Help Recruit for Redistricting Commission

Tell your friends, neighbors and acquaintances – the County is taking applications for its Independent Redistricting Commission. This once in a ten-year opportunity will allow members to redraw the boundaries for the County’s five supervisorial districts. District lines can shape a community’s ability to elect the representative of their choice.  The Clerk of the Board is looking for a wide cross section of applicants to reflect the County’s diversity.

For more information, visit County News Center. 

Update for July 2

Message from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer

You’re probably aware we’ve seen several discouraging trends recently in tracking COVID-19 activity in our region. Cases have shown big jumps. Hospitalizations are up. We’ve hit several of our “triggers” for modifying the health order. In response, we’ve closed bars that don’t serve food and directed restaurants to shut at 10 p.m.

We’ve also had an increase in the number of County employees testing positive. The percentage of our total workforce is very low, but it’s still a cause for concern.

Because of these external and internal trends, we’re pulling back on the opening of County facilities. We were planning to reopen library branches Monday, but we’re putting that on hold. We’re also going to close offices at the County Administration Center to most public services. That includes the Treasurer/Tax Collector and the Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk. They’ll be open today, then close the rest of July. We’ll see what the trends are like at the end of the month before deciding whether to reopen again

We’re also asking nonessential employees to continue to telework as much as possible and pausing any additional reopenings to the public.

It’s frustrating to take a step back, but the numbers show this virus remains a growing health threat. We’ll have an ongoing balancing act between wanting to reopen and taking prudent steps to protect the public’s and our employees’ health.   

We can all help stem the increase by taking the measures we’ve been talking about all along. Wash your hands. Wear a face covering – evidence continues to grow showing their effectiveness. Maintain social distancing. We can’t stress enough that gatherings with others outside your household are still not allowed. That means no inviting people over for backyard barbecues or big beach get-togethers on Fourth of July. I hate to come around every holiday with that same message, but it still holds true. This virus passes from one person to another, so the best way to stop the spread is to stay apart.

I thank all our staff directly involved with the COVID response who will stay busy in that effort over the long Independence Day weekend. I hope the rest of you will enjoy the holiday and celebrate safely.

County Could Go on State Watch List, Adopt More Restrictions

Spread of the novel coronavirus has caused the County of San Diego to be flagged by the California Department of Public Health, positioning the region to go on the state’s Watch List and ultimately face new closures if the number of COVID-19 cases continues to go up.

Learn more on County News Center.

.

Restaurants to Close Nightly at 10 p.m.

San Diego restaurants must close nightly at 10 p.m. starting Wednesday, July 1 until further notice, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced Tuesday. The County is taking the action to prevent additional community outbreaks and the spread of COVID-19.

Read more on County News Center.

Dialing Back on Openings

A growing number of COVID-19 cases are being identified in young people. Plus, San Diego region bars, wineries and breweries without a license to serve food will need to close.

Read more from Monday's coronavirus update.

Catching Rays to Pay off at County Facilities

A view of solar panels on the Registrar of Voters building and the Chesapeake parking structure at the County Operations Center.

A crowning achievement at General Services – the department energized the County’s largest photovoltaic (PV) system to date, a 2.2-megawatt system, at the County Operations Center. That means solar panels will generate enough clean renewable power to provide nearly 25% of the electricity used by the entire COC campus.

On top of that, a 400-kilowatt battery system was installed on the campus’s north side. The battery system will offset SDG&E’s increased rates during periods of high demand. The battery will switch on as needed each day when campus energy use gets too high, eliminating most of those costs.   

Between the solar panels and the battery, the system is expected to cut the COC’s annual electricity bill up to $370,000 each year.

Under a power purchase agreement, Sun Power built the COC system and will operate and maintain it at no cost to the County. In turn, the County will buy all the renewable power generated at a price well below current and anticipated future SDG&E rates.

The project started last July and involved the installation of more than 6,300 PV panels atop the roofs of all four campus office buildings, the Registrar of Voters building and the new carports on the Chesapeake parking structure. 

The County also energized a 175-kilowatt system at the Rancho San Diego Sheriff Station. Renewable power will offset more than 60% of the site’s energy use.

