2007 Challenge Awards Honorable Mentions

HONORABLE MENTION:

ALAMEDA COUNTY

Alameda County Homeless and Caring Court

Contact: Diane Bellas, Public Defender
1401 Lakeside Drive, Ste. 400
Oakland, CA 94612

Phone: 510/272-6622
E-mail: diane.bellas@acsgov.org

The Homeless and Caring Court travels to shelters, churches and drop-in centers, bringing hope to homeless people afraid of entering a traditional courthouse. Referral to the court is based on what the person has already accomplished. More than 50 percent of participants have remained "case-free" since the program's inception in 2004. Court participants have cleared their driving records, obtained employment and housing, obtained SSI and other benefits and reunited with family. County costs are actually reduced because the program successfully circumvents jail time and its associated costs. Since 2004, the court has adjudicated more than 1,100 cases. As participants' trust and program visibility have increased, the program has grown to the point where sessions now occur monthly rather than bi-monthly.

ALAMEDA COUNTY

Family Justice Center

Contact: Nancy E. O'Malley
Chief Assistant District Attorney
Office of the District Attorney
1225 Fallon St., Room 900
Oakland, CA 94612

Phone: 510/272-6208
E-mail: nancy.omalley@acgov.org

The County's Family Justice Center provides a one-stop service haven for domestic violence victims and their children and for sexual assault victims, including children, teens and adults. By co-locating government agencies, such as district attorney, probation and public health, with legal and advocate services, the center effectively leverages public/private funding, public/private service deliveries and public/private systems to provide comprehensive, collaborative services in a safe and victim-friendly environment. The Family Justice Center has linked the entire county and all interested service providers through video relay systems so that services can be accessed from various sites. Nearly 20,000 client services have been provided. Previously unserved or underserved victims are now receiving comprehensive, coordinated services, which is rare given the County's large and diverse population.

ALAMEDA COUNTY

Youth UpRising

Contact: Olis Simmons
Executive Director
Youth UpRising
8711 MacArthur Blvd.
Oakland, CA 94605

Phone: 510/777-9909 ext. 130
E-mail: olis@youthuprising.org

Youth UpRising -- formerly known at Project YES! -- opened in East Oakland May 2005. Its mission is to build healthy and economically robust communities by harnessing the leadership of the County's young people as agents of positive change. Youth UpRising has more than 2,100 members aged 13 to 24 from eight cities in Alameda County. In a recent survey members reported that the program has led them to feel more hopeful about their lives (80 percent), develop long-term career (79 percent) and education (75 percent) plans, learn non-violent means of conflict resolution (75 percent), learn about and use safer sex practices (64 percent ) and learn healthy eating habits (60 percent). Ultimately, success will be realized through members' educational and employment achievements and overall health and wellness outcomes.

ALAMEDA COUNTY

Advancing Social Equity with Enlightened Construction Contracting

Contact: Jim Kachik
Deputy Director
Alameda County GSA - Technical Services Department
1401 Lakeside Drive, Ste. 1115
Oakland, CA 94612

Phone: 510.208.9515
E-mail: jim.kachik@acgov.org

The Enhanced Construction Outreach Program provides mentoring and capacity-building to small, local, minority, and women-owned business to help assure participation in County capital projects. Partnerships with the Probation Department and the County Office of Education promote involvement by at-risk youth. The program began in 2003 with the contract to construct a $3 million youth center (Youth UpRising). In 2004, the program was applied to the $140 million Juvenile Justice Center. The Enhanced Construction Outreach Program has surpassed its goals in all areas. The program graduated 23 youth in 2005 and 70 youth in 2006. To date, the program has provided capacity-building assistance to 14 participating protégé firms. This novel collaboration of County, contractors, subcontractors, small businesses, partner agencies and youth serves as a model for similar programs in other counties.

ALAMEDA COUNTY

Alameda County Climate Change Leadership Program

Contact: Matthew Muniz
Energy Program Manager
1401 Lakeside Drive
Suite 1115
Oakland, CA 94612

Phone: 510/208-9518
E-mail: matt.muniz@acgov.org

In 2006, Alameda County's Climate Change Leadership Program significantly reduced the environmental impact of County operations by installing California's first megawatt-class fuel cell cogeneration plant at the Santa Rita Jail. This project, along with the jail's nationally recognized, award-winning 1.18 megawatt solar power system and decades of energy efficiency upgrades, will reduce Santa Rita's power purchases by 80 percent during peak-demand summer months. The ultra-clean electricity from the Santa Rita Jail fuel cell plant will reduce emissions of global warming gasses by an estimated 3,200 tons annually. Over its lifetime, the emission reductions are equivalent to planting more than 900 acres of forests. Net savings for the County will total $4 million.

ALAMEDA COUNTY

Alameda County Apprenticeship Collaborative

Contact: Moses DeLosReyes
ACAC Administrator
951 Turner Court, Rm. 100
Hayward, CA 94545

Phone: 510/670-5243
E-mail: mosesd@acpwa.org

Under the leadership of the County's Public Works Agency, Alameda County launched a unique collaborative to expose, inform and market careers in the skilled trades to area youth. The Apprenticeship Collaborative fills a critical gap caused by increasing demand for skilled workers and an aging construction workforce. Collaborative representatives visit classrooms, participate in school job fairs and sponsor an annual Apprenticeship EXPO. In five years, the collaborative has grown to include 40 County schools and organizations and 3,000 high school students, teachers and counselors. The program has also provided substantial support in creating the County's Career Apprenticeship Pathway Project, a 16-week program that serves at-risk residents ages 18-21. The project provides an orientation to construction trades, as well as life skills instruction.

ALAMEDA COUNTY

Another Road to Safety

Contact: Carol Collins
Assistant Agency Director
Alameda County Social Services Agency
Department of Children and Family Services
P.O. Boxes 917
Oakland, CA 94604

Phone: 510/780-8622
E-mail: colic@acgov.org

Another Road to Safety is a collaboration of the County Social Services Agency and the First Five Commission - Every Child Counts program. Under Another Road to Safety, referrals to the child abuse hotline are diverted to community-based organizations for intensive in-home support. Referrals that might otherwise have been closed for not meeting response criteria are now referred to community-based organizations instead. Operational since 2002, ARS initially served pregnant mothers and children 0-5. In July 2007. the program expanded to children up to 17 years old. Another Road to Safety currently involved in a two-year research project with California Social Work Education Consortium at UC Berkeley. Early results indicate that the rate of repeated referrals being served by the program is low. Community and agency partners view it favorably for its family-strength-based, early intervention work.

ALAMEDA COUNTY

Customer Automated Response System

Contact: Don R. Edwards
Assistant Agency Director
Administration & Information Systems Department
Alameda County Social Services Agency
2000 San Pablo Avenue
Oakland, CA 94604

Phone: 510/645-9350
E-mail: don.edwards@acgov.org

When the County converted to a new welfare eligibility computer system in December 2005, the impact was substantial. Client calls overwhelmed the Call Center. Busy signals, dropped calls, full mailboxes and general frustration ensued. To solve this communication catastrophe, the Social Service Agency worked with its technology vendor to develop the Customer Automated Response System, which provides both general and client-specific welfare benefits information. This system even sends emails to caseworks to return their client's call and generates grant verification letters and duplicate Medi-Cal cards -- without worker input. It now handles over 50 percent of the Center's monthly call volume. The CARS system does the work of 28 additional staff, saving the County over $1.2 million annually.

ALAMEDA COUNTY

Community Languages Project

Contact: Nirmala Guliani
Adult Reference Librarian & Community Languages Specialist
2400 Stevenson Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94538

Phone: 510/745-1437
E-mail: nguliani@aclibrary.org

Approximately 50 percent of the County's population speaks and reads a language other than English. Library customers expect to be able to find materials suitable for their information needs. After detailed research on community profiles, population makeup and the existing library collections, the Community Languages Project was launched. Ten percent of the materials budget has been earmarked to develop community language collections, a vendor pool has been identified and language selectors have been assigned. The project has the potential to increase customer satisfaction within the diverse and underserved communities of Alameda County by meeting their education, information, entertainment and business development needs. This innovative project can be a model for library systems around the State and the country.

ALAMEDA COUNTY

Write to Read Juvenile Justice Center and Camp Wilmont Sweeney

Contact: Don Nunes
Extension Services Manager
Alameda County Library
2450 Stevenson Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94538

Phone: 510/745-1474
E-mail: dnunes@aclibrary.org

Alameda Country Library Write to Read staff worked with the Juvenile Court Schools to develop a service plan service to improve the reading and writing abilities of Juvenile Justice Center and Camp Wilmont Sweeney residents. Two innovative, yet distinctly different, programs were developed. After-school tutoring was provided to low-level literacy male students at the Camp. The Juvenile Justice Center program focuses on providing female residents with in-class book talks, contemporary author and celebrity visits, and library resources. Results have been no less than remarkable. Recent evaluations show a gain of as much as seven grade levels in reading comprehension for Camp participants. The program has inspired countless at-risk teens to read, introducing approximately 4,000 incarcerated youth annually to books and library services.

ALAMEDA COUNTY

Alameda County Senior Services
Aging and Spirituality Program

Contact: Richard Bray
Senior Services Director
Alameda County Library
2450 Stevenson Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94538

Phone: 510/745-1499
E-mail: rbray@aclibrary.org

The southern part of Alameda County is home to the second most ethnically diverse population in the country. It is an area shared by thousands of immigrants from India, China, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Often these communities - especially the elderly residents - are isolated from one another and the general population due to language, economic and culture differences. The County Library, as part of its Older Americans Month Program, took the initiative to create "Aging and Spirituality: My Neighbor's Faith." Co-sponsors included the Tri-City Elder Coalition and the world-renowned Stanford Geriatric Education Center. More than 50 businesses, nonprofits and community organizations also participated in the free program. Three-fourths of the audience of 120 was older adults and 98 percent of evaluations rated the program excellent to good.

AMADOR COUNTY

An Education Collaboration - The Amador Learning Center

Contact: Terri Daly
County Administrative Officer
810 Court Street
Jackson, CA 95642

Phone: 209.223.6470
E-mail: tdaly@co.amador.ca.us

Amador County was one of the only counties in the state not aligned with a community college district. Outward migration of students to colleges and workers to jobs outside the country economically drained resources from the County. The County and the Amador County Unified School District worked collaboratively with Cosumnes River College to create the Amador Learning Center. This partnership brings community college classes to County residents through two dedicated classrooms located near a local high school as well as distance learning at the community college. Thus far, all classes have been filled to capacity. The Amador Learning Center provides an important first step toward the County's goal of one day establishing a dedicated and complete community college facility/district.

BUTTE COUNTY

Realities of Rural Living in Butte County

Contact: Tim Snelling, Director
Butte County Department of Development Services
7 County Center Drive
Oroville, CA 95965
Phone: 530/538-6821
E-mail: tsnellings@buttecounty.net

Substantial growth in unincorporated Butte County created an influx of complaints from residents about a variety of issues. To reconcile the urban experiences and expectations that can be incompatible with rural land uses and historically limited County government presence, a brochure was created to encourage both self-reliance and a sense of community and shared vision within a rugged rural setting. The brochure addresses issues such as neighboring resource-based land uses (agriculture, logging and mining); roads, road maintenance and access; property, community and development; natural hazards (fire, flood); public health and safety; wildlife and wildlife habitat. The brochure is available at a number of venues and has been well-received by staff, the public and the media.

BUTTE COUNTY

Butte County Methamphetamine Strike Force

Contact: Miranda McAfee-Bowersox
Crime Prevention
33 County Center Drive
Oroville, CA 95965

Phone: 530/538-7822
E-mail: MmcAfee-Bowersox@Buttecounty.net

The Butte County Methamphetamine Strike Force was created through a collaborative effort with the mission of "eliminating methamphetamine from Butte County by supporting prevention, treatment, and enforcement efforts." A grant from the California Endowment, the pro-bono work of Strike Force members, local media expenditure matching as well as the Butte County Drug-Gang Trust Account funded the project. Statistics prove that the efforts of the Strike Force are creating positive change for the community. Numerous public projects and media campaigns have substantially raised awareness about this problem. The unique collaboration of the Strike Force and the individuals that have come together has created a solid foundation for eradicating the nightmare of meth.

CALAVERAS COUNTY

Cash for Schools

Contact: Rob Houghton
Director of Public Works
891 Mountain Ranch Road
San Andreas, CA 95249

Phone: 209/754-6401
E-mail: rhoughton@co.calaveras.ca.us

Calaveras County has a goal to promote good recycling practices. The "Cash for Schools" program increases awareness of recycling buy-back centers in communities throughout Calaveras County while encouraging school-aged children to recycle. This program involves students in recycling and helps conserve natural resources by matching CRV receipts submitted by participating schools during a 10-day campaign. The number of beverage containers recycled at redemption centers in the County has gone from 294 tons in 2004 to 409 tons in 2005 (numbers for 2006 not yet available). In the three campaigns since 2005, the "Cash for Schools" program has distributed nearly $18,500 to 14 schools. Schools use the funds they earn for activities such as science camps, field trips, and supplies for educational projects and earth clubs.

CALAVERAS COUNTY

Drop-In Day at Behavioral Health Services

Contact: Rita T. Downs, M.Ed, MPA
Director
891 Mountain Ranch Road
San Andreas, CA 95249

Phone: 209.754.6525
E-mail: rdowns@co.calaveras.ca.us

The Mental Health Services Act mandated transformation of outpatient mental health services to a "recovery model" that involves consumers and their families. To aid in the transition, staff developed an innovative program called Drop-In Day. Drop-in Day encourages personal interaction over patient/professional roles. Every other Friday the clinic invites consumers and their families in to play games, listen to music, draw or just relax. These relaxed interactions focus on consumers' strengths rather than illnesses, helping break down the "us and them" paradigm. As staff becomes aware of their consumers' talents and strengths, they have become more supportive of the recovery model. Consumers have gone from "gloom and doom to smiles, enthusiasm and joy." Those with severe mental illness have become more interested in their well being.

