’s Department makes several efforts to ensure the utmost safety for its 4,000 employees, both sworn staff  and professional support staff.

Two years ago,  the department hired a dedicated safety coordinator. This person focuses on a proactive approach to safety. Efforts include conducting inspections at facilities and making improvements or recommendations for upgrades that can decrease risks of accidents and increase well-being in the workplace.

The safety coordinator has also trained 61 Sheriff’s Department employees at 46 facilities to promote safety and keep their eyes and ears open for hazards, and ultimately make corrections in a timely fashion.

In addition, more than 100 deputies participated in the Sheriff’s Health Academy – a pilot wellness program developed by DHR in partnership with Kaiser Permanente.  The academy emphasized  physical fitness, behavioral changes and nutrition, and encouraged participants to make long-lasting lifestyle changes that will improve their health and reduce stress. The department also offers in-house ergonomic evaluations.

Another preventative effort is a monthly Work Safe Stay Healthy email bulletin with tips such as ladder safety during the holidays, information on stopping the spread of germs during flu season, and heat-related illness prevention during the summer.

To learn more about workplace safety, visit the Work Safe Stay Healthwebsite.

Your W-2 FAQs

Tax season is stressful for everyone. There are numbers to crunch, forms to fill out, addresses to update. But Central Payroll is here to help you out. You’ve got questions about your W-2, they’ve got answers.

Get solutions to the most frequently asked questions to payroll, like “When will I get my 2015 W-2?” (they’re printed and mailed by Feb. 1, 2016), or “Can I obtain a duplicate W-2?” (Yes! You can print one immediately from PeopleSoft Employee Self Service beginning Feb. 1, 2016).

View the complete list of FAQs with answers.

View the important 2015 W-2 Information and 2016 Tax Changes.

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.                    

(County) Building Up and Out – A Look at 2016

What’s new, what’s going up, coming down, expanding out and getting a facelift? Depends on the building but the County is always working to modernize and improve our facilities so we can provide better customer service in more functional and efficient spaces.  Hundreds of employees will see changes in their workplaces in 2016 – maybe even you!

Here are a few highlights:   

Openings

South Bay Family Resource Center

Scheduled Move: April 2016

Project: Staff will move from a leased facility on Bay Boulevard in Chula Vista to a newer and larger leased facility in National City. The Family Resource Center will be consolidated with new offices for Military and Veterans, Child Support and In-Home Supportive Services. The new South Bay center will provide more than 87,000 square feet for these services. 

COC Fleet Facility/Parking StructureB

Scheduled Opening: May 2016

Project: Fleet Services will move into a new facility inside an 839-space parking structure going up east of the Registrar of Voters building at the County Operations Center. The parking structure will be similar in height but about half the size of existing Parking Structure A near the Commons conference center and café. The old Fleet Services building will be demolished this summer to make way for the construction of the new crime lab.

A rendering of the new office space and parking garage for Fleet Services.

Alpine Library

Scheduled Opening: May 2016

Project: The opening of the new library branch in Alpine will mark the County’s first zero net energy (ZNE) building which means the facility will produce as much renewable energy as it uses in a year. The new library will measure 12,700 square feet, more than four times larger than the current leased space. Among the many new features: a reading area complete with a fireplace and outdoor terrace reading areas overlooking the adjoining park.

A rendering of the Alpine library.

Scheduled Opening: Late 2016

Project: With the move to temporary quarters in November, the existing library branch is being knocked down to make way for a new 14,000-square-foot ZNE facility that will be three times the size of the current building. The project includes a 2,000-square-foot community room to replace the smaller City of Imperial Beach community room on land being donated by the City to support the new facility.  

A rendering of the new Imperial Beach library.

Sheriff’s Crime Lab

Scheduled Completion: Summer 2018

Project: Construction is scheduled to begin this summer on a new 151,000-square-foot facility at the County Operations Center to house a new crime lab, space for Sheriff’s property and evidence materials, and administrative offices. The new project will move the crime lab closer to the Medical Examiner’s office.

