County of Santo Clqrq

DECEMBER

Employee Newsletter

LINE

20,1996

I{o[i[q

tulessag e-from

tfie County

fucutive

December marks not only the beginning
of the holiday season but also the end of
another year.

FOR THE NEW YEAR:

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF

It has been a difficult year to be a public
servant. The national and state elections
were at times mean-spirited and divisive.
The rynical public response to the candidates and the issues frequently brought
tg our attention the depth of distrust that
many citizens feel towards govemment
in general, and toward public officials in
particular.

DIRECT DEPOSIT
As port of the benefits for oll coded
employees, the Countyof Sonto Cloro
offers direct deposit of poychecks to
checking ond sovings occounts. This
progrom will electronicolly deposit
your poychecks to these occounts
ond will sove you the time ond effort

of moking deposits ot finonciol

It is important to recognize the public's
RICHARDWTTENBERG
frustration and workwith our "customers"
in a constructive manner so that we can retain their trust. However, it is
equally important for public employees to be recognized for the good
work they do every day in performing critical services in the community.

institutions. In otherwords, no more
woiting in lines ond worrying obout
rushing bock to work!
Direct deposit is ollowed with ony
bonk, sovings ond loon or credit

of 1996, we would like to take this opportunity
to thank you for your hard and consistent work throughout the year. The
Board of Supervisors and I appreciate the high level of professionalism
that each of you bring to your job, and the dedication which you show in
performing often difficult tasks, frequently on behalf of some of the neediest residents of our County. We rely on your day-to-day efforts, and we
are confident that we can improve the public perception's of govemment
if we can continue to work together to prclvide top qualify service.
So as we come to the end

union in the U.S. thot

is o member

the Automated Cleoring

of

House

(ACH) of the Federol Reserve System.
Deposits will usuolly post to your
occount on the County's normol poy

doy, olthough some finoncial

institutions hove their own posting
schedules.

Of course, encouragement alone is not always enough to rejuvenate the
soul. The holidays can provide us with a well-deserved rest from the
pressures of the workplace. It is important for you to take some time
during the holidays to be with those loved ones, extended family members
and good friends who care for you, Iift your spirits, and remind you of the

Your entire poycheck must

be
deposited to the occounts thot you
designote for direct deposit. Deposits
con only be sent to one checking
occount or one savings occount, or to
both o checking ondsovings occount.

joys of the season.
ryVhatever your

holiday traditions, I hope they bring much joy to you and
your family. I also wish you all a wonderfull997, and hope that it brings
you much professional satisfaction and personal happiness.

(You connot hove direct deposit to
more thon one checking or more
thon one sovings occount.) Also, if
you wish to deposit funds to both o
checking ond sovings occount, the

My very best,

deposits must be stoted os

Rjcfiarf'lilittenfierg

GSA ]P]R]INIIIING

o

percentoge ofyour poycheck, not os
o fixed dollor omount.

SIEIRVITC]ES

GOIES "ON.ILIIN

IE''

To enroll in this progrctm, complete

GSA Printing Services is plonning on informotionol moteriol, you should ottend
open House for eorly in 1997 ond you this fun ond informotive open house. You
ore invited! They will be demonstroting will follow o printing iob from o typicol

on Automotic Poyroll Deposit
Authorizotion (MS-G) Form ond
submit it to the Poyroll Unit of the

copobilities.

obtoined from your deportment's
poyroll/personnel unit.The first

theirNetworkDocutech Publishingsystem workslotion to the ocluol copying pioc"tt
on the Docutech Publishing System.

Find out how you, your deportment, ond
GSA Printing Services con work together

to expedite your copying

needs

electronicolly. Leorn how the digitol oge

impocts

oll of the printing

industry.
Whether you odminister forms for your
deportment or generote forms ond

Everyone is welcome! Refreshments will be
ovoiloble os well os o tour of GSI Printing
Services' 20,000 squore footfocility. Wotch
your PONY moil for informotion qbout the
dqle ond other detoils, so you con reserye

your spot for this exciting qnd informotive
event

Finonce Agency. MS-C forms con be

deposit will begin opproximotely two
to three poy periods ofter this form is
received by the Poyroll Unit. If ot ony

time you wish to chonge the
percentoges of your direct deposit,

chonge finonciol institutions, or
concel direct deposit, just complete
and submit onother MS-G form.

OMLINE

ASoIute to

D@

BoordMembers

ln

1997, the Boord of Supervisors will undergo o moior chonge. At the end of this montih, Sonto
Clcra County will say good-bye to three long-time members. In o finol tribute, we would like to shore
with you their mqny occomplishments, os well os their thoughts utrxln lenving County service.

A ProfiIe of

obused ond neglected kids. In oddition,

Dianne McKenne

she choirs the Children ond Youth
Services f oint Conference Committee,
which develops policies ond progroms
for children ond fomilies. The School
Linked Services progrom wos initioted
by this committee, ond is something
Dionne believes is the wove of the
future in providing county services.
Finolly, Dionne is olso known for her

work on environmentol ond con-

I

DIANNEMCKENNA

When Dionne McKenno leoves the
Boord of Supervisors ot the end of
December, she will hove reoched on
impressive milestone
neorly 20
continuous years in -locol elected
office. But more impressive is her
record of leodership on mony locol
projects thot will hove o losting
impoctonthe quolityof life in Sonto
Cloro County.
Dionne McKenno was fi rst elected to
the Sonto Cloro County Boord of
Supervisors in 7984, ofter serving
seven yeors on the Sunnyvole City
Council. During her 12 yeors on the
Boord she hos developed o speciol
interest ond well-known expertise in

three porticulor oreos: tronsportotion, children, ond environ-

servotion issues. She led the Generol
Plon Review Advisory Committee
which completed its work of reviewing
ond updoting lond use plons ond
policies in 1994. As Choir of the Solid
Woste Commission of Sonto Cloro
County, Dionne initioted efforts for
countywide rerycling of moteriols by
households ond businesses.