COLUSA COUNTY

Colusa County Wraparound and Direct Schools Mental Health Services

Contact: Steffany Ritchie
Program Development Chief, M.H.S.A.
162 E. Carson Street.
Colusa, CA 95932

Phone: 530.458.0523
E-mail: sritchie@countyofcolusa.org

The Colusa Wraparound & Direct Schools Mental Health Services programs have completely transformed the way mental health services are delivered to youth and transitional aged youth in County communities. Previously, lack of in-county resources and funding necessitated sending youth out-of-county for treatment. Families lacked knowledge of or access to local services. The limited service agencies lacked coordination. Now, youth receive intervention and services locally. Colusa families benefit by bringing mental health counselors, case managers and therapists to homes and schools in a "whatever it takes" model. Dramatic results in referrals and improved lives of youth and families have been seen in only 16 months. Three school principals and a county supervisor wrote letters of support for these programs.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

Archive Historic Documents

Contact: Julie Freestone
Contra Costa Health Services
597 Center Ave., Ste. 255
Martinez, CA 94553

Phone: 925/313-6268
E-mail: jfreestone@.hsdcccounty.us

Contra Costa Health Services worked with the County Office of Education to create a kit for school districts to plan for a pandemic flu epidemic. The "Pandemic Action Kit for Schools" includes templates, a flow chart with outbreak milestones and required actions, information for parents, students, the media, school nurses and other officials. English and Spanish versions of the materials are posted on both organizations' web sites (cchealth.org and cccoe.k12.ca.us). Material can be downloaded and modified for use by other counties, states or federal agencies. The kit has been showcased on the Department of Defense and Centers for Disease Control web sites and garnered media coverage (TV, radio, print). Posted in June 2006, the kit's page on the Health Services Web site has logged 33,000 sessions.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

Archive Historic Paper Documents: Respect for the Past; Technology for the Future

Contact: Steve Weir
County Clerk-Recorder
555 Escobar St.
Martinez, CA 94553

Phone: 925/335-7899
E-mail: sweir@cr.cccounty.us or ldare@cao.cccounty.us

Although most County records are digitized and available via computer, historical researchers usually prefer to see, touch and examine the originals. As part of its consolidation from five locations into a single new building, The Clerk-Recorder Department addressed the public's right to access archived and restored original documents. Special care was taken to create a true research center that protects and safeguards historic maps and documents that date from 1849 to present day. State-of-the-art solutions include Spacesaver mechanical-assist mobile file systems that consolidate nine large 12-drawer film cabinets into two media storage units, completed under Phase I of the project. Phase II will install mobile museum art display racks to display restored maps and stop their degradation. Phase II also includes a temperature and humidity-controlled vault for one-of-a-kind historic records.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

All Electronic Access to Public Documents:
Respect for the Past; Technology for the Future

Contact: Steve Weir
County Clerk-Recorder
555 Escobar St.
Martinez, CA 94553

Phone: 925/335-7899
E-mail: sweir@cr.cccounty.us or ldare@cao.cccounty.us

This project represents a significant innovation in the automation of image retrieval and film inventory management. Contra Costa County is the first and only county to digitize and make all images of its records searchable at the image (vs. roll) level. This project produced over 12 million document images. It replaced an outdated, time-consuming and cumbersome process with the ability to rapidly find and view, in an electronic format, all public documents recorded since 1849. Valuable space that once stored film, fiche and viewing equipment is now dedicated to 20 automated, public access workstations. Customers can do their research in 30 seconds vs. an average of 13 minutes and staff can now find, access, retrieve and copy documents in four vs. 22 minutes.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

Library e-Card Services

Contact: Lorrie Ann Butler
Information Systems Project Manager
Cathy Sanford
Contra Costa County Library
2750 Oak Park Blvd.
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

Phone: Lorrie Anne Butler 925/927-3213
Cathy Sanford 925/927-3228
E-mail: lbutler@ccclib.org or csanford@ccclib.org

The Library serves a significant number of remote users who increasingly expect to have all of their information and service needs met online. However, access to the library's online resources/virtual library branches requires a valid library card. This project enhances access and eliminates a barrier for those unable to physically visit the library. The online library card registration and e-Card service has extended access to information beyond traditional brick-and-mortar library buildings to all county residents when and where they need it. Since the Library rolled out its online library card registration and e-Card services in 2006. More than 5,000 customers have registered for a library card remotely. The program has garnered international recognition throughout the library community, including a cover story in Computers in Libraries.

EL DORADO COUNTY

ACCEL Care Pathways

Contact: Kirsten Rogers
Supervising Health Education Coordinator
El Dorado County Public Health Department
931 Spring Street
Placerville, CA 95667

Phone: 530/621-6143
E-mail: krogers@co.el-dorado.ca.us

El Dorado is a mountainous, rural county with isolated health care centers and a large number of uninsured children. Access El Dorado (ACCEL) Care Pathways is a personalized care management program that assists families of such children through four different "pathways" to care: 1) securing health coverage; 2) obtaining a medical home; 3) using the medical home for primary care; 4) facilitating pediatric mental health consultations. The program also focuses on educating parents and forging partnerships with local physicians. Many physicians who previously turned away publicly insured patients are now on board. Since this ambitious countywide initiative launched in 2005, more than 2,000 previously uninsured children now have access to health care, 700 have completed at least two of the pathways, and several have completed all four.

EL DORADO COUNTY

Dependency Drug Court

Contact: Shirley White
Supervising Health Education Coordinator
El Dorado County Public Health Department
415 Placerville Drive
Suite R
Placerville, CA 95667

Phone: 530/621-7571
E-mail: swhite@co.el-dorado.ca.us

Dependency Drug Court is an innovative program aimed at reunifying families whose children have been removed due to severe substance abuse and neglect. Too often, the parents remain caught in the cycle of addiction and the children remain dependents of the court in foster care for long periods. The drug court was established as a multi-agency pilot program with the primary goal of improving sobriety outcomes for addicted parents. Instead of court appearances every three months, parents attend court hearings every two weeks. Multi-pronged County agency participation/support, combined with increased accountability by the addicted parent(s) has led a very high success rates. The Dependency Drug Court serves an average of 10-13 families each month. To date, 42 children have been safely returned to their parents' care.

HUMBOLDT, MODOC, SONOMA, MENDOCINO, TRINITY, DEL NORTE AND SISKIYOU COUNTIES

North Coast Integrated Regional Water Management Group

Contact: Kirk Girard
Community Development Services Director
3015 H St.
Eureka, CA 95501

Phone: 707.268.3735
E-mail: kgirard@co.humboldt.ca.us

Certain water-related issues originate locally at a watershed or basin scale, yet may affect the entire region. Conversely, decisions regarding these same issues often take place at the statewide level, but need to account for local priorities. A flexible, collaborative and inclusive regional framework was needed to better integrate local and statewide water management efforts. North Coast The North Coast Integrated Regional Water Management Group includes the seven counties and more than 70 partnering entities. The group developed a comprehensive regional water management plan to facilitate regional cooperation in providing water supply reliability, water recycling, water conservation, water quality improvement and environmental and habitat protection. It is now a model for other counties and regions to follow. As testament, in January 2007 IRWMG received $25 million in implementation grants for water management projects.

IMPERIAL COUNTY

County Centennial Year-long Celebration

Contact: Bob Ham
Director of Intergovernment Relations
940 W. Main St., #208
El Centro, CA 92243

Phone: 760.482.4282
E-mail: bobham@co.imperial.ca.us

Imperial County is California's youngest county. In 2007 it celebrates its 100th anniversary. This desert community in the remote southeast corner of California is also the state's fastest growing county. As such, many residents are unaware of Imperial County's rich history. A Centennial Commission was appointed with members representing virtually every aspect of this diverse region. The Commission has planned a full year of centennial-branded for residents of every age and interest group, including a Web site (www.ic100.org).County schools participated in a slogan contest with a fifth-grader providing the winning entry, "Planting dreams, harvesting success." From a February press conference in the State Capitol to "a community-wide formal dinner" in September, the centennial celebration is a year-long showcase of Imperial County spirit.

IMPERIAL COUNTY

Cal-Learn Club

Contact: James Semmes
Director
Imperial County of Department of Social Services
2995 South Fourth St. #105
El Centro, CA 92243

Phone: 760.337.6884
E-mail: jamessemmes@imperialcounty.net

The Cal-Learn Club provides a support system for teen parents in accessing community and education services. Membership in Cal-Learn aids them with major challenges such as transportation and child care, as well as parenting skills, financial planning and self-esteem building. The club meets monthly at multiple sites. Guest speakers donate their time to share their field of expertise. Topics range from domestic violence prevention to birth control and budgeting. Teens establish friendships and interact with social services staff. Success is evidenced by improvement in school attendance, GPAs and enrollment in higher learning institutions. Club membership has tripled and members have taken advantage of multiple community resources that were introduced at Cal-Learn, including tutoring and vocational planning.

KERN COUNTY

Kern County CRT Recycling Program

Contact: Anthony Bonanno
Waste Management Specialist
Kern County Waste Management Department
2700 M St. Ste 500
Bakersfield, CA 93301

Phone: 661/862-8955
E-mail: bonannot@co.kern.ca.us

The Kern County Waste Management Department developed an innovative, financially sustainable and revenue-generating recycling program to address 2002 disposal mandates classifying Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs), televisions and computer monitors as hazardous universal waste. The regulations prohibit these items from disposal in municipal landfills. The Department secured a State-authorized recycler and, because the County program was established with a considerable volume, was able to negotiate higher prices for services paid for by the contractor. The CRT Recycling Program established countywide free and convenient CRT recycling locations to maximize participation, thus reducing illegal dumping of CRTs by residents. It also establishes a solution to the impending expansion of landfill-banned electronics. Equally important, it has transformed transportation, containment and recycling services from expense to revenue.

KINGS COUNTY

Personal Empowerment to Achieve and Sustain Employability

Contact: Allison Picard
Human Resources Director
1400 W. Lacey Blvd.
Hanford, CA 93230

Phone: 559/582-3211
E-mail: apicard@co.kings.ca.us

Individuals in the Cal-WORKS program often have personal issues that lead to chronic problems finding and keeping employment. The "Personal Empowerment" program is a comprehensive, day-long employment preparation and retention workshop, with more than 20 local businesses donating services, including catered lunch, work-appropriate clothing, haircuts and cosmetics makeovers. Participants had a chance to show off their new look in an afternoon fashion show. Speakers provided training on proper interview and on-the-job behavior and meeting employer expectations. The Personal Empowerment project highlights the need for, and benefits of, continued collaboration between the public and private sectors in maximizing employability for the chronically employment-challenged. To date, two sessions have been held and 20 participants have since become employed.

KINGS COUNTY

Smart Growth in Communities

Contact: Allison Picard
Human Resources Director
1400 W. Lacey Blvd.
Hanford, CA 93230

Phone: 559/582-3211
E-mail: apicard@co.kings.ca.us

Alarming obesity and diabetes rates are one result of residents' lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables and physical activity opportunities. Land use decisions are a factor. Development that separates residential and commercial areas and transportation design geared to automobiles reduce the "walkability" of communities as well as access to healthy foods, especially in low income populations. The Public Health and Planning Departments implemented forums to educate staff, and the community, on the relationship between land use/zoning decisions and resident health. The "Smart Growth" program seeks to incorporate health components into general and land use plans. By educating staff and stakeholders, including schools, businesses, economic development and transportation agencies, the County can incorporate tangible recommendations that will improve the quality of life for all County citizens.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Child Support Awareness Month 2006

Contact: Julie S. Paik
Deputy Director
Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department
5770 South Eastern Ave.
Commerce, CA 90040-2924

Phone: 323/889-3405
E-mail: julie_paik@ccds.lacounty.gov

Child Support Awareness Month is observed throughout California to educate the public about child support and to recognize hardworking child support professionals. Carrying out a comprehensive outreach plan in a county with over 10 million residents was a massive undertaking. The County's Child Support Services Department staff coordinated with all divisions, as well as numerous County departments and agencies. Employees selected "Putting the Children First" as the theme. Some 40 outreach events were held at churches, prisons, courts, Department offices and schools. New this year, an Escrow Workshop educated real estate professionals about liens placed on property for payment of back child support. Child Support Awareness Month 2006 received widespread media coverage and an LA County Stars Award for excellence in delivering County services.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

No Drugs Down the Drain

Contact: Paul Martyn
Industrial Waste Section Head
County of Los Angeles/Orange County Sanitation Districts
1955 Workman Mill Road
Whittier, CA 90601

Phone: 562/699-7411
E-mail: pmartyn@lacsd.org

No Drugs Down the Drain is a public education program that encourages Southern California residents to dispose of their unused medicine in an environmentally appropriate manner. The program is endorsed by the California Pharmacists Association. Pharmacists in Los Angeles and Orange Counties were asked to distribute informational, bilingual postcards as they fill customer prescriptions. In 2006, more than 3.7 million cards were distributed. An associated web site (www.nodrugsdownthedrain.org) expands on why flushing drugs is a problem and provides safe disposal alternatives. Both the postcards and Web site are generic so that they can easily be used by other entities. The 2007 program has been greatly expanded with other County agencies adding Web site links and working with the school district to create an integrated, County-wide educational component.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Program Time Study Online System

Contact: Christina Nguyen
Division Chief
Information Technology Division
14714 Carmenita Road
Norwalk, CA 90650

Phone: 562/623-2100
E-mail: christinanguyen@dpss.lacounty.gov

The Department of Public Social Services administers a large number of federal, state and county programs. In order to receive reimbursement, the Department must prove it has provided services for specific programs. Information technology and development staff submits time study sheets to account for their time. Previously, the department used an inefficient, inaccurate, time-consuming, paper time sheet-based system. The program time study web-based application provides instant and accurate information on the number of hours spent by time study staff on applicable programs and creates reports needed for claims and management analysis. By implementing the system the department was able to reduce staffing needed to complete time study reporting functions (cost savings $45,000 per year). The program time study online system has proven to be an effective, time-saving tool for the Department.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Case Assessment Management Program (CAMP) LA County

Contact: Linda Boyd, RN, MS
Program Head, Law Enforcement Programs
Department of Mental Health
550 S. Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90020

Phone: 213/216-8808
E-mail: lboyd@lacdmh.org

CAMP serves clients who have not responded well to other case management approaches. Mental health clinicians partner with police officers, working with treatment-resistant clients who pose the greatest risk of violence and/or who are excessive users of emergency services. CAMP works with defense attorneys, prosecutors, judges, conservators, family members and friends to advocate and set up creative, highly tailored treatment plans and link clients to community services. CAMP clients have demonstrably fewer episodes requiring intervention by the SWAT Team (savings $50,000 minimum per response) and fewer hospitalizations (savings $475 to $1,034 per day per client). CAMP has helped stabilize these clients, many for the first time in their illness, and has brought added security to the whole community.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Risk Management Program

Contact: Hayward Harris, Jr.
Senior Deputy Compliance Officer
Office of Affirmative Action Compliance
201 N. Figueroa St., Ste. 530
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213/202-5930
E-mail: hharis@oaac.lacounty.gov

Los Angeles County receives nearly 1,000 employment discrimination cases annually. Consequently, County litigation costs have become exorbitant. The absence of a proactive risk management strategy resulted in excessive settlement payouts, prolonged litigation and confrontational working relationships between charging parties and County management. The Office of Affirmative Action Compliance established a Risk Management Program to minimize human and monetary risks and liabilities associated with employment discrimination. The tri-pronged Risk Management Program consists of early warning assessments of high risk complaints, round table panels and voluntary mediation. office's program is the first of its kind in County government to foster the rehabilitation of working relationships through voluntary mediation. It successfully reduces monetary payouts, resolves complaints expeditiously and holds violators of County policies accountable for their actions.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Family Place Libraries Jumpstart Early Learning!

