San Diego restaurants must close nightly at 10 p.m. starting Wednesday, July 1 until further notice, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced Tuesday. The County is taking the action to prevent additional community outbreaks and the spread of COVID-19.
Read more on County News Center.
A growing number of COVID-19 cases are being identified in young people. Plus, San Diego region bars, wineries and breweries without a license to serve food will need to close.
Read more from Monday's coronavirus update.
A view of solar panels on the Registrar of Voters building and the Chesapeake parking structure at the County Operations Center.
A crowning achievement at General Services – the department energized the County’s largest photovoltaic (PV) system to date, a 2.2-megawatt system, at the County Operations Center. That means solar panels will generate enough clean renewable power to provide nearly 25% of the electricity used by the entire COC campus.
On top of that, a 400-kilowatt battery system was installed on the campus’s north side. The battery system will offset SDG&E’s increased rates during periods of high demand. The battery will switch on as needed each day when campus energy use gets too high, eliminating most of those costs.
Between the solar panels and the battery, the system is expected to cut the COC’s annual electricity bill up to $370,000 each year.
Under a power purchase agreement, Sun Power built the COC system and will operate and maintain it at no cost to the County. In turn, the County will buy all the renewable power generated at a price well below current and anticipated future SDG&E rates.
The project started last July and involved the installation of more than 6,300 PV panels atop the roofs of all four campus office buildings, the Registrar of Voters building and the new carports on the Chesapeake parking structure.
The County also energized a 175-kilowatt system at the Rancho San Diego Sheriff Station. Renewable power will offset more than 60% of the site’s energy use.
“The County reached a milestone with the completion of these two projects,” said Energy and Sustainability Program Chief Charley Marchesano. “The total amount of onsite generated renewable power increased to 10% of the total County facility demand which is a 2020 goal in our climate action plan.”
And there is more to come. A solar project at the Edgemoor Skilled Nursing Facility should go live later in the summer. And two more at the East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility and the North County Regional Center are scheduled to come online this fall.
Once they are all on board, the County’s renewable onsite power will increase to 18 or 19% of the County’s total energy load. That figure puts the County well within reach of the ultimate goal to generate at least 20% of the total energy load from onsite renewable sources by 2030.
Make the most of your summer with savings! Find PerkSpot deals on everything from sunglasses and flip-flops to steaks and seafood for grilling. These discounts are sure to make the season sensational.
PerkSpot offers benefits and discounts through more than 400 service providers and retailers. Go to SDCounty.PerkSpot.com and shop. If you are new, click on “Create an Account” to register.
Good-bye to Skype! All County employees now have access to Microsoft Teams to chat, call, meet and collaborate in one place. This Friday, June 26, Teams will become the primary communication and collaboration platform for the County and will replace Skype. But don’t worry, Skype will still be available with limited functions.
What You Need to Know
You will now have the ability to chat and have audio/video meetings with the Sheriff, District Attorney, Perspecta, and AT&T employees through Teams.
All of your Skype meetings will be automatically converted to Teams meetings.
The audio conferencing add-in phone numbers for Skype will automatically convert to Teams audio conferencing add-in phone numbers.
Skype will still be installed but will not auto-launch. However, Skype will look a bit different and you will no longer have the capability to chat. You can still use Skype to join Skype meetings or you can use a browser. Skype will be removed sometime later this calendar year.
All the current Teams capability will remain the same.
Interested in learning more? Attend a training. LMS - End User Training will be offered at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 23. LMS - Teams Basic Training will be offered at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, June 25. Also check out the other Teams training available on LMS.
Message from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer
As we head into Father’s Day weekend, let me take a moment to acknowledge all the fathers out there, especially for your efforts these last few months. Many parents have had extra child care duty on top of full-time jobs, and had to make it all work out of their homes. Thanks, dads, for finding ways to get it done.
