Membership Monday

Overview

Membership Monday

September 17, 2020

CSAC’s strength is our membership. The Membership Monday series highlights excellence in County service, spotlighting various members of the County Family who have unique experiences and perspectives to share. This more personal look at County service is designed to showcase the hardworking men and women dedicated to serving California’s communities.

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Chris Howard, Supervisor
Del Norte County

January 18, 2021

What motivated you to enter public service?

My own children and the children in our community motivate me. Del Norte County has the same statistical poverty rates per capita as inner cities; and top five ranking in the state for child abuse and neglect, teen pregnancy rates and drug and alcohol abuse. This gives me an overwhelming call to action. This is not the rural California I choose for my children or their classmates. No child should grow up believing this was an unavoidable fate. We can and must do better for the next generation.

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Rafael Mandelman, Supervisor
San Francisco City/County

January 4, 2021

What makes your county special?

San Francisco is the only combined City and County in California. It is also a place that has long captured the imaginations of people around the world, a favorite movie location from Hitchcock to the Avengers. San Francisco has been at the center of some of the great social movements of the last half century and our local government has led on issues ranging from LGBT rights to tenant and worker protections to climate change. From the Gold Rush until today, it has been a city where people have come to make their fortunes, pursue their dreams and change the world.

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Dr. Holly Child, Director of Outcomes and Measurement
Santa Clara County

December 14, 2020

Please describe your role with Santa Clara County:

My role falls within the Probation Research and Development (RaD) Unit. The role of the RaD Team is to develop and implement applied research and evaluation projects that provide data to help inform policy, practice and programming. There are over 125 projects currently that involve anything from program evaluation, policy analysis, tool validation, developing fidelity tools, designing quality improvement methodologies, designing and tracking performance metrics, supporting contract monitoring, and program fidelity. The RaD Unit also serves as liaisons for research, program, and community assessment activities with other County departments, public and private agencies, and community groups and organizations.

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Jason Ledbetter, Director of General Services
Siskiyou County

November 30, 2020

What motivated you to enter public service?

As the Director of General Services I oversee the following departments; Solid Waste, Siskiyou Power Authority, Flood Control, Airports, Transportation/Bus service, Facilities, and Communications.

I am relatively new to public service, having about three years under my belt, with the last nine months being in my current position. But, it is fascinating to see the inner workings of local governments and how larger State and Federal decisions influence us here in Siskiyou County.

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Robin K. Roberts, Director of Behavioral Health
Mono County

November 23, 2020

What’s the most interesting or fulfilling part of your job?

The people: staff, colleagues, the public. I enjoy working with systems outside of our own to build better engagement with our community and making collaboration work. We talk about it a lot, but it’s really a difficult process if the needs are disparate and the resources slim. It’s the “we will make this work, no matter how hard,” attitude that I love. There are quite a number of people in our county that do not trust or like ‘government.’ Those are my favorite conversations. Listening to the ‘why’ and taking that back to our drawing board….that’s why we are here.

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Fesia Davenport, Acting CEO
Los Angeles County

November 16, 2020

What motivates you to work hard?

I work hard because 10 million people are counting on me and the County to look out for them. Many are vulnerable, and most are completely unaware I even exist. They don’t need to know me, but I feel that in some ways I do know them—because I have walked the same path that many of them are traveling. County residents, particularly those in need of services, are counting on the County to deliver on the vision set forth by our Board of Supervisors: Make investments that can transform lives. Develop and support resilient communities. Realize tomorrow’s government today.

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Mimi Hall, Health Services Agency Director
Santa Cruz County

November 9, 2020

Please describe your role with your County:

In my role as the Health Services Agency I get to pursue a vision of better health, every day, for everyone through the Agency’s Public Health, Behavioral Health, Clinic Services, Environmental Health and Administration Divisions. We serve a county population of 273,000 with a budget of $200M and 600 staff. Every facet of our work relies on collaborative partnerships at all levels of the community, meaningful engagement of the people we serve to inform how we serve them, and using data, science and best practices grounded in evidence.

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Daron McDaniel, Supervisor
Merced County

November 2, 2020

Please describe your role with Merced County:

I am an elected member of the Merced County Board of Supervisors and I chair the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC). I serve on the Executive Committees of the Local Government Commission (LGC) and the San Joaquin Valley Policy Council, as well as the State Board of Directors for The California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions (CALAFCO).

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Damon Connolly, Supervisor
Marin County

October 19, 2020

What motivated you to enter public service?

My passion from age 12 was to become a lawyer. I’ve always enjoyed making the case and saw law as a path to make a difference. It was a natural fit to become interested in public service. I joined the California Attorney General’s Office early in my career. My work included serving on the AG’s Energy Task Force to get relief for our state from the energy crisis of 2000-01. I had the pleasure of serving on our local school board when my daughters were young and then as a City Councilmember, opening my eyes to the satisfaction of local service.

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Molly Rattigan, Deputy CEO/Director of Housing and Homeless Services
Napa County

October 12, 2020

Please describe your role with Napa County:

I manage housing and homeless services programs including Whole Person Care, homeless shelters in the county, housing navigation and placement, farmworker centers, down payment and rental assistance programs, and county investments in affordable housing development. Additionally I play a role in County communications and intergovernmental affairs with the federal, state and other local agencies, and oversee certain aspects of fire recovery and COVID-19 response activities.

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Don Ashton, Chief Administrative Officer
El Dorado County

October 5, 2020

El Dorado County CAO Don Ashton kicks off our Membership Monday series to showcase excellence in county service. We asked Don a wide variety of questions about life and County service. Here are some highlights.

What motivated you to enter public service?

Honestly, I didn’t study hard enough in college to do what I originally wanted….to obtain a Masters in Physical Therapy. As a result, I had to find my quickest way out of college and that was to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Environment Management.