Santa Ysabel Nature Center  

Scheduled Completion: Late 2018

Project: Build a 6,500 square-foot nature center for the Santa Ysabel Preserves off Highway 79 in Santa Ysabel. The building will include space for interpretive and educational exhibits, a room for weddings and other events for up to 100 people, Wi-Fi, restrooms, offices, an information area and more.

Housing and Community Development

Scheduled Completion: Spring 2017

Project: The current 29,000-square-foot building will be taken down to the studs and completely renovated. Staff will move to a temporary location in April and stay up to a year before moving back into the reconfigured building complete with new mechanical and electrical systems.

24/7 Library to Go Kiosks:

Scheduled Completion: Summer 2016

Project: Install new 24/7 Library to Go kiosks in Encinitas, Boulevard and Chula Vista. Two kiosks are already in operation, one at the County Operations Center and one in Bonsall.

Child Welfare Services:

Scheduled Completion: Late 2016

Project: A Letter of Intent has been signed for the lease of a new 47,000 square-foot headquarters building for Child Welfare Services in Kearny Mesa, consolidating operations currently in a County-owned building in Linda Vista and a lease space in Kearny Mesa.   

Major Renovations and Remodeling:

East Mesa Detention Facility Complex: Starting spring 2016, retrofit and renovate former Corrections Corporation of America detention facility to bring it into the County detention system.

Mills Building: Remodel and reconfigure five floors to varying degrees for improved operations for HHSA staff.

Solana Beach Library: The branch is a shared facility with the Earl Warren Middle School. General Services is working with theSan Dieguito Union High School to provide a new meeting room and Library expansion and updates.

El Cajon Family Resource Center:  Remodel to update the facility.  

Planning Stages               

Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk El Cajon Branch Office: Build a new, larger facility in Santee for improved services.

Pine Valley Fire Station: Starting early 2017, replace the existing facility with a new one featuring sleeping quarters and four bays for emergency vehicles.    

Borrego Springs Library and Community Park: Starting in early 2017, construction will begin on a new 14,000-square-foot library branch that will be six times the size of the current leased facility. The project includes a 16-acre community park on neighboring Parks property.     

Kettner/Beech Property: Proposals are being reviewed for development of the vacant land adjoining the Cedar/Kettner parking structure site for a private residential and commercial project with construction possibly starting in 2018.

Probation Ohio Street Relocation: General Services is looking for a 23,000 to 50,000 square-foot building in southeast San Diego to relocate the current adult probation facility on Ohio Street. 

Southeast Family Resource Center: General Services is seeking a site for the relocation of the existing FRC and consolidation with other agency functions to better serve the community in a Southeast San Diego Outreach Facility. Depending on site options, the Probation facility above could be co-located in the center.  

North Coastal Regional Center: Construct a new 36,000-square-foot facility on the existing Regional Center/Public Health Center site to consolidate multiple agency functions such as behavioral health, public health and administration in one place. A site search is underway for a larger north coastal FRC as well.

For more information on planned and proposed constructions projects, see General Services’ Current Capital Projects List.

Making Sense of County Dollars

How much do you know about where the County’s money comes from and where it goes? Find out how the County’s financial matters relate directly to you by taking a new LMS training on Financial Literacy.

The course, designed for County employees at every level of the organization, gives participants a better understanding of how public finance works. The curriculum covers the County’s financial planning process, terms and policies, forecasting and a breakdown of how the $5.4 billion budget is divvied up to each group.

Plus, you’ll learn how great care is taken to collect the right amount of revenue and put it to the best possible use for the public through short educational videos and simple charts. The lesson takes about 25 minutes.

The County started offering in-person classes in financial literacy last year. They proved so popular, a version has been added to LMS so the training is available to all employees, anytime.

So, how financially literate are you? Take the LMS training.

If you want to get much deeper into the details of financial operations, continue your training in the A&C Academy. The Auditor and Controller created this new program to provide course curriculum on an ongoing basis to staff interested in learning more about processing, monitoring and reporting financial transactions. Training topics including accounts payable, travel expenses and single audits. Each quarter new courses will be offered in either a classroom or online format. Learn more about the Academy on the Auditor and Controller’s InSite page.