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Budget shortfalls and structural deficits are never good news for counties. And when a steep drop in oil and gas property tax revenues left Kern County $44 million in the red, they turned lemons into lemonade with LaunchKern, a business transformation initiative based on the principles of Lean Six Sigma.

Being a teenager can be a very complicated and difficult period of life. Add the daunting responsibility and fear of becoming a teen parent and life can seem overbearing. That’s where the Orange County Teen Parent Program comes in – to assist teen parents under the age of 18 through the child-support process while also providing the resources to help them succeed.

Many hands make light work, as the adage goes. In Madera County, a decision to create a Public Information Team from current staff rather than hire a single public information officer has led to better customer service and storytelling in this rural, Central Valley County.

Prior to joining CSAC last fall, I spent over a decade working for a nutrition education organization where I witnessed the heralded birth of our own workplace wellness program. When an organization employing a dozen registered dietitians and health advocates struggled to keep its employees engaged in wellness, I realized I was about to witness something great when I started learning more about Mendocino County’s Working on Wellness Program.

Falling through the cracks – it’s a phrase we often hear when it comes to our most vulnerable populations. In Placer County, though, a concerted effort is under way to focus on chronic homeless individuals who have traditionally needed assistance from a variety of agencies and programs.  And this effort is working; county staff is helping individuals find housing, linking them to needed resources – and changing their lives.

After a career of helping others address substance use issues with alternative and holistic therapies, Tony Landrum found himself living with brain cancer and in need of some care himself.

“Alameda County Care Partners, especially Miss Wanda, came out to visit me and learn about my needs,” said Landrum. “Miss Wanda not only listened to me, but she really heard me.”

Transparency, technology and timeliness — combine those three and you have the foundation for Nevada County’s new app that allows residents to quickly and easily communicate with county staff about hazards, needed road work or other issues of concern.

On a hot Thursday afternoon in September 2011, San Diego County was plunged into darkness when a massive power outage hit the region, caused by a grid malfunction across the southwestern United States. The blackout spanned from North County to Coronado and left millions of San Diego County residents without power for over 12 hours.  Power was restored but in the aftermath, County officials learned a lot about the vulnerabilities and gaps in their emergency response plan.

Mark Twain is often credited with saying “whiskey’s for drinking and water’s for fighting.” Certainly, in drought prone-California, water is a complex and contentious issue. And according to Wesley Nicks, Placer County Environmental Health Director, nothing is more critical, more imperative than safe drinking water for California’s communities.