Volunteer for the Warrior Hike on Veterans Day

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The County’s got a way for you to give back on Veterans Day.

The Department of Parks and Recreation is looking for some volunteers to help out with this weekend’s Warrior Hike Challenge. They need people to help with check-in and “celebration stations” throughout the trails.

Volunteers should wear appropriate clothing to include layers, as it warms up. They should wear sturdy shoes or boots - no open toed footwear! Remember to wear hats and sunscreen and bring water and snacks. Our VALOR employee resource group will provide some snacks, as well.

Sound like a nice way to spend Veterans Day? Email Cheryl Wegner or call her up at 858-966-1335 for more information, including parking and signing up.  

It's Pie, Sale, Bake Off Time!

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Buy a pie and give to a good cause. Or bake some goodies yourself and raise money for a good cause. Or maybe, compete to be the best County baker in the annual Great County Employees’ Charitable Organization Bake Off.

Heck, do all three! But you need to act fast to take part.

County employees can order a delicious Marie Callendar’s pie — apple, French apple, razzleberry, pumpkin, cherry or peach — for just $16 through 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15 online. Proceeds will go to CECO to be given out to local charities. It’s the perfect way to give to those who need it and get the perfect desert for Thanksgiving at the same time.

You can pick up pies Tuesday, Nov. 21 in room 402A at the County Administration Center, building 5600 at the County Operations Center and at the Mills Building downtown. Just be sure to bring your Eventbrite receipt.

Meanwhile, the Great CECO Bake Off and the Bake Sale will both take place Wednesday Nov. 15 in room 402A at the County Administration Center at 1600 Pacific Highway.

If you want to take part — either by baking goodies to raise money for CECO, or to compete in the Bake Off — you need to email sdceco@sdcounty.ca.gov no later than Monday, Nov. 13.

The Bake Sale will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and all proceeds from the sale will go to CECO to distribute to local charities. Bakers can drop their goods off and CECO volunteers will handle the sales. Last year’s event featured 20 to 30 different items, from brownies to cookies, cakes and pastries. (A delicious time was had by all.)

Entries for the Bake Off must be dropped off in 402A at the CAC between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. Nov. 15. Entries must be home-made; multiple entries are allowed. Judging will be done between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. and entries will be judged by taste.

The winner of the Bake Off will be announced Thursday, Nov. 16. The winner may be asked to share their award-winning recipe and get their picture taken with the judge.

So, come on! Give a little, get a lot! 

Employees Practice Running Disaster Shelter

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If a disaster struck tomorrow, do you know where you would go if you couldn’t go home? According to a recent study by the County Office of Emergency Services, 17 percent of San Diego County residents said that in the event of an emergency evacuation, they wouldn’t know where to go.  

That’s why, during disasters, the County and community volunteers provide designated shelters for people and pets who have to evacuate due to wildfires, floods, or earthquakes.  In the 2007 wildfires, half a million County residents evacuated their homes, and thousands took shelter at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. During the devastating wildfires in Northern California a few  weeks ago, 43 different shelters opened.

But shelters wouldn’t be possible without trained disaster workers who are ready to jump in and help at a moment’s notice. So drills like the Shelter Team Exercise the County held recently are critical to keeping up with the demand for disaster shelters when the need arises.

Approximately 70  employees from the County came together at Golden Hall in downtown San Diego to practice setting up and running a realistic disaster shelter in a scenario most San Diegans know too well: wildfire.

“We tried to make it as real as we could,” said Julie Jeakle, OES’ Emergency Services Coordinator who ran the exercise. “These are all scenarios we’ve experienced in shelters before.”

Hundreds of County employees volunteer as trained shelter workers and managers, and the County provides trainings each quarter. The goal is to nearly triple the number of trained employees who would be available to respond in an emergency in the next few years.

One volunteer, Leonor Chairez, works by day as a licensed marriage and family therapist with Behavioral Health Services. She first volunteered two years ago to become a trained a shelter worker and was ready to help if called upon during the Northern California wildfires.

“It’s a passion of mine to help others, especially when they’re in need,” Chairez said. “I feel that part of our jobs as clinicians is to help in crisis.”

“You have to be prepared to drop what you’re doing and go help,” said HHSA Senior Office Assistant and shelter volunteer Tim Hahn. When he saw the recruitment for shelter volunteers on the County’s employee web page, he signed up.

“I just wanted to do something for the community,” he said.

Currently, over 240 County employees have been trained to act as emergency shelter workers and managers during a disaster, but there is still a need for volunteers. For more information on becoming a trained shelter worker and the County’s Advanced Recovery Initiative, check out OES’ InSite page. If you’re interested in volunteering as a shelter worker, fill out the Shelter Team application form and send it to the Office of Emergency Services. 