Contact: Terri Maguire
Chief Deputy County Librarian
7400 E. Imperial Highway
Downey, CA 90242

Phone: 562/940-8418
E-mail: tmaguire@gw.colapl.org

Introducing young children and families to books is part of the public library tradition. However, few parents with children in the formative years (0-3) brought their children to the Library. Seeking to increase its role/effectiveness in promoting early childhood learning, the Library created the Family Place program. Family Place provides developmentally appropriate programming for babies and toddlers in a colorful, welcoming center that promotes the idea that literacy begins at birth. Programs support parents as they nurture their young children's growth. Piloted with six Family Place sites, 13 more have been established and more are planned. The program's success has resulted in the Library being recognized within the state for its fast-growing early childhood services. Non-Family Place libraries within the County have incorporated Family Place best practices.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

The After-School Enrichment Program

Contact: Margaret Quinn
Division Chief
GAIN Program Division
12860 Crossroads Parkway South
City of Industry, CA 91746

Phone: 562/908-8404
E-mail: margaretquinn@dpss.lacounty.gov

Los Angeles County faced an enormous need for quality child care services in order for welfare participants become employed. Providing high-quality, after-school care enables welfare participants to better accomplish their employment/self-sufficiency goals. Through the After-School Enrichment Program, their children receive care that incorporates academic, social, health and cultural enrichment activities in a safe environment. When the program began in 1999, 38 elementary schools and 900 students participated. By 2006 the program had grown to 172 schools and 10,000 children enrolled. Funding challenges emerged but were successfully met so that no ASEP children lost their after-school care. Children enrolled in the program had significantly lower absenteeism, reduced from 23 to seven days per year.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Marriage SQL Program & Online Marriage Application

Contact: Kathy Treggs
Manager
12400 Imperial Hwy
Room 5001A
Norwalk, CA 09650

Phone: 562.462.2081
E-mail: ktreggs@rrcc.lacounty.gov

The Department's goal is to serve the public as efficiently as possibly while achieving the Countywide Strategic Plan Goal of Service Excellence. Investment in The Marriage SQL Program and Online Marriage License Application Program (OMLAP) allows the Department to help customers more efficiently, reducing their while-you-wait time by 75% to 90%. OMLAP replaces a County mainframe-based Marriage License System which was cumbersome and inflexible. OMLAP is stored in the in-house network. Applications submitted online are held in queue for 15 days. The Couple then comes in to sign, pay their fee and get their license. Total processing time is reduced from one hour to 15 minutes or less. Further benefits include greater accuracy, reduced errors and increased staff availability to perform other vital functions.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Department of Health Services Scanning Project

Contact: Kathy Treggs
Manager
12400 Imperial Hwy., Room 5001A
Norwalk, CA 90650

Phone: 562/462-2081
E-mail: ktreggs@rrcc.lacounty.gov

Physically transferring original birth and death certificates from the Department of Health Services to the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Office created delays of up to three months, thus impacting customers needing expedited copies of those records. The two departments collaborated to develop the Department of Health Services Scanning Project to replace the lengthy and cumbersome manual transfer system. Now birth and death certificates are scanned and immediately transmitted electronically. Department staff no longer has to pick up certificates from Health Services. Original certificates go directly from Health Services to the State Office of Vital Records. The clerk can more quickly serve the public, while Health Services can now issue copies of birth and death records that are no longer it its possession. The multi-year project was fully funded by recorder revenue.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

The Marina del Rey WaterBus

Contact: Debra Talbot
Marketing Analyst
Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors
13837 Fiji Way
Marina del Rey, CA 90292

Phone: 310/305-9548
E-mail: dtalbot@bh.lacounty.gov

Redevelopment efforts and increasing tourism brought dense traffic to Marina del Rey. To mitigate traffic problems in the peak summer tourist season and to provide visitors (and residents) with a recreational opportunity, the Department of Beach and Harbors piloted a summer water taxi service in 2002. In 2004 and 2005 the service was expanded, but ridership declined both years. In June 2006, the department launched a completely restructured water shuttle service and marketed it aggressively. The public has welcomed this new, innovative way to tour the Marina, enjoy restaurants, hotels, shopping and summer concerts. The summer of 2006 saw WaterBus ridership climb more than 17,000 - an 80 percent increase. The WaterBus also advances the Marina del Rey Local Coastal Program and the department's Strategic Plan by establishing an integrated, alternative public transportation system.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Absentee Voting System Enhancements

Contact: Lorraine Patterson
Manager
12400 Imperial Hwy.
Room 7213
Norwalk, CA 90650

Phone: 562/462-2699
E-mail: lpatterson@rrcc.lacounty.gov

Absentee voting is increasing in popularity. Los Angles County expects 1 million absentee-voting applications during the November 2008 election. To handle the volume, Voter Records Division staff developed a plan that automates several previously manual functions, including envelope scanning, signature capture, signature verification and envelope extraction. The Absentee Voting Systems Enhancement Project cost $190,000 and will result in cost savings of approximately $300,000 each major election cycle. Demonstrated efficiencies include signature recognition performed ten times faster and envelope extracting performed five times faster than an employee performing these tasks manually. Another performance measure is the percentage of absentee ballots counted within seven days of the election. With the absentee voting system enhancements, 100 percent were processed within six days of the November 8, 2005 election.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

The "Law Enforcement Academy"

Contact: Deputy Mark Macias
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Industry Station
150 N. Hudson Avenue
City of Industry, CA 91744

Phone: 626/934-3315
E-mail: mcmacias@lasd.org

Budget constraints forced the La Puente School District to suspend certain elective classes that emphasized leadership and community involvement. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department joined forces with La Puente High School to create the "Law Enforcement Academy," a program that puts a full-time deputy on campus as an instructor. Freshmen are selected to participate based on their interest in law enforcement and their willingness to accept the challenges of the four-year Academy, which include marching exercises, grade point average minimums and mandatory community service. Students are exposed to different aspects of law enforcement through guest lectures, field trips and summer camps. Having an on-campus deputy has created a direct line of communication for students. Several Academy graduates have enthusiastically pursued careers in law enforcement.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Supplemental Tax Estimator

Contact: Ken Ryozaki
Chief Systems Division
500 W. Temple Street
Room 293
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213.974.2695
E-mail: kryosaki@assessor.lacounty.gov

Unlike the annual property tax, calculating the supplemental tax bill for a property requires information not readily available to the public. Homeowners must know the correct assessed value, tax rates applied by the Auditor-Controller, and how to prorate the supplemental tax. Developed in-house by the Assessors' staff, the Supplemental Tax Estimator provides an easy-to-use, readily available means for homeowners to obtain timely estimates of their supplemental tax bills. It is linked to the Assessor's GIS site, which contains additional data about the property. The Supplemental Tax Estimator program has become a tool sought by taxpayers, prospective homeowners, Realtors and other members of the real estate industry. The site received 67,000 visitors between July 2006 and April 2007, saving 7,900 staff hours or $139,000.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Retired Peace Officer Corps

Contact: Bruce J. Staniforth
Executive Director
Citizens' Economy and Efficiency Commission
Hahn Hall of Administration, Room 163
500 W. Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213.974.1491
E-mail: bstaniforth@bos.lacounty.gov

As demonstrated by 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, local government cannot rely on outside resources to manage a crisis. Every available local resource must be utilized to save lives and maintain social order. The Retired Peace Officer Corps calls upon a previously untapped resource: trained and dedicated men and women who have retired from law enforcement agencies. In times of disaster or other local emergencies, the Corps not only expands local capabilities, it also fosters cooperation, improves accountability and responsiveness, and has the potential for reducing costs. The ultimate measure of success will be seen only when the Corps is deployed. However, establishing the capability to mobilize such a force in anticipation of a need is a success in and of itself.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Board Agenda Highlights

Contact: Judy Hammond
Director, Public Affairs Office
Chief Administrative Office
Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 W. Temple St. Ste. 358
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213.974.1363
E-mail: jhammond@cao.lacounty.gov

The weekly Board of Supervisors agenda averages more than 75 items. The significance of an item may not be clear from simply reading the agenda entry and reporters covering the Board may not have time to research or review thoroughly before the meetings. Board Agenda Highlights provides reporters with a simplified, one-sentence synopsis of select agenda items and Board votes of interest to their publics. It is distributed via fax and e-mail, providing reporters five days' advance notice before each meeting. A revised Board of Supervisors highlights are prepared within 30 minutes after the meeting, showing the vote on featured issues. The project's success is best demonstrated by its expanded distribution to more than 145 reporters, 39 departments, Board staff, 88 cities and chambers of commerce.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Dependency Torts Policy and Protocol

Contact: Lilia Alvarez-Romo
Research Attorney
Edmund D. Edelman Children's Court
201 Centre Plaza Dr., Room 2700
Monterey Park, CA 91754

Phone: 323/526-6566
E-mail: laromo@lasuperiorcourt.org

Children under Juvenile Court jurisdiction may not have parents to pursue potential tort claims that arise from their injuries, nor to assure they receive any monies due them once they reach majority age. The Court's challenge was to establish a formal policy and protocol that assures children receive every protection they are entitled to. The Dependency Torts Policy and Protocol requires reporting of cases of excessive injuries or illness to the child's Dependency Court Attorney. The case is reviewed at the Court and County Bar Association levels. If appropriate, a tort attorney is appointed to represent the child. The program helps to ensure that children under Juvenile Court jurisdiction are not disadvantaged by their dependent status and that competent counsel handles their claims efficiently.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Employee Commute Reduction Program (Rideshare)

Contact: Victoria Pipkin-Lane, Director
Craig Hirakawa, Assistant Director
Office of Workplace Programs
Chief Administrative Office
Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 W. Temple St. Ste. B-1
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213/974-2619
E-mail: vpipkin@cao.lacounty.gov or chirakawa@cao.lacounty.gov

The County of Los Angeles Employee Commute Reduction Program (Rideshare) is regulated under a program known as Rule 2202. Non-compliance is subject to steep fines. In 2005, County air pollution levels increased after years of decline. Amendments to the Rideshare program, along with the desire to mitigate increased smog, led the Workplace Programs Office to step up its leadership efforts in several ways, promoting "Clean Air is Everybody's Business" in all outreach communication. Statistics for 2006 showed 2% increases each in the use of rail and buses over 2005. The number of drive-alone employees dropped from 55% to 51%. By achieving compliance with Rule 2202, the County - which employs 4,500 - avoided potential fines of up to $60 per employee per day.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Consolidated Computer Purchase Program

Contact: Jon W. Fullinwider
Chief Information Officer
County of Los Angeles
500 W. Temple St. Ste. 493
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213/974-2008
E-mail: jfullinwider@cio.lacounty.gov

The Consolidated Computer Purchase Program enables Los Angeles County to better leverage its purchasing power. The program aggregates personal computer purchases across 38 departments while standardizing on a limited number of personal computer technical configurations. Standardization of configurations, combined with high volume purchases, allows manufacturers to offer the County maximum discounts. Standardization also moves departments toward a more consistent computing environment, thus lowering the cost of ownership. In March 2007, the program provided 16,000 computers to 25 departments at a 50 percent price reduction over County Master Agreement pricing. The result is a direct savings in excess of $14 million. The program is now being adopted as a standard business practice. The ultimate beneficiaries are the citizens of Los Angeles County, who benefit from lower cost of government through better application of resources and more efficient operations.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

Contact: Hector Bordas
Principal Engineer
County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works
900 South Fremont Avenue
Alhambra, CA 91803

Phone: 626/458-5947
E-mail: hbordas@dpw.lacounty.gov

The greater Los Angeles County Region, covering 2,200 square miles, has one of the most complex water quality, resource and supply issues. Projects addressing these issues were usually single-purpose, and organizations operated in silos with single-focused visions and solutions. The district led the charge in developing an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan for the Region. This plan identifies quantifiable targets for the next 20 years. Some 1,500 projects were collected for inclusion in the plan, which brings together hundreds of local agencies, all working cooperatively to develop cost-effective solutions for the region's water resource needs. This innovative partnership creates a new model of integrated regional planning to address competing water demands, water supply reliability and financing of projects.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Service Locator

Contact: Isaac Gindi
Division Chief
Department of Public Works
900 South Fremont Avenue
Alhambra, CA 91803

Phone: 626/458-4107
E-mail: igindi@dpw.lacounty.gov

In Los Angeles County, finding which agency provides public services to a particular location can be confusing and time-consuming. The search is further complicated when public services are contracted with other public agencies or private businesses. The Department of Public Works has developed in-house a Web site to provide a one-stop resource for public works services based on location. The system uses a geographic information system database to identify and list agencies providing service to the entered location. Web site users can specify both the service location and the needed services. The site also provides information on state, county and district agencies. If an address does not fall within Public Works' jurisdiction, the appropriate city or agency and phone number are shown. This further reduces customer frustration.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Public GIS Web Mapping Application (GIS-NET)

Contact: Nick Franchino
GIS Manager
Department of Regional Planning
320 W. Temple Street
Room 1101
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213/893-0881
E-mail: nfranchino@planning.lacounty.gov

Taxpayer-funded data is not readily available to the public. GIS-NET (http://regionalgis.co.la.ca.us) enables public querying and mapping of needed planning and zoning information for the County's 4,100 square miles and 2.3 million parcels. It integrates countywide aerial imagery and elevation information with 40 data layers. Users can quickly access, zoom to an area, scale maps, turn data layers on and off, take measurements, draw on or add text, and produce PDF files and maps. GIS-NET was adapted from a successful internal geographic information systems mapping application at a cost of $200,000. The estimated annualized savings is $1.1 million per year. It now serves as the foundation for all long-term geographic information system efforts in Los Angeles County. An enterprise group is charged with implementing the technology throughout other County departments.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Lancaster District Office Location

Contact: Kathy Treggs, Manager
12400 Imperial Hwy
Room 5001A
Norwalk, CA 90650

Phone: 562/462-2081
E-mail: ktreggs@rrcc.lacounty.gov

The Department of Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk maintains voluminous documents and residents need access to or copies of these records daily. The Lancaster District Office had been housed in a 470-square-foot space since it opened in 1991. It offered only limited services. Customers in this growing community had to drive 80 miles the Norwalk headquarters for many services. The department modified a former jury trailer at the Lancaster Juvenile Courthouse and the new district office opened on April 27, 2006. Through the expansion of the Lancaster District Office, the department is able to offer more convenient service to a growing community in need of vital records and real estate records, as well as election and other recorder-related information.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Rail Safety Education

Contact: Barbara Burns
Manager
Transit Education Programs
Los Angeles County Transportation Authority
One Gateway Plaza
99-8-2
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213/922-5653
E-mail: burnsb@metro.net

This multi-media training and education program reaches a diverse public with life-saving messages about transit safety. The challenge was to design a program suited specifically to the safety issues of at-grade light rail. The program includes site-specific presentations, cutting-edge videos, an animated video for children under 10 and a live-action video for people 11+, site-specific interactive videos for home use, and appearances by the "Metro Experience" a 4-D mobile theatres at community events. It is the first nationally recognized, multi-faceted curricular for urban light rail safety. The Transportation Authority plans to repurpose it for new line openings in 2009 (East LA) and 2010 (Culver City). New Jersey Transit has licensed the videos for use in their own safety education campaign.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Diversity Summit

Contact: William A. MacLaughlin
Former Presiding Judge
Stanley Mosk Courthouse
111 N. Hill Street, Department 89
Room 532
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213/974-6207
E-mail: wmaclaughlin@lasuperiorcourt.org

The majority of California lawyers and judges are white, while our population is predominantly ethnic minorities. The court recognized that Los Angeles needed to be a leader on issues of judicial diversity, given current legislation and the county's size and demographics. The court appointed a "Diversity Subcommittee," which planned and hosted the first-of-its-kind Diversity Summit to explore ways to increase minority representation within the legal profession. Stakeholders included law schools, legal advocacy groups, bar associations and the Governor's office. As such, the summit embodies the spirit of collaboration required to address diversity-related concerns in public service. By adding the voice of the judiciary to the call for representative government, the Diversity Summit contributes to the county's efforts to fairly and effectively represent the people it serves.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Liaison Public Health Nurse Project

Contact: Sharon Sakamoto
Program Specialist
313 N. Figueroa St., Room 212
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213/240-7941
E-mail: ssakamoto@ph.lacounty.gov

