County Buildings – Changes on the Horizon

Crime Lab

County Buildings – Changes on the Horizon

A new year, a new beginning and the perfect time to see what new County buildings are on the horizon. General Services works year-round to improve and modernize our work and client spaces so we can provide better customer service.

Here’s a look at what we can expect in 2018:

Openings

Sheriff’s Crime Lab 

Scheduled Completion: Summer 2018

Project: The exterior enclosure is almost complete and installation of the interior finishes has begun on the new 151,000-square-foot facility at the County Operations Center. The building will house the crime lab, space for Sheriff’s property and evidence materials, and administrative offices. The new project will move the Crime Lab close to the Medical Examiner’s office.

North Coastal Regional Center:

Scheduled Completion: Summer 2018

Project: Construction is underway for a new 36,000-square-foot facility in Oceanside. The building is going up where the Regional Center/Public Health Center was located. The center will consolidate behavioral health, public health and administration in one place. In the meantime, HHSA staff is working from a leased space at 3609 Ocean Ranch Blvd. in Oceanside. A site search is underway for a larger north coastal Family Resource Center as well.

Pine Valley Fire Station:

Scheduled Completion: December 2018

Project: A groundbreaking ceremony kicked off construction for a new Pine Valley Fire Station last month. The 13,000-square-foot station will be double the size of the old building. The two-story facility will feature sleeping quarters for up to 15 people and four bays for emergency vehicles. 

Borrego Springs Library, Park and Sheriff’s Office:

Scheduled Completion: Fall/Winter 2018

Project: Officials broke ground in October for a new approximately 14,000-square-foot library branch that will be six times the size of the current leased facility. The project includes a Sheriff’s office and a 16-acre community park across the street. Plans for the park include play structures, court sports and picnic areas. 

Borrego Springs Library Construction

Borrego Springs Library, Park and Sheriff’s Office Site Plan

Boulevard 24/7 Library To Go Kiosk:

Scheduled Completion: March 2018

Project: A fully automated library kiosk with an overhead canopy and wind screen will provide 24/7 access to popular movies and books for the local community, where access to a traditional branch library may not be available. Anyone with a valid County Library card may use the new kiosk. This kiosk will be the fourth for the San Diego County Library.

New Beginnings

Lakeside Library: The County has purchased a site for a new approximately 15,000-square-foot library which would triple the size of the current branch built in 1962. The new zero-net energy facility will include children and teen spaces, plus a community room.  

Casa de Oro Library: A site search is underway for a place to build a new approximately 15,000 square-foot library to replace the current branch located at a strip mall. The new facility will include for the first time a community room as well as specific areas for teens and children.  

Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk East County Operations and Archive: Construction is expected to start in 2018 on a new 23,900-square foot facility in Santee. The current El Cajon facility is located inside a converted bank that was built in 1957. The new structure will include modern archival storage and maintenance of significant historical documents. Completion is scheduled for mid-2019.  

ARCC East County

Cedar/Kettner Development Property: Negotiations are underway for development of the vacant land adjoining the Cedar/Kettner parking structure site for a private residential and commercial project. Construction could start in late 2019/early 2020.  

Major Renovations and Remodeling

San Diego Juvenile Justice Campus: Master planning is underway for redevelopment of the Kearny Mesa facility. The existing site will be renovated and redeveloped to include an urban camp setting, new community supervision services, housing and support facilities.

County Administration Center: Procurement ofthe design and construction teamfor the major systems upgrade will begin this quarter. The mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire/life safety systems are past their useful life and will be replaced in phases.

Planning Stages

Southeastern Live Well Center: Site acquisition is proceeding for a Live Well Center that will consolidate the Southeast Family Resource Center, Public Health and Mental Health in one place. The facility will also house Probation staff and offer meeting spaces to community groups.

Health Services Complex Replacement: Planning is underway toredevelop the Health Services Complex in the Midway District. The project would replace the Rosecransfacility, consolidate associated HHSA functions in the new building and provide a parking structure.  

Bonita-Sunnyside Branch Library Expansion: Design-Build procurement will begin this quarter for the expansion of the Bonita-Sunnyside Branch Library. Plans include a new children’s area, an expanded teen’s area, and various interior improvements to the existing library.

Ohio Street Probation Office: Thecurrent officein North Park has closed and is being demolished. A new facility designed to help rehabilitation and treatment will be built in its place.

