CAC Lit in Purple for National Foster Care Month
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The County Administration Center was lit in purple Friday to recognize National Foster Care Month.
Recognizing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives
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The County Administration Center was lit in red Thursday night in recognition of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives.
CAO Message: A Budget That's Building Our Future and Building Up Our Workforce
/Message from Chief Administrative Officer Helen Robbins-Meyer
Nothing tells the story of our priorities more clearly than our budget. We’ve just released our proposed plan for the fiscal year starting July 1. Under last year’s Framework for the Future, we began a fundamental reshaping of our direction as a County. We now advance that through our new budget – Building the Future – which lays out major investments we’re making in addressing mental health and substance use, homelessness, sustainability, justice transformation and more.
For the first time, we’ve created our plan using a budget equity assessment tool. That requires each department to consider how its spending affects communities struggling with inequalities and to make sure it’s reducing disparities.
The budget’s total, $7.15 billion, is slightly under last year’s. But don’t let that dip mislead you. It’s in large part because we no longer have many of the costs related to COVID-19. We are actually significantly increasing our resources across many key initiatives.
Notable for you as employees is that as we expand our services, we’re expanding our workforce. This budget adds about 1,000 staff positions. Some of the areas seeing the biggest changes: 115 positions in behavioral health and 71 in public health; about 100 positions in eligibility; another 100 in Child Welfare Services; 90 with Public Defender; 18 for the District Attorney focused on crime victims. Staff will be added to heightened focus areas of sustainability, community engagement, economic development, transparency, and performance measurement. And that comes after 1,000 positions we added since last year’s budget, meaning a big boost to our ranks over two years.
The budget is now out for everyone to see. You can get a good, quick overview in our County News Center story or in the Executive Summary we created. I invite you to take a look at one of those. They’ll give a good feel for where we’re going over the next year.
We’ll walk our Board of Supervisors through the budget at public meetings on May 19 and 20. Much of that will be presentations by a number of individual departments. We’re still working out the schedule for which department goes when, but we’ll share that when it’s ready.
Putting the budget together is a huge undertaking, and I offer my thanks to everyone who pitched in. It sets the foundation for the even bigger job ahead – turning all those plans into action. It will take every one of us, and I look forward to working with you as we build our future.
AAACE Scholarship Is Now Open
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The African American Association of County Employees will be giving two qualifying high school seniors one $500 scholarship each for exhibiting excellence in the areas of career preparation, leadership, academics and community service. The AAACE-Leon Williams scholarship is available to high school seniors who reside in San Diego County, have a 2.5 GPA and will attend a two- or four-year college in the United States.
Students or their family members must be current members of AAACE to apply. Non-members can join by visiting AAACE’s website. A $20 standard membership fee, or a $12 student membership fee must be received with the completed scholarship packet to receive one year of AAACE membership and scholarship eligibility.
This scholarship closes on May 29, 2022 so get your application in soon.
Awardees will be announced at the Cooper Family Juneteenth Celebration.
If you have any questions or concerns, email AAACE@sdcounty.ca.gov.
Get To Know LGBTQ&A ERG Board Member Ryan Trabuco
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The County has 10 great Employee Resource Groups (ERG). They are each led by a respective board who all demonstrate commitment and stewardship of its members to the various sectors of our community.
Get to know LGBTQ&A Employee Resource Group board member Ryan Trabuco, a community representative with Board of Supervisors, District 1. Trabuco serves as board director of professional development for the ERG.
Q: How long have you worked for the County and what departments have you worked for?
A: 16 months, Board of Supervisors District 1.
Q: What do you do in your role/what are your job responsibilities?
A: I’m a community representative for Supervisor Vice Chair Nora Vargas and my job is to attend community events and meetings, connect and build relationships with neighborhood leaders, and engage in creative discussions with local businesses and nonprofit organizations throughout District 1. Also, I provide legislative assistance for our incredible policy staff by drafting board letters involving our office’s Community Enhancement and Neighborhood Reinvestment grants.
Q: What’s your workplace superpower?
A: Creativity. If there’s a problem or roadblock, I find myself looking for a new angle and trying to think my way out. Of course, I probably need to be decently caffeinated for maximum effect. Negative vibes are my kryptonite.
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself outside of work.