Emerging infections and bioterrorism pose increasing threats to public health. Delays in reporting could contribute to widespread outbreaks. Yet traditionally, communication between Public Health and hospitals has been fragmented. This project integrates public health goals into the hospital setting. The use of trained public health nurses as hospital liaisons has improved communication and disease reporting. Created in November 2003, the Hospital Outreach Unit is now an integral component of the public health link to community healthcare agencies. The project is now expanding to non-hospital healthcare settings, such as large clinics and jails. Los Angeles County is the only local health department in the nation to implement such a project.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Zoning Map Conversion and Integration Project

Contact: Nick Franchino, GIS Manager
Department of Regional Planning
320 W. Temple Street, Room 1101
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213/893-0881
E-mail: nfranchino@planning.lacounty.gov

The Zoning Map Conversion and Integration Project is an example of technical innovation and cooperation within County government departments. The project successfully improved the quality and availability of zoning information for County staff and the public. It converted inconsistent, incompatible zoning data from the departments of Regional Planning and Public Works into a single geographic information system format, creating a mechanism for future management maps and zoning data. More than 2,400 new zoning maps and 200 index maps have been recreated in a standardized format. New zoning data layers are more accessible to County staff, easier to update and more current than previous processes allowed. By accomplishing its objectives, the project is conserving County government resources and saving taxpayer money.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

Contact: Hector Bordas
Principal Engineer
County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works
900 South Fremont Avenue
Alhambra, CA 91803

Phone: 626/458-5947
E-mail: hbordas@dpw.lacounty.gov

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Service Locator

Contact: Isaac Gindi
Division Chief
Department of Public Works
900 South Fremont Avenue
Alhambra, CA 91803

Phone: 626/458-4107
E-mail: igindi@dpw.lacounty.gov

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Public GIS Web Mapping Application (GIS-NET)

Contact: Nick Franchino
GIS Manager
Department of Regional Planning
320 W. Temple Street, Room 1101
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213/893-0881
E-mail: nfranchino@planning.lacounty.gov

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Lancaster District Office Location

Contact: Kathy Treggs, Manager
12400 Imperial Hwy
Room 5001A
Norwalk, CA 90650

Phone: 562/462-2081
E-mail: ktreggs@rrcc.lacounty.gov

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Rail Safety Education

Contact: Barbara Burns
Manager
Transit Education Programs
Los Angeles County Transportation Authority
One Gateway Plaza
99-8-2
Los Angeles, CA 90012

E-mail: burnsb@metro.net

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Diversity Summit

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Liaison Public Health Nurse Project

Contact: Sharon Sakamoto
Program Specialist
313 N. Figueroa St., Room 212
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213/240-7941
E-mail: ssakamoto@ph.lacounty.gov

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Zoning Map Conversion and Integration Project

Contact: Nick Franchino, GIS Manager
Department of Regional Planning
320 W. Temple Street, Room 1101
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213/893-0881
E-mail: nfranchino@planning.lacounty.gov

MARIN COUNTY

One Book One Marin

Contact: Pat Harper, Administrative Librarian
Marin County Free Library
3501 Civic Center Drive, Ste. 414
San Rafael, CA 94903

Phone: 415/499-3777
E-mail: pharper@co.marin.ca.us

One Book One Marin was created to improve library outreach in Marin County and increase awareness of the County Library's resources and available public services. Marin County Free Library brought together all of the public libraries and formed a Community Partners group. This group selected Isabel Allende's novel Daughter of Fortune, a book written in Spanish and English, related to California history, as well as interesting to a varied audience. Thanks to contributions, the project came in far under-budget. The project generated well-attended cultural events, met the goal of building community involvement, and allowed the libraries to form valuable partnerships with Marin History Museum, Marin Education Fund and Dominican University of California.

MERCED COUNTY

Interactive Process Program (Human Resources)

Contact: Lonn Boyer, Human Resources Manager
c/o Mark Hendrickson
2222 M Street
Merced, CA 95340

Phone: 209\/385-7682
E-mail: agiacalone@co.merced.ca.us

The Merced County Human Resources implemented a County-wide Interactive Process Program to facilitate the return of employees to work after extended absence due to injury or illness. Launched in September 2006, the program calls for a meeting between the employee, a human resources representative and the employee's supervisor to review the essential functions of the job as well as the employee's particular physician's restrictions. When possible, accommodations are made to allow the employee to return to work sooner. Regularly scheduled follow-up meetings allow for continued communication or modification of job duties. In six months of implementation, the number of individuals off payroll has decreased by greater than 50 percent.

MERCED COUNTY

Workforce Investment Staff and Client Training

Contact: Andrea Baker, Director
Department of Workforce Investment
c/o Mark Hendrickson
2222 M Street
Merced, CA 95340

Phone: 209/724-2002
E-mail: abaker@co.merced.ca.us

The Department of Workforce Investment of Merced County created inexpensive how-to videos for client and staff training. The Department found that more customers needed assistance with computer-based resources. They choose software that created interactive training demonstrations and presentations that were made available on computers in community labs and staff computers. The easy to use tutorials are in real time and took no multimedia expertise to develop. Savings generated by this program far out-weigh costs as training materials free up an estimated 1105 hours of staff time normally directed towards helping customers. The total project budget was $2000 for software and staff time. The savings that result from the project are calculated in terms of reduction of staff time that can be used in other functions.

MONTEREY COUNTY

Door to Hope -MCSTART Clinic

Contact: Chris Shannon, Exec. Director, McStart Clinic -or-
Wayne Clark, Director of Behavioral Health
1270 Natividad Road
Salinas, CA 93906

Phone: 831/755-4509
E-mail: clarkw@co.monterey.ca.us

The non-profit Door to Hope opened the Monterey County Screening Team for Assessment, Referral, and Treatment Clinic in order to increase the early identification and treatment of infants who are at risk to alcohol and substance exposure. A child with fetal alcohol syndrome costs upwards of $1 million to care for whereas this program can provide services for around $3,716 per year for high-risk children to prepare them for the future. It is a collaborative program of four agencies that has improved the health of many children and families throughout Monterey County.

MONTEREY COUNTY

Silver Star Gang Prevention and Intervention Program

Contact: Bob Reyes, Probation Services Manager
1422 Natividad Road
Salinas, CA 93906

Phone: 831/796-1621
E-mail: reyesrt@co.monterey.ca.us

The Silver Star Gang Prevention and Intervention program is a multi-agency collaborative that provides services to at-risk youth to reduce gang involvement. In the wake of epidemic gang violence and homicide, the program was created to discourage, reduce and terminate gang associations among youth. It is housed at the Silver Star Resource Center to provide a "one-stop-shop" family service center experience with the other agencies. The program operates within its budget. It addresses the various risk factors to increase a youth's resiliency against joining a gang. Areas of improvement are: school attendance, academic achievement, job placement, reduced recidivism rates, and improved family communication.

MONTEREY COUNTY

Master Air Gauge Calibration Station

Contact: Thomas Abear
Fleet Manager
855 East Laurel
Building A
Salinas, CA 93905

Phone: 831/755-4984
E-mail: abeart@com.monterey.ca.us

Methods for checking air pressure by county mechanics was inaccurate and inconsistent resulting in dangerous settings, increased tire wear, and decreased vehicle fuel economy. A master air gauge calibration station for mechanics to check tire gauges weekly was fielded. If the reading is not within tolerance, the tire gauge is replaced. After creating the calibration station, the County discovered that one-third of the air gauges were unserviceable and required replacement. The cost of replacing each unit is considered nominal considering the fact that it can decrease the likelihood of a tire blowout, thus reducing the likelihood of accidents, repairs or worker's compensation.

MONTEREY COUNTY

Protecting the Environment Through Education and Outreach

Contact: Bruce A. Welden, REA REHS
Supervising Environmental Health Specialist
1270 Natividad Road, Room B-301
Salinas, CA 93906

Phone: 831/755-4680
E-mail: weldenb@co.monterey.ca.us

Two annual environmental compliance workshops are put on by the Monterey County Health Department and others to provide free environmental education and training to local businesses, farmers and government agencies to help them comply with local, state and federal environmental laws and regulations. Sponsorships from local businesses provide much of the budget; various partners provide meeting places, handouts and speakers. The workshops, which draw more than 500 attendees annually, help increase environmental protection by fostering environmental awareness, and providing the tools and knowledge necessary to comply with environmental regulations. Attendees learn about environmental protection and compliance strategies, and are able to ask questions directly of regularly agencies.

ORANGE COUNTY

Orange County Early Childhood System of Care

Contact: Mike Ryan
Director CFS
888 N. Main St.
Santa Ana, CA 92701

Phone: 714/541-7793
E-mail: mike.ryan@ssa.ocgov.com

Early Childhood System of Care is a collaborative program providing health and developmental services to young children upon entry into the Child Welfare System. Foster children suffer developmental delays and other problems creating a need for early support mechanisms. The program provides three months of case management services, as well as referrals, individualized care plans, coordinated health screenings and help to educators. The program improves outcomes for children in the welfare system and spares Orange County immeasurable expenses that stem from health care costs and other issues that can be addressed early on.

ORANGE COUNTY

Innovative Technology Makes Mitigation Monitoring a Breeze

Contact: Sonia Nasser, Engineering Manager
(not provided)
Santa Ana, CA 92702

Phone: 714/834-2319
E-mail: sonia.nasser@rdmd.ocgov.com

The Resources Development and Management Department developed a streamlined way to track the dozens of projects for flood control, road and watershed projects. The department used the web-based application called Habitat Studio, enabling the production of reports on a number of subjects. The software has reduced the department's cost of mitigation monitoring and reporting to typical public works projects by more than 70 percent. Habitat Studio has reduced or eliminated Orange County's high cost of GIS tasks for mitigation monitoring and regulatory-monitoring compliance. It also standardizes data collection methods and reports with formatted templates.

ORANGE COUNTY

Orange County Child Support Services Outreach Efforts

Contact: Steven Eldred
Chief Deputy Director
Department of Child Support Services
1055 N. Main St.
Santa Ana, CA 92701

Phone: (not provided)
E-mail: seldred@css.ocgov.com

This is a multi-level campaign provided by Child Support Services to increase public information and educate potential customers about the availability of free services from this department. An Outreach Plan was developed to determine how best to deliver the information to a varied population with an emphasis on customer-service, resulting in an intensive media campaign. Child Support Services experienced a 37 percent increase in applications as a result of these outreach efforts and is now able to provide higher quality service to applicants. This outreach model was so successful it will be used by the California State Department of Child Support Services plan.

ORANGE COUNTY

Mission Possible

Contact: Vicki Mathews, Manager
Legislative and Public Affairs
Orange County Probation Department
1535 E. Orangewood Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92805

Phone: (not provided)
E-mail: Vicki.mathews@prob.ocgov.com

Mission Possible is a collaborative program that promotes the transition of incarcerated girls back into their communities. The programs primary goals are to foster a sense of home and community and improve the psychopathology of the girls. A coalition of non-profits helped to fund the program, which has an annual budget of $300,000. It is estimated that each teen prevented from adopting a life of crime saves $1.7-2.3 million per youth. Mission Possible has received much attention both nationally and internationally for its achievements in improving quality of life for young girls.

ORANGE COUNTY

RDMD/HBP Web Authoring System

Contact: Parker Hancock, Director
RDMD/ Harbors, Beaches and Parks
300 N. Flower St. 4th Floor
Santa Ana, CA 92702

Phone: 714/973-6860
E-mail: parker.hancock@rdmd.ocgov.com

Orange County's Resources and Development Management/Harbors, Beaches and Parks Webmaster was previously responsible for maintaining Web sites for more than 25 of its regional facilities. Staff can now publish various media tools for the public on their own web pages in a much more efficient manner. This drastically reduces the amount of time the Webmaster spends on simple tasks. The web-authoring system saves the Webmaster more than 20 hours per week and saves other staff hours as well; the total annual savings of staff hours is estimated at about 1,500 hours.

ORANGE COUNTY

RDMD/HBP VolP Telephone System

Contact: Parker Hancock, Director
RDMD/ Harbors, Beaches and Parks
300 N. Flower St., 4th Floor
Santa Ana, CA 92702

Phone: 714/973-6860
E-mail: parker.hancock@rdmd.ocgov.com

Orange County's Resources and Development Management Department/Harbors, Beaches and Parks had 26 facilities using a variety of telephone systems, often leased with increasing costs, and expensive connection fees as County parks located in different area-codes resulted in toll charges. The department began using voice packets using VolP in conjunction with a "Wide Area Network," using T-1 lines, to facilitate email and sending files electronically. The net benefit of this has been more than $5,000 per month, and more than $70,000 annually in savings to the county. There are numerous other non-tangible benefits to this system as well that.

ORANGE COUNTY

BFAST- Comprehensive Budget Development Solution

Contact: Fred Neroni, Technology Manager
Resources and Development Management Department
300 N. Flower St., Room 608
Santa Ana, CA 92703

Phone: 714/834-3037
E-mail: fred.neroni@rdmd.ocgov.com

BFAST is an automated database-driven budget development/request system resulting in significant time and cost savings for the County and its Resources and Development Management Department Previously, all individual budget requests were created using MSWord, requiring the data to be re-keyed into the county accounting system. The old system was redundant and inefficient, and required constant review to ensure data integrity. This new in-house system has proved to be easy to use, while reducing data-entry errors. The total annual cost savings for the department is conservatively estimated at $120,000. The upgraded system is more efficient and frees up valuable time for staff members, while providing management with the ability to easily query a variety of budget information.

ORANGE COUNTY

Collaboration Mitigates Potential Information Technology (IT) Disaster

Contact: Vicki Mathews, Manager
Legislative and Public Affairs
Orange County Probation Department
1535 E. Orangewood Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92805

Phone: (not provided)
E-mail: vicki.mathews@prob.ocgov.com

What could have been a major IT disaster turned into a major success story for the Orange County Probation Department facility and the Orange County Data Center. The success story, and inherent solution, is in large part thanks to Chief Information Officer Satish Ajmani, who encouraged the development and implementation of a plan to store the Probation Department's essential computer systems at data center and move many of them to a Virtualized Service and Storage Area Network environment. Now, when flooding occurs, the critical data at the Probation Department can be recovered. This also set a precedent for ongoing collaboration between CEO/IT and the Probation Department, with the goal of increased operational efficiencies and reduced costs.

ORANGE COUNTY

County Collaboration and Shared Services Reduce Costs

Contact: Satish Ajmani, Chief Information Officer
County Executive Office- Information Technology
10 Civic Center Plaza
2nd Floor
Santa Ana, CA 92701

Phone: (not provided)
E-mail: satish.ajmani@ocgov.com

The purpose of Orange County's business model was to team with the private sector and other state and local government entities to reduce fixed overhead for the Orange County Data Center. To cover fixed overhead, the County began renting floor space at the data center to outside entities. Today, the center houses a significant segment of Orange County's IT infrastructure and supports almost 60 private sector co-location clients. This innovative and collaborative approach has saved Orange County more than $18 million dollars over the last eight years.

ORANGE COUNTY

Mentorship Program

Contact: Carol Kubota
Mentorship Coordinator
1928 S. Grand Ave., #B139
Santa Ana, CA 92705

Phone: 714/435-4645
E-mail: carol.kubota@ssa.ocvgov.com

In order to cope with the loss of personnel to retirement, the Mentorship Program was developed to enhance the transfer of leadership skills and qualities, and to promote successful planning for the County's Social Services Agency. Sixteen pairs of voluntary mentors and protégés were matched across divisions. The budget for the mentorship program is $1,000 with monies used primarily for the purchase of resource materials for participants. Participants, both mentors and protégés, have responded positively to the experience. Development of strategic skills and enhanced communication across divisions promotes the spirit of succession planning and also offers increased job satisfaction for participants.

