A message from Interim Chief Administrative Officer Sarah Aghassi:
I am sharing a personal story to highlight the importance of a potentially life-saving training. Learn about the hands-only CPR class for County team members and other resources to be prepared to help someone in need.
A message from Interim Chief Administrative Officer Sarah Aghassi:
Wednesday marked 100 days since the County activated its Emergency Operations Center in response to the Jan. 22 storm. I am so grateful for our County team and your dedication and hard work to support those impacted by the flooding. The effort is led by the Office of Emergency Services at the Emergency Operations Center where dozens of you have been working, and hundreds more are providing support in the field. Most of you are reassigned from your regular duties, knowing that other team members are there to provide back up to continue our day-to-day operations.
I can’t begin to measure the impact of your efforts, but here are some figures to highlight your amazing work:
More than 300 team members were temporarily reassigned from daily jobs to support residents in all impacted jurisdictions.
Additionally, nearly 80 employees from 26 County departments have been temporarily reassigned to the County Emergency Operations Center to coordinate the regional response and recovery.
The County sheltered 896 households representing 2,600 people at 68 hotels at the operational peak of the program.
Team members attended 39 community meetings.
Staff responded to 2,000 phone calls providing information and assistance to those in the Emergency Temporary Lodging Program.
Staff informed the community about the storm recovery through 44 articles, 35 informational flyers and 430 social media posts.
Thanks to your generosity, the County Employees’ Charitable Organization (CECO) distributed $36,000 worth of grants to 74 members of our team who were impacted by the January storms.
As of April 23, the County allocated $19.6 million in aid to the community.
The support for those in our communities impacted by the flood will continue – the Board of Supervisors recently extended the Emergency Temporary Lodging Program through June 21.
Know that your dedication is appreciated, whether you are directly supporting flood recovery or you are keeping the rest of the County’s operations running while so many are reassigned. Your commitment to public service is unmatched, and I thank you.
A message from Interim Chief Administrative Officer Sarah Aghassi:
I want to provide an update on the Chief Administrative Officer recruitment process in this video.
A message from Interim Chief Administrative Officer Sarah Aghassi:
Today we celebrate Employee Appreciation Day, but really, every day is Employee Appreciation Day. I want to extend my deepest gratitude for your selfless contributions, your unwavering commitment, and your steadfast dedication to the well-being of our community.
In recognition of your dedication, all eligible employees will be given 8 hours of recognition leave. You can take the leave anytime in the coming fiscal year, July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025. Learn more about the eligibility details, and if you have additional questions, please contact your department’s HR representative.
Thank you for making a difference. Thank you for being the heart and soul of the County of San Diego.
A message from Interim Chief Administrative Officer Sarah Aghassi:
I want to thank all of you for your work as the region recovers from Monday’s devastating storm and recognize the damage has impacted some of our own team members. Please watch this video for details, and learn more about how you can help those affected: County Employee’s Charitable Organization (CECO) Flood Relief Fund and San Diego Foundation Flood Response Fund.
Here’s an update from Interim Chief Administrative Officer Sarah Aghassi as she settles into her new job. Communications with team members is one of her priorities, and you’ll be hearing more in the days and weeks to come. See her latest message and get in touch if you have questions or feedback.
Message from Chief Administrative Officer Helen Robbins-Meyer:
How does one say goodbye and thank you to friends and colleagues who have been such a joy to work with? Over the years, I’ve had the honor of getting to know many of you. I’ve relied on you to serve our residents with compassion and excellence. You’ve built a reputation for San Diego as one of the most respected and admired counties in this nation. You’ve worked tirelessly to keep our roads in great condition, to help our most vulnerable residents get the assistance they need, to keep our communities safe, to preserve our environment for future generations, to help our kids grow up happy and healthy, and so much more.
Public service is the most rewarding opportunity one could ever imagine. Every day we are faced with challenges. And every day we rise to them, with commitment to ensure we are doing everything possible to help improve the lives of our residents. It’s not easy. In fact, it’s really hard. But every day YOU make it happen. And for this I will be forever grateful. I couldn’t have asked to serve beside more caring, compassionate and competent people. You’ve made me proud every single day to work for the County of San Diego as your CAO.
