Your colleagues list off some of their New Year's resolutions, including traveling, being more organized and even being more humble. Watch all of them above and then leave your own resolutions, big or small, in the comment section below!
The clock is ticking down on 2017, but there’s still time to make a donation to the San Diego County Employees’ Charitable Organization—your donation may even qualify you for a current year’s tax deduction.
Donations are not just a feel-good holiday deed; they are a gift that continues to give throughout the year. This year CECO distributed $178,630 in grants to 92 nonprofit organizations throughout the San Diego region.
Year-end donations may be made by check or cash. Contact sdceco@sdcounty.ca.gov by Dec. 31 for more information.
Staff at Edgemoor - with an assist from patients - baked and decorated dozens of treats for a Christmas Cookie Donation Drive for the Wounded Warrior Project.
Approximately 60 dozen cookies were donated including maple bacon cookies, nutella-filled chocolate chip cookies and white chocolate cranberry cookies.
Residents from the occupational therapy and therapy recreation groups worked together to bake cookies as part of the effort.
The non-profit Wounded Warrior Project will be distributing the goodies to service men and women this holiday season.
These gingerbread houses took some elaborate planning to make – so it makes sense that the County’s Planning and Development Services was behind their construction!
The department had its second annual gingerbread house competition among its divisions. Corinne Schwartz, a departmental human resources officer, said the employees split up in their divisions, like Zoning or Land Development, and have one week to collaborate on the extravagant houses.
Employees work during their lunches, breaks and even after hours, making sure they pay special attention to detail to ensure a first-place spot.
The Land Development division crafted a County Administration Center gingerbread house, but it was beat out by just a few points by the Zoning division, which named their creation “When Pigs Fly” (you can see the pigs pulling Santa’s sleigh in lieu of reindeer).
Check out all the festive fun below.
Advanced Planning's Gingerbread House (click to enlarge)
Land Development's Gingerbread House (click to enlarge)
Code Compliance's Gingerbread House (click to enlarge)
Project Planning's Gingerbread House (click to enlarge)
Support Services Gingerbread House (click to enlarge)
Zoning's Gingerbread House (click to enlarge)
The County’s 10 Employee Resource Groups celebrated the holidays with a party this weekend. See the photos.
Chief Probation Officer Adolfo Gonzales, probation officers and the San Diego Lowrider Association joined Santa Claus to deliver dinners and toys to six deserving families in the Chula Vista, National City and San Marcos areas this weekend.
How is your department celebrating the hoiday season?
Six District Attorney’s Office prosecutors and an investigator were recognized at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors’ meeting for their outstanding contributions to public safety over the past year.
The prosecutors were nominated by their peers for their extraordinary work and selected by the San Diego Deputy District Attorneys Association.
Supervisors honored the following:
Deputy District Attorney Benjamin Barlow
Deputy District Attorney Julie Lynn
Deputy District Attorney Jessica Paugh
Deputy District Attorney Nicole Rooney
District Attorney Investigator David Soliven
Deputy District Attorney Melissa Vasel
Deputy District Attorney David Williams, III
“I’m honored to lead such outstanding deputy district attorneys and investigators, who seek justice every day on behalf of crime victims in San Diego County,” DA Summer Stephan said. “They truly represent the dedication and quality of our entire prosecutorial team.”
The holidays are right around the corner. Shop for loved ones on PerkSpot and save big! You can find discounts on jewelry for that special someone, flowers and chocolates for party hosts, gaming gear for your children and even treats for your pets.
PerkSpot offers benefits and discounts through more than 400 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.
The season of giving is here. And I want to share with you a few gifts that mean more to me than anything.
They’re words of thanks from the people we serve.
You all work every day to make a positive difference in people’s lives. So when we get notes from people we’ve helped, confirming in their own words that we really did make a difference, they’re just like little presents to me.
I’m happy to say that while each one of these comments is precious, they’re not rare. We get a steady stream from our operations in every corner of the county. But I’ve picked out a few that really struck me. I hope that even if a story is not from your department, you’ll feel pride and satisfaction as part of our one County team.
Some are long or have private details, so in many cases I’m sharing excerpts.
This one is from a former probationer to Officer John Betts.
I wanted to take the time to contact you and say with utmost sincerity: thank you.
