Take That, Vampire Power!

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You’ve heard of vampire power, haven’t you? It sucks electricity from computers and other appliances even when you’re not using them. That wastes energy and costs money. But the County is fighting back and gaining money in return.

How did we manage that? No stakes, sorry. And no garlic, either. New network software allows us to put connected computers and monitors into a low energy consumption state when they’re not in use. The software – in a centralized location - can detect whether there’s been any activity on your desktop and if not, can automatically put your PC into a low energy mode or hibernation.

The savings don’t sound like much power for one computer, but add in another 9,300 computers and monitors and we’re saving about $286,000 per year. Put it another way, the energy savings is the equivalent emissions reduction of taking 870 cars off the road.

As a result, SDG&E presented an energy efficiency rebate check to San Diego County for $139,485 for the County’s Networked PC Power Management Project. In addition, the EPA Energy Star Program recognized the County for its efforts as a participant in the national Low Carbon IT Campaign. The rebate check will go into an energy trust fund and will be used for energy efficiency projects at some of our existing facilities.

“There’s a dual benefit,” said County Energy and Sustainability Manager Peter Livingston. “We save energy and utility costs but we also get the benefit of increasing employees’ productivity by performing software updates more efficiently.”

That means power management at the server level can schedule software downloads at night, even stagger them, so waiting for your computer to download software before you can start working in the morning is a thing of the past. 

While the rebate accounts for about 9,300 desktop computers, the County is actually saving more money and energy than is reflected in the check. The project is being done in phases and eventually 13,500 computers, including laptops, will be included in the project.

Vampire energy being what it is, it took a powerful team to ward off its energy-sucking powers. That team? The Chief Technology Office, our IT provider HP, Community Services Group IT Manager Kim Hatfield and Livingston. Now that’s what’s called taking a bite out of energy waste!     

Call Her Tenacious!

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County Library Director Jose Aponte, Volunteer of the Month Christine Connell, Supervisor Dianne Jacob, Alpine Library Branch Manager Elisabeth Newbold

The County’s Volunteer of the Month doesn’t mind the moniker at all. Christine Connell was recognized as Volunteer of the Month by the County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. The Alpine resident was commended for donating her time to the Alpine County Library for the last nine years. She’s so devoted she’s also serving as the President of the Alpine Library Friends Association or ALFA.

Originally from England, Connell moved to Alpine from the Bay area 13 years ago. The first thing she did after unpacking her boxes was get a library card. She volunteers because she believes it’s important. The rest is history.

Among her many duties, Connell sets up for branch programs, runs meetings and helps out in the bookstore.

During the Board meeting, Supervisor Jacob described Connell as a passionate and energetic advocate for the San Diego County Library.

“She’s very tenacious, I can tell you that personally,” said Supervisor Dianne Jacob. “She continues to push for that Alpine Library.”

In response to the commendation, Connell said she feels like a fraud. She’s one of 200 members of the Alpine Library Friends Association and they all work like a well-oiled machine. Admittedly, she says, sometimes as a cranky old machine what with lugging books around and fund-raising.

What is most rewarding about giving her time? The people. Connell says it’s a joy to volunteer for branch manager Elizabeth Newbold. The admiration is mutual.  

“She never lets you down,” said Elisabeth Newbold. “Even if she’s out of town, she makes sure   things stay organized.”  

But what about that new library? The current library has been in the same location for 30 years. The branch is only about 3,000 square feet and Connell says there just isn’t enough space for the branch’s many programs and library patrons who want to read.

The lot for a new library was purchased several years ago and will be four times larger than the current one. The hitch, of course, is funding to furnish and equip the library so Connell is working hard to get it.

“I think Supervisor Jacob said I’m tenacious. I think we have to be because we really, really, really need our new library,” said Connell.  “And she’s promised to do her best to make that happen so we’re push, push, pushing to bring our new beautiful, beautiful library to Alpine.”

Tenacious? That’s just another word for not readily letting go of, or giving up. And that sounds exactly like the County’s Volunteer of the Month for October 2012 Christine Connell!

  

Putting the Spotlight on Social Workers Through Job Shadowing

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It sounded like Mission Impossible: take everything a San Diego County social worker does, and explain it to eager high school students in three hours or less.

That was the task at hand as juniors and seniors from Escondido-area high schools job shadowed County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) employees through a partnership with Escondido COMPACT (Creating Opportunities Making Partnerships and Connecting Teens).