Beyond this recent stretch, thanks to our dads for a lifetime of support. All of us who’ve enjoyed a caring, dedicated father have been immensely blessed. They guide us, directly at first, and their character serves as a model we rely on the rest of our lives. Our gratitude is eternal, even if Father’s Day rolls around just once a year.
Like other recent occasions, we’ll have to celebrate our dads at a distance this time around. We’re measuring a variety of indicators of COVID-19 activity that might prompt us to roll back reopening. One indicator for action, or trigger, is new community outbreaks. That includes things like gatherings at people’s homes. We hit that community outbreaks trigger yesterday. And while we’re not immediately imposing any restrictions in response, we are sharing with the public a strong reminder of the need to avoid gatherings and practice social distancing.
We all need to follow that direction, and that unfortunately means skipping family get-togethers for Father’s Day. It’s hard, but it’s what’s the current circumstances call for.
Do what’s right, even when it’s difficult. Protect others. Those sound like values fathers try to instill in their children. Living by those words is fitting tribute to the fathers and father figures in our lives. Everyone, stay strong, stay safe and Happy Father’s Day!
The County Administration Center will be illuminated in red, yellow and green tonight in honor of Juneteenth. The holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
The Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery on Jan. 1, 1863. But it was not until June 19, 1865, that enslaved African Americans in Galveston Bay, Texas were notified by Union troops that they, along with all other enslaved black people in the state, were free. The day has grown into a time to celebrate, gather, reflect on the past and look to the future.
The National Museum of African American History & Culture describes Juneteenth as a monumental yet often overlooked event in our nation’s history. The museum has more information about the holiday.
The County Public Defender’s Fresh Start Program is one of two programs that won a Best in Category Achievement Award. The program allows some San Diegans with prior non-violent criminal convictions to apply for jobs that they previously may not have been considered for due to their criminal record.
Congratulations to our County groups! The National Association of Counties recognized 36 of our many programs with Achievement Awards, which commend leading-edge government programs. Two of them, the Fresh Start Criminal Record Relief Program and the Medical Examiner’s Open Data Portal were presented with Best in Category Awards.
The Public Defender’s Fresh Start program is designed to educate and advocate for people previously convicted of non-violent crimes who looking to move past their mistakes and start anew. A criminal record creates barriers to employment, housing, education, volunteering, and other forms of civic engagement. Public Defender attorneys investigate clients’ criminal histories, develop comprehensive Fresh Start case plans, and seek all appropriate conviction relief. The goal is for the person to have successful community reintegration, improve access to employment, housing, education, and other forms of civic engagement, reduce recidivism and improve community safety.
The ME’s Open Data Portal released more than 22 years of death record information online in March 2019. The data is available for the public, media, and any other agencies that work in academia, public health or public policy, who can take the data, analyze it, and provide valuable insights back to the department and even advance broader changes to improve public health and safety. Since its release, this data set has been viewed over 16,000 times and downloaded nearly 600 times, making it the most popular data search on the County’s data portal.
The Medical Examiner’s Open Data Portal also won Best in Category for the NACo Achievement Awards. Here, a county employee browses a data set on the site.
Among other programs awarded were the County’s Public Health Nurse Residency Program, which provides a comprehensive learning experience with valuable guidance for nurses who are newly licensed and for nurses new to the field of public health. The program develops a team of professional Public Health Nurses who are trained to respond to public health crises including outbreaks and natural disasters. The program has been highly successful in attracting nurses who seek additional support and professional development during their transition to the public health nursing practice and represent the ethnicity and culture represented in the community’s diversity.
The San Diego County Probation Department won an award for developing a credible messenger mentoring program called Resilience, which hires people formerly or currently in the justice system to mentor justice-involved youth and young adults to help them resist reoffending. The youth can better relate to mentors with similar backgrounds. The six-month program includes two weekly group meetings with an evidence-based journaling curriculum and weekly mentee/mentor one-on-one meetings, and is building positive relationships between mentees, mentors, probation officers, and within the community.
