How We Make San Diego a Great Place to Live… and Visit

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Summertime in San Diego, and the livin’ is… busy.

We get visitors all year round, but summer is the season we’re especially teeming with tourists. While we may not be crazy about the crowds, we know tourism is a major driver of the local economy. More than 35 million people came to the region last year, spending billions of dollars.

Although we’re not in the tourism business directly, County workers do things every day to make this a great place to live and a great place to visit. As we get into the thick of the summer I wanted to highlight some of the things you do collectively to make the season so enjoyable!  

Those of us who live inland know there’s more to San Diego than beaches, but let’s face it, surf and sand are our claim to fame. And that reputation rests on the water being clean for swimmers.

The County’s Department of Environmental Health has an extensive program to check water all along our coastline to make sure it is indeed safe. You don’t even need to get to your favorite beach to see the swimming conditions. Go to SDBeachInfo.com to receive water quality information from Oceanside to Imperial Beach! 

And if you want to skip the ocean and instead lounge by the pool, you can enjoy one of our public pools or spas without any worries.  DEH inspectors are hard at work there, too, ensuring water quality standards are met to keep you safe.

What about those summer barbecues, food trucks at picnics, or just plain summer dining out? While the chefs handle the flavor, our restaurant inspectors make sure every bite you eat is germ-free.

Mosquitoes and other summer pests? Yep, we help to minimize impacts associated with those lovable creatures through inspections, pesticide compliance and trappings.

Leaving town? Do you need a passport to go on that summer vacation? The County processed 27,000 passport applications this past year so that our residents could travel abroad to see their friends and relatives or explore cultures around the world.

How about enjoying a family park? We have campsites throughout our park system for an overnight staycation, summer camp activities for kids out of school or even movie nights for your family or a special date. And out on the hiking trails, our Sheriff’s department is helping those who run into trouble get back out safely.

We take no credit for our world famous weather, but we do play a part in keeping our skies blue. The Air Pollution Control District works with businesses to make sure they operate cleanly. It gives out millions of dollars in grants so customers can get trucks or other equipment that cut pollution in addition to constantly monitoring the air around the county. 

Did you sign up for one of our summer library reading programs? Kids and adults are logging some serious hours enjoying fiction and non-fiction literature as part of their summer down time. And soon-to-be kindergartners are participating in a 10-session program to help them prepare socially and academically for their formal academic journey.

Some of our social workers and community partners welcomed foster kids to their first ever summer camp experience. In some cases, siblings were re-united, while in other cases, friendships were initiated and lifetime memories were made. 

Summer travel requires extra trips to the gas pumps. Agriculture, Weights and Measures makes sure every gallon you pump is accounted for in your tank! They also make sure that those summer shorts and sandals you bought were scanned properly so that your credit card was charged accurately.

Our outdoor yoga classes, the Live Well 5K, nature hikes and sports fields help round out some healthy entertainment to cap off another great summer.  Our first responders keep each of these events safe while other county employees organize and execute them to the pure delight of our residents.

There’s so much that makes San Diego attractive, for anyone visiting or living here as we do. I hope you’ll have a chance to savor some of it yourselves over the next couple months. You set the bar for the quality of life our residents and visitors are enjoying this summer, and you deserve to enjoy it, too!

 

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Live Well San Diego 5K Lets You Be an Everyday Hero

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The countdown is on to this year’s Live Well San Diego 5K, but the action starts well before race day! To help you get ready for the run, or just increase your physical activity overall, you can participate in the Live Well San Diego 31-Day 5K Fitness Challenge during the month of July.

The 5th annual race is on Sunday, July 29 at the Waterfront Park. The family and pet-friendly event also features a Kids 1-Mile Fun Run, activities, vendors and food trucks. The theme this year is “Celebrating Everyday Heroes” and local police, fire and military heroes will be on hand.

The 5K starts at 7:30 a.m. and the kids run begins at 8:15 a.m. The race benefits the life-saving work of the San Diego Blood Bank. County employees can use the discount code “CNTY5” when registering.

The 31-Day 5K Fitness Challenge offers an easy way to train for the race. You can sign up for email, text or Google Calendar notifications that offer a daily fitness challenge and training tip – all geared toward helping you participate in the event on July 29.

The tips will help you increase your physical activity and work on your personal fitness goals. The training schedule shows the average time, distance or additional steps you need to complete each day to help get you ready to participate in the 5K.