Protect the Public’s Information – and Your Own!

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In the time it takes you to read this column, the County will block more than 500 incoming emails because they look like either spam or a more dangerous threat.

That adds up to millions – millions! – of attempts to get past our filters every month.

Much of the County’s business is about protecting the public. That includes protecting their information. This is not just a job for IT staff. It’s critical that each of us takes the steps needed to keep that information safe.

I also don’t want to see any of you personally ever fall victim to identity theft or scams. A lot of what I’m saying here about protecting our customers applies just as much to safeguarding your personal information. I hope you’ll be just as vigilant with both.

Even though the vast majority of spam email coming into the County gets blocked, some potentially harmful ones get through. I get them, and you probably have, too. Here’s an example:

Your e-mail ID exceeded its storage limit.  Click Here to Unblock and click on Submit to get more space or you won’t be able to send mail.

They ask you to click on something, or open an attachment. That’s all a hacker needs to get into our system and start to steal private information.

These emails have gotten more and more sophisticated. They’re no longer from a prince overseas promising to make you rich. Fraudsters are now able to make mails look as if they’re from County employees, even people you know. The messages sound like something they’d say. 

Especially dangerous are “phishing” emails. These ask for sensitive information like a password. Provide that, and you’ve just thrown the door open to thieves.

These are just a few examples of threats to our information. Protecting data has become one of the modern world’s biggest challenges. Security breaches at major companies or government agencies are now almost routine. The recent hack of credit reporting agency Equifax was just one of the latest. 

So, while we continue to fight this battle behind the scenes, we need everyone on the front line at the County to step up our guard. I’m raising the issue with all of you here, but we’re also introducing a set of three short trainings in the LMS that cover aspects of protecting private information. I strongly encourage you to take them. Technology will help us, but our security will depend on your understanding the risks and learning how to spot trouble. 

I won’t go into all the details, but the three topics are:

Privacy and Security. This covers the general concept of privacy rules about what we can share and security rules to keep it safe. This is not just digital. It includes things like leaving sensitive documents sitting on a copier. Or speaking about private matters in a way that could be overheard.

Mobile Devices. A smartphone is a little computer, and it is just as vulnerable to being hacked. The training’s tips include things to look for when downloading apps or when connecting to Wi-Fi, as well as settings you should disable when they’re not being used. 

Spam and Phishing. I mentioned these already, but there’s more to know. Like what to do if you get one of these mails. Don’t forward it to IT staff, or anyone else. Do send it, as an attachment, to spam@sdcounty.ca.gov. Then delete it. The training explains how to make it an attachment, if you’re not sure. We’ve also added a section on InSite’s Technology page as a quick reference.    

And about those phishing mails. Our Help Desk, or any legitimate organization, like major banks, will not ask for you to send password information in a mail. That’s an immediate red flag.

Millions of Americans are victims of identity theft each year. If it happens to you, remember that our Employee Assistance Program can help. Specialists can walk you through steps to resolve a case.

Living safely. That’s one of the three strategic initiatives that drive everything we do. It goes as much for information security as it does for any of the other ways we protect people. And as with any safety issue, the key is staying alert and informed. Think before you click!

 

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County Family Fire Fund Established

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The wildfires that have raced through California this year have devastated thousands of people, not only the citizens that we government workers serve, but also many of our fellow county workers in other communities.

A fund has been set up to help county workers in these other communities to rebuild their homes and lives by the County State Association of Counties and the California Association of County Executives — the “County Family Fire Fund.”

If you’d like to donate you can do so here.

If anyone can empathize with the people who have been devastated by this summer’s wildfires, it’s us. We lived through our own horrible firestorms here in San Diego County, in 2003, 2007 and 2014.

And we know from those experiences that disaster strike us all. Not only the public we serve as government employees, but us as well. County workers live in the places they serve. They work on the front lines and they work in support. They’re emergency responders, they help coordinate evacuations and relief, and staff local recovery centers. In the horrific Northern California fires, there have been stories of county workers continuing to work — even as their own homes burned — to help the public.

It’s going to take our fellow counties years to rebuild. We know. We’ve seen it; we’ve lived through it. If you’d like to help, you can by donating to the County Family Fire Fund. 

PerkSpot Alert: Discounted Universal Studios Tickets

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Lights! Camera! Take action on a great deal! You can save up to 25 percent on gate priced tickets at Universal Studios Hollywood through PerkSpot.