ORANGE COUNTY

Weights and Measures Wi-Fi

Contact: Fred Neroni
Technology Manager
Resources and Development Management Department
300 N. Flower St., Room 608
Santa Ana, CA 92703

Phone: 714/834-3037
E-mail: fred.neroni@rdmd.ocgov.com

Before the implementation of the Weights and Measures system, inspectors for the County Agricultural Commissioners were in the field full time, using manual processes to inspect and test commercial weighing devices such as gasoline dispensers, truck and taxi meters, scales and utility meters. The Weights and Measures system solution is an automated field inspection process that transfers data from an in-vehicle Wi-Fi computer back to headquarters. This cost-cutting project increases productivity that has more than paid for itself in the first few years of implementation. This project has been a huge success demonstrating how technology investments can improve the working conditions and productivity of field staff. This new system is the equivalent of adding staff without the expense.

ORANGE COUNTY

Orange County Registrar of Voters/City Clerk Partnership

Contact: Neal Kelley
Registrar of Voters
1300-C S. Grand Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92706

Phone: 714/567-5139
E-mail: neal.kelley@rov.ocgov.com

The Orange County Registrar of Voters initiated a new relationship between the County's election department and the city clerks throughout the County. With regularly scheduled meetings to deal with specific issues, The Registrar of Voters/City Clerk Partnership provides unified voter education and outreach to the community. Costs of the project were absorbed in the Registrar of Voters' Outreach budget; no additional costs were needed to implement the program. This program has resulted in enhanced communication and a better relationship between the Registrar of Voters and the cities, as well as improved communication with voters.

ORANGE COUNTY

Orange County Trial Attorney Partnership (TAP) Program

Contact: Todd Hart
Director of Government & Community Relations
Office of the District Attorney
401 Civic Center Drive West
Santa Ana, CA 92701

Phone: (not provided)
E-mail: todd.hart.@da.ocgov.com

The Trial Attorney Partnership program trains and deputizes experienced private attorneys to prosecute misdemeanor cases while temporarily assigned to the District Attorney's Office as volunteers. The program was designed to ensure that resources were available to address both the increased volume and complexity of caseloads. The program recruits attorneys from private firms to work as temporary deputy district attorneys for eight weeks, and it is provided at no additional cost to taxpayers. Participating attorneys benefit from the trial experiences and the District Attorney's Office is better able to respond to the large volume of misdemeanor cases.

ORANGE COUNTY

Coordinated County-wide Cardiovascular Receiving Center System

Contact: Greg Boswell
EMS Program Manager
405 W. 5th St. Ste. 301
Santa Ana, CA 92701

Phone: 714/834-3500
E-mail: gboswell@ochca.com

The Orange County Emergency Medical Services, in collaboration with hospitals, physicians, nurses and fire agencies, implemented a Cardiovascular Receiving Center (CVRC) system to improve care for heart attack victims. Medical services staff worked for years to develop a program unlike any other; in the past two years, more than 600 patients have been triaged to CVRC hospitals for treatment and benefited from the early intervention by decreasing complications and shortening hospital stays. This system allows the CVRC to outperform the current national standard for addressing cardiovascular disease and heart attacks.

ORANGE COUNTY

Innovative Collaboration to Develop MHSA Housing

Contact: Julia Bidwell
Deputy Director
Housing and Community Services
1770 N. Broadway
Santa Ana, CA 92706

Phone: 714/480-2991
E-mail: julia.bidwell@hcs.ocgov.com

The Mental Health Services Act, also known as Proposition 6, was funded to create housing for persons with serious mental illness. The County's Housing and Community Services and the Health Care Agency's Behavioral Health Services joined forces to create affordable housing for persons in this population. The collaborative effort provides direction and input for needs and coordination of services for targeted tenants, while also establishing industry guidelines, creating relationships with the development community and developing outreach methods to expedite the development of housing. Three potential housing developments have been targeted. The partnership has saved the County and the Health Care Agency time and man-power by streamlining the development process.

ORANGE COUNTY

Certificate of Public Works Program

Contact: John G. Harrish, Manager, City Contracts
Craig Herrick, Manager, Career Development
Tricia Evans, Dean, Career Education Division
1750 S. Douglass Rd.
Anaheim, CA 92806

Phone: 714/567-6286 or 714/834-5087
E-mail: john.harris@rdmd.ocgov.com or craig.herrick@rdmd.ocgov.com or evans_tricia@sccollege.edu

The Public Works Certificate Program was created by developing a partnership between the County and Santiago Canyon College to address the educational needs for Public Works employees. The program is designed to develop the skills and knowledge required for successful employment and provides an opportunity for county employees to earn their Associate degree. Created in large part as a response to an overwhelming number of retirements, the program's primary goal is to create a pipeline of well- educated and skilled employees taught by experienced former staff to fill future vacancies.

PLUMAS COUNTY

Plumas County- Office for Accessibility

Contact: Joe Wilson, Accessibility Coordinator
Kelly Stane, Risk Manager
520 Main St., Room 309
Quincy, CA 95971

Phone: 530/283-6194
E-mail: joewilson@countyofplumas.com or kellystane@countyofplumas.com

The Plumas County Office for Accessibility promotes and facilitates equal access to county programs, services, and facilities for all residents. This county departments acts as a resource center created in response to threatened litigation by disabled advocates due to accessibility challenges. Plumas County has formed a partnership with disabled persons that has helped to improve access and quality of life for disabled persons. Brochures and an Access Compliance Plan are available to encourage communication on the topic.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Riverside County Pension Advisory Review Committee

Contact: Paul McDonnell
Treasurer-Tax Collector
4080 Lemon St., 4th Floor
PO Box 12005
Riverside, CA 92502-2205

Phone: 951/955-3999
E-mail: pmcdonel@co.riverside.ca.us

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors established the three-member Pension Advisory Review Committee to develop an institutional understanding of the County's Pension Plans, and make recommendations to the Board based on those findings. This committee was created in response to County Supervisors' needs to make decisions reliant upon third-party analysis crafted in archaic and actuarial language, which often resulted in pension fund problems straining budgets. It assists in evaluating the county's obligation to its pension plans and provides options and strategies to reduce costs. To date, the Committee recommendations have saved the County more than $120 million.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Riverside County Jails Re-entry Services Program

Contact: Robin Zimpfer
Assistant County Executive Agency
Riverside County Economic Development Agency
1325 Spruce St. Ste. 400
Riverside, CA 92507

Phone: 951/955-8916
E-mail: rzimpfer@rivcoeda.org

The Riverside County Jails Re-entry Services Program was established by the Economic Development Agency and the Sheriff's Department in order to assist ex-offenders with finding employment and, ultimately, to reduce recidivism. The program was established at all County jails with services for job seekers provided by the Economic Development Agencies Workforce Development Division. Informational workshops provide the inmate population with skills and resources for developing a job search, including employment attitude, application completion, resume construction, interviewing and job retention. Over the past two years workshops were attended by 2,842 persons, and 26 clients have been placed in employment as a result and a resource list of employers willing to consider ex-offenders is also being developed as part of the program.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Records Management and Archives Program

Contact: Larry W. Ward
Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
PO Box 751
Riverside, CA 92501

Phone: 951/486-7450
E-mail: lward@co.riverside.ca.us

The Records Management and Archives Program was developed by the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder to ensure that active and inactive records are protected and maintained, historical records are properly maintained, and obsolete records are legally disposed of. In June of 2004 the Board of Supervisor adopted the County Records Management and Archives Policy, which expanded the initial responsibilities of the Program to provide professional records management for all county departments. The use of computer technology provides customers with secure confidential access to record indexes. Cost savings are realized through a reduction in office space needed to store these items. As the County Archives expands this new system, county staff will be able to more effectively use their time servicing the public.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Homeless Street Count

Contact: Marc Medeiros
Business System Analyst
4060 County Circle Dr.
Riverside, CA 92503

Phone: 951/358-6669
E-mail: memedeir@riversidepss.org

In order to obtain more accurate counts of street-dwelling homeless people in the City of Riverside during the national census, the Department of Social Services conducted a pilot project using Global Positioning System and Geographical Information System technology. Previously conducted by counters armed with clipboards and paper enumeration tools, this unique interactive mobile application allows counters to capture essential data which is synchronized with an enterprise system at the Department. This allows the Department to count homeless people while avoiding duplication and include demographic details for each person counted. These technologies demonstrate an easily replicable, cost effective, objective and real-time method of data gathering on hard to track populations. This new method will also aide in the planning and intervention strategies for the homeless.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

County/Tribal Partnerships

Contact: Ron Goldman
Planning Director
Riverside County Planning Department
4080 Lemon St., 9th Floor
PO Box 1409
Riverside, CA 92502-1409

Phone: 951/955-3265

E-mail: rgoldman@rctilma.org

Riverside County has 11 Native American populations as well as multiple cultural groups In response to interest expressed by these groups, the Board of Supervisors established a Tribal Traditional Resources Advisory Committee, comprised of members of each tribe. The purpose of the committee is to advise the Planning Department on policy and development issues relating to land use, archaeology, and open space preservation and maintenance. This has provided tribes with a formal process for participating in development plans. Another accomplishment is the development of a Cultural Sensitivity Training Program taught by the various tribes to assure that a cooperative relationship between the tribes and archaeologists is maintained.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Art Samson Community Library/Community Center Project

Contact: Robin Zimpfer
Assistant County Executive Agency
Riverside County Economic Development Agency
1325 Spruce St. Ste. 400
Riverside, CA 92507

Phone: 951/955-8916
E-mail: rzimpfer@rivcoeda.org

The Thousand Palms Community Library was undersized and unable to serve the growing unincorporated community of Thousand Palms. The Redevelopment Agency for the County of Riverside provided funding and project management for the construction of a 5,500 square foot library to better serve students who were interested in using the homework help center, as well as provide space for other library patrons for reading and research. Improvements were also made to the community center. The Friends of the Library volunteer group provided funds for the library collection, significantly increasing the size and creating a facility that now meets the community's needs.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Perinatal Substance Abuse SART Program

Contact: Susan Harrington
Director of Public Health
Community Health Agency
4065 County Circle Dr. Ste. 412
Riverside, CA 92503

Phone: 951/358-7036
E-mail: sharring@co.riverside.ca.us

The Riverside County Perinatal SART Program encourages healthcare providers to integrate substance abuse screening, assessment and referral as a routine part of prenatal care. The Department of Public Health's Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Branch led the implementation of the program which included recruiting providers, training and case management with a Public Health Nurse. Substance use rates have dropped more than 50 percent for those women who know they are pregnant and are counseled on the impact of substance abuse. The County anticipates that investing in this proactive approach will lead to future cost savings when measured against the cost of long-term medical, social, and educational expenditures for those infants exposed to substances in-utero.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Children with Special Needs Child Passenger Safety Program

Contact: Susan Harrington
Director of Public Health
Community Health Agency
4065 County Circle Dr. Ste. 412
Riverside, CA 92503

Phone: 951/358-7036
E-mail: sharring@co.riverside.ca.us

Riverside County Injury Prevention Services began the Children with Special Needs Child Passenger Safety Program in order to provide a specialized restraint for children who cannot safely use a conventional car seat. The only one of its kind in Southern California, this program establishes contacts with agencies that service children with special needs as referral sources, trains technicians to assess and select the appropriate device, and instructs the parent/caregiver on proper use and installation. Continuous safety technical assistance is also available to families after the assessment is completed. This program ensures that parents are able to obtain federally approved car seat/restraint systems at a reasonable cost.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Riverside County Land Information System

Contact: Katherine Gifford
Director, Administrative Services
Transportation and Land Management Agency
4080 Lemon St., 14th Floor
Riverside, CA 92501

Phone: 951/955-6742
E-mail: kgifford@rctlma.org

With a growing population, there has been increased demand for geographic data from other county, state and federal agencies which stressed the limits of the county's Geographic Information System. The Riverside County Land Information System is an in-house application developed to provide greater access for County employees and the public. Data is now available 24/7 via an interactive mapping Web site published. Maps are generated in real time, giving the public the most up-to-date geographic information available. The tool increases the number of users that can access the information, which has reduced the need for residents to drive to the office for information, and saved staff time by creating customizable queries.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Innovative Software Program to Enhance Senior Services

Contact: Hilary Clarke
Deputy Director of Administrative Services
6296 Rivercrest Dr., Ste. K
Riverside, CA 92507

Phone: 951/867-3800
E-mail: hclarke@co.riverside.ca.us

The Office on Aging developed this software program to track and report statistical data about the services provided to the County of Riverside. The software eases the burden of staff and contractors who must account for every program hour, meal, counseling session, and day of attendance. Tracking was previously done by hand, which diverted staff attention away from services. The software saves service providers weeks of data entry every month, freeing them to invest in case management and servicing clients rather than reporting. The Office on Aging staff now spends far less time going through paperwork and data and are better able to focus on improving the quality of service to seniors.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Employee Performance Management Solution

Contact: Ron Komers
Assistant County Executive Officer
Human Resources Department
PO Box 1569
Riverside, CA 92502-1569

Phone: 951/955-3510
E-mail: rkomers@rc-hr.com

The Human Resources Department created a standard county-wide Employee Performance Management system to increase the timely completion of effective evaluations. The Web-based tool provides instant access for managers and allows for importing of job descriptions, free text entry, electronic employee feedback, historical record keeping and easy tracking features. Managers are now able to more consistently align County goals with employee responsibility thereby increasing accountability. With a standardized format now in place, the performance review process is now faster, easier, and more effective, and is in compliance with the Board of Supervisors' policy.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Team Riverside County Economic Development Partnership

Contact: Rob Moran
Economic Development Manager
Economic Development Agency
PO Box 1180
Riverside, CA 92502

Phone: 951/955-6673
E-mail: rmoran@rivcoeda.org

Team Riverside County is a partnership of public economic development agencies, economic development corporations and utility companies that work to promote the benefits of Riverside County and to attract quality businesses, in order to increase jobs, wages and investment in the County. The goal is to leverage existing partnerships to produce greater exposure and name recognition for the region and build relationships with corporate site selectors and real estate professionals. The team uses tradeshow participation, advertising and key networking activities. To help brand and promote the county on a regional and national level

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Outdoor Science Program for Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Youth

Contact: Kristi Lovelady
Administrative Manager
Environmental Programs Department
4080 Lemon Street
12th Floor
Riverside, CA 92506

Phone: 951/955-6097
E-mail: cluna@rctlma.org

The Riverside County Environmental Programs Department launched a program to educate local youth about the natural sciences. This annual endangered species program includes a presentation of live animals by Wildhaven Ranch, and learning stations staffed by professional biologists. The intent of the event is to aid in student comprehension of basic science principles and to ensure that students meet the State's proficiency standards, while utilizing the county's available natural resources. The program was executed in cooperation with State, local and regional government partners and resulted in stimulating students' interest in science; supporting the Life Science curriculum objectives of the local school district; and providing a low-cost educational program to socioeconomically disadvantaged youth.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

NPDES Inspection Program

Contact: Steve Dondalski
Agency Program Administrator
Building & Safety Department
PO Box 1440
Riverside, CA 92502-1440

