CAO Message: Happy New Year!

Message from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer

Welcome to 2021, everyone!

Have we ever been happier to turn the page to a new year? And this one comes to us loaded for change.

For starters, we have three new supervisors taking their seats today. We welcome Nora Vargas in District One, Joel Anderson in District Two, and Terra Lawson-Remer in District Three, as well as all the staff members they are bringing on board in their offices.

We haven’t had this much turnover on our Board at one time in a quarter century. Our new supervisors arrive with a wide variety of experiences and will provide us fresh perspectives and direction. We’re excited to work with them and help them be as effective as they can in serving our residents.

Then in a few weeks, there will of course also be a new president. It’s too early to say what the Biden administration will mean for the County, but we can expect there will be changes that affect local government, and we’ll be ready to act as needed. 

We start the year with game-changing promise in our fight against the pandemic. Vaccines are starting to make their way into the population, and we hope within a few months they’ll limit the virus’s spread to the point we can ease up on many of the restrictions we’ve been living with.

Unfortunately, we can’t look past the massive surge of cases and harm we are in the middle of now. Our doctors predict coming weeks will be very painful, and managing our response will continue to consume much of our effort in the near future. All of us need to hang tough, double down on our prevention measures. It looks like we’ll turn the tide soon, but the last stretch of any marathon is the hardest. Let’s stay with it, encourage each other along.

I can see how 2020 may have left someone a little wary of laying plans and making resolutions. I’d say it taught me that you still need goals and plans for reaching them, but you also need a lot of flexibility. With that in mind, I’d love to hear what you’ve resolved for the year ahead. If you’d like to share your resolution with others, you can put it in a reply to this mail and we’ll add them to the version of this message we post on InSite.        

I’m excited to be heading into this new year with all of you, knowing that we are all resolved to making San Diego a better place. Let’s go!

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“One of the resolutions is to keep my goal of bettering myself by means of education. I started going to college (online), my choice of Social Work. Although I am not that young anymore, I feel I needed to do this to feel and stay young. I feel it is necessary for me to keep my sanity and to show my kids and grandkids that it is never to late in life to get more knowledge.” —Celia Arreola. Human Services Specialist, HHSA

“This year I aim to increase my spiritual connection, and to continue to reflect on and put into action how I can better myself as a wife, mother, daughter, friend and mental health professional.” —Danielle Barcello, Licensed Mental Health Clinician, Behavioral Health Services

“I’ve resolved to stay positive in this time of loss and illness. I go to work daily to give people stuck at home library materials to make their daily lives better. I thank you, County of San Diego, for keeping us all working and the budget which buys these materials.” —Jana V. Beck, Library Technician II

“My resolutions are to make healthier eating and lifestyle choices like exercising, mediation, mental health etc. and manage my finances better and build a rainy fund savings.” —Adriana Cano, Admin Analyst III, Facilities Management

“If nothing else, 2020 taught me that life can change quite quickly, but it takes time to rebuild. My 2021 goal is the plant strawberries, tomatoes and hatch chiles from seeds, as a visual reminder of the time it takes to grow and the sweet and spicy rewards that come with time and patience.” —Gloria Chavez, COVID-19 Case Investigator, Public Health Services

“My resolution for 2021 is simple: be present. Multitasking, although an excellent and desirable talent, isn’t always the answer. In fact, I have learned that it sometimes distracts from finding answers or engraving memories that I regret not having later.” —Diana Eid-Chammas, Manager, Auditor and Controller

“My New Year’s resolution is to stay kind and compassionate, even in the face of anger, hatred, intolerance, and violence.”  —Mary Elder, Librarian II/Branch Manager, Library

“I want to be more focused  on giving thanks, not only in saying my daily prayers, but in taking the time to slow down and enjoy the small, joyful moments of appreciating life around me and my family.” —Irene Escobedo, Adult Protective Services Specialist II, Aging & Independence Services

“Patience. I will be patient with the virtual meetings that crash, with the lack of resources to get everything done, with the dashed plans to travel and see loved ones, and, most importantly, with the requirement to stay home but practice good habits when I do have to go out. This too shall pass, and I want to do my part to see it through with minimal damage. I will be patient. —Susan Freed, Project Manager, General Services

“2020 highlighted how important health is. In 2021 I resolve to live healthier!” —Rosa Gracian, Chief of Agency Operations, Regional Self Sufficiency

