Family That Works Together at County, Stays Together

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The Arellanes family from left to right are: Debora Arellanes, Kim Arellanes, Leticia Arellanes and in the front Cristina Garcia.In 1987, when Kim Arellanes got hired on full-time with the County of San Diego for the Alternate Public Defender’s Office, her three daughters, Debora, Leticia and Cristina, were in elementary and preschool. Arellanes recently celebrated her 30th County work anniversary -- and her three daughters, of course now grown, are also County employees in different departments.

“We sent flowers to her work for all the hard work she did. She worked really hard to support us as a single mom,” said Cristina Garcia, the youngest daughter who works as a human resources assistant with the Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk.

Kim Arellanes said she loves her County job and she absolutely recommended the County as a workplace to her daughters because it is a good organization that offers stability and benefits.

“I always felt fortunate to have those things especially as a single mother,” she said.

Her first job with the County was a detentions review officer with the Court’s Central Intake Program, but now she works as an investigator with the Alternate Public Defenders Office, and she loves what she does.

She had studied law when her children were young but did not pass her bar exam on her first attempt. She always thought she’d go back later and retake it later in life, but she ultimately decided she liked her job more. She likes helping people, going out in the field and knowing her work differs on a daily basis.            

Her middle daughter, Leticia Arellanes, works as a contracts manager for the HIV, STD & Hepatitis Branch of Public Health Services for Health & Human Services Agency. She is glad she took her mother’s advice 17 years ago to work at the County.

Her older sister, Debora Arellanes, has worked at the County for 10 years with the Eligibility Operations program for Health & Human Services Agency. Youngest sister Cristina Garcia has worked with the County for 6 years.

“Both of them wish they had done it a little earlier,” Leticia Arellanes said of sisters. “But both had a different dream at the time. Now we’re all here.”

When Leticia Arellanes started working at the County, her supervisors were flexible and supportive of her career path allowing her to obtain her degree. This has been her experience at every department with regard to training.

“When I started here I had never worked with contracts, and I knew nothing about the (HIV, STD & Hepatitis) program, but now I can do this,” said Leticia Arellanes. “You just have to find a niche and place that you are willing to put your effort into, and they have to be willing to give you a chance.”

Garcia said she has had a similar experience where her supervisors have helped her to advance. Sometimes she said it’s about looking at the big picture. In her case, she took a pay cut leaving the private sector to come to the County, then later she voluntarily demoted at the County and get on the path for another level of work.

“I knew it would be better for me in the long-run,” she said. “I never expected that I’d go from being an office assistant to a human resources assistant in five years.”

Garcia said she loves making a difference in her job and she now wants to go back to school to finish her degree in human resources.

Older sister Debora Arellanes said her mother and sister had been telling her to apply with the County for years, so when her children got older, she applied and was hired on. She said it was the best decision she ever made.

“I’ve enjoyed every position I’ve ever had and I’ve worked at five different offices and been promoted three times. I’ve worked with great people and great supervisors,” said Debora Arellanes.

She said her mother is the hardest working person she knows, and her mom loves her work. Sometimes, she’ll call her at night and her mother is researching information for a case and she is excited about it.

“It is amazing and I am so proud of her,” she said of her mother’s 30 years with the County. “I’m so thankful for everything that she did for me and my sisters and grandkids. She’s been a blessing.” 

A New Central Courthouse in Town

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Heads up. If you work for the Sheriff’s Department, District Attorney’s Office or other departments with business in court, the new San Diego Central Courthouse will soon be opening for business. The 22-story building of glass and concrete was dedicated Monday. The doors will officially open on July 17. That means you may have occasion to step inside this sleek new structure as part of your job or part of your civic duty to serve on a jury.

The 704,000-square-foot courthouse is located at 1100 Union Street and offers 71 courtrooms. The structure consolidates criminal, family and probate court services into one building. The old Downtown and Family Law Courthouses will be closed. The Madge Bradley Courthouse will be renovated for Sheriff’s deputies who will handle court security.

