Participants in last year's Live Well 5KReady to join thousands of your fellow County employees and other San Diego residents in a fun, family-friendly event that raises money for a good cause?

After warming up with March of Dimes March for Babies and the NAMI Walk, you can lace up your shoes again and tackle the Live Well San Diego 5K on Saturday, May 30 at Naval Training Center, Liberty Station.

Registration is open for the event, but you should register now. Early bird prices expire on Thursday, April 30. Registration is $27 for adults ($30 after 4/30) and $20 for children 4-12 years old ($25 after 4/30). All proceeds from the event go to the County’s Polinsky Children’s Center Trust Fund that benefits children in foster care.

Even if you can’t make the event, you can still make a contribution by becoming a “virtual runner” for $25. You will receive a commemorative Live Well 5K t-shirt and runners bib.

County employees can register as a team. Designate someone as your team captain and have them register first. They can set up your team as part of their registration. The other team members can then select that team name when they register.

Runners and spectators can enjoy music, a kid’s fun zone with games and activities, exhibitors and refreshments at the end of the race.

Volunteers are also needed. There are a variety of opportunities from registering participants to manning a water station to monitoring the course for safety issues. Volunteers will receive an official Live Well San Diego 5K event t-shirt and refreshments at the Fun Zone after the race.

County employees laced up and hit the pavement on Saturday, April 25 all in the name of babies. The annual March for Babies, which benefits the March of Dimes, took place in Balboa Park. Multiple County teams came out and helped raise money for the charity.

Congrats! You made it to the finish line! The 2015 Amazing Race took place in two waves at the COC, with levels 1 and 3 competing on April 23 and level 2 competing April 29. If you participated, relive the event in the video above, taken from a level 3 point-of-view with a GoPro.

And if you didn't compete, let the photos inspire you to join in the fun next year!

Winners from all levels will be announced in early May.

Being an administrative professional is no walk in the park, but on April 30, nearly 360 County admins got a well-deserved trip to Balboa Park to celebrate all the hard work they do for us.

The annual Administrative Professionals Event included opening remarks from David Estrella, general manager of Community Services Group.

"If you're here, it's because you're rock stars," he said.

Estrella emphasized that one of the most admirable traits of the hundreds of administrators in the room was patience, which is often overlooked.

CAO Helen Robbins-Meyer told the group that they all serve with heart and five very important C-words: competence, customer service, curiosity, continuous improvement and character.

"We have the number one administrative professional workforce in the nation!" she said.

After lunch, Balboa Park District Manager Michael Ruiz gave the County employees an inside look of what's to come at the landmark, which celebrates its centennial this year. Guest speaker Lee Sibler got the crowd laughing with his presentation, including many quotes about what makes admins so important, like: "Admin professionals are just like regular people, but smarter." 

"Just because your job title doesn't say 'leader' doesn't mean you can't lead in what you do," Sibler said. 

Thanks to each and every administrative professional who helps keep the County moving! 

You’re going to see something a little different when we roll out our Op Plan in a few days.

We’ll still run through all the key numbers. They’ll still show a balanced budget, even as it goes up 6 percent from last year’s to $5.4 billion for the upcoming fiscal year. As part of the presentation, we like to have a video that gives an overview of how we operate and highlights our recent accomplishments.

This year, that video will include a few clips of customers talking about services they received from the County. They’re regular San Diegans, explaining what we did for them.

We wanted to give them a place in the presentation, because in the end, they’re what it’s all about.

A few of those you’ll hear from include a family we worked with to make sure they have medical coverage. A library user. A military veteran we helped get needed services. They’re real people, sharing their stories in their own words. And their stories are our story.

The Operational Plan is full of figures, tables and charts. It takes a phenomenal amount of work to put together, and my thanks to everyone who’s been busting their tails to get it done. I know not all of you may find it quite the page-turner that I do, but I encourage you to give it a look. It is our playbook for the year ahead, and if you want to know what’s coming in your department, you’ll find it spelled out there.   