A San Diego County employee training program, “Generation Island,” also received an award for addressing the five different generations --from the Silent Generation to Generation Z-- working together in County workplaces in a fun and informative manner. The goal of this training series is to encourage employees to be understanding of other points of view in order to work more effectively together, a key component of the County’s diversity and inclusion efforts. The course gives the learner an overview of the generational “signposts” that each generation experienced in their formative years, and shows how those early experiences can shape a particular generation’s behavior and explores how workplace dynamics can be affected.
San Diego County won in ten categories. The full list of winning categories and programs can be found on a searchable database and are listed below:
Category: Children and Youth
Child and Family Team Meeting Facilitation Program
Child Welfare Services: Family Visit Coaching
Outdoor Outreach
Urban Beats
Youth Civic Engagement: Empowering and Building Resiliency in Youth
Code Compliance Community Outreach
Category: Civic Education and Public Information
Better Outreach and Education: Disabled Veterans’ Property Tax Exemption
Citizens Academy
Super Saturday Program
CEQA Training for Community Members and Stakeholders
Category: Community and Economic Development
Doubling Down on Affordable Housing
High School Diploma Program
Accessory Dwelling Unit Incentive Program
Borrego Valley Groundwater Sustainability Plan
Service and Celebrating a City- Art Night Encinitas
Category: County Administration and Management
Self Sufficiency Services Through GWOW
Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Fresh Start Program*
David’s Harp Interns
Resilience Community Mentoring Program
Resilience is Strength and Empowerment (RISE) Collaborative Court
Category: Health
Accessible Depression and Anxiety Peripartum Treatment (ADAPT)
HHSA/HART Joint Operations East Region
Peer Assisted Support Services (PeerLINKS)
The Center for Child and Youth Psychiatry
Improving the Well Being of Residents and Workers in Disadvantaged Communities
Simultaneous Dengue Virus 1-4 Testing
Category: Human Services
Alzheimer’s Response Team
Cloud-Based Call Center Technology
Las Colinas Liaison
Virtual Reality Training for TANF
Category: Information Technology
Medical Examiner’s Open Data Portal*
Automated Performance Reports Workflow in SharePoint
Software Development for Water Submeter Test Bench
Category: Personnel Management, Employment and Training
Community Fair
Discipline Case Support
Diversity and Inclusion Digest
Generation Island
Health and Human Services Agency Workplace Security Training Video
Intramural Sports
Public Health Nurse Residency Program
Searchable Discipline Database
Whole Self Workshop
Ranger Academy
Category: Risk and Emergency Management
Countywide Early Earthquake Warning ShakeAlert Test
School Protection and Evacuation Plan
Category: County Resiliency: Infrastructure, Energy and Sustainability
Electric Vehicle Roadmap
Green Streets Guidance
Preparing for an HLB Quarantine
Category: Library
Homecoming Out
Rural CERT at the Library
Category: Parks and Recreation
East Otay Regional Trail Alignment Study
San Dieguito Regional Park ADA Playground Improvement
Santa Ysabel Nature Center
Category: Planning
Capital Investment Model
Bryant, son of Joy Bernardo from HHSA, graduated with Bachelor of Arts degree major in Linguistics.
Let’s celebrate the accomplishments of this year’s graduates. We want to highlight the grads from preschool to college. If you or your children are a member of the class of 2020, share a photo.
Please include the grad’s name and your relation.
Lauryn, daughter of Kristen McEachron with Purchasing & Contracting, graduated from Serra High School. She will continue her education and compete with the women’s soccer team at Texas Southern University.
Isaiah, son of Myra McCauley with Sheriff, graduated from West Hills High School. He will be continuing his education at San Diego State University.
Jianna, daughter of Janina Taguiped with Sheriff, graduated from Bernardo Heights Middle School.
Bryce, son of FElicia Walton from CTO and Elijah Walton from DCSS, promoted from 5th grade to middle school.