Emergency Vehicle Operations Course: Planning is underway and a design-build team will be hired in late 2018 so design can begin. Construction will begin after the property closes escrow in 2019. Completion is anticipated in 2020.    

Palomar Mountain Fire Station Living Quarters: The project, located next to the existing fire house, will provide approximately 1,900 square feet of living space for six personnel, renovate an existing office in the fire house, and other site improvements.

Santa Ysabel Nature Center: The 6,000-square-foot nature center will include interpretive and educational exhibits, a conference room for up to 100 people, an outdoor patio, an information area, restrooms and staff offices. The center will be located next to Highways 78 and 79 in Santa Ysabel. Construction could be completed in fall 2019.

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

County Marches in MLK Jr. Day Parade

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department, District Attorney's Office, Probation and the African American Association of County Employees (AAACE), an Employee Resource Group, honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by marching in the 38th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade Sunday.

In addition, San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk Ernest J. Dronenburg and Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister attended the YMCA MLK Jr. Human Dignity Breakfast with ARCC team members on Friday, Jan. 12. The event at the Jackie Robinson YMCA honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

TED Talks Viewing with Ron Lane

Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the Public Safety Group Ron Lane hosted a lunchtime viewing of TED Talks. The theme of the videos was "Great Leaders are Great Decision-Makers: Leading without fear of being wrong."

Throughout the year, the General Managers will host similar lunchtime viewings of TED Talks with various themes. Look out for them on InSite under Employee Messages.

Extra Resources:

• Ron Lane's Tips for Better Decision-Making

• 6 Tips for Making Better Decisions

Video #1 demonstrates an example of a bad decision Challenger: The Untold Story Part 7 of 10 (min 0:00 through 4:47)

Video #2 is a TED Talk by Julia Galef -Why you think you’re right – even if you’re wrong (11:37). This video discusses why and how our beliefs and biases influence our decision making.

• Speaker: Julia Galef, Writer

• Julia Galef investigates how and why people change their minds.

• Summary: Perspective is everything, especially when it comes to examining your beliefs. Are you a soldier, prone to defending your viewpoint at all costs -- or a scout, spurred by curiosity? Julia Galef examines the motivations behind these two mindsets and how they shape the way we interpret information, interweaved with a compelling history lesson from 19th-century France. When your steadfast opinions are tested, Galef asks: "What do you most yearn for? Do you yearn to defend your own beliefs or do you yearn to see the world as clearly as you possibly can?"

Video #3 – USS Vessel in Irish Sea

Video #4 is a TED Talk by Kathryn Schulz on Being Wrong (17:44)

• Speaker: Kathryn Schulz, Wrongologist

• Kathryn Schulz is a staff writer for the New Yorker and is the author of "Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error."

• Summary: Most of us will do anything to avoid being wrong. But what if we're wrong about that? "Wrongologist" Kathryn Schulz makes a compelling case for not just admitting but embracing our fallibility.

PerkSpot: Save on Lift Tickets

The mountains are calling. If you’re going, save. 

Before hitting the slopes, get discounted lift tickets from PerkSpot to Southern California’s biggest ski and snowboarding resorts, including Big Bear Mountain, Mountain High, Mammoth Mountain and Snow Summit. You could save more than 35 percent.

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. 

Safety Training Helped Employee Caught Near Las Vegas Shooting

Please note: some footage in this video may be disturbing.

As County employee Hank Ramirez participated in a three-hour active shooter training last September with the Purchasing & Contracting department, he never imagined that within weeks he would use the lessons.

Ramirez was in the casino of Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas when a gunman opened fire from the hotel’s upper floor on nearby concertgoers in October.  He, his husband and a friend were evacuated to the nearby Excalibur Hotel where everyone remained on lockdown for hours. With no official information reaching them, some people speculated wildly at times that perhaps the gunman was in the casino on lockdown with them.

“It really was very scary,” Ramirez said, until he began to remember the active shooter training. “Recalling it helped calm me down. It helped give me a solid foundation to stand on and know what to do. It was extremely valuable.”

County Human Resources offers training videos and other resources on violence prevention including the Run, Hide, Fight response to an active shooter on the County’s Learning Management System (LMS). Additionally, classroom training classes were offered last year to employees at various locations, and departments could sign up for site-specific trainings that involve hands-on scenarios.

Starting in February, monthly class presentations will again be offered at various County locations and can be accessed through LMS.