But we need to always keep in mind that every line item in there leads in some way to real lives out there in the community. Having the customers in the presentation connects how we do business with who we’re doing it for.

That connection is easier to see for those of you working directly with the public each day. You’re literally looking the customer in the eye, or hearing their voice over the phone.

Sometimes it’s less direct. The crews that maintain a County road don’t meet every person who drives on it. But every driver who has a smooth ride and gets home safely is a customer. 

That driver is also the customer of the Purchasing and Contracting staff who helped us buy asphalt and the General Services’ fleet team that takes care of the grader. I could keep going, but you see what I’m getting at. It’s a whole network of employees who have pieces of taking care of the customer.

Giving customers great service has long been part of our culture here at the County. But one of my priorities since coming to this job was to see how we could push it forward. A big part of that is just keeping the customer in mind at all times. You now see the Positive Experiences section on InSite, giving us regular reminders of how we make a difference in people’s lives. The employees deserve the recognition, and we all get an example of the real people we’re serving.

So that’s why we want to see a few of them in our Op Plan presentation as well. We’ve crunched the numbers and our books are in order. But we want to show that customers are always part of the equation. Fiscal discipline means being able to help more people, offer more services, make lives that much better. On our balance sheet, people are our true bottom line.

Come out to celebrate your health at one of 11 Wellness Expos in May. The County is hosting the interactive events for employees at some of its largest worksites.

The fairs are focused on fun, fitness and nourishing nutrition. They include healthy snack samples, a farmers market stand, fitness gyms and more.

“Come out to get inspired,” said County Wellness Coordinator William Erese. “Learn how wellness can be fun.”

In addition to all festivities, there will be an opportunity to pick up San Diego County Fair vouchers good for $4 admission. There is a limit of four vouchers per employee, while supplies last.

View the complete Wellness Expo schedule (PDF).

To your Manic Mondays and Throwback Thursdays you can add Wellness Wednesdays.  Free health screenings will now be a regular mid-week opportunity available to all County employees at the Kaiser Kiosk.

You are invited to the private, walk-in medical booth for a biometric screening—a short health examination that includes blood pressure readings, glucose screenings, a measurement of your body mass index (BMI) and height and waist measurements. A one-on-one consult is also available with a nurse to discuss results that may be indicators of medical conditions.

Biometric screenings are being offered every Wednesday to all employees, regardless of insurance coverage, at the kiosk located on the second floor of 5530 Overland Ave. at the County Operations Center.

Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are highly recommended. Call 858-278-2802 or email sdcountyhealthspot@kp.org to schedule your visit.

The Department of Human Resources’ Employee Benefits Division said visiting the Kaiser Kiosk during Wellness Wednesday is just one way to get your biometric screening. You can also go to your own personal doctor. 

An added bonus to getting the biometric screening is that it completes part of the Employee Wellness Incentive Program, which gives employees an extra $100 in their paycheck.

You must complete the following steps to receive the payout:

1. Have a nurse or physician at the screening facility sign a confirmation form. (*Note: If you are doing your screenings at one of the County locations, you can have one of the medical personnel sign your confirmation form.)
2. Go online to your provider’s website and take their online health risk assessment
3. Send in the signed confirmation form and the health risk assessment completion confirmation to Benefits at MS O-7

Wellness Wednesdays continues throughout the year. More details can be found on the Wellness website.

What has at least six characters, special symbols, should be more complicated than Algebra II and is harder to remember than all that stuff that was on the grocery list?!

You guessed it, the password! These days, most of us have a million of them — for computers, websites, email accounts, cell phones, social media sites, the ATM, you name it.

And on top of having a million of them, they’re all supposed to be different, changed completely every few months and — at the same time — easy for us to remember and hard for bad guys to crack. Who can keep up (assuming you don’t want them tattooed onto your body)?

With all of this in mind, we thought you might like some password advice.