Phone: 951/955-2569
E-mail: sdondals@rctlma.org

The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Inspection Program was created to coordinate and account for construction site storm water compliance for projects throughout Riverside County. The program was necessary to effectively inspect projects with the potential to disturb five acres or more. The inspection program adopted the rules from all three Regional Water Quality Control Boards that have jurisdiction over construction projects in the County. Because the program was created as a non-funded mandate, the current Department fee-based system of paying for inspections is used, and a consultant currently under contract with the Department conducts the field inspections. This program has had a very positive effect on the overall National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Inspection compliance rate.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Increasing Cost Efficiency in the Data Center

Contact: Wayne Dawes, Information Technology Officer
Technical Services Bureau
PO Box 1589
Riverside, CA 92501-1589

Phone: 951/955-9434
E-mail: wdawes@riversidecountyit.org

As Riverside County grows, the demand for electronic information that supports new business applications continues to increase. Riverside County implemented a computer strategy called "virtualization" to be more responsive to the needs of their customers. "Virtualization" allows the single server to run multiple virtual machines with different operating systems and applications; it allows for server consolidation and increased return on investment of existing and future server expenditures. With virtualization the County has realized an 81 percent cost savings after replacing 133 physical servers with only 10 servers. The result has been increased computing capacity, elimination of 123 physical devices, simplified system management, streamlined disaster recovery management, and facilitated core business continuity goals.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Riverside County Making Homeownership a Reality

Contact: Robin Zimpfer
Assistant County Executive Officer/EDA
Riverside County Economic Development Agency
1325 Spruce St. Ste. 400
Riverside, CA 92507

Phone: 951/955-8916
E-mail: rzimpfer@rivcoeda.org

The First Time Home Buyer Program of Riverside County was created to assist families in purchasing a home in the area's increasingly difficult housing market. With increased Down Payment Assistance and Closing Cost Assistance programs, as well as an increased cap on the amount of available assistance, 50 families were able to purchase a home in the last year. The program is funded by the HOME Investment Partnership Act Program and the American Dream Down Payment Initiative. Program strengths include raising awareness of the availability of such assistance and financial counseling services. Through the program, families are provided with a plan to assess income and credit, clean up any credit issues, as well as pre/post homebuyer education.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Art in Public Places Program

Contact: Robin Zimpfer, Assistant County Executive Officer/EDA
Riverside County Economic Development Agency
1325 Spruce St. Ste. 400
Riverside, CA 92507

Phone: 951/955-8916
E-mail: rzimpfer@rivcoeda.org

The Arts in Public Places program creates opportunities for at-risk youth by connecting art to job skills, education and community service. This is a key program used by the California Family Life Center to prevent youth involvement in gangs. Art allows for the constructive use of time while affording teens the opportunity to learn, explore and convey their thoughts while building upon personal cognitive skills. The program is funded by the Riverside County Workforce Investment Act, Riverside County Community Development Block Grant, Community Challenge Grant and private donations. Since its inception, the Arts in Public Places has resulted in achievements for 94 at-risk youth, including completing high school, pursuing post-secondary education, improving reading and math skills and receiving occupational certificates.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Riverside Emergency Animal Rescue System

Contact: Robert Miller
Director
Riverside County Department of Animal Services
5950 Wilderness Ave
Riverside, CA 92504

Phone: 951/358-7387
E-mail: robertmiller@co.riverside.ca.us

The Riverside County Fire and Sheriff's departments, the Office of Emergency Systems, California Highway Patrol and the Department of Animal Services formed a joint committee to organize the Riverside Emergency Animal Rescue System. The purpose of the system is to ensure the organization of efforts by volunteers during emergency situations for the effective evacuation, sheltering, and care of domestic and livestock animals. There is no cost for the program as volunteers provide their own materials and time for drills and training. An estimated $23,000 per day savings results from the concentrated and skilled disaster response of these volunteers.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Riverside County's Primary Care Redesign

Contact: Ralph Millare, Assistant Hospital Administrator
Regional Medical Center
26520 Cactus Ave.
Moreno Valley, CA 92555

Phone: 951/486-4462
E-mail: rmillare@co.riverside.ca.us

Riverside County Regional Medical Center participated in the California Health Care Safety Net Institute with the Coleman Associates Patient Visit Redesign Methodology to reduce the total time to complete an ambulatory care clinic visit. Population increases and increased numbers of uninsured created long wait times in primary care delivery system necessitating the Riverside County's Primary Care Redesign. The collaborative redesign effort consisted of three elements including preparatory work, learning sessions, and action periods. The clinics utilized its existing budget for the redesign project. Decreases in cycle time and increased productivity were enjoyed by the family care clinic and the pediatric clinic. This has increased patient, physician and staff satisfaction, while increasing patient access to the primary care clinics.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Talent Management Strategy

Contact: Ron Komers
Assistant County Executive Officer
Human Resources Department
PO Box 1569
Riverside, CA 92502-1569

Phone: 951/955-3510
E-mail: rkomers@rc-hr.com

In the face of rapid population growth and the large-scale retirement of baby boomers, Riverside County has seen an increased need for staff to provide County services to its citizens. The Human Resources Department has implemented a talent management strategy that has enabled hiring activity to soar 145% since last year. Human Resources designed an innovative program to attract, develop and retain much needed employees. Using Internet job boards, electronic marketing, job fairs and expanding advertising efforts has allowed recruiting to tap into new candidate pools. Employer branding is an important part of positioning the County as a premium employer and to promote the benefits of working for the County.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

A Systems Approach to Competent Leadership

Contact: Ron Komers
Assistant County Executive Officer
Human Resources Department
PO Box 1569
Riverside, CA 92502-1569

Phone: 951/955-3510
E-mail: rkomers@rc-hr.com

Riverside County is preparing a whole new group of leaders to replace the retiring baby boomers, while increasing levels of its qualified workforce to meet the demand for more sophisticated services. The County's strategy to win the "war for talent" relies on an integrated competency-based systems approach that weaves together selection, performance management, position classification, leadership development and succession planning. The effort was achieved within budget; $300,000 from the General Fund was the Board investment for the systems design approach to the competency research and leadership initiative. This has sped up the selection process, increased confidence in selection, increased employee morale and increased productivity through focused performance management discussions.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Purple Saviors - Reducing Euthanasia of Shelter Pets

Contact: Robert Miller
Director
Riverside County Department of Animal Services
5950 Wilderness Ave.
Riverside, CA 92504

Phone: 951/358-7387
E-mail: robertmiller@co.riverside.ca.us

The Community Outreach and Education Division was established primarily to assist the County of Riverside Department of Animal Services to increase animal adoptions and reducing animal euthanasia within the County. Of all the programs, the Purple-Shirted people connected with the Adoption Program are the most directly responsible for having reduced euthanasia. Purple Power! Adoption Counselors immediately changed the shelter environment to make visitors feel welcome and excited about adopting a pet; the counselors play a major role in finding the right companion animal for the adopter. The results since the employ of the Purple Power! Adoptions Counselors has been a 30% increase in gross adoptions of cats and dogs, as well as euthanasia of adoptable animals reduced to zero.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Orange Sunrise

Contact: Susan Harrington
Director of Public Health
Community Health Agency
4065 County Circle Drive, Ste. 412
Riverside, CA 92503

Phone: 951/358-7036
E-mail: sharring@co.riverside.ca.us

Orange Sunrise is a one-hour, public television documentary about the history and future of citrus farming in the Inland Empire, the birthplace of California's fabled citrus industry. Today, this area is known for being one of the worst areas of urban sprawl in the United States. The Riverside County Community Health Agency Media Production Unit, with director Peter Coonradt, created a documentary which explores efforts to preserve citrus farming and encourages the purchase and consumption of local fruit. Orange Sunrise has been incorporated into an interactive teaching resource for elementary schools. The video has increased community awareness of the importance of citrus and the citrus groves to the regions heritage.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Vista Santa Rosa Land Use Concept Plan

Contact: Ron Goldman,
4080 Lemon Street, 9th Floor
PO Box 1409
Riverside, CA 92502-1409

Phone: 951/955-3263
E-mail: rgoldman@rctlma.org

Vista Santa Rosa is an unincorporated agricultural and rural residential, equestrian-oriented community directly adjoined on three sides by existing and planned urban development. The Vista Santa Rosa Land Use Concept Plan will protect agriculture and preserve rural/equestrian lifestyles alongside anticipated suburban development. Vista Santa Rosa has attracted the interest of many residential developers; some farmers wish to continue farming indefinitely. To bring together conflicting interests in the community and develop effective planning techniques to allow urban development while protecting agriculture and rural lifestyles, the Vista Santa Rosa Task Force was created to develop the Vista Santa Rosa Land Use Concept Plan to fulfill these needs. This is the first time that broad concurrence has been reached on a community-wide planning strategy for Vista Santa Rosa.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Riverside County Cleanup Campaign

Contact: Susana Orozco
Senior Development Specialist
PO Box 1440
Riverside, CA 92502-1440

Phone: 951/955-2886
E-mail: sorozco@rctlma.org

In an effort to minimize illegal dumping in Riverside County, the Code Enforcement Department developed a Countywide Cleanup Campaign to coordinate the efforts of the Transportation Department, Code Enforcement Department, Waste Management Department, Environmental Health, Service Districts and local waste haulers to address improper waste disposal. The program is of vital interest to county residents who are negatively affected by living near popular illegal dumping sites. The campaign uses unmanned camera surveillance, which reduces the amount of hours an officer is needed, resulting in cost savings. Thus far the team has achieved a 99 percent conviction rate on all infractions, misdemeanor citations, and arrests. More than 6,000 tons of waste has been collected countywide as a result of this program.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Ripley Water Treatment Plant and Community Park

Contact: Suzanne Holland
Deputy Director, Community Services Division
Economic Development Agency
PO Box 1180
Riverside, CA 92502

Phone: 951/955-6621
E-mail: sholland@rivcoeda.org

The Riverside County Economic Development Agency planned, designed, financed and constructed a new iron-manganese water treatment facility and a four-acre community park for the unincorporated community of Ripley. A remote farm worker community of about 1,000 residents, Ripley has historically had the highest poverty rate in California. The raw water supply in the district failed to meet drinking water standards, forcing residents to buy bottled water for drinking, bathing and washing. With a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Utilities Service, the agency constructed the iron-manganese treatment plant. During planning of the water treatment facility, the County committed to the construction of a new community park for the enjoyment of the community residents as well.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Service Learning in Welfare to Work

Contact: Lois J Carson
Executive Director
Community Action Partnership
2038 Iowa Ave., Ste. B-102
Riverside, CA 92507

Phone: 951/955-4900
E-mail: lcarson@riversidedpss.org

Community Action Partnership collaborated with four County agencies to conduct a county-wide community assessment in order to update the long-range local plan and facilitate integration of the households in to the "Community Blueprint to End Poverty." The assessment was staffed by welfare-to-work participants, who conducted surveys and provided the responder with information and disaster preparedness equipment, such as survival and first aid kits. The surveyors were deployed in their own communities which made the experience rewarding and gave them a sense of pride and accomplishment. The important result is that 32 of the 53 welfare-to-work surveyors went to work immediately in long-term positions, demonstrating the fact that the County is a model for the community in providing jobs through such endeavors.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Waste Recycling Park

Contact: Hans Kernkamp
General Manager-Chief Engineer
Waste Management Department
14310 Frederick Street
Moreno Valley, CA 92553

Phone: 951/486-3232
E-mail: hkernkam@co.riverside.ca.us

Riverside County Waste Management Department has constructed a "Waste Recycling Park" at the Lamb Canyon Landfill to increase the safety at the landfill and is facilitating separation of recyclables thereby conserving natural resources and valuable landfill space. This Waste Recycling Park provides a permanent area for self haulers away from commercial operations, as well as simplifies the designation between waste and recycling depositories. The public has responded very positively to the new Waste Recycling Park. The added waste diversion and recycling opportunities are significant sources of revenue which offset costs of construction. The Department also uses monthly revenue from the sale of scrap iron which will result in paying back the initial price tag of $1.6 million in just over five years.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

South Valley Implementation Program

Contact: Mitra Mehta
Principal Planner
Phayvanh Nanthavongdouangsy Urban Regional Planners
4080 Lemon St., 9th Floor
Riverside, CA 92502

Phone: 951/955-8514 or 951/955-0783
E-mail: mmehta@rctlma.org or pnanthau@rctlma.org

The South Valley Implementation Program addresses the various community needs that are anticipated from the different development proposals of the region. As these are new developments, the County's 2003 General Plan did not envision the growth that may now be a reality. The Board of Supervisors directed staff to develop a plan that encompasses all the development proposals to ensure that leapfrog development does result in the lack of adequate public infrastructure and facilities. The program allows for an open platform for the continued collaborative discussions and strategies to improve and build the region with the right amenities, land use, infrastructure and design. The program will facilitate solutions gathered from studies and community meetings.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Riverside County's One Stop Preoperative Center

Contact: Luis Orozco
Assistant Hospital Administrator
Regional Medical Center
26520 Cactus Ave.
Moreno Valley, CA 92555

Phone: 951/486-4462
E-mail: lorozco@co.riverside.ca.us

Riverside County's One Stop Preoperative Center's purpose is to reduce the total time to complete the preoperative process at the Regional Medical Center through a centralized and integrated team approach. New and existing staff members were trained as to the purpose and patient/communication flow of the newly designed one stop preoperative center. A procedure was written and implemented to support the flow, which included when and who to call for various tests. The new techniques have resulted in cost savings by decreasing delays on the day of surgery and improving patient flow through the preoperative process. Now scheduled preoperative and same day surgery patients enjoy and average of one hour to complete the process as opposed to the six hours previously endured.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Medical Assignment Program

Contact: Ron Komers
Assistant County Executive Officer
Human Resources Department
PO Box 1569
Riverside, CA 92502-1569

Phone: 951/955-3510
E-mail: rkomers@rc-hr.com

An in-house Medical Assignment Program was implemented by the county as a contingent healthcare staffing model in order to reduce reliance on outside labor resources. Previously, the County contracted with outside temporary agencies to address the issue of a critical nursing shortage. This program competes with outside nursing registries and temporary firms, offering a structured per diem program as an alternative to permanent employment with the County's hospitals. Human Resources has dedicated recruiters who actively seek out nurses at job fairs, make contacts with graduating nurses and use other methods to fill these positions. As an alternative recruiting source, this program saves the County more than $4 million annually over temporary agency rates.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Riverside County's Emergency Services Committees "COMM GROUPS"

Contact: Mary Moreland
Deputy Director
Riverside County Fire/Office of Emergency Services
4080 Lemon St., Basement Room 8
Riverside, CA 92502

Phone: 951/955-4700
E-mail: mary.moreland@fire.ca.gov

Riverside County created an effective emergency preparedness program tailored to individual communities in a large, culturally diverse county with a wide variety of potential disasters such as earthquake, wildfire, weather-related threats and transportation emergencies. Emergency Services Committees known as "Comm Groups" participate in communication and cooperation processes that encourage collaboration on planning for potential emergency situations. The Comm Groups succeeded in creating a resource directory of locally available private sector resources that would be accessible in disaster situations. The Comm Groups bring all interested parties together to discuss common goals to be enacted during emergency situations, allowing for a more cohesive response, which greatly benefits County residents.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

Educational Support Program

Contact: Ron Komers
Assistant County Executive Officer
Human Resources Department
PO Box 1569
Riverside, CA 92502-1569

Phone: 951/955-3510
E-mail: rkomers@rc-hr.com

The Educational Support Program takes a multi-faceted approach to meeting County labor needs using "growing our own" techniques to fill difficult-to-recruit and retain positions. The Board of Supervisors approved the Educational Support Program to address the skills and education gap within the County. A career counselor was hired to meet with all applicants and ensure proper placements. The program supports employees who pursue their education with textbook and tuition reimbursement, and also a tax advantaged educational loan repayment program and a work/study program. The program has been effective in meeting the County's needs, with numerous employees participating in educational programs, which will allow them to obtain highly skilled positions in nursing, engineering, social work, accounting and probation.

SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Sacramento Community Protection and Treatment Program

Contact: Chris Johnson
Chief Deputy Probation Officer
Sacramento County Probation Department
4000 Branch Center Road
Sacramento, CA 95827

Phone: 916/875-6863
E-mail: johnsonCB@saccounty.net

The Community Protection and Treatment Program was developed in an effort to combat overcrowding in the Sacramento County Probation Department's Youth Detention Facility. The program decreases high population levels in the facility, holds minors accountable for their behavior and reintegrates minors within their community by providing treatment services to them and their family. The cost-benefit of this program is substantial: the yearly cost is $34,225 versus $71,350 for a residential commitment at the Warren E. Thornton Youth Center. The cost savings and benefit to the community are immeasurable considering the immediate relief in overcrowding and reduced recidivism rates. The Community Protection and Treatment Program proactively addresses vital areas of concern within the department and our community.

SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Sacramento County Illegal Dumping Prevention and Enforcement

Contact: Kelli Sequest, Solid Waste Planner
Department of Waste Management and Recycling
9850 Goethe Road
Sacramento, CA 95827

Phone: 916/876-5393
E-mail: sequestk@saccounty.net

The Department of Waste Management and Recycling partnered with the California Integrated Waste Management Board to create a program to combat illegal dumping in the unincorporated areas of the Sacramento County. The program includes the use of barriers, signage and lighting to deter dumping, a sting operation, a reward system and a Web site that provides program information, outreach and education. The savings from this program are realized in the tons of illegally dumped materials picked up, the number of tips received from residents and citations issued, and the satisfaction of Sacramento County constituents. In 2006, there was a 22 percent reduction in the tons of illegally dumped materials in the County.

SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Get Up - Stand Up - Vote

Contact: Jill LaVine
Registrar of Voters
7000 65th St. Ste A
Sacramento, CA 95823

Phone: 916/875-6060
E-mail: lavinej@saccounty.net

In an effort to encourage participation in the electoral process by youth, the Department of Voter Registration and Elections, the Sacramento City Unified School District and the Secretary of State created "Get Up - Stand Up - Vote." The program was implemented in high school government classes and included classroom education, mock elections and an effort to register all eligible senior students to vote. The program budget did not exceed $1,000; ballot printing for mock elections was donated by the vendor, and teachers and students donated their time to coordinate the mock elections and the registration drives. Since the program started, there has been a 55 percent increase in voter registration and turn-out for this particular age group.

SACRAMENTO COUNTY

SacAdvantage: Access to Health Care

Contact: Jim Hunt, SacAdvantage Chairperson
7001 A East Parkway, Ste. 500
Sacramento, CA 95823

Phone: 916/874-3826
E-mail: jimhunt@saccounty.net

The SacAdvantage Health Insurance Subsidy Program is a County-sponsored health insurance program for low income, uninsured employees of small businesses that provides incentives to businesses and employees in an effort to get more people insured. SacAdvantage remains within budget yearly and all funds budgeted for the program are spent on insurance subsidies. Between 2005 and 2007, SacAdvantage increased enrollment in by 273 percent. Additional lives are covered by leveraging government programs with SacAdvantage funding to maximize coverage, thus helping to achieve both state and local goals to reduce or eliminate the number of uninsured children and adults statewide.

SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Sacramento County's E-Government Workshop 2006

Contact: Diane Hartline
Chief of E-Government
799 G St.
Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone: 916/874-6739
E-mail: hartlinedD@saccounty.net

The 2006 E-Government Workshop was delivered to employees of state government in an effort to train them on the best practices of the E-government systems. The field of E-government is changing rapidly and it is important to keep employees informed of these changes even though providing training is difficult in the face of budget deficits. Besides staff time, there was no expenses associated with the workshop as all of the work was done in-house. Since E-government touches every level of county government, the workshop allowed 250 employees to learn from industry experts, share best practices, and hear a dynamic keynote speech outlining the future of E-government. Surveys completed by attendees produced extremely positive feedback.

SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Election Code Ballot

Contact: Jill LaVine
Registrar of Voters
7000 65th St. Ste. A
Sacramento, CA 95823

Phone: 916/875-6558
E-mail: lavinej@saccounty.net

The elections community has been undergoing significant change since Sacramento County implemented a new optical scan voting system in 2004. This created a need for a single resource that would provide all the appropriate election codes when creating the official ballot. The solution was to create a replica ballot listing all the current and applicable California State Election Codes relating to ballot layout in the appropriate areas. Use of this demonstration ballot saved approximately 80 hours of staff time each year as all staff now has access to the information instead of only a handful.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

On-Line Access to Financial Disclosure Documents

Contact: Dena M. Smith
Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
County Government Center
385 N Arrowhead Ave., 2nd Floor
San Bernardino, CA 92515-130

Phone: 909/387-3848
E-mail: dsmith@cob.sbcounty.gov

The County Board of Supervisors launched an initiative to improve public access to county information and records of County officials. The Board of Supervisors provided on-line access to the California Form 700/Statement of Economic Interests documents filed by elected and appointed officials. This program was successfully implemented on time and within budget. The centralized database for Form 700 filings has improved the County's Conflict of Interest Program by allowing unrestricted public access to financial disclosure documents, making the filing process easier, and allowing for improved administrative oversight. Public response to this on-line, unrestricted access initiative has been extremely positive.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

Standards of Dress and Grooming Policy

Contact: Andrew Lamberto,
Director of Human Resources
157 West 5th St.
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0440

Phone: 909/387-5570
E-mail: alamberto@hr.sbcounty.gov

San Bernardino County adopted a dress and appearance policy in an effort to promote a positive image to customers in connection with County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer's "Service FIRST" plan. The only cost to the County was 40 hours of staff time for research and policy presentation. The most controversial portions of the new policy are the rules on tattoos and facial piercing. The new policy generated intense media attention and both the public and county employees felt strongly about the issue one way or the other. Since enforcement, there have been very few issues with employees failing to follow the dress and grooming standards policy.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

House Arrest Program

Contact: Audulio Ricketts
Division Director II
740 E. Gilbert St.
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0940

Phone: 909/387-6959
E-mail: aricketts@prob.co.san-bernardino.ca.us

The House Arrest Program is a short-term program providing intensive supervision to a minor detained at home pending court adjudication in an effort to alleviate the increased population of detained juvenile offenders in the Juvenile Assessment Detention Centers. This program also benefits the juvenile who may continue to attend school and utilize counseling/mental health services during this time. The House Arrest Program saves the Probation Department approximately $317,000 per year in staff costs. Of the 1,400 youths supervised by the House Arrest Program from January 2006 -May 2007, only 3.5 percent violated the terms and conditions of their detention.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

Homesourced Call Center

Contact: Annette Kerber
Assistant Treasurer-Tax Collector
172 W. Third St. First Floor
San Bernardino, CA 92515-0360

Phone: 909/387-6383
E-mail: akerber@ttcpa.sbcounty.gov

In order to better service County property owners in the wake of extreme new home growth, the County Treasurer-Tax Collector deployed technology to create a virtual office with homesourced call center agents. This allowed staff in the office to better service in-person inquiries, and address the problem of extremely long wait times for call-in customers. The project was completed within budget. Average call wait time for customers decreased by 90 percent and the number of calls answered increased by 71 percent. This project has proved a huge success providing both operational efficiencies as well as improved staff morale.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

County Reel

Contact: David Wert
Public Information Officer
385 North Arrowhead Ave.
San Bernardino, CA 92415

Phone: 909/387-5412
E-mail: dwert@cao.sbcounty.gov

County Reel is a program that uses private industry marketing principles and group behavior concepts to deliver public service messages to waiting audiences. The purpose of the program is to preserve positive perception of local government by providing information and entertainment, similar to movie previews, to those waiting for weekly public meetings. Positive results from this program including the audience members enjoys their wait time, there is increased audience interaction, and increased positive perception, pride and image of the County. Providing interesting information to the public during their wait period is meant to represent courtesy and appreciation for their attention, and that the County is thankful for the attendance and interest in local government.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

Jail Information Management System-Internet Enabled

Contact: Jennifer Hilber
Division Chief
Information Services Department
670 E. Gilbert St.
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0915

Phone: 909/388-0529
E-mail: jhilber@isd.scbcounty.gov

The Jail Information Management System is a mainframe COBOL-based system responsible for all daily business functions that are required in the operation of the County Jail. The 20-year-old system was in need of upgrades that would consolidate information, enable easier integration of existing Sheriff's applications, as well as third-party vendor packages, and lessen the need for expensive legacy programmers. The new management system is an extremely cost-effective solution to the changing technological needs. The system was successfully developed and implemented in-house, with users reporting high satisfaction and ease of use for the new program.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

Service F.I.R.S.T.

Contact: Diana Alexander
Chief Learning Officer
Performance, Education & Resource Center
2314 S. Mountain Ave., Ste. B
Ontario, CA 91762

Phone: 909/458-1616
E-mail: dalexander@hss.sbcounty.gov

Service F.I.R.S.T. (Friendly, Interested, Responsive, Service-Oriented, Trustworthy) is San Bernardino County's customer service improvement program. In 2004, County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer saw the need to improve customer service in an effort to deal with the negative perceptions the public had of county employees. Training was provided for employees, and a "Mystery Shopper" program was created to evaluate performance and determine corrective actions or those eligible for rewards. The results have been excellent with county employees regaining feelings of positive empowerment and pride. They were also impressed that Mr. Uffer himself delivered much of the training.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Asbestos Awareness Campaign

Contact: Rosa Abreu
Assistant Director
Air Pollution Control District
10124 Old Grove Road
San Diego, CA 92131

Phone: 858/586-2720
E-mail: rosa.abreu@sdcounty.ca.gov

In response to a recent rise in asbestos-related violations during construction activity, a multi-media, public outreach program was created to educate the public about dangers associated with exposure to asbestos during such activity as demolition and renovation of buildings and structures. The campaign uses videos, Web sites, printed materials and press conferences to target builders/developers, homeowners and workers on the health effects of exposure to asbestos, identifying asbestos-containing materials, safe handling/management of asbestos and regulations. The campaign has brought about a significant increase in the number of inquiries to the district's asbestos program.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Child Support Services Employer Outreach Program

Contact: John Rosenthal, Public Affairs Officer
225 Broadway, Suite 1200
San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619/578-6660
E-mail: john.rosenthal@sdcounty.ca.gov

The challenge was to create a forum for San Diego area employers to obtain answers to questions on the child support wage and health assignment process. All child support orders require an employer to withhold monthly support from wages and send the payment to the Department of Child Support Services for distribution. Employers also must establish health insurance coverage for children if the court orders it. To assist with these processes, the county focused on improving communication through the development of an employer handbook, updating the department Web site and implementing employer workshops. The results were a $5 million increase in collections through wage assignments.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Cool Zones

Contact: Ellen Schmeding
Assistant Deputy Director
Aging and Independence Services
9335 Hazard Way, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92123

Phone: 858/495-5858
E-mail: ellen.schmeding@sdcounty.ca.gov

Older persons and persons with disabilities are encouraged to go to air-conditioned sites throughout the county during hot days in order to protect their health and save individual energy costs. Currently, there are 160 Cool Zones throughout the county. In addition, the program provides a limited number of free bus passes for low-income seniors and persons with disabilities, plus free electric fans to the homebound. The program is done in partnership with the local utility company, San Diego Gas & Electric. The media publicizes the program, and sites have easily recognizable polar bear logos on display. Each summer has brought 15 to 20 percent more participants to Cool Zone sites.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Healthcare Safety Net Assessment

Contact: Leslie Ridgeway
Media Specialist
1700 Pacific Highway, Room 320
San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619/685-2239
E-mail: leslie.ridgeway@sdcounty.ca.gov

This project is a comprehensive needs assessment of healthcare services available to county residents. Specific challenges include overcrowding of area safety net hospitals, a potential consolidation of health care facilities and a shortage of primary and specialty care in the south region. The assessment was accomplished with town hall meetings in all five county regions with a total of 250 participants, including healthcare professionals, advocates and patients. The assessment determined that the safety net could be improved by focusing on funding, legislative advocacy, care coordination/determining best practices and regional planning. As a result, the county has taken several actions, including obtaining more funding and further related studies.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Manager's Development Institute

Contact: Jean Vukotich
Group HR Director
Health and Human Services Agency
1255 Imperial Avenue, MSW408
San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619/338-2886
E-mail: jean.vukotich@sdcounty.ca.gov

The Health and Human Services Agency estimates that 38 percent of its managers will retire in the next four years. In order to fulfill the need for qualified candidates, the Managers Development Institute was formed to prepare management for advancement into leadership roles. Tied directly to the county's strategic plan, the institute offers 30 managers specific courses for 12 months, during which time participants must create a personal development plan, select an executive mentor, work with a personal coach and complete a special project. To date, nearly 65 percent of graduates have received promotions either within this agency or another county group. In addition, participants gave the institute an excellent rating in surveys.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Medical Examiner Review Team

Contact: Ellen Schmeding
Assistant Deputy Director
Aging and Independence Services
9335 Hazard Way, Ste. 100
San Diego, CA 92123

Phone: 858/495-5858
E-mail: ellen.schmeding@sdcounty.ca.gov

This team was formed to identify possible elder abuse deaths so they can be investigated in a timely manner. Team members include staff from the county medical examiner's office, Aging and Independence Services call center and adult protective services. The team's objectives are to increase communication between adult protective services and the medical examiner's office, including daily communication and sharing of information. The result has been the identification of more than 10,000 suspicious deaths of elders, with about 12 percent having a history with adult protective services. One instance has resulted in a criminal case against elder caregivers. In addition, other gaps in communication have been identified and addressed.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Multisystemic Therapy Program

Contact: Vincent Iaria
Chief Probation Officer
9444 Balboa Ave., Ste. 500
San Diego, CA 92131

Phone: 858/514-3200
E-mail: vincent.iaria@sdcounty.ca.gov

This program is a treatment to prevent juveniles with mental health disorders from entering the juvenile justice system. It targets youth that have mental health issues and are at risk of entering the juvenile justice system, or are first-time offenders who have committed non-serious offenses. Program therapists focus on intensive family involvement designed to empower youths' primary caregivers with the skills and resources needed to address the difficulties of raising teenagers with mental health issues. The therapists help teens develop friendships with pro-social peers. They are available around the clock. The program operates with grant money and a match from the local school district. Evaluations have shown promising outcomes.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Performance Management Deep Dives

Contact: Jackie Werth
Project Coordinator
Health and Human Services Agency
1700 Pacific Highway, Ste. 216B
San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619/685-2524
E-mail: jackie.werth@sdcounty.ca.gov

Deep Dives are like a "think tank" used by the Health and Human Services Agency executive team to address operational risks and improve performance. A diverse group of managers and experts from across the agency are brought together to examine and discuss performance data, diagnose the root cause of a problem and bring a diversity of perspectives to formulate recommendations for solutions. Each Deep Dive group addresses a specific topic for about 6 months, and then presents their ideas to the executive team. Examples of recent Deep Dive topics include the growing population of young children at the emergency shelter, the CalWORKs work participation rate and recruitment of nurses.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Project Keep Replication