Ramirez said he participated in a classroom training on his lunch hour last year, then his department head signed his office up for a three-hour interactive training. In the department training, they practiced looking for exits, hiding and staying quiet, and devising a plan to fight if that was the only option.

While they were on lockdown in Las Vegas, Ramirez said he used those learned skills: trying to find exits in the casino in case a gunman burst in; finding scaffolding with covering around a pillar under renovation and positioning chairs around it to deflect bullets if necessary; and gathering potential weapons such as a fire extinguisher, ashtrays and empty glasses to use against the shooter if needed.

“It kept me calm because it gave me something to focus on. I remembered the things he told us in the class and I looked around and tried to implement them in that situation,” Ramirez said.

The training is offered jointly by the County’s Site Security Initiative program. Sheriff’s Lt. Damon Blankenbaker, who is one of the instructors for the courses, teaches employees how to react better in such a situation and even prepare for an incident like this that includes trying to de-escalate a volatile situation and recognizing a threat of violence before it ramps up.

Ramirez said when he returned to work, he immediately called Lt. Blankenbaker to tell him how the training had helped him. He said Blankenbaker told him he’d be right over and talked to him for more than an hour about his experience. Ramirez said he wants other employees to know how crucial this kind of training is and how it can help you protect yourself and your loved ones in a similar emergency.

Volunteers Still Needed to Count Homeless People

April Adames and Eva Ulrich did it. Athena Buensuceso did too.

They helped to count homeless people in San Diego last year. And they’re planning to do it this year too.

Will you join them and the hundreds of other County employees who have already signed up?

The annual count of homeless people in San Diego County will take place Friday, Jan. 26. from 3:45 a.m. to 7 a.m. The deadline to register is Jan. 19.

The Point in Time count is part of the WeALLCount campaign. The results are used to apply for federal funding that is used to help local homeless people and find solutions on how to best serve those most vulnerable in our community.

The Board strongly believes in this worthy cause and has agreed to offer paid time for County employees who choose to volunteer and assist in the effort. All it requires is three hours of your time and a short training.

Volunteers have the opportunity to count our homeless population and can request the areas to visit. They could go out in teams of two or three with other County employees and volunteers.

“I have participated in the annual count on four separate occasions and each time has been a new, unique and revitalizing experience,” said Adames, an administrative analyst with Behavioral Health Services. "Every year I sign up at a different deployment site so I can meet new people and venture out through new neighborhoods.” 

Ulrich, a housing specialist with Housing and Community Development Services, said she has participated in the count for the past three years and also found the experience a positive one. 

“Before the count we are thoroughly trained and we know exactly what is expected from us,” Ulrich said. “Because the count is tied to potential future funding, it feels like spending the time and energy really makes a difference in the homeless persons’ lives.”

Last year, there were 9,116 homeless men, women and children in the San Diego region. More than 500 County employees participated in the count and an even higher number is sought this time around.

“It was both a duty and a privilege to join a thousand-strong San Diego counters who collectively demonstrated that every single person counts,” said Buensuceso, an information technology specialist with the Air Pollution Control District.

Volunteers will work in teams in specific locations and simply tally how many homeless people they see.

If you are interested in participating, review the registration guidelines and FAQs and then obtain approval from your supervisor via the supervisor approval form.

 nce completed, you can register for the WeALLCount campaign on the Task Force’s website.

18 Ways to Get 2018 in Gear

Happy New Year, everyone!

You can come up with a new goal anytime. But there’s something about the start of a new year that inspires you to set new marks for yourself. That fresh calendar is a clean slate just asking to be filled out.

I’ve always been big on setting goals. You know our organization runs on them. But since I was a young adult, I’ve come up with my own goals each year. Some have been professional, others personal. It’s important to have a mix.

I feel strongly that everyone can benefit from having a few goals. So I wanted to share some ideas that may help you create your own. I’ve borrowed a lot of these from a few sources. Everyone is unique, and you’ll come up with whatever version of these works for you.

1. Commit to fitness. This is a perennial on resolution lists, for good reason. Getting exercise and eating right can affect your mood, your energy level and basically every aspect of your life. A lot of you take advantage of the many activities offered in our Employee Wellness Program. 2018 again has a full roster of ways to get involved.    

2. Reorganize your living or work space. Making the physical space around you different puts you in the mindset for change. It opens you up to other possibilities of rearranging your life.

