2009 Challenge Awards Merit Recipients

Counties and rate-payers have recently seen garbage fees climb higher and higher. In order to streamline the complicated process of calculating the costs of garbage pickup and disposal, as well as save money, the county created a helpful, new tool. The Refuse Rate Adjustment Methodology automatically calculates the costs associated with garbage pickup each year over a five-year period. This saves the amount of time staff must dedicate to rate adjustments and dramatically reduced the amount of money budgeted for the annual review of the franchise waste haulers. The Rate Adjustment Methodology has saved money for the county and taxpayer, while still providing fair rates to the garbage-hauling company.

StepUP for Youth is a program that matches youth with work experience in growing industries in the private and public sectors. A study suggested that there were six fast-growing economies in the Redwood Coast region that would need entry level workers. The County Workforce Investment Board took steps to build a pipeline of such workers by placing young people, especially at-risk youth, in jobs based on their level of readiness. The program provides training workshops to all youth, regardless of income. In the first summer, 33 youths were matched to jobs; as a result of the success the Departments of Health and Human Services and Probation matched the funding to increase the capacity of the program, allowing for 886 participants this year.

The Library ART Card program is a marketing campaign to increase interest in obtaining a library card, to remind the public of the value of services offered, and to give the library a fresh new public image. Appealing artwork from San Joaquin County students now appears on the cards. A key-tag version was also created. These cards do cost a nominal fee, and the old version remains available for free. However, many patrons are delighted to pay a few dollars to support youth art, literacy and the future of the Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library. Since introducing the ART Cards, the number of library card holders and revenue have increased, as well has the library's public image.

In keeping with its environmental stewardship, Sonoma County created a program that provides financing for individuals to improve their homes/businesses by installing energy efficient, renewable, and water conservation technologies. Sonoma's AB 811 program, Sonoma County Energy Independence Program, is the first of its kind to operate in California and every city and town in the county is participating. The program is a significant tool for funneling more resources into the shift to greater efficiency and renewable energy. Since March 2009, more than $3 million in project applications have been submitted and the county has issued payment to the first program applicant. This is a bold step towards reaching Sonoma County's community-wide greenhouse gas reduction targets.

In order to address long-term challenges such as financial pressures, retiree health liability, aging facilities and infrastructure, the Sonoma County Strategic Plan was created with a practical Implementation Plan. The county administrator and board initiated a targeted approach focusing on issues in pragmatic ways utilizing subject matter experts within the county staff. Projects with clear objectives, schedules, deliverables and owners are designed as a means to implement the Strategic Plan's policy. A great deal of staff and consultant time has been invested to make the plan a success; savings are realized in that the new plans allow for revised compensation practices of the retiree health program, efficiencies in the criminal court system, proactive instead of reactive plans for infrastructure, etc.

Baby Steps to Parenting, a 10-week prevention program, was developed for mothers of drug-exposed infants in response to the high percentage of referrals to county services due to prenatal drug exposure. The program addresses the needs of mothers, including help with depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, etc., and those of the exposed infants. Central to the program is the concept of "bundling" services such as group therapy, nutrition/exercise classes, and infant massage classes. The pilot group was funded through in-kind contributions; the program is a long-term investment with potential savings coming from families not re-entering the child welfare services system. Pilot participants appreciated that it did not focus on past drug use and included listening and reflection. None of the participants have re-entered the system.

The Eden Area Livability Initiative used community engagement, visioning and strategic planning to improve quality of life in urban unincorporated communities of Alameda County. The initiative is successful because of increased inter-agency coordination, community engagement, and short-term problem-solving with long-term solutions in mind. Meetings identified shared values and potential strategies for realizing those values; further topic-specific meetings generated catalyst projects. Funding came from a California Department of Transportation grant, and in-kind funding from county agencies serving the area. The efficient coordination of services and communication between agencies and communities has led the selection, by community election, of five improvement projects. A by-product of the Initiative is that citizens now have a better understanding of county government and more residents are engaged in decision making.

The Urban Male Health Initiative uses various evidence-based programs to provide for the physical, psychological and emotional health needs of men At issue is the fact that men, especially men of color, in Alameda County face statistically higher rates of health risk and a greater degree of challenges in obtaining sufficient health care. Programs are geared toward men re-entering society from the state prison system; developing a holistic model of health care for men of color by collaborating with faith institutions, social services agencies, as well as other departments as such as probation and parole, and addressing racism and inequity through a forum that brings together male-serving agencies to address challenges facing urban males. The Initiative's interventions are long-term and directed at systems change, with a focus on preventive medicine.