Lillian Asoera, Marie Hommel and Reem Radwan, all HHSA social workers, took four students on a tour of HHSA’s North Inland Child Welfare Services, Vista family court and Green Oak Ranch - a safe haven for children in protective custody.

“This was a great day for students to think about what their strengths were,” said Chuck Matthews, assistant deputy director for HHSA north inland and coastal regions. “Come with your eyes and ears open and don’t hold back on asking questions.”

After a short orientation session to start the day, the social workers and students piled in a minivan and headed to the Child Welfare Services offices in Escondido. Before the students had a chance to ask questions, Asoera had one for them.

“What have you heard about us?” she asked.

The perceptions the girls brought to job shadow opportunity were a mixed bag:

“I heard that you take care of kids who’ve been abused.”

“You’re the people that take children away.”

“That’s what happens to rebellious kids – they take you away.”

Asoera said the reason for opening with that question was simple: “I don’t like to do presentations without asking what they’ve heard about us out in the community.”

It gives the social workers a starting point in their presentation to correct misperceptions and HHSA staff hope when the youth go back into the community they have a base of knowledge about what social workers do and can correct any mistaken impressions.

 “Sometimes no intervention is needed,” said Hommel. “There is a difference between poor parenting and child abuse.

“It’s my job as a social worker to find out what level of intervention is needed.”

Removing a child from their parents is an option, but it’s far from the only option available.

“Sometimes we refer parents to parenting classes or we can refer a Public Health Nurse to visit and do home education with parents,” Hommel said.

“Our over-riding goal is to not cause any more trauma to a child,” said Asoera.

The students were curious about the social workers background, education and work day.

Hommel has several degrees, including a law degree. She stressed the ability to communicate and having a passion for the job.

“You have to learn communications skills,” she said. “It’s very important.

“I have a passion for this job, and it’s extremely rewarding if you have a passion for it.”

Asoera made it clear to the students that there was no such thing as a typical day for a social worker.

“We’re supposed to work 8 to 5, but we’re dealing with people’s lives,” she said. “If a parent gets home from work at 6 pm, when are you going to go see them?”

After a tour of the office, the group headed over to the Superior Court of California’s North County Regional Center in Vista for a visit to family court.

“This gave them an opportunity to go in a courtroom and see what an actual hearing looks like,” said Radwan. “They got to see what’s called a 48-hour detention hearing where there is a judge in the courtroom.”

The final stop for the day was the Green Oak Ranch.

“The students loved the ranch,” said Asoera. “They were very excited to see what it was like for a child coming in to the ranch.

“They really loved it and the environment there.”

At the end of the day, the students told the social workers they were all ready to change career paths and become social workers after the experience.

Asoera told them they had plenty of time to make up their minds, and many social workers had one or more careers in other occupations before they became social workers.

But if they become social workers, it’s very personally rewarding, according to Asoera.

“You meet people when they are really down and in crisis,” she said. “You have the ability to go in and say, ‘we can fix this.’

“I always like to get young adults to really think about their future and the decisions they make about their careers, and make sure it’s something they really want to do. I’m hoping we really made an impression.”

Halloween-themed 5K Run/Walk to Benefit Crime Reward Fund

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If your loved one was attacked or killed and the case remained unsolved, you would be desperate for information leading to an arrest.  Sometimes a reward fund can coax witnesses to come forward and help solve a case.

“It means that somebody cares and it’s hope that the case will be solved,” said Sally Cox, executive director for San Diego County Crime Stoppers non-profit organization. “Knowing the community is invested in getting the case solved means the world to people.”

Here is your chance to take part in a fun run/walk that will help raise money for the Crime Stoppers Felony Crime Reward Fund which could bring some justice to grieving families.

Lace up your running or walking shoes, throw on a costume if you dare, and join San Diego County Crime Stoppers, San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies,  and other local law enforcement for the 26th annual Light the Night Against Crime 5K Run/Walk in Balboa Park this Saturday night. At least 1,400 law enforcement officers and their families are among those taking part in the 5K.

To join them, sign up online or download an application at http://sdcrimestoppers.com/lightthenightagainstcrime.html.  Registration is $33 for adults and $15 for kids 12 and under. Registration goes up to $35 for adults on the day of the race. 

This year’s race is dedicated to the memory of San Diego Police Officer Christopher Wilson, who was killed in the line of duty on Oct. 27, 2010. San Diego County Sheriff’s Sgt. Craig Johnson and Detective Ali Perez, who were both shot on duty in September, will also be honored.

Despite the serious undertone of the fundraiser, the event is intended to be fun and kid-friendly. Some 3,000 people are expected to participate including 500 kids, said Cox.