Show Us Your Fair Flair

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The San Diego County Fair is more than just a tilt-a-whirl and fried Oreos. There are also lots of competitive exhibits to go through. Whether you sent in a submission this year or have sent one in the past, award-winning or not, we want to see your fair entries! Send photos to communications@sdcounty.ca.gov. Tell us your department and what exhibit or category you competed in and when.

See the gallery!

Here's What We're Doing to Promote Diversity & Inclusion

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Early on, we all learn the Golden Rule: treat others as you want to be treated. More recently, someone came up with the Platinum Rule: treat others as they want to be treated. 

The platinum version adds a little more thoughtfulness to the equation. I don’t bring my favorite cake to your birthday – I bring your favorite, right?

Now cake may be kind of a trivial example, but the same principle applies when you get into more serious matters. How do I treat my customers the way they want to be treated? How do I do the same for my co-workers?

Making sure we ask and answer those questions as a matter of course is why we’ve more formally embedded Diversity and Inclusion in our County culture. We’ve long been taking steps to improve aspects of diversity and inclusion. But a couple years ago we put together a task force to raise the profile for our whole organization and come up with a strategic plan.

They’ve just put out a Diversity & Inclusion Annual Report, summarizing our recent progress. I want to mention a few highlights, but also, like the report, start by recapping our goals.

We’re here to serve our customers – and they’re diverse. We’re better positioned to meet their needs when we have a workforce reflecting their diversity.

And when County employees are diverse, we need to make sure everyone feels welcomed by their colleagues. We want this to be a nice place to work! The more respected people feel on the job, the more motivated they’ll be to help our customers. It feeds back into our first goal in a positive cycle.

A diverse workforce also gives us a broader variety of perspectives and ideas. We need all the great ideas we can get! They’re what will keep us one of the most innovative agencies around. Diversity of thought is critical to making our organization operate at the highest level.

So here are a few things the team has done lately to reach those goals.  

We’ve created over 100 D&I Champions, employees trained to spread the message of diversity and inclusion within their departments. Every County department has at least one.

More than 2,000 employees have received D&I presentations with an overview of the concepts and our strategic plan.   

All new employees now get an extensive training in diversity and inclusion. From their first day forward, everyone who comes to work at the County has to know the importance we place on this.

Human Resources revamped its Embracing Diversity & Inclusion class and added a new class: Promoting an Inclusive Workplace.  

One of the posters available to promote D&I at the County. The team developed a set of materials to help give the effort visibility: posters, lanyards and whatnot. They’re beautiful and great reminders to keep D&I at the front of everyone’s mind.

Nothing embodies the spirit of Diversity & Inclusion like the County’s employee resource groups. It wasn’t long ago that we had only a couple. Earlier this spring, our tenth came on board. They are incredibly active, holding everything from cultural events to professional workshops to social get-togethers. Remember that any employee can join any ERG or any of their events.      

The newest ERG, DiverseAbility, was created to advance awareness and promote inclusion for people with disabilities. About the same time the group launched, Employee Wellness held its annual Amazing Race, with the addition this year of a course for disabled employees. That’s a great example of inclusion!

As the D&I team guides us forward, I want to make an important point. This is not an “initiative.” D&I is a mindset and way of doing things that enhances all our operations at the County.

When we talk about providing a positive customer experience, D&I makes us think: Am I really considering all my customers? Am I giving them all what they need?    

Diversity & Inclusion is closely tied to Live Well Communities, our focus on neighborhoods that have the furthest to go in reaching our vision of a healthy, safe and thriving region.

And D&I reinforces our concept of One County, the way we work across bureaucratic lines to get things done. It’s all about bringing people together and teamwork.

I hope you’ll take a look at the annual report and visit the D&I website for more info, including the strategic plan.

And I hope that you – yes, you, reading this now – know that I personally value what you bring to our diversity mosaic, and I want you to always feel the spirit of inclusion here at the County.

