Join Employee Wellness’ quarterly challenge called Health for the Holidays. Find your happy place with more energy and resilience as you “paint” a fun winter scene, while building sustainable habits.
The online challenge runs Oct. 30 to Dec. 10.
Register for Health for the Holidays by Nov. 10.
For questions or to request accommodation, email Employee Wellness at DHRWellness.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov.
An estimated 40% of the food grown in the U.S. is never actually eaten and much of it gets discarded. Reducing your food waste can help the environment, as well as your wallet.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that, on average, a family of four spends $1,500 a year on food they never eat.
According to the EPA, when organic matter like food waste ends up in a landfill, it decomposes and creates methane, a greenhouse gas pollutant that is responsible for roughly one-third of the warming from greenhouse gases.
What goes in the green bin?
When it comes to organic waste recycling, the County’s Department of Public Works (DPW) says to remember that “if it grows, it goes!”
That means the only things going into your green organic waste bin should be food scraps, food-soiled paper (used paper towels, pizza boxes, paper plates, etc.) and yard trimmings.
Moldy and spoiled foods are okay for your green bin as well. Remember: no organic waste should be placed in your trash bins.
If are unsure what yard trimmings are allowed for organic recycling, DPW says you should reach out to your hauler to confirm.
What is not allowed in the organic waste bin?
The following items should not be placed in your green bin, according to DPW:
Plastic bags
Dirt, soil, socks and concrete
Pet waste and kitty litter
Diapers
Clothing
Liquids
Glass, metal and plastics
Tips to help you with organic recycling and to prevent food waste
Collect your food scraps and food-soiled paper in a container with a closeable lid and store it in a convenient location, such as under the sink or in a refrigerator or freezer.
Do not collect organic waste in plastic, compostable plastic or biodegradable plastic bags. Instead, wrap your scraps in paper before placing them in the container. You can add baking soda to the bin to soak up extra moisture and help with the smell.
Add your food scraps to your green organic waste bin the night before collection. You can add shredded paper to the bin to help absorb moisture.
Plan ahead for your shopping trips to prep your budget and determine how much food you will need to avoid buying excess food.
Freeze or repurpose your leftovers to get the most bang for your buck. You can freeze your leftovers for a future meal or use them as part of a different recipe for another meal.
Compost whatever food is left! DPW has more information on what composting is, the benefits of composting and how you can get started.
Spooky season is upon us! As the weather gets chillier and the sun sets earlier, there is no better time to have a scary movie night or to bundle up on the couch with a horror novel.
San Diego County Library has compiled a collection of ghostly movies and books to get you in the Halloween mood this year.
A full list of spooky books can be found on the County Library OverDrive list, This is Halloween!
Top 5 Movies for Adults:
Top 5 Movies for Kids:
Top 5 Books for Adults:
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Holly by Stephen King
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Bad Cree by Jessica Johns
A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers
Top 5 Books for Kids
A Super Scary Narwhalloween by Ben Clanton
Creepy Crayon by Aaron Reynolds
Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories by Jeff Kinney
Fly Guy and Fly Girl: Night Fright by Tedd Arnold
Bruce and the Legend of Soggy Hallow by Ryan T. Higgins
Are you already thinking about your perfect holiday card or just photos for the holidays? The County Employees’ Charitable Organization is selling $20 raffle tickets for a 30-minute photo session in Marian Bear Park. All proceeds will benefit the charity.
The winner of this package, normally valued at $270, can have up to six family members in the picture and will get 5 digital prints. The session can be chosen from the following dates: Nov. 3-5, and Nov. 17-19.
CECO has extended the deadline to buy tickets for this until noon on Tuesday, Oct. 31. A virtual drawing will be held at 4 p.m.
To buy a raffle ticket, send your payment via Venmo @SD-CECO along with this form. See flyer below.
Over the past 60 years CECO has distributed more than $7 million to local nonprofit organizations and employees in crisis. The fund depends on the generosity of County employee and retiree donations to give back to the community.
CECO stands apart from other charitable organizations because it is run by County employees and 100% of money donated benefits the people and organizations in our area.
To learn more about CECO, visit sdceco.org.
Halloween is on a Tuesday this year. Make it a taco Tuesday!
The County Employees’ Charitable Organization is hosting a Rubio’s lunch fundraiser. This is your opportunity to have lunch available for pick up at the COC Commons and support CECO. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the nonprofit.
Order lunch here. Be sure to follow instructions on the order form to pay ahead of time. The deadline to submit your pre-order is Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. Orders will be available for pickup from noon to 1 p.m. on Oct. 31 – at the Halloweentown Festival at the County Operations Center.
Learn more about all the Halloween Happenings.
Share your 2023 spooky, kooky or cute costume creations. Just email a photo of yourself in costume to communications@sdcounty.ca.gov to join the virtual costume party. Photos will be added to a gallery on InSite. Be sure to include your name, department and who or what you are masquerading as.
All submitted photos will be entered into the costume contest. The deadline to submit a photo for consideration in the costume contest is 4:30 p.m., on Oct. 31.
The Halloween committee will select up to 10 finalists. And on Nov. 1, employees will be able to select the winner via InSite poll through 5 p.m. The top vote-getter will be crowned on Nov. 2.
Learn more about all the Halloween Happenings in San Diego County.
See the virtual costume party and costume contest photo gallery!!