Soar above Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with Harry Potter. Join Gru and the mischievous Minions on a 3-D ride. Watch King Kong battle a 35-foot T-Rex! Take a studio tour and see how famous shows and movies come together.

Tickets are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for a different date – all sales are final. Be careful when selecting.

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.

SDCLA Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

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The San Diego County Latino Association employee resource group celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a special guest speaker at the County Operations Center.

USMC RET. Corporal Carlos Gomez Perez, who was born in Mexico and immigrated to the U.S at age nine, joined the United States Marines October 2001, eventually becoming highly decorated Marine.

While his time in service, Cpl Gomez Perez received the following awards, or commendations:

  • Certificate Of Commendation 2004

  • Meritorious Mast Warrior Of The Month 2004

  • Purple Heart 2004 for a gunshot wound to the face, and to Right Shoulder in the Jolar District in the streets of Fallujah

  • Combat Meritoriously to Corporal 2004

Cpl Carlos Gomez Perez was medically retired from the United States Marines on January 2006. 

Check out the photos above from the celebration and learn more about employee resource groups on InSite.

 

Distracted Driving: Not Worth the Risk

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Karina Ramirez from Public Works views a virtual reality program to deter distracted driving.

County employees took a distracted driving challenge at an interactive virtual reality simulator and pledged to stay focused on the road, not mobile phones, social media or other distractions.

The County partnered with AT&T to offer the It Can Wait virtual reality 360-degree driving experience at the County Operations Center Plaza last week. The simulation involved watching a driving video through virtual reality goggles while sitting in a driver’s seat with a steering wheel.

While participating, cartographic services employee Robert Feuerstein actually shrieked a few times and asked if he’d killed someone. Don’t worry he didn’t but he said the video was “so realistic” with the virtual reality goggles.  Formerly a driving instructor, Feuerstein said he knows how important this safety message is for all drivers.  

“It’s a fantastic tool to use to learn the risks of distracted driving,” said Feuerstein.

Ignacio De La Torre, assistant vice president of AT&T External Affairs, said they got involved with this safety messaging in 2010 after they talked with people who had been seriously injured in accidents due to distracted driving like texting or talking on the phone.

In AT&T’s research, they found that 49 percent of people admitted to texting while driving. Of teenagers surveyed, 97 percent said they thought texting and driving was dangerous, but 43 percent of them said they did it anyway.

In more recent years, De La Torre noted, distracted driving has come to include people recording videos of themselves while driving, taking selfies and posting to social media sites.

Karina Ramirez, who works for the Department of Public Works, said she wanted to take part in the experience because her 11-year-old daughter constantly reminds her to put her phone away before they get in the car. Ramirez said she wanted to tell her daughter she pays attention to what she tells her.

“I tell her, ‘You’re right.’ And when she starts driving, I want her not to even think about (using her phone or being distracted in another way),” Ramirez said.

Henry Weaver of Auditor & Controller took the pledge not to drive while distracted.Henry Weaver with Auditor and Controller said the virtual reality goggles made a big impact, and he would warn others to drive responsibly.

“Just don’t do it, it’s not worth it,” said Weaver.

To learn more about the dangers of distracted driving visit AT&T’s It Can Wait campaign and watch 360-degree videos, which can be viewed on any virtual reality viewer.

Last year, more than 20 million people who participated in the AT&T simulated experience pledged not to drive while distracted.

“We provide phones and want to make sure our customers use them in a responsible manner,” said De La Torre. 

Get Healthy for the Holidays

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Give yourself the gift of health this holiday season by participating in Employee Wellness’ quarterly challenge—Health for the Holidays.

In this six-week program, employees will practice three healthy behaviors: physical activity, eating well and filling a “gift box.” Participants may fill their gift box by volunteering, doing a nice deed for a neighbor or really anything that spreads holiday cheer and goodwill.

As participants log their activities online, they create an animated holiday scene. The more activities logged, the more festive the winter wonderland scene grows. Just imagine yourself dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh.

While this is the most wonderful time of the year, it can be stressful too. Employee Wellness Coordinator William Erese explained that this challenge can actually help relieve stress and set you up for a happy and healthy New Year.

“Exercise and healthy eating are the simple things that you can do each day to contribute to a brighter, jollier outlook this holiday season,” he said.

Registration is Oct. 23 through Nov. 10. The campaign runs Nov. 6 through Dec. 17.

Don’t forget to link your wearable fitness devices such as Fitbits and Jawbones to record steps.

This is the last online challenge employees need to participate in to qualify for the Employee Wellness stationary bike giveaway.

Employees requiring accommodation should email dhrwellness.fgg@sdcounty.ca.gov.