Interim CAO Message: Marking a Milestone in Flood Recovery

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.

County Releases Recommended Budget

The County’s recommended budget for next fiscal year was released Thursday and it shows what the County is doing to maintain and improve our quality of life while also helping those who need it most.

Your View: Path of Hope

County employees joined the annual San Diego NAMI Walks and Mental Wellness Expo on Saturday, April 27. The free event, organized by the National Alliance on Mental Illness in partnership with the County’s Health and Human Services Agency, kicks off Mental Health Matters Month which happens every May.   

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. 

Apply for 2024 Leon Williams Scholarship

The African American Association of County Employees has opened the application period for the 2024 Leon Williams Scholarship. Learn how to apply for the Employee Resource Group scholarship.

Overview

The African American Association of County Employees will award one (1) qualifying high school senior one (1) $500 scholarship for exhibiting excellence in the areas of career preparation, leadership, academics, and community service.

The scholarship application is also located on the AAACE webpage.

The deadline for application submission is Saturday, June 1, 2024 - 5:00 P.M.

Contact

For further information, please reach out to us at AAACEinfo@gmail.com.

Eligibility Criteria

 Applicant must meet the following criteria:

• Applicant must be a high school senior who resides in San Diego County.

• Applicant must have a 2.5 GPA or above.

• Applicant must plan on attending a 2- or 4-year college/university in the United States.

• Applicant must submit a 500-to-800-word essay   Applicant must be available for an interview (if selected as a finalist) and to attend the scholarship award event.

• Applicant or their parent(s) must be a current member of AAACE.

How To Apply

All applicants should submit one (1) single packet with all the required application materials. Your application will be considered incomplete if all required materials are not submitted by the application due date. Only completed application packages received by AAACE before 5 p.m. on June 1, 2024, will be considered.

See the flyer below.

Celebrating Inclusion with Internship Program

Four interns from an inclusive internship program were recently recognized at a graduation celebration for their contributions to the County. The April 11 ceremony at the County Operations Center marked the completion of their 6-month internship with the County through Jay’s Program.

Jay’s Program provides on-the-job training for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The program is designed to help participants improve job skills and increase opportunities for future employment. In partnership with PRIDE Industries and the San Diego Regional Center, the program includes professional development training and support from coaches and mentors.

The program also allows participating County departments to expand their perspective on inclusivity and belonging in the workplace. 

At the graduation ceremony, Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer thanked the graduates for demonstrating tenacity, creativity, dedication and an unwavering commitment to their personal and professional growth over the internship.

“You have proven that diversity of thought and being is not just a valuable asset for the County but a vital one,” said Lawson-Remer. “Thank you for sharing with us your unique perspectives and extraordinary talents.”

The April 2024 graduates interned with following departments: Agricultural, Weights and Measures; Environmental Health & Quality; Medical Care Services; and the Office of Equity and Racial Justice.

To date, 21 people have graduated from Jay’s Program.

Learn more about qualifications and steps for participation in Jay’s Program.

Qualifications:

• People with an intellectual or developmental disability.

• Legal working age and eligible to work.

• Minimum high school diploma or equivalent education

• Can travel independently or has dependable transportation.

• Can work 20 hours a week.

• Must be both an active San Diego Regional Center and PRIDE Industries client.

• Preferred basic computer skills (MS Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams).

Steps for those interested in interning with Jay's Program:

1. Have or apply for San Diego Regional Center services  (Eligibility)

2. Recommended: Have or apply for Department of Rehabilitation services.

3. Become a PRIDE Industries client and inform them that you are interested in the County of San Diego Jay's Program.

The Importance of Our Neurodivergent Excellence Efforts

A message from the D&I Executive Council:

Every day, the County works to open doors to people who are neurodivergent. As we close Autism Acceptance Month, we want to share some of the facts about the County’s Neurodivergent Excellence Initiative.

The Neurodivergent Excellence Initiative was established by a Board of Supervisors directive. Launched February 2023, this ongoing effort seeks to increase the County’s outreach to and recruitment of neurodivergent individuals through a more inclusive recruitment process and equitable work environment. It is an enterprise-wide efforts where every department is challenged to expand opportunities for people with neurodivergence based on their unique operations and services..

Neurodivergence is a part of the human experience. Being aware of and acknowledging the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals and their families can help us be better colleagues, civil servants and community members.

Of all the neurodivergent conditions, people with autism experience the highest rates of unemployment and under-employment.

Autism is a neurodivergent condition characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behavior (Neurodivergent Excellence Terminology).

For example, some Autistic people may not have difficulties with communicating, but the way they process sensory information may be different and affect how they interact with others and the world around them (for more information, check out Sensory Differences).

Autism can also have cognitive advantages including superior creativity, focus, and memory with strong propensities towards honesty and dedication. The wide range of behaviors, challenges and strengths is why autism can be described as a “spectrum” because it shows up in lots of different ways for different people.