The Fremont Library partnered with the city's Economic Development Department, the Chamber of Commerce, the county's Small Business Development Center, and the Small Business Administration to produce an ongoing series of seminars and workshops called "Small Business Solutions @ The Library." This partnership provides small business owners with an avenue for growth and funding. The library hosts monthly events with various speakers, allowing small business owners to network and get support from interacting with experts in finance, taxation, legal services, accounting, etc. This model proves a win-win for all parties: the library fulfills its function by serving the community; partners fulfill their missions of assisting small business; and the business owners benefit from the networking and learning experience.

In an effort to improve the equity of service to communities on the outskirts of the county, the library installed Library-a-Go-Go, the first fully-automated, 24/7 library service in the country. The technology is a vending machine, similar to an ATM machine; it is capable of vending more than 400 books and is linked in real-time to the library account system. The library partnered with Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to install machines at four stations to bring the library to commuters. Library-a-Go-Go is a cost-saving alternative to opening a new library branch, and allows the county library to serve populations residing a great distance from the local library. The project was funded through a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the California State Librarian.

Thirty-six percent of all state hearing requests in the State of California come from Los Angeles County, creating a severe backlog of cases. Many of these filings could have been resolved without a hearing; each hearing costs about $6,000. The Department of Public Social Services created a task force to find new ways to avoid costly hearings while ensuring participants get their entitled benefits. The task force created a PowerPoint/video presentation incorporating parodies of popular movies like "Star Wars" and "Forrest Gump" and well-known music to keep audiences engaged. This presentation has so far achieved its goal of assisting participants, while reducing the number of filings. The estimated cost savings for the period of January through April 2009 is almost $9 million. The department has also seen a 27 percent increase in the number of filings resolved without a hearing.

Foreclosure notices in Los Angeles County have skyrocketed 4,800 percent over the past three years alone, more than 37,000 in 2008 alone. The Department of Consumer Affairs quickly responded to try and help people facing the real possibility of losing their homes. The department created the multi-faceted Foreclosure Prevention Project to deal with the rapidly developing crisis. The department trained its employees to offer counseling about the rights of homeowners. The department also developed new Foreclosure Rescue Scam brochures and created a prominent section of its Web site to reach out to county residents. Consumer Affairs also made a concerted effort to enter into the community with events and workshops. The program has saved more than 115 homes, as well as $64 million in restitution for homeowners.

Public Health Community Nursing partnered with private organizations to bring medical care to the homeless. It is challenging for public health nurses to regularly access homeless individuals, impeding the delivery of continuous medical care. The public health officer worked with public and private entities to find solutions: Kaiser Permanente provided volunteer physicians to conduct clinics; public health nurses provided assessment, education, and case management; County Behavioral Health and Medical Services Initiative (indigent health insurance) provided immediate linkage and insurance application assistance; and a private, non-profit provided funding for medications/prescriptions. With this model, Public Health Nursing was able to promote the goals of the mobile clinics, which are to link clients to medical homes and a way to pay for care.

The Tracking Automated Graffiti Reporting System (TAGRS) is a clearinghouse that enables law enforcement and public works agencies to capture, share and investigate graffiti incidents. Previously, the public works and law enforcement agencies did a mediocre job of tracking costs, incidents and arrests. Their ability to network and share information with partner cities and law enforcement agencies was impeded by the lack of a central clearinghouse. This Web-based program maximizes staff time to the tune of a 90 percent reduction in administrative project time to document the necessary information. The Orange County Sheriff's Department spent $40,000 for the program; the OCTA Transit Police Services reports a 20 percent increase in cases of cleared graffiti and a cost reduction of $50,000. This one savings alone has paid for the program.

In the face of record unemployment and severely reduced construction as a result of the economic downturn, the county Board of Supervisors formed the Building Industry Association/Riverside County Streamlining Strike Force to act as a catalyst to indentify and enact measures to streamline the planning and permitting process. The Strike Force is a collaboration of a myriad of county agencies, ranging from transportation and planning to county counsel and flood control. The Strike Force systematically reviews and challenges each department to re-assess processes to ensure greater transparency, predictability, cost savings and time reductions. The efficiencies and cost savings as a result of the efforts of the Strike Force assist in the recovery of the local economy.