 

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It’s Tweenie Time! Itty-bitty Kitties Need Foster Homes

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They’re tiny, fluffy and completely adorable. But these baby kitties also need foster homes until they get big enough to put up for adoption. County Animal Services is putting out the call to some good, trustworthy employees – volunteer to become a Tweenie foster!

“These aren’t bottle babies. They’re Tweenies because they are between 4 and 8 weeks old,” said County Animal Services Director Dan DeSousa. “They are old enough to eat on their own but not quite at the two-pound or two-month mark for the adoption program.”

That’s where Tweenie foster parents come in. They get these kittens up to adoption age and weight so they can be returned to Animal Services. They’ll be neutered/spayed, microchipped, vaccinated and put up for adoption.

Right now, County Animal Services is at peak kitten season. Up to 14 kittens a day are coming through their doors. Most of the Tweenie foster parents on their list already have their hands full.

If you’d like to help out, County Animal Services makes it easy. It provides wet and dry food, cat litter and boxes, beds and of course, the kittens. They will come in pairs if not more because they need the company and that’s how they learn their manners!

County Animal Services also hopes you give these little ones lots of love. The more these kittens are used to people, the friendlier they become. Potential adopters like that in a kitten!

If you’re interested, you can fill out the County Animal Services application.

If you happen to fall in love with your Tweenies, you’ll get the first chance at adopting them. That also means you failed the foster program and that’s great as far as County Animal Services is concerned. In fact, you’ll probably stay on the Tweenie foster list!

If fostering isn’t possible, but you love kittens, you can still help out. Staff can always use a hand at the department’s ‘Kitteries” with cleaning, feeding, weighing or if you’d rather, just playing and cuddling with these little fur balls.

Either way, you’ll be giving these Tweenies a head start. And that’s just what they need to get into a happy, forever home.

Don’t Miss These Extras in Your Health Benefits

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The County’s health insurance providers offer numerous benefits beyond coverage for doctor’s office and emergency room visits. Anthem Blue Cross and Kaiser Permanente provide preventative care programs, tools and apps to keep you dialed-in and in touch 24-7.

Here are a few that can save you time and money so you can be on the road to recovery and preventative wellness:

Anthem

  • Download the Anthem Anywhere app to stay on top of your pharmacy benefits whenever and wherever you are. You’ll be able to find an in-network pharmacy, get personalized reminders, compare retail costs, and track order and refill status.

  • Is a migraine keeping you in bed? Kids sick in the middle of the night? See a doctor in minutes on your smartphone, tablet or computer. Members can also make an appointment with a licensed therapist in four days or less. Learn more about “tele-medicine” visits at livehealthonline.com.

  • Worried about out of pocket expenses? Know the cost before you get the care. Go to anthem.com/ca and login to use the Estimate the Cost tool. Search for the procedure you need and the tool will help estimate costs. For an even quicker cost comparison, use the Anthem Blue Cross mobile app.

Kaiser Permanente

  • Have a minor condition such as a cold or sinus infection? Save time by using the Kaiser telephone appointment service—you’ll be able to talk to a doctor within the hour. To make an appointment call 1-800-290-5000.

  • Visiting your doctor has never been easier. Video appointments are available for members from the convenience of your own home, office or even while on vacation. To make an appointment call 1-800-290-5000.

  • Employees with Kaiser can “meet” with a doctor via teleconference at the County Operations Center. The KP Care Now office located at 5530 Overland Ave., Suite 210, is staffed by a medical professional and has video capabilities. In addition, the KP Care Now office offers biometric screenings, immunizations and more. Make an appointment for KP Care Now by calling 858-278-2802 or emailing kp-carenow@kp.org.

  • You’ve just booked your dream vacation overseas, but do you have all the recommended immunizations? Contact Kaiser’s travel advisory service for safety information and recommendations on immunizations at 1-800-517-5556 or 619-528-3184 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Call four to six weeks before your trip to allow time for any needed immunizations.

  • Kaiser now has a page specifically for County of San Diego employees. Check it out!

Learn more about all benefits at the Department of Human Resources’ InSite page.