New Chief of Staff and Undersheriff Named at County

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L to R: Natalia Bravo and Kelly Martinez

L to R: Natalia Bravo and Kelly Martinez

The County of San Diego announces two new changes in high leadership positions.

Natalia Bravo will be the new Chief of Staff for Chief Administrative Officer Helen Robbins-Meyer. Bravo succeeds Andrew Strong who was named as the first director for the Office of Equity and Racial Justice.

Sheriff Bill Gore appointed Assistant Sheriff Kelly Martinez to undersheriff. The position is opening because Undersheriff Mike Barnett is retiring after 29 years with the department.

Bravo has worked for the County for eight years and held a number of different positions including Labor Relations Technician for the Department of Human Resources, CAO Staff Officer and later CAO Project Manager.

She played roles in the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic response, the reestablishment of the Human Relations Commission and the adoption of the countywide Language Access policy.

Prior to her stint at the County, Bravo worked for Mexico’s Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare as their Chief of Staff and Director of Public Policy for the Undersecretary of Labor General Labor Development Division. She was a key advisor on implementing the country’s Labor Law Reform Act and advised on the process of strategic planning and development of labor policies.

Her background also includes experience as a bilingual educator and trainer.

“With our region working to tackle some of the most urgent issues, that have no borders, her understanding of these current and future issues will be invaluable to all of us,” said Robbins-Meyer.

Sheriff Bill Gore announced the appointment of Assistant Sheriff Kelly Martinez to undersheriff in a news release Monday.

Martinez has worked in a variety of positions at the Sheriff’s Department since 1985. She rose through the ranks and became assistant sheriff in 2017.

“Kelly brings to the position exceptional work ethic and commitment to the mission of the department,” said Sheriff Gore. “I am confident her wealth of experience and passion for community outreach will keep San Diego the safest urban county in the nation.”

Watch/Listen Live: State of the County Address

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The State of the County takes place Thursday, Feb. 18. The address will be given by Chair Nathan Fletcher at 7 p.m. 

There are several ways to watch and listen:

The State of the County address will be carried live on the following channels: 

Interpretive Services: 

Working from Home While Black

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Many employees have spent the past year adjusting to life working from home. Even with our many shared experiences, we may have not considered the impact on our fellow colleagues and how adjoining our homes to our workspaces could pose unique challenges related to racial identity expressions. How can we offer more inclusive spaces for all? Read some recommendations.

Community Groups Help Select New County Director of the Office of Equity and Racial Justice

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A new director of the Office of Equity and Racial Justice has been named after a thorough national recruitment and selection process.

Andrew Strong will head the office and brings 15 years of experience in local government leadership and community engagement.

The Office of Equity and Racial Justice was established by the Board in June to identify systemic bias within the County organization. More than 20 community groups were invited to participate in the director’s selection process. Learn more.

CAO Message: Vaccine Progress and a Big Milestone

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Message from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer

The number is growing constantly, but as I send this, well over half a million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been given out in San Diego County.  

We continue to bring new vaccination sites online, from the super stations to smaller locations. A big shoutout to all the County employees who’ve had a hand in this massive – and historic! – undertaking. It’s been a scramble, and yes, it’s had some bumps, but we are making progress.   

Naturally, we all want to see the process move along even faster. Getting to herd immunity levels will be an essential step in letting businesses and other activities more fully reopen. We all want to get there ASAP!  

However, there’s just not enough supply yet to meet the demand. We get that it’s super frustrating at this point to have this tool so close yet still out of reach for many of our residents. But we – the County and all the other providers administering vaccines – can’t give out what we don’t have. Thank you for your patience as we wait for more doses to arrive. 

I also want to note a big milestone for us. This Sunday marks one year since the County proclaimed an emergency to respond to the novel coronavirus.  

By that date last year, the County’s medical operations center team was already in high gear, having activated weeks before. And about a month after that proclamation, the statewide stay-home order went into effect, changing everyone’s lives. 

So the exact date varies for when each of us can say we’ve been living the pandemic response a full year now. Whether you’ve not quite hit the mark or passed it, it’s been a long time. And I want you all to know that I realize it’s been not just long, but an immensely challenging and exhausting time. We’ve had to make countless adjustments to daily routines and forgo so many things we used to take for granted. Everyone’s had to keep digging into reserves of energy while running a marathon with no clear finish line.  

I could fill pages recognizing the work County employees have done over the last year. From the huge team dealing directly with the health response to everyone who’s had to change what they do to ensure we keep providing the whole gamut of County services. I can’t thank you enough. The silver lining of this difficult time is seeing your dedication to our residents. It’s truly inspiring. 

We can allow ourselves some optimism. Case numbers are headed the right direction, and as I said, vaccines are moving through the population. There’s still a long road ahead, and even as we get a handle on the virus itself, we’ll still have economic recovery to work through. 

A year in, we’ll still need to find that extra energy a while more. I’ll ask you to make sure you continue to take care of yourself. And let’s all keep looking out for and supporting each other. We’ve come far together and we’ll come out the other side together.