The course starts at Balboa Medical Center and is flat looping Park Boulevard. A kids run starts at 6:15 p.m. and the adult race starts at 7 p.m. A Halloween-themed event expo with a kid zone that includes face painting, music, rock climbing and a pumpkin patch will kick off at 5 p.m. and the post-race party will go until 10 p.m.  A costume contest with prizes will take place at 8:30 p.m.

“Most of our volunteers and some of the teams are people who’ve been affected by crime,” said Cox. “It’s a way to honor their loved one and also a way to go out and have fun and support a good cause.”

On the Move

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A crew hoists a 45,000 lb. Senegal Date Palm tree at the CAC Tuesday using a massive crane. The tree will eventually sit farther north at the CAC. The work is part of the Waterfront Park project.

It’s not just you. A tree did just move at the County Administration Center. A few, actually.

Construction crews at the County Administration Center began unearthing and moving huge palm trees Tuesday morning. They will be preserved and replanted onsite as part of the new Waterfront Park project.

The first trees to move were two enormous, historic Senegal Date Palm trees which date back to the CAC’s landscape plans developed by prominent landscape architect Roland Hoyt in 1939.

The trees are enormous, weighing about 45,000 lbs. and 95,000 lbs. each. It took a 300-ton crane and to lift them from where they sat along Ash Street on the far south side of the CAC property. The crane then placed the trees onto a truck, which carried them to a new temporary home. Under the new park plan, they will be replanted farther north in a “historic core” area on the CAC’s West lawn.

In the meantime, the trees will live in what look like oversized wooden planter boxes that were used to move them to the southwest side of the building. Project Manager Suzanne Evans said an arborist determined the trees would be OK living in the boxes for the next year until they can be permanently replanted.

More trees will likely be preserved as part of the project and a total of 150 new trees will be added to the CAC grounds. A few trees were removed, most of them dying, past their prime or considered noxious or invasive. Overall, the CAC will have far more trees when the new park is completed, Evans said.

County officials offered some trees that could not be used onsite to the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Botanical Garden and both are considering it, said Leonard Pinson, Property Manager for the CAC.

The first phase of the project, which will include a new underground parking structure on the south side, is expected to be completed in Sept. 2013. The second phase, which will include the surface improvements and the park on the north side, will be done in spring 2014.

For more information, visit the Waterfront Park Project page. 

Crews prepare to move a massive palm tree from the far southern end of the CAC. The Senegal Date Palm tree has been at the CAC since 1939 and will be preserved in a new location.

 

County Nurse Recognized for Work with Refugees

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Bonnie Copland chats wtih Ayan Mohamed during a recent refugee forum.

She says she does not work for awards or recognition. However, Bonnie Copland, Manager of the County’s Central Region Public Health Center, was one of six people recognized last night for her work with refugees.

Copland, 61, received the OceanLeaf: Health and Well-Being Award from Somali Family Service of San Diego (SFS).

“I am humbled,” said Copland, who has worked for the County Health and Human Services Agency for the past 11 years, eight of those in the City Heights community. “The work that I do, I don’t do for awards. I do it because I love working in this community.”

An estimated 30,000 Somali and other East African refugees live in San Diego County. The OceanLeaf Award was established two years ago and recognizes the accomplishments of San Diegans who have contributed to the advancement of the Somali and East African refugees in the city. 

“San Diego has the second largest population of Somali and East African refugees in the entire nation,” SFS President and CEO Ahmed Sahid said when announcing the winners. “So it’s very important that we are able to help the refugee community integrate into the larger San Diego community well. It takes combined efforts to see real progress and change happen”

Copland and her team of about 40 employees do vaccination  and sexually-transmitted disease clinic services, home visitations, and health promotion and education in City Heights on topics such as vaccinations, maternal health, tuberculosis control, and healthy eating and physical activity. The goal is to connect people with a medical provider so that they can receive appropriate services, one of the objectives of the County’s Live Well, Sand Diego! initiative. 

“Refugees have a different struggle when they get here,” said Copland. “We need to assess and understand the health beliefs that people have.”

Earlier in her career, Copland lived and worked in Papua New Guinea for 10 years. Her experience there, she said, has helped her understand the cultural and language challenges refugees face when they get here.

 “You have to be very sensitive in refugee communities on how you address certain health topics,” said Copland, who regularly attends a monthly gathering of organizations and advocates serving refugee communities in San Diego.” I try to be a bridge for the refugees.”

 

Are You Shaking Out?