Kelsey, daughter of Michael Stewart with Behavioral Health Services, graduated from Carlsbad High School. She will be attending Northern ARizona University.
evan and Arturo, sons of Jennifer Macias with ARCC and Arturo Macias with Library, graduated this year. Evan graduated from Kindergarten and Arturo graduated from Southwestern College with a degree in Film.
Cesar, son of Irma Estrada with HHSA, graduated from Olympian High School. He will be attending SDSU.
Nena, daughter of Jennifer Wilborn with HHSA, graduated from Westview High School. She plans to pursue her dreams to perform for Disney.
Paige, granddaughter of Lily Mabolia with Planning and Development Services, graduated from Kindergarten.
Alexa, daughter of Victoria Mata with Treasurer-Tax Collector, graduated from SDSU with a Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutrition.
Michael, son of Kristi Cruz with HHSA, graduated from Head Start/PReschool. He’s headed to transitional kindergarten.
Nia Cheyenne, daughter of Velmonica Andrews-Mason with HHSA, graduated from Grossmont High School. She was on the honor roll with a 4.2 GPA and will be attending SDSU.
Alexa, daughter of Blanca Valdivia from HHSA Public Health, Graduated from Otay Ranch High School. She made Honor Roll and played Varsity Field Hockey
Takara, daughter of Jackie Kersey-Hardrick with HHSA Public Health, graduated from Steele Canyon High School. She is going to go Cuyamaca College and Grossmont College. she wants to go into law enforcement and become a police detective.
Angelica, daughter of Ann Jimenez with Planning and Development Services, graduated with Honors from Serra High School. She will continue her education at University of California Merced to pursue her Medical Degree.
Caliana, daughter of Anabelle Llana with Behavioral Health Services, graduated from Pride Academy Santee.
Holly, daughter of Deborah Hugo with HHSA, graduated from Riverview International Academy. She will start middle school in the fall.
IVann, son of Rowena Agapito with Child Support, graduated from UC IRvine with a Bachelor of Science in pharmaceutical sciences.
Reanna, daughter of Jocylin Hutalla with Public Health Services, graduated from UC Irvine with Bachelor of Science in biology.
Gideon Amaniel, Medical Care Services Division, graduated from SDSU
Julianne, daughter of Lori Langley with HHSA, graduated from SDSU with a degree in multimedia Art and Photography.
Analeena, daughter of anna Brothers with HHSA, graduated from 6th grade.
Jorge Benitez, Behavioral Health Services, graduated from Grossmont College and is headed to SDSU.
Marielle, daughter of Jose Mallari with Behavioral Health SErvices, graduated from Del Norte High School. She made Honor Roll and played Varsity Girls Lacrosse - 4 years letterman, SD Union Tribune All-Academic Team.
Allen, son of Christina Guinto with Auditor & Controller, Graduated from Mira Mesa High School with Academic Distinction.
Brianna Rose Pinto, daughter of Kristina Pinto with HHSA
Alexa, Daughter of MAria Mendivil with Child Support Services, graduated from USC.
Jalen, son of Karla Romera with HHSA, Graduated from San Francisco State University – BS In Sociology with a minor in LGBTQ studies.
Bryn, daughter of Marti Brentnall in Public Health Services, graduated from Clairemont High School.
Maricel Pruitt, HHSA, and her son tyson at his 6th grade Drive-through Graduation. He was awarded the Presidential Award for his class.
Natalie and Emma, Daughters of Gabriela Damian with Behavioral Health SErvices and Thomas Zurek with Public Health, graduated from 8th grade.
Joseangel, son of Blanca RAmirez and Jose Ramirez with HHSA, graduated from Roosevelt Middle School with an International Baccalaureate Community Service Project Recognition. Joseangel plans to continue his studies at San Diego High School.
Aidan, son of Melissa Aguirre with HHSA, graduated from San Ysidro Middle School. He was the recipient of the Presidential Award for Education Excellence, 4.0 GPA and Gold Excellence Award.
