Hop into the patrol car. This week we are traveling to 1964 for Throwback Thursday. Check out this great photo of female San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies!
Share your old County department photos by emailing communications@sdcounty.ca.gov.
The solar eclipse was captivating on Monday. The moon blocked the sun’s face for the first total eclipse visible in the United States since 1979. Many County libraries hosted viewing parties and many more County employees headed outdoors and to the windows with glasses to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon.
See the gallery online and send in your own eclipse photos to be added.
Mercedes Martin-RayaThe next time you stand up for the national anthem at a sporting event or military ceremony in San Diego, you might just be treated to the singing talents of one of your fellow County employees.
Mercedes Martin-Raya, an HHSA protective services worker, has been performing the Star-Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful at events for several years and the invitations to sing just keep coming.
She recently performed at a Padres game. She’s also sung for the Chargers, at Olympic qualifying events in San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Juan Capistrano as well as naval retirement and chief petty officer pinning ceremonies on local military bases.
Despite performing in front of tens of thousands and having done it for years, Mercedes still gets nervous every time.
“I get terrified,” she said. “Especially when I sang at the Padres game. My nervousness goes away when I hit that first note, but before that I’m shaking so much I can barely control it.
“Sometimes we have to push through our fear to do what we love.”
She got her start singing when she was “forced” into voice lessons by her father when she was 12.
“I absolutely hated it,” Mercedes said.
She attended a performing arts school for 12 years and was trained in classical voice techniques.
“Right out of high school I auditioned for the San Diego County Fair and the Del Mar National,” she said.
She’s sung at the Del Mar National, an Olympic qualifying event, for 12 straight years now and has also sung at the Del Mar International (with Olympians from all over the world) for six years.
In all, she sings at about 12-15 events a year. It’s a good thing then that the Star-Spangled Banner is Mercedes’ favorite song. And she’s a purist. She likes the song just the way it is.
“I hate it when people change it. No one does it justice when you try to change it. The song is perfect,” she said. “I don’t fluff it or put a bunch of riffs in there. That’s not my style.”
Her favorite part of the song is hitting that last note and then that little silent moment before the crowd erupts in applause.
“It’s great to know you’ve brought joy to people for two minutes.”
She’s hoping the recent Padres game was a turning point for her.
“I’m hoping to be invited back for more games,” she said. “And I just got a call from San Diego State.
“And I have my dad to thank for making me do it.”
Have a musical movie night, thanks to the Resource Team for Diversity & Inclusion and the ERG Council.
Watch "The Music of Strangers, Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble," for free this Thursday at the COC.
Learn more about our diverse and inclusive culture at the County.
Labor negotiations are never fun. And when agreements cannot be reached they add to the stress and anxiety of our entire workforce. SEIU represents approximately 10,000 hardworking County employees. I respect SEIU’s legal authority to speak on behalf of their represented bargaining units.
As SEIU’s strike vote continues, the County is working diligently to put continuity of operations plans in place to ensure the public is served in the event of any future labor action. There may be delays and inconveniences to the public but we are committed to ensuring the health and safety of our residents will be protected and county services will remain open for business. SEIU has agreed to provide us 10-day notice of calling for a strike so that critical life/safety employees can be identified to ensure they fulfill their employment responsibilities to protect the public. Thank you all.
We remain hopeful that the County and SEIU will come to agreement soon. Meanwhile, please know that the work you do is very important and your dedication to public service is evident every day. Thank you for your patience and your continued hard work during these unsettling times.
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Whether you grew up listening to records, 8-track tapes, cassettes, CDs or MP3s, we want to know your top-rated albums. Tell us which artists/bands’ albums are your favorite in the comment section below. If you don't know the album title, let us know the songs that keep you motivated or mellow.
Employees tried out new tech tools such as virtual reality goggles, 3D printers, robotic devices and applications at “Innovation by Design” at the County Operations Tuesday. The annual expo is meant to expose County staff to technology that could possibly improve or streamline their business in some way.
The County’s Technology Office, DXC Technology (formerly Hewlett Packard), and its partner AT&T hosted the event.
There’s still an opportunity for you to geek out over the products presented at the expo. They’re listed below, along with links for product information, including potential benefits and uses.
Get attractive discounts on admissions to some of San Diego County’s most popular attractions. PerkSpot is offering County employees discounted tickets to Aquatica San Diego, LEGOLAND California, SeaWorld, and the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park.