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A County employee demonstrates the proper way to Drop, Cover and Hold On during an earthquake. All County employees who are able to are encouraged to practice the move during the October 18 ShakeOut drill.

Quick, what would you do if a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck right now? Do you know what to do? Now, what about your family at home, school or work?

“People tend to focus on Northern California when it comes to earthquake risk. But it is important to remember that there is a potential for a damaging and maybe devastating earthquake right here in San Diego County,” said Holly Crawford, director of the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services.

San Diego has several faults in the region that could produce maximum credible quakes in the range of magnitude seven – and that’s a significant earthquake.

“The ShakeOut drill is a great opportunity for County employees to practice what they will do if they are at work when an earthquake happens,” said Crawford. “We also encourage employees to take it a step further and learn how to prepare for a disaster like this at home, so they can have peace of mind that their family is safe and has emergency provisions.”

At 10:18 a.m. on Thursday, 10/18, more than 9.3 million people are going to drop, cover and hold on at their homes, workplaces, schools or other public meeting areas to practice what experts say is the best response in an earthquake.

The drill takes just 90 seconds to do. It may seem silly, but practice helps cement the thinking process and make it instinctive. Remember, in a real earthquake, your stress levels will be high and you may forget the right thing to do. That’s why annual drills are important.

Everyone can register their families at ShakeOut.org and find interesting resources for holding a drill such audio and video recordings to play at 10:18 a.m. with earthquake sound effects and a narrator telling people what to do.

You may also find earthquake information on the ShakeOut site or on the County’s ReadySanDiego.org site..

In a recent informal employee poll on InSite, a majority of employees (864) said they did  not have an emergency plan for their family and need to visit ReadySanDiego to prepare one. Some 301 employees responded that they did have a plan.

What to do during a quake …

  • Drop, Cover and Hold On under a table or desk. The main goal is to protect your head and body from items that may fall onto you. By dropping to the ground, you keep from falling over due to the shaking.
  • If there’s nothing to get under, slide down against an interior wall and cover your head.
  • If outside, sit down in an open area away from buildings, bridges, trees, utility wires, and cover your head.
  • If driving, pull over in an open area, away from bridges, trees, electrical wires, signs.

More recommendations

Before an earthquake …

  • Secure heavy furniture or fixtures at home  to keep them from falling over and injuring someone 
  • Adhere glass or decorative items to shelves so they do not fall.
  • Create or update your Family Disaster Plan.
  • Create or update your home or work emergency supplies kit. It should last you and your family a minimum of three days.

Find information on ReadySanDiego.org.

Employees may also consider downloading our newest emergency app which has a mobile version of the family disaster plan and includes tips on what to do in eight kinds of disasters including earthquakes. It’s free and available at SDCountyEmergency.com.

After an earthquake …

  • Check yourself and then others for injuries.
  • Administer first aid if needed.
  • Check for fires and other hazards such as gas leaks.
  • If electricity is out, listen for updates on your battery-powered radio.

Ethics Hotline and Website Available to Employees

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Doing the right thing has always been a priority at the County. It’s even reflected in our seal, “The noblest motive is the public good.”

Promoting an ethical workplace just got more convenient, too.

Employees who suspect fraud, waste, abuse or other questionable activity can report it anytime by calling the County’s Ethics Hotline (1-866-549-0004) or filling out a form online. Calls and complaints are confidential and can be made anonymously. Both the hotline and online forms are operated by independent, third party provider, The Network, and are back-up options if an employee either feels uncomfortable going to a supervisor, manager, Departmental Human Resources Officer or to the Office of Internal Affairs or their attempts to do so were unsuccessful. Existing Compliance and Office of Internal Affairs hotlines were recently combined to create an updated Ethics Hotline, which launched Sept. 18. The online reporting form is a new feature.

Both are part of the County’s Integrity in Action Program, which gives employees the tools and resources they need to conduct business ethically, honestly and in compliance with the law and County policies. Through the program, the County recently updated its Code of Ethics and created a Statement of Values.

So, what types of issues should be reported?

  •   Accounting Irregularities
  •   Theft of County resources
  •   Record falsification
  •   Intentional misuse of County equipment or property
  •   Violations of the County’s Code of Ethics
  •   Payroll fraud or time abuse
  •   Contractor and procurement improprieties
  •   Bribes and kickbacks
  •   Inappropriate use of procurement credit cards
  •   Gross mismanagement of resources
  •   Conflict of interest
  •   Other unethical or improper activities
  •   Health and safety violations

For more information, visit the InSite’s Ethics Hotline website.