The Educational Support Program is a comprehensive approach to deal with the continuous skills gap and knowledge deficiency facing the Inland Empire Region's ability to fill key public sector positions as a result of the growing number of retirees combined with the low number of college-educated individuals. The program includes university partnerships, showcasing career opportunities with the county, and grassroots student networking. Events include informational interviews, workshops, internships, presentations, and the like to broaden students' knowledge of local government and the career opportunities available. This comprehensive approach to college recruiting has provided exposure to local government service for the next generation of professionals and made Riverside County an employer highly sought after by college graduates.

The Riverside County Waste Management Department operates the Lamb Canyon Sanitary Landfill and must adhere to the standards of Title 27, which include providing an effective vector control for the existing bird population. Previous deterrent measures were difficult to maintain (overhead string line impeding the birds' ability to land) or lost potency (bird screecher, bird cannon, and balloon with predator eyes) when the birds realized they do not pose a real threat and become accustomed to the noise. The department decided to introduce a real threat to the bird population: a falcon. Trained falcons fly above the disposal pad and successfully deter the birds. While the falconry service is costly, it is less so than the regulatory fines the landfill would receive otherwise.

The Santa Ana River Trail and Parkway Partnership was created in 2005 to finish the 100-mile trail running along the Santa Ana River from the San Bernardino Mountains to the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The project required cooperation across city and county lines since it involves Riverside, Orange and San Bernardino Counties, the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, the Wildlands Conservancy and 16 cities to finish was what started in 1950. The partnership has thus far been extremely effective in reaching goals including: securing $45 million in state bond funding; completing nine miles of trail; conducting an inventory of missing segments and adopting a five-year work plan; and joining San Bernardino and Riverside Counties in a 19-mile continuous ribbon.

The psychiatric unit at the Riverside County Regional Medical Center has realized a culture shift to achieve 700 percent reduction in the use of seclusion and restraint from 2001 to 2008. Seclusion and restraint is now considered a last resort, as this intervention technique poses safety risks to both staff and patients. The culture change came through education and oversight: staff was trained in Management of Assaultive Behavior, which included de-escalation and early intervention to mitigate the need for restraint techniques. Existing staff, resources and training materials were used with training programs revised to emphasize preventative measures to keep the risk of injury to self and others low to ensure a safe environment. The goal continues to be the total elimination of seclusion and restraint.

Youths emancipating from the foster care system need help to develop critical skills to achieve self-sufficiency. The County of San Diego Child Welfare Service (CWS) and San Diego Workforce Partnership (SDWP) joined forces to fund new, comprehensive approaches that provide a wide range of services to meet the target population; while at the same time, combining limited resources. The agencies created a Statement of Work that outlines Tier I and II services and a flowchart to help usher youth through the program. Youth receive supportive services, like housing and transportation, while also learning how to apply for schools and jobs. The agencies have received more than $2.4 million in funding to date. The success of the program is measured by rising rates of full-time employment or education enrollment.

The Housing Authority of the County of San Diego (HACSD) found a new way to efficiently complete its required 12,500 Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspections each year. The department reduced its inspection staff from 33 to six housing specialists, reducing the number of required vehicles and maintenance costs. At the same time, the remaining 27 case managers could focus solely on customer service issues from the office. The county also reduced costs by reducing the inspection vehicle fleet from 16 gas-powered cars to 10 hybrid cars. This has saved the county more than $10,000 in the first year and reduced vehicle maintenance costs by 18 percent.

San Mateo County officials knew they needed to try something different with regards to the county's criminal recidivism rate. Several agencies worked together to form the Re-entry Workgroup in 2007. The overall vision was to reduce recidivism and jail overcrowding while increasing treatment accessibility to offenders. The group worked to get more offenders into local treatment programs in lieu of jail time. The Sheriff's Office nearly doubled its in-custody substance abuse program for successful re-entries. The success of the program is clear: in the first 16 months, the program placed 202 offenders into residential treatment programs. They were released an average of 93 days early, a cost savings of $1.4 million dollars. One year after release, these offenders had a much lower recidivism rate of 34 percent.