A: Outside of work, I am a huge movie buff. I try to get to the movies at least once a week, whether it’s checking out the latest Marvel blockbusters or smaller films like “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” that recently opened starring Michelle Yeoh, and this year’s Best Picture winner “CODA.” Most surreal moment was actually holding an Academy Award on a tour of Walt Disney Studios in Burbank – and yes, they are heavy. I’ve also been active in community advocacy and volunteer organizations. Oh, and I love food. Any opportunity to try a new restaurant or return to a personal favorite makes me happy.
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: Public service is a passion. I’ve previously worked for the County of Orange and for the State of California. I enjoy being able to come into the office and draft, strategize on, and implement specific projects. Sometimes, it does take a minute – weeks, months, or even years – to eventually see the positive impact you can have on people… I mean, that’s a great feeling to come into work every day. It’s made all the better to have a family-like team of coworkers to share that positive space with.
Q. What is the best advice you’ve received from a mentor?
A: One of the best was “Stop talking about what you want to do, and just do it.” You can sit down and dream, talk, fantasize about either an immediate tangible goal or a personal project that might take years to accomplish. If you just stop talking and actually commit to doing it, planning it out, getting it done, the end result is often having a higher sense of self-worth and accomplishment. If you can point at something and say to yourself proudly, “I did that,” turn around and ask, “What’s next?” you can help set yourself up for future success.
Q: What are some resources that you find useful and recommend to others?
A: As odd as it might sound, YouTube. You can ask yourself so many different questions, “Can I cook that?” “Where’s a good place to travel to?,” “Does my car really need this in order to operate?” and chances are there’s a YouTube video that answers exactly whatever your question might be. Just don’t read the comment sections.
Q: Tell us about your ERG.
A: The LGBTQ&A Employee Resource Group is for County employees who are LGBTQ+ or allies within our community. We celebrate and support an inclusive and diverse workforce that values our contributions and experiences as County employees. As of February 2022, we had over 130 members and are continuing to grow!
Q: Why are ERGs important?
A: ERGs are important for elevating cultural awareness, enhancing professional development and building community with fellow County employees. Not unlike a labor organization, ERGs help provide a safe space and an outlet for employees. Although I haven’t been here as long as others, my personal experience working for the County has been exceptional and having a safe space like an ERG to connect with and build that community has been satisfying. As ERGs continue to build community and bring people together to celebrate the diverse workspace we share, it speaks to that founding and uniquely American principle, “Out of many, one.”
Q: What is your ERG looking forward to this year?
A: The LGBTQ&A Employee Resource Group is looking forward to continuing hosting member meet-and-greets, weekend hikes and other social events throughout the County, and growing our ERG membership. Especially as we all begin to come out of the pandemic era, we have a number of LGBTQ+ events to look forward to throughout the rest of the year as we celebrate and recognize Pride (July 16-17), LGBTQ+ History Month (October), Trans Day of Remembrance (Nov. 20), and Human Rights Day (Dec. 10) among others. More information about our LGBTQ&A Employee Resource Group can be found on the County’s InSite.
Also Read:
Get To Know MEERG President Mehdi Khalili
Get To Know EWA Board Member Diana Eid-Chammas
Get To Know SDCLA Secretary Alex Talaro
Get To Know APACE Vice President Annamarie Hernandez
Get To Know PISCE Treasurer Isobel Kinsang
Get To Know AAACE Secretary Nikki Horton
Get to Know DiverseAbility ERG Secretary Valerie Prado
Get To Know VALOR Secretary Thomas Velasquez
Honoring Fallen Officers
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The County Administration Center was lit in blue Wednesday night to coincide with the Law Enforcement Memorial ceremony at the Waterfront Park, honoring those who have given their lives in the line of duty.
Addressing Mental Health During AANHPI Month
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Join the Asian Pacific Alliance of County Employees (APACE) at noon on Monday, May 9 for a virtual gathering about mental health in the Asian American Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community in light of AANHPI Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. The guest speaker will be Dr. Emily Do, the County’s chief pharmacy officer.
Join the webinar via MS Teams or call in (audio only) 619-343-2539; 907 732 253#. No RSVP is required.
Get To Know SDCLA Secretary Alex Talaro
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The County has 10 great Employee Resource Groups (ERG). They are each led by a respective board who all demonstrate commitment and stewardship of its members to the various sectors of our community.
Get to know San Diego County Latino Association Secretary Alex Talaro, an administrative analyst II with Self Sufficiency Services.
Q: How long have you worked for the County and what departments have you worked for?