Each daily notification will offer a healthy, safe or thriving themed call-to-action, along with resources from Live Well San Diego recognized partners and County of San Diego programs related to the challenge.

You can sign up with friends and co-workers for support and extra encouragement. The challenge features meet-up walks, hikes and bike rides throughout the month so you can enjoy a workout with others.

You can sign up for the challenge on the Live Well San Diego website.

County’s Got Talent?

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Would you compete in a County’s Got Talent competition? Or would you be more into cheering on your co-workers?

We’re trying to gauge interest in an event of that kind for employees. Musicians, magicians, moonwalkers and more – want to take the stage?

Let us know! Take the poll (on the InSite homepage.) If you think you’d like to enter, send us an email for our interest list. 

Sign up for Text Alerts for County Events!

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You have another option to stay up-to-date on everything happening at the County. Sign up to get text messages about Countywide events, Employee Wellness activities and/or professional development opportunities.

You can sign up for all three categories or just the ones that interest you. Here’s how (message and data rates apply): 

  • Text “CoSD EVENTS” to 468311 for Countywide events
  • Text “CoSD WELLNESS” to 468311 for Wellness events
  • Text “CoSD PROFDEV” to 468311 for professional development opportunities

If you decide they’re not for you, reply “CoSD STOP” to stop receiving the messages.

Please note, this is different than the workplace emergency alert system. You don’t need to enroll in that program – during an emergency, notifications will automatically be sent to your work and personal cellphones. Please review your contact information in PeopleSoft Self Service to make sure it is up to date.

AAACE Hosts Juneteenth Celebration for Employees

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The African American Association of County Employees (AAACE) received a proclamation from the Board of Supervisors June 19 to recognize the annual Juneteenth holiday.

AAACE also held a Juneteenth celebration last Friday. The holiday marks the official end of slavery, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted.

The AAACE event at the County Operations Center had a packed program. There was singing, dancing and a speaker. Plus, guests were invited to browse a Juneteenth gallery with books and artifacts donated by the San Diego County Library. It awarded three young scholars with $500 for educational support. And AAACE became the first Employee Resource Group (ERG) to become a Live Well San Diego partner.

View a photo gallery of the Juneteenth celebrations at the County.

To learn more about AAACE, visit its InSite page.

Don’t Miss Out on the $100 Wellness Incentive

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There’s still time to earn your $100 Wellness Incentive! Get a wellness screening, take an online health risk assessment and submit proof of completion by June 30 to earn $100.

Employees can choose to get a screening with their own doctor or a free screening at KP Care Now, which is located at the County Operations Center, 5530 Overland Ave., 2nd Floor. To make an appointment at KP Care Now, call (858) 278-2802 or email KP-carenow@kp.org.

For program details and forms, please visit the Employee Wellness website.

Snap a “Well-fie” and Share!

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What is a “Well-fie”? It’s a wellness selfie, and taking one is our Employee Wellness’ Summer Adventure Challenge! Print the Wellness logo and take it with you on your vacation, staycation or other fitness activity. Snap your well-fie and be sure to include the Wellness logo.

Email your well-fie to County Communications by Sept. 7.

Everyone who sends in a Well-fie will get a puzzle that’s a collage of employees’ Well-fie pictures.

For details please visit the Employee Wellness’ InSite page.

Foster and Relative Caregiver Families Honored by HHSA

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Seventeen foster parents and relative caregivers won awards at the recent Quality Parenting Initiative Caregiver Appreciation banquet.

Three hundred foster parent and relative caregiver families were honored recently by the County’s Health and Human Services Agency.

HHSA hosted the second annual Quality Parenting Initiative Caregiver Appreciation banquet, highlighting the efforts of these families in providing safety, stability and hope for foster youth in the County.

Awards were presented to 17 caregivers who provide children in foster care loving, committed and skilled parenting while helping to maintain important connections in a child’s life.

A new award was introduced this year recognizing a community partner. Straight from the Heart, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that offers a wide array of support to caregivers including a storefront to purchase clothing or other items at a nominal cost.

Supervisor Greg Cox applauded the work foster families are doing to strengthen birth families, support sibling connections and care for older or medically fragile youth. In addition, Nick Macchione, HHSA director, and Cathi Palatella, child welfare services director, expressed deep appreciation for resource parents’ dedication to children and families.