So here are a few general rules and a couple of ideas from two of our own County experts: 

• Longer = Stronger; The 8-4 Rule: We’re often given the option to create passwords with “at least” six characters. But experts say longer is stronger. While a standard six-character password creates roughly 140 million combinations to stymie hackers, an eight-character password boosts that to 645 trillion combinations. (Sources: Information Security Dictionary; Boston University Information Security and Technology)
  Many experts suggest following the “8-4” Rule. That is, make all passwords at least eight characters long; and make sure four of those characters include: one lower-cased letter, one capitalized letter, one number and one special character (!*$%). Many websites now enforce certain rules, but they’re a good idea anytime.

• Words Bad; Passphrases Good: Don’t use words — even if they’re in a foreign language. That dictionary on your desk only contains about 600,000 words, a number that any high-speed hacking computer could chew through in minutes. And don’t use names of people (especially your own) or places either. So if you can’t use words to make your password easy to remember, what can you do?
  Create a passphrase instead of a password. Take any sentence you’ll remember — like, “Man, I hate all this password stuff!” Now take the first letter of each word. And you have a passphrase: Mihatps. You can make that passphrase even stronger by mixing in numbers and special characters. Mihatps becomes Mih8atps! (Note: Try to avoid using common phrases, famous quotes and song lyrics.)

• Strong Memories: Obviously, memory is important when it comes to a password. It’s no good if you can’t remember it, right? Here’s a tip: don’t try to memorize a password, use your own memories to create one you can’t forget. David Lindsay, Group Information Technology Manager for the County’s Land Use and Environment Group, recommends using something that “makes you happy,” something that only you know and only you think about — something that isn’t related to any of your personal information  “like your children’s names, street addresses, schools, etc.” — and then use derivations of that.

• Divide or be Conquered: Always make sure to use completely different user names and passwords for work and personal use. If you don’t, you’re completely exposed — on every level — if a hacker breaks your password. Mike Teays, the County’s Chief Information Security Officer, said people should really set up separate user names and passwords for their work accounts, their personal financial and health care accounts and their social media accounts if they have them. Teays said social media sites are “high targets for malicious actors.”  Teays also suggested that people look to the Department of Homeland Security’s United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team website for more password security information. 

Whether you're a kid or an adult, a park is a great place to get in some physical activity. Live Well San Diego Champion Nicholas Martinez wants everyone to take advantage of the built environment of our County parks.

The County Wellness Program’s Amazing Race was bigger and better than last year—it was an amazing success! Winners were announced Thursday.

Human Resources Director Susan Brazeau said 600 employees took part in the event at the County Operations Center on April 23 and April 29.

“Everyone who competed is a winner,” said Brazaeu, who was on a team herself. She added that all participants will be given a medal.

Teams were made of four members and the race was broken up into three levels—each was a challenging adventure. This year’s race was even more exciting with an inflatable obstacle course, climbing wall and challenging trivia questions.

Without further ado, the winners are:

(Not all team members were able to make it to the announcement of race results.)

Top Teams for Level 1:

 #1 - Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies

#2 - Not Quite Level 3... But Still Trying

#3 - We're About AIS

Top Teams for Level 2:

#1 - Team Req's-n-effect

#2 - Keep Calm and Live Well

#3 - Quad Squad

Top Teams for Level 3, Route 1:

#1 - 3 Guys and a Girl

(not present)

#2 - Crossfit Aequitas

(not present)

Top Teams for Level 3, Route 2:

#1 - HHSA Fuerte & Loco!

#2 - Daft Punks Don't Stop

See photos and video from the Amazing Race here.

Here are the full race results:

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

It's round two for artist Jay Johnson. After completing artifact-filled art displays for the new offices at the County Operations Center, he is on the hunt at the County Administration Center. You can help him.

The County’s newest employee resource group (ERG) officially launched with pomp and circumstance during an event Monday at the County Operations Center. The group is called VALOR. The name was selected because it means courage, boldness and spirit.

Chairman Bill Horn, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Marines, delivered the keynote address. The U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps Color Guard presented the colors. And the national anthem was performed by Musician Second Class (Surface Warfare) Nina Church with the Navy Bank Southwest Region. Refreshments were served on the Commons’ upper level after the program.

