Join the Emerging Workforce Association (EWA) for a member mixer and day of service this week. Both events are open to County employees, family and friends.
Mixer
Date: Friday, Jan. 17
Time: 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Location: AleSmith Brewing Company, 9991 AleSmith Court, San Diego, CA 92126
RSVP now
MLK Day of Service
Date: Saturday, Jan. 18
Time: 9 a.m. to noon
Location: Mt. Hope Community Garden, 4269 Market St., San Diego, CA 92102
RSVP now
Getting ready for retirement? Attend Department of Human Resources virtual presentations on Social Security and Medicare. Experts will discuss eligibility, enrollment and benefits.
Registration is not required. Save the event session information below to join.
Social Security Session
Wednesday, Jan. 22
Noon – 1 p.m.
Click here to join the Social Security session
Medicare Session
Wednesday, Jan. 29
Noon – 1 p.m.
Click here to join the Medicare session
For more information, contact the Department of Human Resources Employee Benefits Division at 888-550-2203 or DHRBenefits.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov.
Vince Nicoletti has been appointed as the new Director of Planning and Development Services (PDS). Nicoletti brings more than 20 years of experience to the role.
Nicoletti joined the County as a student worker in 2000. He has served as a project manager in Parks and Recreation, staff officer in the Land Use and Environment Group Executive Office and chief of support services in Planning and Land Use (now PDS).
In addition, he’s served as deputy director, acting chief of land development and assistant director of PDS.
“As the director, Vince will oversee a department of 300+ employees dedicated to serving the public with excellence,” said Dahvia Lynch, Land Use and Environment Group Deputy Chief Administrative Officer. “His leadership qualities, strategic vision, and industry expertise will be invaluable to the department and the County.”
General Services is always looking ahead. Every year, the department plans to update, remodel or build new facilities.
As employees, we get to enjoy these new spaces, but modernized buildings help the public too. Better facilities allow us to provide better customer service.
Another bonus? Environmentally friendly methods are incorporated into these projects.
In new construction, General Services builds to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and Zero Net Energy, which means a facility produces more energy than the building consumes in one year.
General Services also reduces embodied carbon; the emissions made in the manufacture, transport, use and disposal of building materials.
In simpler terms, that means using concrete with less cement, more energy-efficient produced steel and replacing some steel and concrete with wood.
In updates or remodels, General Services takes every opportunity to go green as well.
With all that in mind, here are highlights on what to expect in 2025, some new beginnings, planned renovations, what opened in 2024 and what’s in the works.
OPENINGS SCHEDULED FOR 2025
Ramona Community Resource Center: A grand opening celebration for a new $15 million resource center on the Ramona Intergenerational Community Campus is scheduled for Jan. 14. Construction began on the 7,400-square-foot facility in June 2023. The center will offer self-sufficiency programs and include Public Health, Behavioral Health and Child & Family Strengthening services.
The center is next door to the Ramona Library. Future plans in the Ramona community include an affordable housing complex and a new Sheriff’s station.
Public Health Lab
Public Health Lab/Parking Structure/Consolidation: The new 52,000-square-foot public health lab going up at the County Operations Center is expected to open in May. The $92 million public health lab will be two-stories high and measure three times the size of the old, outdated lab at the now vacant Health Services Complex on Rosecrans. Nearly 90 employees and contractors will work there.
Next door at the existing 5530 building, 750 Public Health Services staff members will move in once remodeling is complete. The four-story, 150,000-square-foot building is one of four similar office buildings on the campus. Hybrid work schedules and desk sharing allowed General Services to consolidate staff at the four office buildings into three. The consolidation saved the County from building a replacement for the Health Services Complex, resulting in a cost avoidance of $150 million.
The consolidation also allowed for the expansion of the parking garage north of the public health lab. The $35 million parking structure added 725 spaces and 146 electric vehicle charging stalls. It opened last September.
Tri-City Psychiatric Health Facility: A new $28 million facility in Oceanside is expected to open this spring. The 13,600-square-foot, 16-bed facility will bolster behavioral health care needs in the region. The groundbreaking took place in October 2022 on vacant land at the Tri-City Medical Center campus. The County and the medical center worked together to plan, design and build the center. Tri-City will operate the facility.