Kamil, Daughter of Geana Richardson in AIS, graduated from San Diego High School of Creative and Performing Arts.
Evan, son of Karen WAchowiak with Housing and Community Development Services, graduated from 8th grade. He will attending Cathedral Catholic High School.
Emmanuel, nephew of Lisa Fitzpatrick with Civil Service Commission, graduated from high school.
Logan, son of Julietta Aguilar from Child Welfare South, graduated kindergarten .
Josara Anne Cruz is a Human Services Specialist at the Northeast Family Resource Center.
Rhys graduated from Helix Charter High School. He is the son of Heidi and Julien Aiem – Heidi works in Public Health Services and Julien works for the Auditor and Controller. Rhys will attend SDSU in the fall as a Business Administration major
Amanda, daughter of Margarita Ruiz with HHSA, graduated from SDSU.
Dani and Jess, daughter and niece of Michelle Chapman with Child Welfare Services, graduated.
Andy, Son of Ed Villalobos with HHSA, Graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in Political Science/International Relations.
Joaquin, son of Lori Gutierrez with HHSA, is an 8th grade graduate.
Bodhi, son of Cynthia Curtis with Public Works, Graduated from Kate Sessions Elementary School.
Adam, son of Celia Benchekroun with HHSA, graduated from Bonita Vista High SChool with honors.
Jabari, son of Mindy Ard with Human Resources, graduated from Steele CAnyon HIgh School with honors. He is headed to Grossmont College.
Justin, son of Miriam PArson from HHSa, graduated with a BA in liberal studies from UC Riverside. He was previously a student worker at Clerk of th eBoard.
Jayla, daughter of Ramisi Briggs from DHR, graduated from University City High School and will be continuing her education and athletic career for softball at Texas Southern UniversitY.
Kasey, daughter of Brian Day with Probation, graduated from 8th Grade at Our Lady of Grace Catholic School. She will be attending Our Lady of Peace.
Wiett, Son of Rob Sills with the MEdical Operations Center, graduated from Notre DAme.
Adalynn, daughter of Amanda Joyner with ARCC, graduated from preschool and is off to Kindergarten!
Tatiana, daughter of Felicia Chargualaf with HHSA, graduated from SJSU.
Sabrina, daughter of Alessandra Ljungblad with HHSA, graduated from UC Snta Cruz.
Madison, Daughter of LeAnn Carmichael with Public Works, graduated from UCSD with a double major for cell biology and music.
Megan, Pedro and Katie, children of Ana Villaescuza with HHSA, graduated from Grossmont High School.
Roger, son of Rogelio and Lorela Galac with Sheriff's Department, Graduated from UCLA.
Elena, Daughter of Olga Barnes with Sheriff, graduated from Great Oak High School.
Eloy, son of Georgina Sanchez with HHSA, graduated from SDSU.
Anthony, son of Evonnee Juliano with Sheriff's Department. Graduated from Mira Mesa High School. He will be continuing his education at Miramar Community College.
Nathanael and Eion, twin sons of India Jepson from HHSA – Access. Both boys graduated from the 6th grade.
Nathanael and Eion, twin sons of India Jepson from HHSA – Access. Both boys graduated from the 6th grade.
Benny, son of Christal Torres from ARCC, graduated from Point Loma High School.
Teresa and Gustavo, daughter and son-in-law of Irene Escobedo with Aging & Independence SErvices, graduated from Cal State San Marcos. Both plan to get their master’s degrees.
Megan, daughter of James BRyant with Auditor and Controller, graduated from Olympian High SChool with honors. She will be attending USC.
Josie, Daughter of Deborah Hugo with HHSA, graduated from IDEA CENTER High School.
ELIJAH, SON OF RACHELLE REYES FROM ELIGIBILITY OPERATIONS – DOCUMENT PROCESSING CENTER, GRADUATED FROM MT. MIGUEL HIGH SCHOOL. He will CONTINUe HIS EDUCATION AT GROSSMONT COLLEGE MAJORING IN COMPUTER SCIENCE, & MINOR IN DIGITAL ARTS.
