Celebrate Earth Day at the County Operations Center

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The County will put on an Earth Day Fair from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, April 22 at the County Operations Center at 5500 Overland Drive. This event is open to the public and it’s free!

Come celebrate our planet and learn how the County is working to create a greener world. The global theme this year is, Planet vs. Plastics.

County Parks officials will be there to talk about tree planting, farmers’ markets and organic food. You can also learn about sustainable gardening and volunteer opportunities.

Interactive and informative booths will feature information about recycling, stormwater protection, food waste prevention and ways people can help protect and improve water quality with everyday actions. There will also be electric vehicles on display and resources to help answer your questions about owning an electric vehicle.

Attendees can also hear updates about the County’s Climate Action Plan Update and Regional Decarbonization efforts to move the entire region to zero carbon emissions.

In addition to Monday’s event at the COC, other County activities are also scheduled to take place throughout the month of April. To learn and explore all these activities, visit www.sandiegocounty.gov/earthday.

Your View: Two Pigs in a Pen

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🐷🐷 Winnie (left) and Dorris at the Los Peñasquitos Ranch House

Winnie (left) and Dorris enjoy a lazy afternoon at the Los Peñasquitos Ranch House. Human Resources Analyst Jeffrey Boco shared this photo and the video of the pair below in their pig pen.

Share your photos! If you see a coworker getting the job done, a beautiful sunset over your office or a wonderful County program being offered—snap a pic and submit it.

Be sure to include information about the photo and your name. Images may be posted to InSite and shared on social media. 

See more of Your View photos. 

Join a Tree Planting Event with EWA

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The Emerging Workforce Association invites employees to join a fun-filled morning of tree-planting at Los Peñasquitos Canyon County Preserve on Saturday, April 20 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Los Peñasquitos Canyon County is located at 12020 Black Mountain Road, San Diego, CA 92129.

Bring your gardening gloves for a morning of environmental stewardship and community bonding. No experience necessary. You bring your gardening gloves and EWA will provide all the tools and guidance you need to plant trees successfully.

Help beautify our parks and create a lasting impact for future generations. Don't miss out on this opportunity to make a difference!

  • Participants must wear closed-toed shoes, pants, a hat and long-sleeves. Gloves and sunglasses are highly recommended.

  • Consider carpooling. There is limited parking. The $3 parking fee will be waived for volunteers.

  • Don't forget your water. Eco-friendly water bottles are encouraged.

  • Get ready to get your steps in. There will be a 1-mile hike to reach our tree planting destination.

Register for this event now.

See the flyer below.

Your View: Snow and Spring Flowers

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Snow covered the spring flowers at Julian Library last week. Library Facilities Analyst Bounmy Khaiaphone took this photo of the new community room expansion.

Share your photos! If you see a coworker getting the job done, a beautiful sunset over your office or a wonderful County program being offered—snap a pic and submit it.

Be sure to include information about the photo and your name. Images may be posted to InSite and shared on social media. 

See more of Your View photos. 

Know the Code – Records Retention Best Practices

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A message from the Office of Ethics, Compliance and Labor Standards:

It’s that time of year for spring cleaning – at home and at work too.   

April is Records and Information Management Month and the perfect time to take 15 minutes to clean out your desk, your files and anything else you don’t need anymore.

But before you get too enthusiastic, you want to make sure you don’t throw out or delete records you shouldn’t.

Here are some records management tips:

  • Review your department’s Records Retention Policy and Schedule annually and update as needed.

  • Identify and classify the records your department holds.

  • Delete record/data once it is no longer required or after the record retention period has been met.

  • Clean-up physical (desks, desktops, file cabinets, shelves) and electronic (emails, desktop, shared drives) records.

  • Consistency – make sure everyone knows the records retention requirement and consistently follows the requirements.

If you have questions about policies and procedures, you can contact management, or in cases of records retention you can contact DPC Records Services:

You can also report concerns to the Office of Ethics, Compliance and Labor Standards at oec@sdcounty.ca.gov or Agency Business Assurance & Compliance office (for HHSA staff) or call the Ethics Hotline at 866-549-0004.

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.

Attend Speaking Our Stories IV

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Join “Speaking Our Stories IV” from noon to 1 p.m., May 2. The lunch and learn, which coincides with Mental Health Month, will feature a panel of speakers who will touch on their experiences of trauma.

The event is in collaboration between the Middle Eastern Employee Resources Group, San Diego County Latino Association, County of San Diego Filipino-American Employees Association and the Emerging Workforce Association.

“Our trauma can affect our mental health, and speaking about our stories serves the purpose of healing and relating with one another, as often what we have experienced has been experienced by others.”

Moderator: Claudia Silva, County Counsel

Speakers:

  • Davinder Kaur, human services specialist with HHSA; author of “Forced to Marry Him” and forced marriage survivor

  • Tamara Murphy, departmental budget manager with HHSA and mass shooting survivor

  • Payzee Mahmod, leading campaigner with Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation and child marriage survivor

  • Mary Rodriguez, program coordinator with Outside The Lens and abuse survivor

Join on Teams

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Register Now (Open in the Edge browser. If you have trouble, join with the Join on Teams link.)

You can also watch the past events:

See the flyer below.

Join Bee & Butterfly Sustainability Festival

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See what the buzz is about. Join the Bee & Butterfly Sustainability Festival at Valley Center Library from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., April 20.

The event, cohosted by the Indigenous Sovereign Nations Employee Resource Group and the County Library, is free and open to all.

Activities include crafts, presentations, photobooth and more.

Valley Center Library is located at 29200 Cole Grade Rd., Valley Center, CA 92082.

There will be a shuttle for this event.

  • Valley Center Community Church: 29022 Cole Grade Rd., Valley Center, CA 92082.

  • Adams Park-VC Elementary School: 28751 Cole Grade Rd., Valley Center, CA 92082.

See the flyer below.

Your View: County's View of Solar Eclipse

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County employees gathered outside County buildings around 11 a.m., with eclipse glasses in hand, to catch a glimpse of a solar eclipse that occurred on Monday, April 8.

A total solar eclipse crossed North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. A solar eclipse is visible when the moon passes between earth and the sun, blocking the image of the sun for a viewer looking up.

Below are photos of County employees looking up at the solar eclipse and some of the images they captured.

County Operations Center
📸: Veronica Maciel, Library

County Operations Center
📸: Veronica Maciel, Library

HCDS-Community Development Staff
📸: Nicole Aguilar

County Administration Center
📸: Luis Peris, General Services

County Administration Center
📸: Shauni Lyles, County communications Office

Edgemoor
📸: Hernan Amezcua, Edgemoor

Share your photos! If you see a coworker getting the job done, a beautiful sunset over your office or a wonderful County program being offered—snap a pic and submit it.

Be sure to include information about the photo and your name. One image will be posted to InSite every week and may be shared on social media. 

See more of Your View photos. 

Rewind: Holding Space During Times of Conflict

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Did you miss the Employee Resource Group Council’s “Fireside Chat” on holding space during times of conflict? You can now watch the virtual session on InSite.

The ERG Council’s Fireside Chats are quarterly sessions with County leadership on the secrets to their career success. This quarter, the Middle Eastern Employee Resource Group (MEERG) hosted a lively discussion with Flood Control Manager Sarah Agahi, Public Works Assistant Director Nicole Alejandre, Assistant Director, Public Works and Planning and Development Services Deputy Director Rami Talleh.

Resources discussed in this session included:

Interested in attending a healing circle hosted by MEERG? Fill out this interest form.