Rewind: Creating a Space of Healing

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Did you miss the Listening Session on Creating a Space of Healing on June 24? You can now watch the session focused on COVID-19 and social justice experiences.

Note: Resources referenced in this session include Behavioral Health Services and the County’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which can be reached at 888-777-6665. In addition, our EAP’s My Strength program customizes mental health resources and programs for individuals. Sign up at MyStrength.com with COSD code 7374.

EWA Virtual Lunch & Learn: Retirement 101 Seminar

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It's never too late to start saving! Join the Emerging Workforce Association (EWA) employee resource group for a special Lunch & Learn: Retirement 101 seminar featuring CoSD Deferred Compensation Representative Gina Ponce of Nationwide on June 30 from noon to 1 p.m. Ponce will share her expert knowledge on how to strategically plan for your envisioned future.

Learn about the various deferred compensation plans sponsored by the County of San Diego, and how you can start contributing today.

This informative seminar is absolutely free and open to all.

RSVP today to attend the event. Online event details will be provided to registered attendees.

Update on Face Coverings in the Workplace

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The County is updating its face covering requirements for employees in County facilities to follow workplace guidance revised by Cal/OSHA Thursday. 

Starting June 18, anyone working in a County facility who is fully vaccinated for COVID-19 does not need to wear a face covering once they provide a confidential self-attestation document. All employees will receive an email with instructions. Vaccinated employees can choose to wear a face covering. 

Anyone who has not been vaccinated needs to continue to wear a face covering when in a common area, in a room with others present, or in the field. 

Additionally, under California Department of Public Health guidance, some County facilities still require masks regardless of vaccination status. These include healthcare settings, correctional and detention facilities, cooling centers, public transit and in transportation hubs, and indoors in childcare settings.

Employees who are not vaccinated can contact their doctor about receiving a vaccine or visit one of the County and County partner sites. There is no charge for the vaccine. 

See these FAQs for additional questions about COVID-19 prevention in our workplace. You can also contact your department’s human resources representative with questions.  

Share Your Voice in Upcoming Listening Session

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We have collectively experienced a great deal of change over the past 15 months. It has been a year of shifting, evolving, and reconstructing what was into what is.

The D&I Executive Council and ERG Council invite all County employees to experience a form of healing by sharing our stories. They are hosting a listening session that will serve as an open space to share your experiences about the many ways our community evolved over the past year and how County employees may envision the next chapter of our journey ahead.

 Please join the virtual session from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 24 to lend your voice and bridge our County community. Help spread the word by sharing the event with colleagues. 

·         Zoom Meeting Link: http://us02web.zoom.us/j/85056338853

·         Telephone: 669-900-6833

·         Webinar ID: 850 5633 8853

CAO Message: We Are Open for Business!

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Message from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer:

We arrived at a huge milestone today: the end of the state’s blueprint system and of most restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

As part of that, we at the County are back open for business. We’ve opened the doors at all of our public facilities and are welcoming our customers back. It’s a thrilling moment.

I want to welcome all of you back as well. I know not everything is the way it used to be. Many of you still telework, and that is going to continue to be a large part of how we operate. Maybe it’s more like, welcome to this new chapter of ours.  

I don’t know anyone who imagined last March it would take so long to get to this point. It’s been a trying 15 months. They’ve been filled with a lot of sacrifice, frustration and suffering. You’ve shown tremendous flexibility and resilience, and I thank you with all my heart.

I also want to acknowledge that while this is a big step forward, we are still very hard at work on the pandemic and recovering from its impacts. The threat has been greatly diminished but hasn’t gone away. We’ll be monitoring the virus in our community closely and taking prevention measures as needed. You’re probably aware that for now, employees in the workplace, vaccinated or not, need to continue to wear masks and maintain social distancing. We expect additional guidance on that by later this week, and we’ll let you know if anything changes.

I’ll note as well that we are now in a very different world than we were in March 2020, and we’re not just picking up where we left off. We’ve centered efforts to examine our organization for bias and ensure equity in all the ways we serve our residents. We have a new board charting new directions for us. As chance would have it, this reopening falls between two days of public hearings on a budget that is fundamentally restructuring our operations.

So it’s an exciting moment in more ways than one. And today really is cause to celebrate several things. The easing of restrictions that affect us personally. The ability to bring the public back to their public spaces. And the achievements of the County in guiding our residents through a health crisis. Again, it’s not over. But it’s been a monumental undertaking getting us to the current situation, where we feel we can safely reopen. I commend the work of everyone who helped move us to this day, and I hope you share in the pride I take in everything you’ve done. 

Welcome back. Welcome forward.