CAO Message: Wishing You Happy Holidays and Remembering What Matters Most

A message from Chief Administrative Officer Helen Robbins-Meyer:

The holidays and the end of the year are upon us. It’s a time we make extra effort to nurture the connections we have with the people we love. We get together with friends, gather in faith and community groups. We send cards (Right? Some of you still send cards?). We put up with all the hassles of holiday travel to reunite with family. 

It’s the time we make sure we’re focusing on what matters most: the people in our lives.

I love the holidays for that. And I love that my work throughout the year is also centered on people. We make real impacts on individual lives. Since this is also a time for reflection, I’m thinking back on some of the concrete ways we helped San Diegans in 2022.

One that really stood out to me was the opening of One Safe Place. It brought an array of resources for victims of violence and abuse under one roof. It represents the best of the County and numerous community partners working together to support people who need our help.

We continued building resources for people needing mental health assistance, opening an additional crisis stabilization unit and expanding our mobile crisis response teams to the entire region. Through a variety of programs, we added badly needed housing. Like many enormous challenges we face, there’s a long way to go, but we forge ahead and can celebrate our successes on the way.

Our Youth Transition Campus opened, bringing a whole different experience and approach to the young people in our juvenile justice system. Our Parks 101, First-Timer Series introduced residents who haven’t had much exposure to outdoor recreation to hiking, camping and other activities.

These are just a few of the new and noteworthy things we did the past year. Stop and really imagine for a moment each of the individuals those programs involve. They have options now that they didn’t have at this time last year. You’ve made it happen.

That’s on top of the countless other ways we help people get the necessities of life, safeguard their health, protect them from various dangers, offer them opportunities for enrichment and fulfillment. Our team guiding us to a zero-carbon future is building momentum across the region with new actions to preserve farmland and open space, cut employee commute miles through telework, increase renewable energy resources, and much more. Our emphasis on equity and community engagement is helping us expand the reach of everything we’re doing. 

It’s every day, at an astonishing scale. If you’re caught up in your day-to-day, or a step removed from the front line, sometimes you may not feel the effect you’re having. I want to assure you that your efforts are improving people’s lives.

I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to do meaningful work, and it should certainly be a source of pride and satisfaction for you. And when I talk about people being the most important thing, I’m thankful you are the people I work with as we achieve great things together.

I hope this season’s celebrations are full of joy and precious time with friends and family. Then I look forward to working with you, and for all San Diegans, in the new year.

Happy holidays!