Retirement is something we all dream about. But when it actually comes, it is daunting. Because you leave behind decades of relationships and feelings of professional accomplishments every single day and step into the unknown. But there is also a sense of wonder as to what’s next. For me, it’s spending time with my husband, my children, and my grandchildren. It’s volunteering with some of the organizations that I’ve had a chance to learn about. And most importantly, it’s about stepping aside to allow a new generation of leaders to take over. It’s time for me to get out of their way and cheer them on from the sidelines! They are ready! And so are you. Change keeps things fresh, exciting and relevant. And all of you have so much to look forward to as the Board officially appoints a new Interim CAO tomorrow while they conduct the search for a permanent replacement.
Let me wrap up 26 years of service with a very simple THANK YOU. It’s been an absolute honor to work with you and to play a small part in making San Diego County great.
Best wishes forever.
A message from Chief Administrative Officer Helen Robbins-Meyer:
Can you believe we’re at the end of another year? As busy as everyone has been, the time was bound to fly by. The year was action-packed – and it was achievement-packed.
We cut ribbons on a Live Well Center, affordable housing units, a library, and sports facilities. We broke ground on a community center, a fire station, and a psychiatric health facility. Added mobile probation centers and neared completion of the next Youth Transition Campus phase.
We preserved more land and pushed ahead on getting greenhouse gas emissions to zero. We put computers, naloxone, and pool alarms in the hands of people who need them. Carried out extensive homelessness outreach and added firefighting resources.
Those are a few new highlights, and they come in addition to the vast number of things we do to protect and enrich our community every day. Since we’re in the midst of the holidays, I wanted to point out a few ways the County is helping San Diegans celebrate the season.
At Edgemoor Skilled Nursing Facility, residents are enjoying a variety of holiday performances throughout the month. Activities include making ornaments, trivia games, Elf on the Shelf, and a visit from Santa.
At our Youth Transition Campus, Probation staff put together a holiday event for the youth that included cocoa, desserts, and a live performance by the San Diego Symphony! For a lot of the young people, it was the first time they’d been to a live concert.
Probation, Sheriff and District Attorney staff kept up the long-running Shop with a Cop, taking local kids out to buy gifts. Police officers are bringing toys to Polinsky Children’s Center. These events all help build positive relationships with law enforcement.
We held our annual giveaway of refurbished County computers to foster families, and through Promises 2 Kids and Emmanuel Faith, we’re holding celebrations for young people in foster care. Sheriff’s stations and County airports are collection points for Toys for Tots, and the DA’s CARE Center is hosting a toy giveaway.
County Library and Parks and Recreation are bringing ways to celebrate to communities all around the county: Santa visits, gingerbread house decorating, tree-lightings, a festival with snow, a singalong, musical performances, and more.
Then there are many of you in your individual offices and our employee resource groups holding your own fundraisers and drives to benefit our residents.
The holidays are a time we do a little extra for the people in our lives who mean a lot to us. As you can see, that extends to those we serve and our mission. You’re not complying with some state or federal mandate to be festive. You put the effort into these celebrations because you care deeply about the people who enjoy them. That I get to spend my days working with you, seeing the commitment you demonstrate, is all the gift I could ever wish for.
Take pride in everything you’ve accomplished this year, and I hope you’ll make the most of the holiday season. May your days be merry and bright, and your nights warmed by the company of loved ones.
Thank you and happy holidays!
Message from Chief Administrative Officer Helen Robbins-Meyer:
County colleagues,
Through your work, we touch San Diegans’ lives in countless ways. As we head into Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for every way that we are able to make a positive difference.
I appreciate all the effort that goes into planning and carrying out our services. I’m especially grateful for the way you respond when things happen that we weren’t planning on. I want to mention just a few instances that really stand out to me this past year.
Starting with the unexpected: The disruption on our Board was a first in anyone’s memory. County staff kept things running smoothly and made sure the district’s residents got what they needed. I’m so thankful to everyone who rolled with it and kept their focus on serving the public.