PerkSpot offers benefits and discounts through hundreds of service providers and retailers, from movie theaters to florists and jewelers. Go to SDCounty.PerkSpot.com and shop. If you are new, click on “Create an Account” to register.
Each month, one of the most popular PerkSpot deals will be highlighted on InSite.
Technology moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look at it once in a while, you might miss something.
So stop and take a look at “Innovation by Design,” the County’s annual Innovation Days expo, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1, at the County Operations Center.
You can get a glimpse of the future — the latest, greatest info-tech and web-based tools that can help us improve how we work and conduct the public’s business. All they need is your imagination. Come, look, touch and share your ideas.
This is not just for the techies in your office. It’s meant to get everyone thinking about tools we might use.
Booths will feature all kinds of cool tech, including:
Alexa — The intelligent personal assistant developed by Amazon.
iLobby Visitor Management — A tool that lets visitors sign in digitally rather than sign a sign-in sheet, takes their picture, prints them up visitor badges, digitally notifies staff of their arrival and prints out a visitor activity report at the end of the day.
MakerBot 3D Printers
Ozobot Smart Robots — Fun toy robots that can teach people how to code.
Damage Assessment Mobile Apps
Microsoft PowerApps — An Office-style tool that simplifies building business apps so any employee can build business apps without having to code.
Oculus Rift Virtual Reality — The goggles that immerse you in virtual reality, where you can be under the ocean, flying in space, or onstage.
GoCharge Solar Charging Station — GoCharge, which already makes charging stations for conferences, colleges, hospitals and event-venues, now has created solar-panel charging stations for outdoor events to power cell phones, laptops, tablets, whatever.
The event will be held in the hearings room next door to the cafeteria at the County Operations Center and is being put on by the County’s Technology Office, DXC Technology, the County’s technology provider formerly known as Hewlett Packard, and its partner, AT&T.
Technology moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look at it once in a while, you might miss something.
So stop and take a look at “Innovation by Design,” the County’s annual Innovation Days expo, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1, at the County Operations Center.
You can get a glimpse of the future — the latest, greatest info-tech and web-based tools that can help us improve how we work and conduct the public’s business. All they need is your imagination. Come, look, touch and share your ideas.
This is not just for the techies in your office. It’s meant to get everyone thinking about tools we might use.
Booths will feature all kinds of cool tech, including:
·Alexa — The intelligent personal assistant developed by Amazon.
·iLobby Visitor Management — A tool that lets visitors sign in digitally rather than sign a sign-in sheet, takes their picture, prints them up visitor badges, digitally notifies staff of their arrival and prints out a visitor activity report at the end of the day.
·MakerBot 3D Printers
·Ozobot Smart Robots — Fun toy robots that can teach people how to code.
·Damage Assessment Mobile Apps
·Microsoft PowerApps — An Office-style tool that simplifies building business apps so any employee can build business apps without having to code.
·Oculus Rift Virtual Reality — The goggles that immerse you in virtual reality, where you can be under the ocean, flying in space, or onstage.
·GoCharge Solar Charging Station — GoCharge, which already makes charging stations for conferences, colleges, hospitals and event-venues, now has created solar-panel charging stations for outdoor events to power cell phones, laptops, tablets, whatever.
The event will be held in the hearings room next door to the cafeteria at the County Operations Center and is being put on by the County’s Technology Office, DXC Technology, the County’s technology provider formerly known as Hewlett Packard, and its partner, AT&T.
It’s not too late to participate in this year’s Live Well San Diego 5K on Sunday, July 30. In fact, early bird discount pricing has been extended to Friday, July 21.
County employees can also use the special discount code CNTY when you register to save even more with an additional $5 off the registration fee.
The Live Well 5K is an annual event with a run/walk and interactive family-friendly Discovery Expo. The 5K kicks off at the Waterfront Park at 7:30 a.m. on July 30. On-site registration begins at 6:30 a.m.
The Discovery Expo features an Innovation Zone with some of San Diego’s leaders in health and wellness, a pet zone, music, fitness classes, dancing, free snacks and healthy beverages and a special Kids Fun Zone.
Registration includes the 5K run/walk, a Live Well San Diego 5K T-shirt, a participant medal and a virtual goodie e-bag.
The event is a partnership with the San Diego Blood Bank and the proceeds benefit the life-saving work that they do.
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