InTouch – Taking a Decade View

Happy New Year, everyone! And new decade!

When the calendar turns, we often pause to look back before looking ahead again. You reach a new decade and you get a longer view. Taking a moment and thinking about the changes I’ve had, and we’ve all seen over the last 10 years, I’m blown away.

(Quick aside: I know you can argue the decade doesn’t technically start until next year, but come on, everyone is talking about “end of the decade” this, “coming decade” that. So even being a stickler for details, I’m going with it.)

At a personal level, I’ve passed so many of life’s milestones in the 2010s. Four graduations and one child married. I started this job. I lost both parents and beat cancer. I adopted two dogs and recently welcomed my first grandchild! Incredible highs and lows. I know you’ve all been through lots of changes of your own, many no doubt more dramatic than mine. Ten years of challenges and, I hope, many celebrations.

And the world around us has seen so much change. So many things about daily life are different from a decade ago.  

Smartphones went from being the exception to the rule. We rely on mobile apps for rides and meal delivery and countless other tasks. We stay in Airbnbs, share everything on Instagram, pay with Venmo. We started asking Siri, Alexa and Google for help – and they answered.

Amazon delivers nearly instant gratification – and entertainment. It’s pitted against many rivals in “streaming wars” that are heating up. Podcasts existed, but then erupted in the 2010s. Spotify became our infinite jukebox. Drones, electric cars and scooters offered new forms of movement. 

It’s not all tech and gee whiz. Marijuana is now legal in California, and same-sex marriage is nationwide. “Me too” and the rights of transgender people brought difficult topics into the open.

I could, of course, go on. But you get the drift that much has changed in 10 years. While some trends were projected, no one in 2010 painted a picture that included all the things I mentioned.

That’s what we need to keep in mind as we turn to the decade ahead. We’ll plan as best we can – and we work really hard at planning at the County. But we’ll be surprised. We’ll be amazed and challenged. New technology will bring us new opportunities, and new ethical questions. Political and social landscapes will forever shift.

We’ll plot our course, then adjust, adjust, adjust. I’m not going to try to guess exactly what we’ll be doing or talking about in 2030. But as we enter the next decade, will you resolve to eliminate homelessness, treat mental illness more effectively, advance social and justice reform and reduce our carbon footprint?  I say YES!  And let’s do it with unity and respect for all members of our workforce and the diverse community we serve.     

We have about 3,653 days this decade. Each is a gift, an opportunity. The future is full of surprises, but it’s also waiting for us to shape it. Let’s all be thinking how we want to spend this span of time, envision what might be, then get to work on making it happen. I’m pumped about the possibilities and the chance to move forward with you all. Let’s go!