Employees who had served in the Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy attended the launch, but VALOR is open to all County employees, not just those who have served in the military. CAO Staff Officer and VALOR President Carl Smith said the group’s vision is to show patriotism by honoring and supporting the men and women who serve our county past and present.

“VALOR really wants to give our current and future veterans a connection to that County veteran family that they can rely on and give one another support,” said Smith, who retired as a Chief Petty Officer with 20 years of service.

Donald Steuer, Assistant Chief Administrative Officer and executive sponsor of VALOR, said our ERGs have the power to make us stronger as a County. In fact, the veterans group’s mission is to drive and support the growth of both the organization and the individual.

“These are individuals who possess adaptive learning skills to make it happen: leadership, teamwork, diversity and inclusion, efficient performance under pressure, integrity, and triumph over adversity,” said Steuer, who retired as a Navy Captain after 27 years of service.

If you are interested in joining VALOR or have a question, please email valor@sdcounty.ca.gov or visit its InSite page.

Barbara Jimenez (in yellow) and Justine Kozo (fifth from right) in Monterrey, Mexico.

Infectious disease knows no boundaries or borders.

That is why the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission established Leaders Across Borders, an advanced leadership development program for people working to improve public and community health and health care in the border region.

Since Leaders Across Borders began, five County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) employees have participated. Patrick Loose, chief of HHSA’s HIV, STD and Hepatitis Branch, is currently going through the 160-hour program.

“We live in a region with the busiest border crossing in the world. Addressing HIV and STDs successfully requires the input and perspectives of representatives from both sides of our shared border,” said Loose, who completed the first phase of the program in late April in Monterrey, Mexico. The next session will be in Tijuana this summer and that will be followed by a graduation in Phoenix in early October.

“Leaders Across Borders focuses on understanding health diplomacy, building important relationships with others who are working in the border region, and providing practical experience in this kind of work,” Loose added.

Chuck Matthews, HHSA director for North Regions; Barbara Jimenez, HHSA director for Central and South Regions; Paulina Bobenrieth, Public Health Nurse manager for South Region and Justine Kozo, HHSA chief of the Office of Border Health have also participated and completed the program.

“Working in public health, we saw there was such a great need for a collaborative approach to meet the many health needs along the border,” said Matthews. “This program offered specific training on how to work across borders successfully and it provided hands-on opportunities to build those skills with our partners in Mexico.” 

Jimenez not only improved her leadership skills, but also her español.

“This program is one of the best leadership programs that I have ever participated in. I continue to learn new skills in cultural competency and have increased professional relationships with local and binational partners,” said Jimenez, who is now a Leader Across Borders facilitator. “In addition to the learning group program, I was able to complete and receive a diplomado (certificate) from the Instituto Technólogico de Monterrey which was focused on health diplomacy and done completely in Spanish, which really helped me learn even more critical skills.”

Staff at the HHSA El Cajon Family Resource Center do yoga once a week during their lunch hour. The class is taught by co-worker Genevieve Lovland who donates her time to lead the class. The employees can also participate in a strength training or dancing activity once a week.Warrior One. Downward Dog. Mountain Pose.

Once a week during their lunch hour, several HHSA El Cajon Family Resource Center employees gather in a conference room in the back of the building for a half-hour yoga session 

As part of the FRC Live Well San Diego committee’s offerings, the yoga classes are part of a series of healthy activities that help employees de-stress during the workday and build healthier lives.

Employees can also take part in upper and lower body strength sessions and various dancing activities, according to FRC manager Barbara Rathburn.

Classes are taught by employees who volunteer their time and are designed for beginners so everyone can take part.

“They really want to empower their colleagues,” said Rathburn. “A lot of time employees need a break and this is a way they can do something good that makes them feel good for the rest of the day.”

As a smaller facility, the employees don’t have access to all the Employee Wellness offerings from the County, so they decided to do some of their own to complement the County-wide offerings that they do participate in.

Rathburn said they had six teams from the FRC in the recent Amazing Race competition and for a second year they will have about 30 participants in the upcoming Live Well 5K.