NEW BEGINNINGS
East region Crisis Stabilization Unit Rendering
East Region Crisis Stabilization Unit: Officials broke ground for the County’s seventh crisis stabilization unit (CSU) last July. The CSU will be the first to open in the East County. CSUs offer people who are suffering a mental health crisis a safe, calm place to recover rather than an emergency room or hospital. The 14,300-square-foot building will include a substance use outpatient clinic. The CSU is expected to open in early 2026.
Howard the dog first to break ground at santee animal shelter
Santee Animal Shelter rendering
Santee Animal Shelter: In October, Howard the dog was the first to break ground for a new animal shelter in Santee. The $37.5 million facility will replace the Bonita animal shelter that was built in 1974.
The new site will include a 23,000-square-foot building with a small animal hospital, a barn, kennels and an outdoor livestock area. The site will also temporarily house animals during local disaster events. The site is scheduled for completion in spring 2026.
casa de oro library rendering
Casa de Oro Library: A groundbreaking ceremony for a new Casa De Oro Library is scheduled for Feb. 14. The branch will double in size from the storefront location it has occupied since 2002. The new building will measure about 12,000 square feet and include a community room, a bookstore and large spaces for children and teenagers. The opening is scheduled for mid 2026.
MAJOR RENOVATIONS
County Administration Center
County Administration Center (CAC): The $140 million Major Systems Renovation Project began in 2019 and is being carried out in phases to minimize impact to operations. The renovation will replace life safety, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and architectural items to ensure current safety standards. The Board Chamber was also completely remodeled and included a state-of-the-art audio/visual system.
The project will preserve historic significant features, and provide improvements such as LED interior lighting, new ceilings, exterior painting, fire sprinkler system, rooftop fall restraint systems, new roofing, a new emergency generator, new security systems, renovated elevators and a building wide seismic retrofit. The completion date is scheduled for spring 2027.
Hall of Justice: Another years-long renovation project is replacing HVAC systems, electrical and plumbing at the Hall of Justice. Other changes include new EV charging stations, modernized escalators, a security systems upgrade and new window platform. Completion is scheduled for next October.
Edgemoor Hospital: Plans are underway to renovate Edgemoor, a 192-bed Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) in Santee. Twenty SNF beds will be removed to make way for an acute, or higher level of care, psychiatric unit with 12 beds. The $28 million construction project is scheduled to get underway in August and open in early 2027.
PLANNING STAGES
Substance Use Residential Treatment Services (SURTS): Construction is scheduled to get underway this month at the SURTS facility in National City. The Major Systems Renovation and Tenant Improvement Project will create 16 new recuperative care beds. The construction completion date is planned for March 2026.
Jacumba Fire Station #43: A new 8,400-square-foot fire station for Jacumba is now in the design phase. The facility will replace the existing one and include two apparatus bays, a lobby, office, six dormitory rooms, restrooms, a kitchen, dining room, day room, gym, solar panels and a battery storage system. The $18 million project is scheduled to break ground in late 2025 and open in early 2027.
A LOOK BACK AT 2024
Youth Transition campus
Youth Transition Campus Phase 2: A vision to replace a “typical” detention facility with one more in line with a school campus is now a reality. Officials celebrated the end of phase 2 construction last July. The first phase included eight new housing units with a total of 96 beds, a dining building, a school complex with an open courtyard, a gymnasium, an amphitheater and a stage. Phase 2 created a Youth Development Center office building and a six-housing unit, 72-bed campus with its own education complex.
Rancho San Diego Library
Rancho San Diego Library: The Rancho San Diego Library completed its $1.95 million expansion and opened to the public in January 2024. The project added more than 400 square feet to the Friends of the Library Bookstore. Visitors gained more space for browsing and the bookstore also has more room for new materials and multiple media platforms. The existing library gained new workstations for the staff, new wall and floor finishes, and increased storage space.