A couple of things to remember are:

1. If you’ve met one Autistic person, you’ve met one Autistic person. Each person’s experience is different.

2. Expanding your knowledge and embracing opportunities to decrease bias help increase spaces where all of us can thrive.

With every person’s experience being unique, there is no better way to learn about the variety of lived experiences for those on the spectrum than through their personal stories. A handful of those stories are below.

• Brian’s Story: Neurodivergent Excellence

• Lucy’s Story: World Autism Acceptance Week

• Stephen’s Story: Autism Acceptance Week - Real Life Options

• How to Make the Workplace More Accessible for Neurodiverse and Autistic People

• Different Listeners Listen Differently: Crossing the Neuro-cultural Divide

Dive deeper with this quarter’s EDI Digest on Neuro-inclusion. And stay tuned for next steps in our journey to expand neurodivergent inclusion. An update on our progress will be released in June.

Help us shape future opportunities with the Neurodivergent Excellence Initiative. Fill out the Participation Interest Form.

Your View: Top of Spooner’s Mesa

This photo was submitted by Senior Park Ranger, Laurie Jancsek from Spooner’s Mesa in the Tijuana River Valley Regional Park. This County Park has more than 1,800 acres of diverse habitats for visitors to enjoy!

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. 

Interim CAO Message: Update on Chief Administrative Officer Recruitment Process

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. 

Universities Could Support County Data Evaluations

County Supervisors voted recently to boost the work of the County’s Office of Evaluation, Performance and Analytics by allowing it to use future contracts with universities to support it with research and technical help.

The request to expand the office’s efforts came during the its update on its recent progress to the Board of Supervisors earlier this month.

The County created the office in 2021 to use modern analytics to study the County’s vast collection of data in new ways; to look for patterns, trends and associations that can help leaders including the Board of Supervisors improve programs, services and policies.

At Tuesday’s meeting, County Chief Evaluation Officer Ricardo Basurto-Dávila, who leads the office, said his team has already supplied its expertise to the January storms, the County’s Wage Theft Dashboard and Housing Blueprint Survey.

County Chief Data Officer Haruna Feldman, who is also part of the office, said it will use a modern technology system using artificial intelligence and the latest analytical tools to modernize how the County links its clients across services.

Basurto-Dávila said the office plans to present evaluations and findings on numerous important projects over the next few years. He also said that the office has already trained County Land Use and Environment, and Health and Human Services employees in how to conduct good evaluation studies.

In July, Basurto-Dávila and the office presented the Board with its Strategic Research Plan. That plan named six County projects that the office is analyzing and identified 33 questions the office will use to guide its research and evaluation process over the next several years.

Some of those projects included programs that:

• Provided one-time $4,000 payments to low-income families and $500 monthly subsidies to older adults to keep them from becoming homeless.

• Are giving $500 monthly subsidies to low-income families to reduce the need for foster services.

• Will try to match low-income seniors who need housing to landlords who have available rooms.

Making a Big Difference with the Flood Crisis Fund

Thanks to the generosity of donors, the County Employees’ Charitable Organization (CECO) distributed $36,000 worth of grants to 74 members of our team who were impacted by the devasting January storms.

More than 800 employees donated to the CECO Flood Crisis Fund. Several departments and employee resource groups also made group donations, Child Support Services’ executive team held a coffee campaign, and Clerk of Board of Supervisors held a pie throwing fundraiser.

In addition, many of you have made an impact by supporting the Emergency Operations Center and working in the community to help people navigate the aftermath of the storm.

“It is in these trying times when our County team’s resilience shines brightest,” said Interim Chief Administrative Officer Sarah Aghassi. “You made a difference to those who were impacted by damage and devastation, including our very own team members through your donations and your commitment as disaster service workers.”

CECO was able to award money to every eligible employee who applied for flood relief funds. This was possible because of one-time donations to the Flood Relief Fund and from the reoccurring donors that support CECO throughout the year.

“The generosity of CECO members and donors are what allow us to uplift employees in crisis and distribute community grants each year,” said newly elected CECO President Maria Molina-Melendez.

“You have no idea how much this means to me and my family,” said one grant recipient. “This has been mentally, physically and emotionally draining. This will help and lifts some weight off my shoulders.”

Consider becoming a CECO member. Donations ensure funds are available for employees in crisis. Crisis funds have been granted to employees facing housing insecurity, medical emergencies, and other difficulties.

Your donations to CECO will also benefit the community though annual grants to local nonprofits. Just last month, CECO gave $102,000 in grants to 58 local nonprofit organizations including health clinics, homeless service providers, after school programs and more. See the full list.

There are three easy ways to give: set up a reoccurring donation or through automatic payroll deductions.

Also note, CECO is hosting a fundraiser with Burger Lounge in Little Italy on Wednesday, May 1. Be sure to use the code “Fundraiser” when ordering and 20% of your purchase will go to CECO. See the flyer 🍔 to learn more.