You always supported me and did your best to make a difficult time in my life as easy as you could. Life has absolutely been very rough since that time, but as of recently, I was finally able to enlist in the U.S. Army. I ship out soon and will finally be able to achieve my dream. You played a part in getting me this far, and I owe you for it.
…you put your trust in me to behave and treated me like an equal man, and that allowed me to conduct myself in a manner that would see me to my goals.
This is a perfect example of the approach to rehabilitation Probation now takes. Yes, they’re keeping us safe. But they’re doing it by giving the people they supervise respect and the direction to fully participate in the community.
Many County jobs involve working with people at the worst moments of their lives. After a violent incident at an office complex, the County’s Behavioral Health Services was there to counsel traumatized workers. A manager wrote:
…we had a much needed session with Dr. Laura Vleugels and Amanda Kaufman for our tenants. They have been knowledgeable, compassionate, patient and helpful. We have never dealt with anything like this, and having their professional support was such a blessing.
Thank you for all the critical work you do. We are lucky to have you!
People often don’t realize all the ways we offer support until they’re in a crisis themselves.
Winding up in a hospital is stressful enough. Dealing with government forms on top of that doesn’t help. So one patient was extremely moved by the work of public health staff who visited him in a hospital and placed him in housing for his recovery.
They both made me feel comfortable and no tension or high anxiety existed. [They] guided me like skilled tacticians through the paperwork and requirements of the program. I’m deeply grateful and highly honored to be able to be given an opportunity although through my illness it humbles me to participate in such a program. And again all three of the County employees who assisted me in this arduous task did a excellent job. All I can say is Thanks, Thanks, Thanks.
It’s a great case of our HEART principles in action.
We know Purchasing & Contracting rules are there for very good reasons. But they can be tough to navigate, for employees and public alike! So Purchasing staff have their work cut out for them when helping people through the system.
"...In the 10 years of participating in bid processes across the nation, I have never seen a better, more professional, more transparent bid process than that conducted by Kristen. Her courtesy and outreach were unmatched. You have a great asset in Kristen and she reflects well for the County."
You get praise for your procurement, that’s something!
There’s so much to like about this next one from a repeat customer, most recently dealing with Environmental Health.
[They] chose to go the extra mile for their customer. lt just leaves you with a good feeling. Not that this experience was unusual. I have been to the County Operations Center about 5-6 times for various issues and while I have not always gotten the results I sought, I have always gotten the sense that the people working those desks are knowledgeable and want to help you succeed if they possibly can. The whole way things are done at County Operations impresses me as about as rational and efficient as you could hope for – no small achievement given the thicket of rules, regulations, and records that they contend with.
It’s true – we can’t always give people what they want. What we can always do is be helpful, informative and understanding. And the fact that this customer has consistently had positive interactions with us speaks volumes about the entire culture of exceptional customer service we’ve developed.
Here’s more evidence of that culture, in a few short messages from visitors to our Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk offices.
This office has always provided the best experience. Thank you for your 5-star service.
I felt like I was at a retail establishment – not a county facility.
This is an office that every county office in California should copy.
Exceeding expectations. Serving as a model. Each remark has a little bow on it in my eyes and brings me so much joy.
I’ve focused here on messages from the public to those who interact directly with them. But I understand well that for every person working at a counter or in the field, there’s a whole network of employees behind the scenes performing jobs that contribute to the customer’s experience. The thanks we get extend to you. Gratitude has a magical quality: there’s no limit to how much it can be shared.
And now my turn. My thanks to you all for another amazing year. Like the customers said, you really are the best. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season with loved ones, and I look forward to new messages from happy customers in the new year.
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Time is running out to spend your Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Reimbursement (HRA) dollars on approved medical expenses.
Employees have until Dec. 31 to use their FSA/HRA on doctors’ office visits, prescription copays, eyeglasses and contacts, dental work and many other health expenditures. For a complete list of eligible purchases, please refer to ASI Flex.
All documents and supporting receipts are due on or before March 31, 2018.
In addition, you may be able to roll over some of your unspent 2017 funds into 2018. Employees can carry over up to $500 into their 2018 Health Care FSA or HRA. The $500 is a combined amount for the FSA and the HRA. This IRS guideline applies to employees not enrolled in a high deductible health care plan.
If you are not sure how much you have left in your FSA or HRA, check your account balance through ASI Flex’s website.
Reminder: Dependent Care Flex Spending Account dollars do not carry over
For more information on the Department of Human Resources’ Benefits division, visit their website on InSite.
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