Jazmin, daughter of Jeanette Castillo-Aguirre, with HHSA, graduated from Bonita Vista High School.
Matthew, son of Liza Macatula with Sheriff’s Department, graduated from St. John’s University with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Business Administration.
Noelle, daughter of Jenn Camanyag with HHSA, graduated from Sage Creek High SChool. She graduated with honors and is off to UC IRvine to major in aerospace engineering.
Gerardo, son of Andrea Velasco with ARCC, graduated from Great Oak High School.
Victoria, daughter of Alma Lopez with Sheriff, graduated from Hilltop Middle School with a 4.8 GPA.
Grant, son of Michelle Raby, from BHS graduated from St. Augustine High School. Grant is headed to Baylor University in Waco, TX where he will pursue a degree in Exercise Physiology – Pre Physical Therapy.
Christopher, son of Gina Luna with Environmental Health, Graduated from San Ysidro High School.
Kai, Daughter of Antiqua Phinazee with Probation, graduated from San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA)
Iliana, Wife of David Martinez with the Alternate Public Defender ,graduated from CSUSM with a B.A. in Human Development with an emphasis in Biology. She just got accepted into the teaching credential program to become a grade school teacher.
Alexis, Sister of David Martinez with the Alternate Public Defender, graduated from CSUSM with a B.S. in Biology. She is off to attend Medical School.
Isaiah, son of Mimi Hernandez with HHSA, graduated from Ramona High School. He will continue his education at Cal State San Marcos.
Ric, son of Myra Desquitado-Prado with California Children’s Services, graduated from Olympian High School.
Angel, daughter of Lorena Martinez with Library, graduated from Monte Vista High School.
Zoila, daughter of Zoila Navarro with HHSA, graduated from UCSC. She received a bA in sociology and Latin Studies.
Sasha, daughter of Angel Gonzalez with HHSA, graduated from 6th Grade.
Karley, daughter of Angel Gonzalez with HHSA, graduated from preschool.
JACOB, son of Liza Macatula with Sheriff’s Department, graduated from RAncho Bernardo High School. He’s off to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to study biomedical engineering.
Tamia, daughter of Tamiko Petty with HHSA, graduated from O’farrell Charter School. She will attend Cal State East Bay in the fall.
Message from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer
Gyms, movie theaters, museums, breweries, hotels, condominium swimming pools – those are all among the businesses and activities able to reopen across San Diego today. We expect the state to announce nail salons, tattoo parlors and other personal services can open next Friday.
It’s great news that we can start to enjoy these things again, and that people can get back to work in those industries. A giant BUT here. I can’t stress enough it doesn’t mean we’re simply getting back to normal. The danger of COVID-19 has not diminished. The restrictions we’ve endured had success in slowing its spread and bought time for our health care system to manage the disease. It doesn’t mean we’ve got it beat. Several states, including our neighbor Arizona, have had steep recent increases in cases.
So amid the excitement of reopening, we all need to prepare ourselves for the possibility of tightening back down again. Our doctors and epidemiology staff are monitoring a set of criteria that would “trigger” dialing back. You can check out a dashboard that shows what we’re tracking and the current status.
Meanwhile, we’ve continued to expand testing in the region, which is critical to keeping infected people from spreading the virus and giving us a picture that helps us focus our efforts. Today we launched a new tool to help people find free testing locations and make appointments online.
No one wants to see us step backward. That’s why it’s so important for everyone to remain vigilant and keep up all the practices that have helped us make progress. Face coverings, hand-washing, cleaning surfaces, staying six feet apart, keeping to your household. I know they all get tedious, but they’re basic things we can do that have a big impact.
So hit the gym, hit the beach (you can park there now!), hop in your condo’s pool. Just do it with the precautions we have in place so that we can keep a check on the virus and continue to enjoy these activities.