A: Four years total with the Health and Human Services Agency – 3 years as a permanent employee (Self-Sufficiency Services) and one year as a graduate student worker with The Knowledge Center (TKC).
Q: What do you do in your role/what are your job responsibilities?
A: I am a contracting officer representative (COR) for a few contracts with Self-Sufficiency Services and the Office of Military Veterans Affairs. I also oversee the tuition reimbursement program for Self-Sufficiency Services and assist with administrative and fiscal tasks.
Q: What’s your workplace superpower?
A: I would say my superpower is being observant. I have a keen ability for being observant and I like to think it helps me pinpoint creative solutions.
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself outside of work.
A: I am currently training for long distance running with my amazing running coach – my dad! I also enjoy cooking delicious meals with my family, traveling to new places, trying out new restaurants in San Diego in search of the best tacos, and taking an Orange Theory class!
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I am passionate about spending quality time with my family, improving on personal goals such as running, growing fruits and vegetables, spending time at Orange Theory with my favorite coaches 😊 and continuing the journey of a lifelong learner!
Q. What is the best advice you’ve received from a mentor?
A: Happiness is not the absence of problems. It’s the ability to deal with them.
You’re not stressed because you’re doing too much, it’s because you’re doing too little of what makes you feel most alive.
The lesson you struggle with will repeat itself until you learn from it.
Q: What are some resources that you find useful and recommend to others?
A: For personal development: “Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom” by Don Miguel Ruiz.
Other resources: Live Well San Diego and the San Diego County Library have tons of resources for the local community. Programs like Mana de San Diego also.
Q: Tell us about your ERG.
A: The San Diego County Latino Association is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to Latino employees in County government by improving their access to promotional opportunities, promoting the public service profession within the Latino community, and building and strengthening members’ professional, career, and social development. We seek to foster cultural awareness and expression for members while supporting County initiatives and serving as a resource to our County leadership.
Q: Why are ERGs important?
A: ERGs serve various purposes:
They are a platform for member conversation and dialogue on important career and community issues.
They are a vehicle for county employees to pay it forward in our community by volunteering and supporting initiatives.
They are professional networks systems to build personal and professional development.
They are a pipeline to give input and feedback to County leadership staff on various employee, career, professional development, cultural and socio-economic perspectives.
Q: What is your ERG looking forward to this year?
A: SDCLA has a clothing exchange coming up on May 7 at a local coffee shop and upcoming summer events like a Chicano Park tour, lunch and learn leadership workshops, hikes, and a Petco Park Hispanic Heritage Celebration! Lots of great events will take place this year!
Also Read:
Get To Know MEERG President Mehdi Khalili
Get To Know EWA Board Member Diana Eid-Chammas
Get To Know LGBTQ&A ERG Board Member Ryan Trabuco
Get To Know APACE Vice President Annamarie Hernandez
Get To Know PISCE Treasurer Isobel Kinsang
Get To Know AAACE Secretary Nikki Horton
Get to Know DiverseAbility ERG Secretary Valerie Prado
Get To Know VALOR Secretary Thomas Velasquez
Recognizing Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week
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The County Administration Center was lit in blue Monday night in recognition of Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week. The disorder affects the nervous system, causing involuntary movements. It affects half a million people in the United States.
Rewind: County Executives Talk Career Progression
/Did you miss the Employee Resource Group Council’s Fireside Chat on Thursday, April 28? Have a listen to the informal session now! The event was hosted by the Emerging Workforce Association employee resource group and featured their two executive advisors: Chief of Staff Natalia Bravo and Caroline Smith, director of the Office of Strategy and Intergovernmental Affairs. The two discussed career progression and the challenges that shaped their professional journeys.
After watching, take the event survey.
Bravo and Smith were unable to get to all the questions in this lively session. The two answered these additional questions.
Resources discussed in the Fireside Chat:
Watch the first Fireside Chat on mentorship.
Resources on InSite:
Training Opportunities:
Talent Development: Successful Interviews Course
Talent Development: Mock Interviews
Talent Development: Resume Preparation (eLearning course)
Talent Development: Supervisor in the Making (eLearning training series)
Talent Development: Administrative Support Academy
Talent Development: Emerging Leader’s Academy
In addition, the Fireside Chat support team provided career progression resources.
These virtual conversations, held in partnership with the County’s DHR Equity Diversity and Inclusion team, will be hosted by an employee resource group and rotate quarterly. Stay tuned for the next one!
Note: Recording of this session started approximately 5 minutes into the event.