(Enter at your own risk! Some costumes may be exceptionally spooky.)
The County Administration Center was lit Sunday night for National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.
At the request of Chairwoman Vargas and Vice Chair Lawson-Remer, the County Administration Center was lit Friday night in support of Israel.
Know the code is a monthly series highlighting different sections of the County of San Diego Code of Ethics. The mission of the Office of Ethics and Compliance is to assist in fulfilling the County’s commitment to the highest standards of ethics and compliance.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, so this month’s topic is the American Disabilities Act (ADA).
The ADA includes Title I and Title II.
Title 1 covers employee accessibility. Employees with disabilities may work with their managers and departmental human resources officers to discuss adjustments or modifications they may need to perform their job duties.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month recognizes these employees for the value they’ve added to the workplace. It also highlights how an employer’s supportive policies benefit both the employer and their employees.
Title II covers accessibility for County recipients of services, programs and activities. Many of us work with customers and clients every day. When someone comes in and says they can’t access our services, programs and facilities, we must do our best to help.
For instance, a customer may need written materials in a larger font or an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter.
Some requests are easy enough to handle on the spot. Others may require a little investigation.
The law says we must work with the customer to try and find a solution. And within a reasonable timeframe. For you, that means:
Do not immediately say no.
Tell the customer you’ll see what you can do.
Promptly take steps to find a solution.
If you need help, there is support and a process in place:
Work with your manager to see how you can meet the request.
If not, you and your manager should talk with the customer to see if there’s an alternative.
If an alternative can’t be found, take the matter to your departmental ADA Title II coordinator.
The coordinator may escalate the issue to the Countywide ADA Title II coordinator.
The County must work with the customer to make a good-faith effort to reach a solution. But it is not required to grant a specific request. That’s where the Office of Ethics and Compliance (OEC) can assist.
The OEC’s ADA Title II coordinator can help your department determine if a request causes an “undue burden” or a “fundamental alteration” to the County service, program or activity.
“An “undue burden” causes an entity significant difficulty or expense. Undue burden is determined on a case-by-case basis,” said ADA Title II Coordinator Todd Hood. “A “fundamental alteration” would substantially change the way the service or product is being offered in a way that is unreasonable.”
For example, a request may involve ASL for a voting information pamphlet. Providing ASL for thousands of registered voters would be too expensive. That would be an undue financial burden for the County. However, we can meet the customer’s request by providing ASL for their pamphlet.
A tenant with a severe mobility impairment asks his housing provider to transport him to the grocery store and assist with grocery shopping as a reasonable accommodation to his disability. The housing provider does not provide transportation or shopping services for its tenants, so granting this request would require a fundamental alteration in the nature of the provider's operations.
The process to try to meet a customer’s request may add stress to your workday but keep in mind our County motto “The Noblest Motive is the Public Good.”
It is never OK, in fact it’s against the law, to retaliate against the customer or anyone who is trying to help that person get access under ADA or other discrimination laws.
Remember, if an employee needs ADA access, that falls under ADA Title I. You can contact their Departmental Human Resources Officer.
If a customer requests ADA access, that falls under Title II. Work through the steps listed above and if you still need help, contact the Office of Ethics and Compliance.
Check out the OEC webpage on InSite for information about upcoming Ethics & Compliance Program events, training, and resources including monthly “Know the Code” articles and micro-training videos.
If you have questions about Ethics & Compliance training or how to access the training and other resources, contact the OEC team at oec@sdcounty.ca.gov, 619-531-5174.
HHSA staff may also contact the dedicated HHSA Agency Compliance team at compliance.hhsa@sdcounty.ca.gov, 619-338-2807.
Every participant and team did amazing! Nearly 500 County employees participated in the Amazing Race at the County Operations Center in September and the results are now official!
Find the results for Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3.
Plus, take another trip down memory lane with this photo gallery and video recap of the event.
The top three finishers for each of the three levels are:
Level 1:
First Place: Dynamite (All from Child Support Services)
Cassandra Mena-Ramirez
Myra Magana
Stephanie Vaughan
Jose Gonzalez
Second Place: LabRats (All from Public Works)
Araceli Contreras
Roxana Valles
Roberto Valles
Noel Sancha
Third Place: Run-A-Licious (All from Health and Human Services)
Brenda Ferro
Stefanie Rodriguez
Maria Araiza
Iris Ramirez-Meza
Level 2:
First Place: Quad Squad (All from Health and Human Services)
Carlos Olmeda Jr.
Maya Bryson
Steven Gachette
Krystal Glowack
Second Place: Fantastic 4 (All from Environmental Health & Quality)
Ryan Johnson
Heather Buonomo
Vivian He
Steven Tamayo
Third Place: Scrambled Legs (All from Health and Human Services)
Stephanie Ferro
Omar D. Avila
Joseph DiMartino
June Kim
First Place: Team Together We Go Far-ish (All from Health and Human Services)
Sayone Thihalolipavan
Joshua Smith
Amelia Kenner Brininger
Lee Laydon
Second Place: EMJDF Enforcers (All from Probation)
Michael Via
Zakaria Hussein
Michaela Strange
Almiea Mitchell
Third Place: Warriors Came Out to Play (All from Health and Human Services)
Mark Navarro
Michael Arce
Karla Bryan
Roberto Garcia
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