“The County reached a milestone with the completion of these two projects,” said Energy and Sustainability Program Chief Charley Marchesano. “The total amount of onsite generated renewable power increased to 10% of the total County facility demand which is a 2020 goal in our climate action plan.”

And there is more to come. A solar project at the Edgemoor Skilled Nursing Facility should go live later in the summer. And two more at the East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility and the North County Regional Center are scheduled to come online this fall.

Once they are all on board, the County’s renewable onsite power will increase to 18 or 19% of the County’s total energy load. That figure puts the County well within reach of the ultimate goal to generate at least 20% of the total energy load from onsite renewable sources by 2030.    

PerkSpot Deals: Summer Savings

Make the most of your summer with savings! Find PerkSpot deals on everything from sunglasses and flip-flops to steaks and seafood for grilling. These discounts are sure to make the season sensational.

PerkSpot offers benefits and discounts through more than 400 service providers and retailers. Go to SDCounty.PerkSpot.com and shop. If you are new, click on “Create an Account” to register.

Team Up on Microsoft Teams

Good-bye to Skype! All County employees now have access to Microsoft Teams to chat, call, meet and collaborate in one place. This Friday, June 26, Teams will become the primary communication and collaboration platform for the County and will replace Skype. But don’t worry, Skype will still be available with limited functions.

What You Need to Know

• You will now have the ability to chat and have audio/video meetings with the Sheriff, District Attorney, Perspecta, and AT&T employees through Teams.

• All of your Skype meetings will be automatically converted to Teams meetings.

• The audio conferencing add-in phone numbers for Skype will automatically convert to Teams audio conferencing add-in phone numbers.

• Skype will still be installed but will not auto-launch. However, Skype will look a bit different and you will no longer have the capability to chat. You can still use Skype to join Skype meetings or you can use a browser. Skype will be removed sometime later this calendar year.

• All the current Teams capability will remain the same.

Interested in learning more? Attend a training. LMS - End User Training will be offered at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 23. LMS - Teams Basic Training will be offered at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, June 25.  Also check out the other Teams training available on LMS.

Update for June 19

Message from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer

As we head into Father’s Day weekend, let me take a moment to acknowledge all the fathers out there, especially for your efforts these last few months. Many parents have had extra child care duty on top of full-time jobs, and had to make it all work out of their homes. Thanks, dads, for finding ways to get it done.

Beyond this recent stretch, thanks to our dads for a lifetime of support. All of us who’ve enjoyed a caring, dedicated father have been immensely blessed. They guide us, directly at first, and their character serves as a model we rely on the rest of our lives. Our gratitude is eternal, even if Father’s Day rolls around just once a year.

Like other recent occasions, we’ll have to celebrate our dads at a distance this time around. We’re measuring a variety of indicators of COVID-19 activity that might prompt us to roll back reopening. One indicator for action, or trigger, is new community outbreaks. That includes things like gatherings at people’s homes. We hit that community outbreaks trigger yesterday. And while we’re not immediately imposing any restrictions in response, we are sharing with the public a strong reminder of the need to avoid gatherings and practice social distancing.

We all need to follow that direction, and that unfortunately means skipping family get-togethers for  Father’s Day. It’s hard, but it’s what’s the current circumstances call for.

Do what’s right, even when it’s difficult. Protect others. Those sound like values fathers try to instill in their children. Living by those words is fitting tribute to the fathers and father figures in our lives. Everyone, stay strong, stay safe and Happy Father’s Day!

Shining a Light on Juneteenth

The County Administration Center will be illuminated in red, yellow and green tonight in honor of Juneteenth. The holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

The Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery on Jan. 1, 1863. But it was not until June 19, 1865, that enslaved African Americans in Galveston Bay, Texas were notified by Union troops that they, along with all other enslaved black people in the state, were free. The day has grown into a time to celebrate, gather, reflect on the past and look to the future.

The National Museum of African American History & Culture describes Juneteenth as a monumental yet often overlooked event in our nation’s history. The museum has more information about the holiday.