Contact: Renee Smylie
Assistant Deputy Director
6950 Levant Street
San Diego, CA 92111

Phone: 858/694-5272
E-mail: renee.smylie@sdcounty.ca.gov

Project Keep is an intervention program that trains foster parents and relative caregivers how to effectively work with foster children with behavior problems. The county worked with non-profit, community-based agencies to implement this project, which was originally developed by the Oregon Social Learning Center. Foster and relative caregivers of children 5-12 years old voluntarily participated in 16 weekly training sessions focused on behavior management techniques. Of the 81 children served by this project, only seven had change of placement, three of which were positive changes from foster to relative caregivers.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Property Tax Payment Refund Processing

Contact: Detra Williams
Administrative Services Manager
1600 Pacific Highway, Room 152
San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619/531-4763
E-mail: detra.williams@sdcountyca.gov

This project developed a more efficient process of issuing unclaimed property tax refunds. First, the county's treasurer-tax collector launched a campaign to locate taxpayers who had not claimed their refunds. The treasurer-tax collector coordinated with the assessor/recorder/clerk to compare refund recipients to current property owners, used Internet search engines to locate individuals and ran a media campaign to notify the public of unclaimed refunds. The treasurer-tax collector also streamlined the process by discontinuing the use of claim forms. The program reported an 81 percent success rate, resulting in the return of more than 7,000 refunds totaling $2.1 million.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Promoting Digital Democracy - Enhanced Internet Content

Contact: Thomas J. Pastuszka,
Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
1600 Pacific Highway
San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619/531-5431
E-mail: Thomas.Pastuszka@sdcounty.ca.gov

To help respond to various requests for documents, as well as expand the availability of Board of Supervisors' meeting information online, the San Diego County Clerk of the Board's office spearheaded an effort to enhance the Clerk's section of the county's Web site. As a result, county residents can now access Board meeting documents such as ordinances, resolutions and reports, as well as audio and video recordings of Board meetings. Previously, only Board agendas and statements of proceedings were available online. Providing this information online has significantly reduced the amount of time the Clerk's staff has expended in order to respond to these requests.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Local Banking Initiative

Contact: Detra Williams,
Administrative Services Manager
1600 Pacific Highway, Room 152
San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619/531-4763
E-mail: detra.williams@sdcounty.ca.gov

The Local Banking Initiative was created by the San Diego County's Board of Supervisors and Treasurer-Tax Collector to encourage the placement of public funds in local and regional banks. The program was designed to provide a way for the County to diversify its Investment Pool Portfolio, as well as allow the local community banks an opportunity to raise funds that ultimately increase local lending resources, generating a direct positive impact to the community. The program resulted in developing partnerships with 17 local and regional banks, each receiving an initial deposit from the County. In phase two, a selection of the participating banks agreed to expand the investment level. The program's One-Year Target Plan was met and exceeded, ahead of schedule, by placing a total of $36.7 million with the local and regional banks.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

2006 Retirement Dreaming Fair

Contact: Detra Williams,
Administrative Services Manager
1600 Pacific Highway, Room 152
San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619/531-4763
E-mail: detra.williams@sdcounty.ca.gov

The Retirement Dreaming Fair was developed for San Diego County employees, to bring back the fun in saving for retirement and provide a tangible event that brings to light the importance of thinking about what it is that makes a dream retirement. In addition to providing county employees with information about the county's new deferred compensation program, the event also included interactive several exhibitors, interactive games and food. More than 700 county employees came out to the event, and more than 300 enrollment kits were distributed for the county's deferred compensation program.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Investing Public Funds Seminar

Contact: Detra Williams,
Administrative Services Manager
1600 Pacific Highway, Room 152
San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619/531-4763
E-mail: detra.williams@sdcounty.ca.gov

San Diego County's free, one-day Investing Public Funds Seminar was designed to provide local public officials, and their staff who are involved in the investment of public funds an opportunity to obtain information about investment concepts and general portfolio management. The county's business partners helped promote the event and county staff and speakers all volunteered their services, allowing the county to keep the event expenses to a minimum. The program successfully exceeded its goal of 100 attendees, and was able to raise sponsorship monies to defray 100 percent of the seminar costs. The seminar also resulted in inquiries from local cities interested in investing their public funds in the County of San Diego Investment Pool.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Teen Programs In a Box

Contact: Pat Downs,
Youth Services Coordinator
5555 Overland Avenue, Building 15
San Diego, CA 92123

Phone: 858/694-2370
E-mail: Pat.Downs@sdcounty.ca.gov

In order to better serve the teen population through the San Diego County Library system, the staff created "Teen Programs In a Box." These pre-packaged kits contain everything a library branch needs to conduct a variety of programs for their teen audience, including supplies, ideas and tips for program planning and execution for their teen audience. Twenty-six teen-oriented programs have been created, ranging from cooking and crafts, to karaoke and games. The kits are stored in a central location and can be reserved in advance through an online booking module. Since their creation, the kits have been checked out more than 115 times and have lead to a dramatic increase in teen attendance to the libraries, as well as teen participation in library programs and activities.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Read for a Reason

Contact: Pat Downs,
Youth Services Coordinator
5555 Overland Avenue, Building 15
San Diego, CA 92123

Phone: 858/694-2370
E-mail: Pat.Downs@sdcounty.ca.gov

Read for a Reason is an online summer reading program that rewards participants by waiving fees when their family adopts a pet from a County animal shelter. The program allowed the San Diego County Library to extend its summer reading program to online customers, as well as residents who are not able to visit a library on a regular basis due to a lack of time or the distance to the closest branch location. Participants used an online service to register and track their reading goals and accomplishments and review books, as well as to see a photo gallery of adopted pets with their new families. During its first year, program participants read a combined 59,260 pages - equaling 395 books - and 20 pets were adopted from county shelters. Due to the success of the pilot, the Library is planning to expand the program this year.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Storytime in a Box

Contact: Pat Downs,
Youth Services Coordinator
5555 Overland Avenue, Building 15
San Diego, CA 92123

Phone: 858/694-2370
E-mail: Pat.Downs@sdcounty.ca.gov

The Storytime in a Box program was created to help county library staff simplify and maintain their storytime programs. These professionally created storytime program kits contain all of the books, materials and activities needed for a preschool storytime presentation. To expedite circulation, the kits are stored in a central location and can be reserved through an internal booking system online. The program has allowed library staff to save time on planning a storytime program and more time on providing the actual presentations. The program also assures that storytime materials are professionally selected, and included enrichment activities along with the appropriate supplies.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Youth Services Exchange

Contact: Pat Downs,
Youth Services Coordinator
5555 Overland Avenue, Building 15
San Diego, CA 92123

Phone: 858/694-2370
E-mail: Pat.Downs@sdcounty.ca.gov

Youth Services Exchange is a bi-weekly newsletter for all San Diego County Library staff and contains several news items and links to information on best practices. The newsletter is segmented into several categories, such as "Above the Fold," for time sensitive news, staff recognition and accomplishments, and meeting/training reminders; "Marketing Matters," with best practices for displays, signage and other marketing ideas; and a "Go-To List," which highlights all of the services provided by the Youth Services Department of Program Services Division, along with the contact information for each service. The newsletter is made available through the staff Intranet. It has been produced consistently during the past two years, and it is credited with substantially increasing programming and attendance throughout the county's library system. In 2006, the California Library Association's PR Excellence Award program also recognized the newsletter as Best Internal Tool.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

County of San Diego - Continuity of Operations Planning

Contact: Stephen Rea,
Emergency Services Coordinator
5555 Overland Avenue, Suite 1911
San Diego, CA 92123

Phone: 858/565-3490
E-mail: stephen.rea@sdcounty.ca.gov

San Diego County has developed a Continuity of Operations plan template that documents the process required to restore vital government services after a disaster. Recognizing the potential of having a limited number of staff and damaged infrastructure during a catastrophic event, the plan effectively streamlines the decision-making protocol regarding the identification of essential functions, as well as the pre-identification of alternate locations, to ensure the continuity of government operations. Once the plan template was available, a series of orientation trainings were provided for all 57 County departments, which were followed by smaller discussions within each department where individual plans were developed. A full-scale exercise was conducted once all of the plans were finalized, and annual updates are scheduled to ensure that each department's plan is current.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Aging & Independence Services/Library Partnership

Contact: Ellen Schmeding,
Assistant Deputy Director
Aging & Independence Services
9335 Hazard Way, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92123

Phone: 858/495-5858
E-mail: ellen.schmeding@sdcounty.ca.gov

In order to enhance the services available to seniors and the disabled, a formal partnership was developed between the County's Aging & Independence Services and the San Diego County Library. The goal of the partnership was to expand awareness of the educational opportunities available to seniors and disabled persons, as well as to publicize the health and wellness programs tailored specifically for them. By relying on community participation, grants and some funds that already earmarked for senior programs, expenses for the project were minimal. Hundreds of local seniors and disabled persons have benefited from these collaborative programs through their attendance at events and the availability of improved and additional programming.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

County of San Diego Feeling Fit Clubs

Contact: Ellen Schmeding,
Assistant Deputy Director
Aging & Independence Services
9335 Hazard Way, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92123

Phone: 858/495-5858
E-mail: ellen.schmeding@sdcounty.ca.gov

The Feeling Fit Clubs are free fitness classes for older adults focusing on flexibility, strength and balance to enhance participants' ability to maintain and improve independence. Exercise is one of the most important ways to reduce the risk of falls, which are a leading cause of nonfatal injuries in the U.S. for people ages 65 and older. The Feeling Fit Club was created as a way increase the number of older adults in the county who maintain and improve their physical stamina as a result of regular physical exercise. The classes are organized by Aging & Independence Services and are held at senior nutrition sites. Class instructors come from San Diego State University's Older Adult Fitness Division and local community colleges and adult schools. The county's television network also televises the program in an effort to reach those not able to attend the classes in person. The program began in 1999 and has since grown to 24 countywide sites, offering approximately 64 classes each month, with more than 500 participants.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Volvo "Keys to Success" Scholarship Program

Contact: Patty Kay Danon,
Assistant Deputy Director
6950 Levant Street
San Diego, CA 92111

Phone: 858/694-5315
E-mail: Patty.Danon@sdcounty.ca.gov

San Diego County, the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation and Volvo Cars introduced the "Keys to Success" Scholarship Program to assist foster youth with obtaining driver's education and training. Because driver's education is no longer available in most public schools, students are required to attend and fund private driving school. The ability to drive is a necessity to maintain employment when public transportation is not a viable option, and is one of the many skills foster youth need to learn in order to become self-sufficient once they leave the system. However, State funding does not cover items such as the cost of driver's education and driver's training. Volvo has funded the scholarship program for two years, and staff time to monitor the program is absorbed by the county. Participants receive a minimum of 30 hours of driver's education in a classroom setting, as well as six hours of behind-the-wheel training, which are both provided by a local driving school. Since its inception in September 2005, the program has successfully produced 34 licensed drivers.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

The Procuration Trifecta

Contact: Winston F. McColl,
Director
Department of Purchasing and Contracting
10089 Willow Creek Road, Suite 150
San Diego, CA 92131-1699

Phone: 858/537-2580
E-mail: winston.mccoll@sdcounty.ca.gov

To address the challenge of purchasing goods more efficiently and cost-effectively, San Diego County's Department of Purchasing and Contracting implemented three new tools. By using the first tool, business process outsourcing, the county outsourced all of the county's printing and graphics operations. This resulted in a cost savings of more than $2 million, as well as a reduction in staff positions needed. The second tool, electronic reverse auctions, created a venue for companies to low-bid against each other in real time over the Internet to win a contract with the county. The auctions allowed the county to recognize significant cost savings on the purchase of several items, such as administrative and public safety vehicles, consumables and copy machines, by conducting web-based reverse auctions. The third tool, cooperative purchasing, allowed the county to make purchases through a jurisdiction's existing contract, saving the time typically required to create, negotiate and award complex procurements. Through the use of these three tools, the county has realized a combined savings of approximately $33.8 million.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

San Diego County - Public Awareness Campaign

Contact: Leslie Luke,
Program Manager
5555 Overland Avenue, Suite 1911
San Diego, CA 92123

Phone: 858/565-3490
E-mail: leslie.luke@sdcounty.ca.gov

Last year, the county's Office of Emergency Services mailed family disaster plans to 1.4 million postal customers in the region, followed by the launch of an educational campaign encouraging residents to be prepared and complete their family disaster plan. The campaign involved the production of several public service announcements featuring local professional athletes, emergency personnel, animal service representatives and local military leaders. The campaign's television and radio advertisements ran on multiple outlets, and campaign billboards were posted in several locations throughout the county. The campaign Web site provided county residents easy access to disaster related information, resources and materials, including a checklist for students to take home and discuss with their families. As a result of the campaign, a telephone polled showed that approximately 300,000 county residents took at least one action in the area of emergency planning; 40 percent of the residents now have a pre-set meeting place outside of their home, should they become separated during a disaster; and 80 percent have a 72-hour supply of food and water at home.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Regional Permit Enhances Flood Control Capabilities

Contact: Donna K. Turbyfill,
Deputy Director
Department of Public Works
5555 Overland Avenue, Suite 2156
San Diego, CA 92123

Phone: 858/505-6470
E-mail: donna.turbyfill@sdcounty.ca.gov

The Regional General Permit is a five-year blanket permit with regulatory agencies that allows flood control maintenance at more than 1,000 facilities throughout the county, eliminating the cost and time typically required for obtaining individual permits. The permit creates a streamlined process to allow for the maintenance of flood control facilities, including flood control channels, culverts and roadside drainage ditches, while preserving habitat and avoiding impacts to endangered species. To obtain the permit, the county completed an inventory of the facilities, and worked closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the Regional Water Quality to conduct field visits of the facilities. Previously, the maintenance work was previously done as individual permits were processed, so this blanket permit has enabled the county to conduct regular maintenance of the facilities without delays.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Pandemic Flu Website

Contact: Leslie Ridgeway
1700 Pacific Highway, Room 320
San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619/685-2239
E-mail: leslie.ridgeway@sdcounty.ca.gov

The county's Pandemic Flu Web site was developed as a resource to help the public to prepare for a possible pandemic flu. The Web site contained a variety of information, including an explanation of the various types of flu, which are sometimes confused (bird flu, pandemic flu and seasonal flu); information on the county's preparedness efforts; preparedness resources for the community; printable brochures in English and Spanish; and links to federal, international, State and County resources. The site is easy to navigate and organized into distinct sections for individuals and families, schools, businesses, community groups, the healthcare community and the news media.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Pandemic Flu Education Campaign

Contact: Leslie Ridgeway
1700 Pacific Highway, Room 320
San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619/685-2239
E-mail: leslie.ridgeway@sdcounty.ca.gov

The Pandemic Flu Education Campaign was created to encourage the public to plan, prepare for and protect themselves against a possible pandemic flu outbreak. The campaign slogan, "Plan. Prepare. Protect." was developed to sum up the three-pronged approach the county's Public Health Services takes to pandemic flu, which includes creating a disaster plan, learning how to protect yourself against the spread of respiratory illness and staying home when you are sick. The campaign included the creation of special tool kits, which were distributed to businesses, schools and community-based organizations to help them create their own plans for how to continue operations during a pandemic. Public service announcements, billboards, movie theater ads and bus ads were also developed to distribute the message throughout the community.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

A Wedding Day to Remember