Many of the employees are also in walking groups that head out during their morning and afternoon breaks to hit the sidewalks in the neighborhood.

“They all have their tennies under their desk,” Rathburn said.

And good news for the yoga crew: Rathburn said they will soon have access to a larger multi-media room so they’ll have more room to breathe – pun intended.

Do you get up and moving with your coworkers on your lunch break or after hours? Send us photos of your group working out!

Here’s a bright idea, help the environment and save money too. General Services and SDG&E can help you do just that at two energy-savings and lighting fairs coming up on May 28 and July 16.

County employees can buy energy-saving LED light bulbs at a deep discount – three 65 watt equivalent bulbs for $10. The idea is to inspire people to make the switch to efficient lighting.     

The first fair is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 28, outside the Commons at the County Operations Center. The second is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, on the east side of the County Administration Center.     

The two fairs overlap times for the employee farmers markets so you’ll be able to go green, save green and get your greens at the same time!

A similar light bulb event at the COC in February had phenomenal results; County staff lined up in droves to take advantage of the discount. Some 3,500 LED bulbs were sold to 400 attendees.

The overall energy savings from that event alone will save about 191,586 kWh of electricity and $29,255 annually. Take the expected lifespan into account and that is about $432,666 in electricity savings and $89,045 in light bulb replacement costs. The new LED bulbs will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions –more than 295,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year which is equivalent to taking 26 cars off the road.

Let’s face it — finding time to work out can be tough. There’s work. There’s stuff to do at home.

But you know what? You don’t have to take time out of your day to get into your workout gear and head to the gym to exercise.

In fact, you don’t even have to get out of your chair!

Here are nine great exercises you can do without leaving your seat. And we’re talking real exercise, from stretching to strength training — even yoga. (Remember, if you feel discomfort doing any exercise, ease up and talk to your doctor. It’s gain, not pain!) 

Stretching: Everyone knows stretching is great exercise. And it can be especially helpful for anyone who spends a lot of time in a chair and in front of a keyboard. Here are a few stretches that will help make you more flexible, ward off repetitive movement injuries and stress, and make you feel better!

1. The Shoulder Shrug: Sit comfortably; back straight, feet on the floor and arms resting on your thighs. Now shrug — lift your shoulders up toward your ears. Hold for 10 seconds and release.
   
2. Reach for the Sky: Sit toward the front of your chair with feet flat on the floor. Interlock your fingers in front of you, palms outward. Now, raise your arms up toward the ceiling. Draw in your shoulders and chin. Hold for 10 seconds.
    
3. Wrist and Fingers Stretch: Sit comfortably; back straight, feet on the floor. Reach your left arm out straight in front of you, wrist bent, fingers pointing downward. Now use your other hand to gently bend your wrist further down. Hold for 10 seconds. Do the same with the right hand. Now, hold your left hand out, but this time, bend your wrist upward. Use your other hand to gently pull each finger back toward you. Switch to your right arm.
     

(This is just a beginning. To see more cool stretches, check out our Work Safe Stay Healthy (WSSH) Computer/Desk Stretches and this cool CNC-TV video.)

Strength Training: That’s right. You can actually do some serious strength training without getting out of your chair. And you don’t need dumbbells either. You just need some good old-fashioned isometric exercises — flexing a muscle against an immovable object! Martial arts legend Bruce Lee was a big proponent of isometrics and the National Institutes of Health and others say isometric exercise can lower blood pressure. (If you’ve got high blood pressure, you should still see your doctor.)

1. Triceps Pushdown: Sit comfortably; back straight, feet on the floor. Place the palms of both hands on top of desk in front of you with your elbows at 90 degrees and push down. Hold for about six seconds.
2. Biceps Builder: Sit comfortably; back straight, feet on the floor. This time, make your hands into fists and place them under your desk in front of you with your elbows at 90 degrees. Push up!
     
3. Chest Press: Sit comfortably; back straight, feet on the floor. Place your palms together in front of your chest, elbows pointed out. Press your palms together. Hold for about six seconds.
    

