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The County Voice

Sara Floor

A place where CSAC, county officials and stakeholders can voice their thoughts on governance and issues that impact California’s 58 counties.

The County Voice Sara Floor

Update from Wash…The Pumpkin Patch?

Sara Floor Joe Krahn Sara Floor

Everyone has a life away from the office, a hobby or passion that we pursue outside of business hours. In my spare time, I raise succulents and create jewelry. CSAC legislative representative Farrah McDaid Ting fosters kittens until they are old enough for adoption; Geoff Neill, also a CSAC legislative representative,  hosts a monthly poetry reading; and CSAC legislative assistant Karen Schmelzer does cross-stitch embroidery. Even our federal lobbyists have lives outside of work. We recently found out that Joe Krahn, president and managing partner of Paragon Government Relations (PGR), has added a new title to his resume. Joe Krahn is also a children’s book author.

We reached out to Joe to learn a little bit more about his new book, published just in time for Halloween. 

Tell us about your inspiration for writing The Adventures of Captain Pumpkin Head.

The inspiration for the book dates back to the fall of 2014. At the time, I was emailing with my sister about her Halloween plans and our conversation turned to her son, Benji, who had just gotten a pumpkin. Knowing that my nephew has a wonderful sense of imagination, I asked my sister to let him know that once his pumpkin had been carved into a jack-o-lantern it might do some strange and interesting things, like move around the house at night when he was sleeping.

From there, the character of Captain Pumpkin Head just sprang to life. Incidentally, it wasn’t until 2018 that I decided to transform what was a series of emails into an actual adventure book. If you’re interested, you can read more about the genesis of the story here.

The County Voice Sara Floor

California’s Counties Are Driven to Serve

Graham Knaus Sara Floor

California’s 58 counties provide nearly all state and many municipal services to help Californians improve their daily lives. From public health to homelessness supportive services; foster care, behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment to public safety; housing and land use to emergency services and more; California’s counties are driven to serve.

To showcase the vital work counties do each day, we’re launching “Driven to Serve,” an educational campaign to highlight the critical services counties provide to serve all Californians, but with an emphasis to the vulnerable and those most in need.  

Each month, we will feature some of the most innovative and proven solutions counties have developed to address societal challenges and the unique needs of their residents. Driven to Serve will focus on one of these inventive county programs and showcase efforts through short videos, information handouts, and newsletters.

The County Voice Sara Floor

Lessons in Resiliency and Advocacy

Lessons in Resiliency and Advocacy
Sara Floor Sara Floor

Two years ago, the North Bay fires changed the lives of thousands of Californians overnight. While the events forever changed the landscape of many California communities, they also had a profound impact on the course of CSAC advocacy.

Wildfires emerged as a priority on Governor Newsom’s agenda and CSAC worked tirelessly the past two years to preserve inverse condemnation and keep utilities accountable by leading passage of important wildfire legislation. CSAC was also successful in obtaining additional disaster relief funding for counties, including backfills for lost property taxes, direct local assistance, and public safety power shutoff resources.

As we observe the second anniversary of the North Bay fires this week, we take a look back at the reactions, impacts and lessons learned from first-person accounts shared on The County Voice, CSAC’s blog.

The County Voice Sara Floor

Highlights From the 2019 CSAC Support Hub Summit

Diana Medina Sara Floor

Counties play an important role on the front lines of California’s criminal justice system. For the last five years, a handful of counties have accessed support for their criminal justice programs through participation in our Results First Initiative. This initiative has been critical in laying the foundation for the work of CSAC’s Support Hub for Criminal Justice Programming (The Hub) to empower counties to continue prioritizing data-driven and evidence-based policymaking.

Last week, 85 leaders from 20 counties across California gathered in Ventura County for a day and a half of learning and planning to build more champions for the evidence based movement in criminal justice. The CSAC Support Hub Summit included panels and workshops focus on providing counties with an overview of the building blocks for effective program design and implementation, as well as how to harness the power of data analysis to inform their practices. Panels and workshops featuring experts and county practitioners shared expertise in using logic models and process maps, enhancing contracting practices and utilizing data analysis to answer key criminal justice questions. 

The County Voice Sara Floor

Back to School with YIG Insight from Placer County

Sara Floor

This guest blog is provided by Heidi Kernytsky, Human Resources Analyst, Placer County, HKernyts@placer.ca.gov

As students head back to school this fall, many from Placer High School, in Auburn, California, may have a different idea of what they may want to be when they “grow up” thanks to their participation in the first Annual Placer County Youth in Government (YIG) Day.

What is YIG Day?

Placer County created and hosted YIG Day to educate students on the wide variety of career paths the county has to offer with a simulated “day in the life” of county employees, creating a tangible and positive experience for the students.

The date of the event, May 8th, was selected specifically to coincide with Public Service Recognition week.  Opening remarks from Dave Defanti, Deputy County Executive Officer, highlighted the importance of young people as the future workforce. Students then embarked on tours of county departments, including the Auditor-Controller’s Office, Community Development Resource Agency (CDRA), Health and Human Services (HHS) Animal Services, Public Works and the Sheriff’s Office, allowing them to experience a behind-the-scenes look at county operations. 

The County Voice

NACo Gives State Association Staff Forum to Compare Notes
Mr. Neill Goes to Washington

Geoffrey Neill

One of CSAC’s core activities is giving California’s counties opportunities to talk with each other about the issues that matter most to them, but it can be easy for CSAC staff to forget that we can benefit from that same type of opportunity.