Related to that, let me express my gratitude to the entire Registrar of Voters team. They cranked up the election machinery for a couple special elections that went off without a hitch. Especially as we head into a presidential election year, it’s reassuring to rely on this group’s dedication and professionalism.
The County has stepped in to help with the influx of asylum seekers released in San Diego. Many employees have been called to pitch in at the temporary welcome center, working long hours and weekends. I’m proud of their resourcefulness and thankful to have that kind of support.
A tropical storm was a big surprise! We're all grateful it didn't deliver the damage we braced for, but I appreciate all the quick public safety and public works preparations to make sure we were ready.
We know public health incidents occur, but it's always without warning. Recent responses to local E. coli and salmonella outbreaks made me grateful for all the staff watching out for our health.
Turning to planned efforts, I'll single out a few recent highlights I'm thankful for. The opening of the Southeastern Live Well Center was the culmination of years of work to build a facility with the community, for the community.
The Live Well Center is a premier example of how we're truly putting community engagement at the center of all we do. From our engagement portal to the outreach we do across all kinds of projects, we're deeply involving our residents in how we provide services.
The CARE Act program gives us new options to address a critical area of mental health treatment, and I appreciate the cooperation and delicate balancing of interests that have gone into getting it running.
I'm grateful for our efforts to promote understanding of neurodivergence, so we can create conditions for all our employees to flourish and be more attentive to the needs of people we serve.
We continue to have staffing shortages, and I'm impressed by all the innovative steps we've taken to ramp up hiring. It is a challenge, and I'm very grateful for everyone's patience while we try to bring on the help you need.
I’m noting crises and big initiatives here because they tend to occupy my attention. But I know the types of skills and mindsets I see in those high-profile events are on display every day in every service we deliver. Flexibility, compassion, innovation, a customer focus – you bring these to the job as a matter of course. I’m incredibly grateful for that, because I don’t know how we’d ever work on the immense challenges facing us otherwise.
I hope each of you enjoys the break from your hard work over this long Thanksgiving weekend. May your stomachs be full and your hearts fuller. And a big thanks to County staff providing essential services through the holiday.
Message from Chief Administrative Officer Helen Robbins-Meyer:
County colleagues,
I hope you’ll enjoy the long Veterans Day holiday weekend, and I also hope you’ll take at least a few moments to feel gratitude for those we are honoring. I want to offer my own thanks to everyone who has risen to this noble form of public service: the veterans in our community, in your families, and the thousand-plus veterans we have working for the County.
To choose military life is to choose sacrifice. It’s long separations from loved ones and missing the comforts of home. It’s hard, dangerous work, with a constant potential for suffering harm or giving one’s life. Their vigilance allows the rest of us to go about our days enjoying the freedoms that we do.
It’s hard to say thank you enough. And singling out one day seems insufficient. We have a couple new ways we want to offer ongoing recognition of the veterans in our workforce.
One is a Veteran Service Pin. For our employees who are veterans, we’re sending one to each of you. I hope you’ll wear it with pride.
We also invite you to include your veteran status in your email signature block. Depending on your job, co-workers may see that more often than your pin. Our new brand guidelines have an example of how that should look.
We’re continuing the tradition of recognizing our veterans on InSite. It’s great to look through and see our colleagues and learn about their military careers, which can be such a big part of making someone who they are. Thank you to everyone who’s shared their story, and we invite any veterans to do the same.
Let me add in here my appreciation for all the families of service members. You endure long absences from your loved ones, worry about their safety, and manage households singlehandedly. Your support makes our armed forces more effective, and I recognize the tremendous amount of work and stress that it can be.
Veterans make great County employees, and we’ve stepped up efforts to get more hired here. I also want to applaud all the work we do on behalf of the more than 200,000 veterans who live in the San Diego region. That includes a new initiative to get permanent housing for veterans experiencing homelessness. Veterans have given so much, and I’m glad anytime we can offer help in return.
To our veterans: We are lucky and proud to have you with us. I invite all employees to join me in expressing our thanks for your service.
Happy Veterans Day!
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