“My goal is to cherish every minute of life I have with my family and friends. I am making an effort to be present by truly seeing every smile, hearing every laugh and feeling every hug like it could be the last.” —Jessica M. Henderson, Housing Program Analyst, Housing and Community Development Services

“I am choosing to stand by my resolution of creating a healthy lifestyle. 2020 taught me to no longer put my needs on the back burner. It is truly my time to follow through and make my dreams a reality!” —Asheka Huey, Social Worker III, Homeless Services – Central Region Administration

“For 2021, differently from past years, I will think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the year. I’ll start and end my day with 2 main questions: ‘Am I being good to myself?’ And ‘What is one thing you can/did accomplish today that would make this day a success?’ —Genta Janina, Administrative Analyst II, Child Welfare Services

“This year, I decided to have a motivational word for the year. I chose DEVOTION defined as love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity or cause. I’m going to let this word lead my actions for the year in terms of overall health, work life and personal life to stay committed to the ‘big picture’ goals and to remain appreciative in that process.” —Rebecca Jauregui-Vargas, Program Specialist II, Eligibility Operations – Appeals

“My New Year resolution would be to ‘present in the moment’ because in a blink the eye, life can change. We can not do anything with worrying, it adds nothing to the day.” —Cindy Jones, Office Assistant, North Inland Family Resource Center

“I usually don’t make resolutions but coming out of the year that was 2020 I would like to recommit my focus on: being patient (especially when frustrated), being kind (with myself as well as others), and focusing on the brightness and beauty both surrounding and within (while acknowledging real darkness and pain).” —Michael Miller, Behavioral Health Program Coordinator, Behavioral Health Services

“I have resolved to use humor and positivity to enforce social distancing and mask wearing with my neighbors, coworkers, and the general population. I have started drawing and posting funny signs.” —Molly McKinley, Administrative Secretary I, California Children’s Services

“Simple 2021 Resolution… To be a better person tomorrow than I was yesterday.” —Rhonda Moore, COVID-19 Case Investigator, Public Health Services

“2021 Personal Resolution: Improve my artistic skills and create my ‘art wall’ at home to show off my paintings and double as my video conferencing background.  —Susan Moreno, Principal Administrative Analyst, Housing and Community Development Services

“More meditation and decompressing. Do not stress the small stuff (everything is the small stuff.” —Frank P. Myers, Protective Services Worker, Child Welfare Services

“My resolution for 2021 is to be a better person in every aspect of my life- as a wife, mother, friend, daughter and neighbor and be grateful for everything I have.” —Felice Navarro, Team Lead COVID-19 Case Investigator, Epidemiology & Immunization Services Branch

“The resolutions I am working towards for 2021 are to focus on my health and wellness in all aspects to help be the best mother and partner I can be! ❤” —Shaylynn Olivo, Administrative Secretary III, Office of Emergency Services

“My resolution is to do my part to try, to the best of my ability, to meet the high ideals set for the county and expressed also through the Strategic Initiatives, and to not give up trying.” —Jitka Parez, APC Aide, Air Pollution Control District

“My resolution is to ask myself every day (especially in difficult situations): "‘what’s the best that can happen?’ This allows me to be flexible with all the changes occurring in the world, workplace, my community and in my home. Thus far, this small question has kept me grounded and shifted my perspective from a sometimes negative state to a more positive one.” —Elizabeth Pineda, Registry Coordinator, Aging & Independent Services

“In 2021 it is my resolution to continue the work we started at DCSS which is to look at the community we serve through a new lens, one that focuses on #MAKINGADIFFERENCE.”  —Laura Rodal, Child Support Manager, Child Support Services

“My resolutions for the year 2021 (if the universe allows it 😊): spiritually to grow in my faith, become a better version of myself, make sure I appreciate and show my love to the ones that matter most in my life in ways they have no doubt of my love for them, get married with my fiancé, and be blessed with a house we can call home.” —Maria Saldivar, Assistant Branch Manager Library Technician III, Library

“My personal goals and plans are as follows: read the whole bible, regular prayers and fasting, read one book in two months, eat healthier and exercise more, spend more quality time with family, grow more veggies and trees, and to enhance my leadership skills as a Life Group Leader in the Church ministry.” —Lizamarie Tapang, Human Resource Assistant, Human Resources