Membership Monday

August 30, 2021

Who is your hero?

Heroes are all around us. For example, my 19-year-old nieces as they find their path determining how to live their lives and contribute in a world of great challenges. The lady who put up a neighborhood food pantry box, the County worker who comforts and aides a child or adult going through trauma, the firefighters battling our constant wildfires, my boss whose integrity is unwavering, a colleague who can always ask us to consider the hard questions about equity when making decisions. There are always people we can respect, admire and emulate in ways both large and small.

August 2, 2021

What makes your county special?

Nothing can be accomplished alone. Stanislaus County’s success comes from a commitment to partnership and working together to improve the overall community. With a focus on prevention, representatives from local government, business, healthcare, non-profits, philanthropy, education, faith organizations, neighborhoods, media, arts, entertainment, and sports all come together to seek out creative solutions that promote the health and wellbeing of all residents.

July 5, 2021

What motivates you to work hard?

I am not afraid to admit that I am obsessed with our operations and believe in watching every detail. Walt Disney was quoted as saying, “There’s no magic in magic. It’s all in the details.” In my opinion, elections require extreme attention to detail, and my motivation centers on continual improvement. I wake up early every morning and think about the day before, asking myself, “How can we make today better than yesterday?”

May 31, 2021

Please describe your role with your County:

As Assessor, I am responsible for producing the annual assessment roll. Our mission is to provide exceptional customer service while accurately and fairly assessing all real and business property in a timely manner. With 528,705 assessable roll units, the work performed by the 266 appraisers, auditors, and other professionals on our team generates nearly $6 billion in property tax revenue annually, with $1 billion alone benefiting the County’s general fund.

May 17, 2021

Please describe your role with your County:

I am the elected Treasurer-Tax Collector for Monterey County. I oversee a department that consists of three units: Property Tax, Revenue Division, and Treasury.

The Property Tax Division collects all property tax, transient occupancy taxes (TOT), and commercial cannabis business taxes. The Revenue Division functions as an in-house collection service for various departments but mainly focuses on the collection of court-ordered fines and fees. Finally, the Treasury Division is the bank for the county, schools, and most special districts. We manage all types of banking services while overseeing a $2.2 billion pooled investment portfolio.

April 5, 2021

Please describe your role with your County:

I wear so many hats, it is a challenge to describe them all. My primary role is to be our CAO’s backup, represent management during labor negotiations, serve as a rotating Emergency Operations Center director and support the CAO department teams in the successful execution of their work. Currently, my other duties as assigned (A.K.A. hats), include project managing a Cannabis ordinance change project and covering analyst liaison roles for several departments until capacity is realigned.

March 8, 2021

Is your glass half-full, or half-empty?

I am an eternal optimist, so I would say half-full, but sometimes you need to ask yourself why the glass is only half-full. Either you aren’t doing everything you can and operating at your highest level of efficiency, or you might be using the wrong glass.

February 22, 2021

Please describe your role with your County:

At the Sutter County Museum we have two full-time staff members and one part-time. My title is Director/Curator, but our staff is so small I do many things- everything from organizing exhibits, planning educational programs, and promoting the museum to buying for our gift shop, managing our farmers market, and cleaning our fountain. If it needs doing, I’m likely the person doing it.

February 1, 2021

Please describe your role with your County.

As Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and the Budget Director for Butte County, I serve as a liaison between a number of County Departments and the CAO and function as the Budget Director for the County. In my role as Budget Director I oversee the budget process, debt management and general fund financial forecasting.