Julian Library Community Room
Julian Library: In August, a ribbon-cutting celebrated the renovation and additions at the Julian Library. A new community room was built to tie-in with the existing building. The room features a motorized wall to separate the space into two rooms, lighting controls, card reader access, state-of-the-art AV and HVAC systems, two new restrooms in the art gallery hallway and a kitchen with a pass-through window. The project also included interior finishes and new signage. Workers also installed a new diesel emergency generator and electrical equipment to provide back-up power for the entire library site.
Jason Hemmens was named director of Parks and Recreation. In his new permanent role, Hemmens will lead a team of over 300.
Hemmens has been professionally involved in developing innovative recreation programs and facilities for over 20 years.
He joined the County in 2002 as a parks recreational supervisor. He promoted to a recreation program manager in 2004 and chief of development in 2010. In 2014, he was named deputy director and most recently served as interim director.
“I am confident that Jason’s vision and leadership will continue to drive success and inspire the DPR team to reach new heights,” said Dahvia Lynch, Land Use and Environment Group Deputy Chief Administrative Officer. “We look forward to his contributions.”
Hemmens is a Certified Park and Recreation Professional and active member in numerous professional organizations in the recreation and tourism industry.
Ana Orozco from the Department of Health and Human Services submitted a photo of a colorful sunset over the new Public Health Lab building at the County Operations Center.
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.
The usual lights that illuminate the County Administration Center were turned off Thursday in memory of President Jimmy Carter.
Carrie Hoff was selected to serve as the Finance & General Government Group’s Chief Operations Officer. Hoff started the position on Dec. 30.
A seasoned leader with extensive experience in operations and program development, Hoff has a 26 year career with the County serving in a variety of roles. Her most recent roles include interim assistant director for General Services and deputy director for Asset Management, where she championed key initiatives such as community engagement strategies and affordable housing development on County land.
A message from Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton:
Seeing the impacts of the fires in Los Angeles County is both devastating and deeply relatable. Here in San Diego County, we have seen and responded to similar emergencies and know the stress and heartbreak that can often accompany them.
With windy, elevated fire conditions still in the local forecast, please take a few minutes to review some critical information to make sure you’re ready for an emergency.
As County employees, we play an important role.
First, make sure you and your family are prepared. AlertSanDiego provides resources, including these four important steps:
Create your own Personal Disaster Plan (available in 12 languages)
Register your cell phones for emergency alerts
Next, be aware that we are all designated Disaster Service Workers. What does that mean? If you look at the backside of your employee badge, government code sections 3100 and 3101 states all public employees are “Disaster Service Workers subject to such activities as may be assigned by law.” You may be called on to support response and recovery efforts, possibly outside of your assigned, day-to-day responsibilities.
Lastly, you can receive specialized disaster response training through an Office of Emergency Services program that prepares employee participants in advance of emergencies, often in areas they are passionate about. Learn more and apply.
As a County team, our hearts go out to those impacted by these fires. If you need support, resources are available to you through the County’s Employee Assistance Program.
Stay safe and be prepared.
Several General Services employees recently attended a Suspicious Mail Training at the County Operations Center (COC). While the County’s Mail Services handles mail every day, there are a few essential lessons that are important for all County employees who may handle or receive mail – even occasionally—to keep in mind.
Identifying suspicious mail pieces involves paying special attention to certain characteristics, including the shape, appearance, smell, address information and packaging. Irregular shapes, unexpected odors, strange addresses, and unusual packaging are all signs that should not be ignored.
Once a suspicious mail piece has been identified, use the three Ps:
Package: Do not handle it. Leave it where it is and avoid trying to clean it up, move it, or bag it. Isolate the area where the package is.
People: Notify a supervisor immediately, clear the area, inform employees to avoid disturbing the mail piece, and turn off HVAC and similar equipment.
Plan: Supervisors should activate the organization’s emergency plan, go to evacuation points if necessary, and practice these plans quarterly.
If you have questions or would like to be added to an interest list for upcoming trainings, contact County Security Initiative Program Coordinator Kat Anady at kat.anady@sdcounty.ca.gov or 619-613-6841.
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