The County Voice

An Ounce of Preparation: September is National Emergency Preparedness Month

Sara Floor

CSAC and California Counties have placed a strong emphasis on disaster preparedness, resilience and recovery over the past several years. Some of our most memorable regional meetings, partnerships and even Challenge Awards have spotlighted California’s innovation in preparedness at the individual, community and county levels.

In a state as geographically diverse as California, emergencies can take many forms. Wildfires and earthquakes are often top of mind, but power outages, floods, debris flows, tsunamis and even drought can prompt disaster declarations as well.

The County Voice

2020 Census Moving Forward, Resources Available for California Counties

Sara Floor

Cover of U.S. Census 2020 Toolkit for Local GovernmentsGenealogy is a pretty big deal in my family. My mother’s family arrived in this country before the American Revolution. Thanks to the very first census record in 1790 and other sources, we’ve traced our lineage to Martin Van Buren, the eighth U.S. President, and later records helped map our family connection to Norman Jay Coleman, the first U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

The County Voice

10 Weeks Across the Street from the California Capitol

Andrea Mares

Since its inaugural cohort in 2015, the University of California at Riverside sends rising seniors and recent graduates to Sacramento to participate in an internship as part of the Ronald O. Loveridge Summer Fellowship. This highly competitive program provides selected students with a stipend to assist with housing and living costs, but students must obtain internship placement by themselves.

The County Voice

On the Road Again — and Meeting Those Who Benefit from County Programs

David Liebler

Willie Nelson wrote a popular song titled “On the Road Again.” For me, being on the road again and seeing county programs in action is one of the most rewarding parts of working at CSAC. But it’s when we have an opportunity to meet the residents who are benefiting from county services that we receive true and personal insight into how vital these services are in the lives of so many vulnerable people.

The County Voice

Collaboration, Innovation Key To Institute for Local Government’s Future

Erica L. Manuel

I’ve just completed my first six months as the Institute for Local Government’s (ILG) new executive director and I’m excited for what the future holds.

Since I began my new role in late January, I’ve enjoyed meeting with our local government partners across the state and learning about some of the pressing issues facing your communities. I’ve heard about the incredible partnerships that have formed between ILG and California’s many counties, cities and special districts – and the positive impact those partnerships have made on so many people in our state.

The County Voice

Recovering From a Cyberattack: Communication is Key for Counties

Scott Summerfield

Cyberattacks on local government agencies are occurring with alarming frequency, and counties need to have a communications strategy in place when the inevitable happens.

Local agencies are a popular target for cyberattacks, since many have not established rigorous safeguards. Imagine what could happen if a cyberattacker seizes control of your data and systems, whether it’s theft and public release of information or a ransomware hostage situation.

The County Voice

Communicating in a Crisis: Think Before You Retweet

Doug Levy

While everyone should always be careful before posting anything on social media, extra care is paramount during mass casualty or other major emergencies. Too frequently, civilians and officials alike mistakenly rush to publish so that they are “first.” Speed is important, but accuracy is even more important. So is staying within your area of responsibility.

The County Voice

Santa Barbara County Utilizes Technology with a Human Touch to Aid in Debris-Flow Recovery

Santa Barbara County Utilizes Technology with a Human Touch to Aid in Debris-Flow Recovery
David Liebler

The emotional scars from the 2018 devastating debris flow in Santa Barbara County are still as evident as the vacant lots scattered through the Montecito community. The nature of the destruction during that January night is difficult to put into words.  In a matter of minutes, 23 people lost their lives, nearly 500 properties destroyed or damaged, and an estimated $175 million in property damage.

The County Voice

Three Tips on Rebuilding After a Wildfire

Jeff Okrepkie

Up until a few years ago, the idea that wildfires could change the shape of a populous landscape over the course of mere hours was unthinkable. Even after the first series of catastrophic fires in 2017, it was hard to believe fires could ever wipe out an entire subdivision, until it happened to me and my neighbors in Sonoma County’s Coffey Park. And then, equally unthinkable, it happened to the entire town of Paradise in Butte County.

The County Voice

Alameda County Bond Measure Tackles Affordable Housing Crisis

Alameda County Bond Measure Tackles Affordable Housing Crisis
David Liebler

Alameda County resident Shanika Pate and her 14-year-old daughter would drive to a new townhouse development every day and pray outside that their application would be accepted.  And when they received the green light to move, their lives started on a new path.

The County Voice

California Counties Keep Fourth of July Festive and Safe During Wildfire Season

Sara Floor

As a child, I always looked forward to Fourth of July celebrations. Not only did my family host 200 of our closest friends for a potluck party on our five acre “truck farm” in New York, but my four uncles by marriage provided an extensive fireworks display. While fireworks have been a part of Fourth of July celebrations from the very beginning– more on that later– in many California Counties, the reality of wildfire season means local ordinances, restrictions and adaptations to keep the Fourth festive, safe and wildfire-free.

The County Voice

Kern County Cultivates a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Kern County Cultivates a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Sara Floor

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.

The County Voice

CSAC President Virginia Bass Challenges County Supervisors to Participate in CSAC Institute Trainings

Virginia Bass

Even if you think you know everything there is about being an elected representative in your community, CSAC Institute courses will enable you to learn something new and useful. Having recently completed my Institute Credential, I want to share some of my experiences and encourage my supervisor colleagues and county staff to take advantage of this incredible professional development opportunity.

The County Voice

Orange County Teen Parent Program Focuses on Long-Term Success

Orange County Teen Parent Program Focuses on Long-Term Success
David Liebler

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.

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County Of The Week:
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