3. Volunteer. The possibilities are pretty much endless with this. There are worthy causes for almost any area of interest you might have, and commitment could go anywhere from one-time events to ongoing work. Just within the County are numerous opportunities. Live Well San Diego lists more with partners and has several databases to find opportunities that fit you. One suggestion: the Point-In-Time Count coming up later this month.

4. Schedule family time. Many of us constantly tell ourselves we need to spend more time with family, but then day-to-day concerns get in the way. Like so many things, scheduling greatly increases chances of making it happen. Maybe it’s planned activities, or just blocks of time with no set plan. Whatever it is, get it on your calendar!

5. Unplug. Email, social media, news, funny videos – our lives seem to revolve around one screen or another. As much as they inform and entertain, the constant flood of information can make you anxious and absorb all your attention. Put some limits around the screen time and don’t lose focus of the world – and people – around you. (This would be a good one to combine with Family Time.)

6. Take stock then move forward. Look back over the last year and ask yourself what you enjoyed most. How can you keep it up or do even more in the coming year? What battles did you fight and not win? Should you keep trying? If so, what can you do to change the outcome this year?

7. Keep friends close. And I mean closer than keeping up with them on Facebook. As recommended for family, schedule regular times to get together. Make phone calls or write to those farther away. True friendships take regular tending, and you reap the rewards in laughter, support and all-around enjoyment of life.

8. Get uncomfortable. Find a way to stretch yourself. This could be anything under the sun: take a public speaking class, try a new recipe, learn a dance, take on a new assignment, give yourself a physical challenge, etc. Growth won’t come to you. You have to make it happen. 

9. Be a student of what you do. In whatever field you are, there’s always more to learn. Read up, follow blogs, sign up for webinars, ask questions of peers and supervisors.

10. Create the environment you need to succeed. Pay close attention to what people and experiences leave you emotionally charged or drained. Then accentuate the positive and do what you can to reduce your exposure to the negative. 

11. Have gratitude. Simply taking note of things and people you’re grateful for can totally transform you. It makes you more aware of the world around you, more positive, more trusting – all things that make more people like you, which makes you happier, more energetic, etc. The positive feedback loop never ends.

12. Visit a place you have always wanted to go. This doesn’t have to be something exotic. Maybe there’s some place around the county you’ve been meaning to check out and haven’t gotten around to. Take advantage of the amazing variety right here in San Diego. Whether you go near or far, seeing new places always opens your eyes.

13. Stop smoking. Look at your health plan options for help, and don’t forget about the Employee Assistance Program.

14. Write a not-to-do list. One expert recommends keeping a rough log of your activities for a while. Then look at how your time spent matches up with the other goals you’re working on. If a lot of hours are going to things that are not a priority for you, put those on your “not-to-do” list and make a conscious point to limit or stay away from them.

15. Review expenses as a couple. For those of you in relationships, being on the same page here can head off a lot of frustration. The new year is a great time to plot out short-term and long-term plans.  

16. Schedule all regular doctor and dentist appointments for the year. Things will come up you can’t schedule, but getting all the routine visits on the calendar keeps them from slipping later. Doing it far in advance, and you’re more likely to get times that are more convenient for you, not just when the doctor can fit you in.

17. Lower your blood pressure. I won’t get into too many specific health recommendations, but this one ties into our Love Your Heart event next month. Among the steps you can take: get regular exercise. Eat a healthy diet. Check sodium content in products. Ask restaurant servers for low-sodium options.

And a final important one.

18. Write your top goals for this year and post them where you can see them. A constant reminder helps keep you on track and accountable to yourself. Here’s a quote I’ve shared before:

“Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines.” -Brian Tracy

Writing something down makes it real. Adding deadlines keeps them a priority. Setting goals is great, but reaching them is what it’s all about. Take the steps you need to keep your promises to yourself.

I wish you success in all your plans for this new year as we all work together to make San Diego healthy, safe and thriving!

P.S. Here’s something that may fit with a few of the goals I mentioned. We’re mixing up how we do the TED Talks viewings we’ve had in recent years. My general managers are going to take turns hosting. First up will be Ron Lane, from the Public Safety Group, on the topic “Great Leaders are Great Decision-Makers: Leading Without Fear of Being Wrong.” That will be January 12 from noon to 1 p.m. at the COC, Bldg. 5500, Room 120.  

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2018 Holiday and Payday Calendar

Plan for the New Year. Download or print the 2018 holiday and payday calendar.

Ringing in the New Year with Resolutions

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! 

CECO Donations May Mean Tax Deduction

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.