Yoga: We don’t recommend trying any “downward facing dog” moves in your chair, but yes — you can do chair yoga! Here are a couple of great yoga poses you can do without getting up.

1. Neck rolls: Sit comfortably; hands in front of you, feet on the floor. Let your chin drop down to your chest. Slowly make circles with your neck, first in one direction and then the other. Try to keep your shoulders relaxed.
     
2. Cat-cow stretch: Sit comfortably with both feet flat on the floor and your hands resting on your knees. As you inhale, arch your back and look up toward the ceiling. As you exhale, round your spine and let your head drop forward.
    
3. Seated spinal twist: Turn to your right so you are sitting sideways in your chair. Twist toward the back of your chair, using your hands to hold both sides of the back of your chair. Turn to your left, sit sideways and repeat. 
    

Nearly 2,000 people came out to the second annual Live Well San Diego 5K on May 30 at Liberty Station. The fun run and event raised funds to help children at the Polinsky Center.

Did you or your coworkers participate? Send your photos and be added to the slideshow!

You’re always going the extra mile. Sometimes even the extra five kilometers!

This past weekend’s Live Well San Diego 5K was just the latest example of a really tremendous turnout by County employees for a great cause. Hundreds of you ran and walked, volunteered or just donated to make this benefit for the children at Polinsky Center a big success.

It was all the more impressive coming right on the heels – almost literally – of the March for Babies. Your efforts raised tens of thousands of dollars to help babies get a good start in life.

I’m so proud of the fact that every time we put out the word we need help for an important purpose, your response is amazing. Getting up early to join the Point-In-Time count of homeless people. On Election Day, working long hours at the polls or late into the night counting ballots. Making the Grand Opening of the Waterfront Park go smoothly. I see your commitment to serving the public each day and then watch you take it to another level in those special cases.

So I’m confident you’ll come through now for our next big opportunity to serve.

There’s no time people can use our help more than in a disaster. And despite a little welcome late spring rain, we are still in the middle of a severe drought, and we all know that means extreme fire danger.

So we need to get extremely prepared. We’re starting a big push to get more of you ready to help residents during a major disaster. And we need many of you to step up and add some specific skills.

Right now, our focus is on getting a few hundred more County employees trained to work in shelters for evacuees. During big emergencies, hundreds of thousands of people can be forced to suddenly flee their homes. We work closely with the American Red Cross and other organizations to make sure people have safe places to stay. But these groups can get stretched thin in a crisis. And if we wind up with firestorms like those we’ve seen – or even bigger – we want County staff ready to jump in.

Keep in mind, you’re a disaster service worker already. Every County employee is. It’s the law. Some of us have clearly identified roles in an emergency. But if you don’t, you can be assigned to something outside your normal duties.

But think how much better it is to be trained before flames are sweeping down a hillside. It puts the County in a much stronger position to help people at a time when every moment counts. The service you are able to offer will be better if you learn in advance rather than on the fly.

This drive for trained shelter staff is part of our Advanced Recovery Initiative. Other jobs in this program include answering phones for 2-1-1 San Diego, the public information line, and working at Local Assistance Centers, the one-stop shops we set up to help people through the recovery process after a disaster. Many of you have already gotten prepared to fill these roles. That’s great! We need to make sure we continue to have enough employees ready for these duties and really ramp up our shelter team.

As I said, you’ve answered the call to help over and over. I’m counting on you again. We want to get employees signed up as soon as possible to be ready for the peak of fire season. Naturally, you need to consider what your position is, what you might do in a disaster, and check with your supervisor about whether it makes sense for you to be one of those getting this extra training.

While we’re on the topic, please make sure you and your family have done your own emergency preparations. The safety of you and your loved ones is paramount. Stock up on supplies, go over your family disaster plan, get cell phones registered with AlertSanDiego. ReadySanDiego.org is a great resource for getting all of this done.

For the Shelter Team training, visit this Office of Emergency Services page (Sheriff, DA and SDCERA use this page). Thank you for going the extra mile to make our community safer!