The County hos undergone o
metomorphosis. We hove hod to
reduce expenditures while mointoining, or in some instonces
increosing, essentiol services. In
response to this chollenge, the
County hos become more progressive

ond innovotive ond chonged the
woys we do business. Some of the
proiects thot I hove initioted ore
becouse the County hos hod to grow
ond chonge. It is rewording to be o

port of dynomic chonge.

Whot accomplishments ore you
the most proud of?
The County is beginning to odopt
privote sector proctices referred to os
CPM (Comprehensive Performonce
Monogement). A results oriented

monogement system, CPM will
Dionne's hordwork ond leodership in
eoch of these three orms hos

culminoted in severol speciol

recognitions ond occomplishments
during her finol yeor in office. She
currently serves os choirperson of the
Boord of Supervisors, the Metropoliton
Tronsportotion Commission, ond the
Sonto Cloro Volley Tronsportotion
Authority. In oddition, lost foll she
witnessed the grond opening of the
New Children's Shelter ofter 1.O yeors
of fundroising ond odvococy on its
beholf.

chonge the woy progrom decisions
ore mode. More importontly, however, is thot it is estoblishing o new

employee/monogement relotionship. Monogers ond employees ore

being troined to work

As o port of CPM, the GSA Focilities
stoffworked with my office to develop o performonce bosed, long-term

plon for focilities mointenonce. At
the budget heorings in fune, I
presented

Herplonsforthe future include: jogging
ot Roncho Son Antonio County Pork;
reoding onything thot doesn't hove o
staple in the upper left-hond corner;

ond spending time with her

5

grondchildren.

mentol pJcnning.

in ioint

committees to solve problems ond
improve service.

o plon to

oddress pre-

ventive mointenonce ond reduce
future growth in the bocklog.
Investing in our focilities willyield o
significont finonciol return ond ot
the some time meet our obligotion
t0 provide sofe, quolity conditions
for county employees ond the public.

thinking obout leoving public office,
Dionne soid, "l will truly miss oll the
tolented ond dedicoted people who
work forthe County. They hove mode
my 12 yeors ot the County productive
ond enioyoble. They exemplify the
best in public servonts."
In

lnthe fieldof tronsportotion, she led
the successful merger of the
Congestion Monogement Agenry
ond the Tronsit District Boord. At
the Metropoliton Tronsportotion
Commission, she guides the regionol
efforts for plonning ond ollocoting
fu nding for tronsportotion projects.
She wos olso o founding member of
the Peninsula Commute Service foint
Powers Boord, which operotes the
commuterroil service from Gilroyto
Son Froncisco.

Dionne hos been o committed
odvocote for children ond youth.
She is o member of the New
Children's Shelter Boord of Trustees,
o public-privote effort thot built the

new County Children's Shelter for

An Interview with
Mike Honda
Mike Honda was first elected to the Santa
Clara County Board of Supervisors in 1990.
Mike wiII Ieave the Board this month when he
becomes a member of the State Assembly,
repre senting District 2 3.

Whot ore some of your thoughts
when you look bock ot your time on
the Boord of Supervisors?

I hove
leomed o greot deol obout women's
During the lost few yeors,

heolth ond worked to moke women's heolth issues o top priority. I'm
proud to hove sponsored o countywide women's heolth conference
focusing on heolth core services for
low-income ond minority women
between the oges of 40 ond 65. The
need for more mommogrophy units
become opporent during the
conference. I'm proud the County is
now purchosing ond instolling three
odditionol stotionory units to oid in
the eorly detection of breost concer.
Our new Troils Master Plon will creote
o legocy for current ond future
property owners ond troil users by
estoblishing o generol blueprint for
the development of troils throughout

Co MLINE
our volley. Troils contribute to the
chorocter of this volley ond the
quolity of life of oll our residents. I
om very proud of this accomplishment not iust for whot it will
develop, but olso for how it wos
ochieved. I led o bolonced committee
mode up ofboth propertyrights ond
troil odvocotes. The committee
conducted public meetings ond
outreoch directed specificolly to
londowners potentiolly offected by
the troil plon. We were oble to work
out differences ond come to
consensus on o plon to recommend
to the,.other Boord members for
approvol.
Any moior disoppointments?
I om disoppointed thot the Foimess
in Controcting Principles hos not, os

of the dote of this interview, been
approved by the Boord of Supervison.

In the spirit of CPM, I believe thot
odministrotion should demonstrote
its commitment to the lobormonogement portnership by putting

time into working on

issues

importont to both sides.

I om olso sod to be leoving my
position on the Boordof Supervisors.
I feel I hove grown ond chonged
olong with the County. I toke
comfort, though, in knowing thot
there is work to do ot the Stote level
which con benefit the County of
Sonto Cloro, ond I look forword to
working with the new Boord
members.

of Supervisors, the needs of County
ond locol government ore still o moior
issue for me. Locol entities wont ond

need more control of the progroms
ond the revenue which funds them. I
plon to work with the cities, counties,
ond school districts to develop ond

For exomple, I proposed the MoneyBock progrom to finonciolly reword

employees who find woys to moke
theirdeportment more efficient ond

identify independent sources of
revenues

Any finol messoge for County
employees?
The County con only be successful in
oddressing issues if it hos the support
ond input from the people who know
best, the employees. This is one of the

reosons I hove supported the development of CPM. Sonto Cloro County

benefits from innovotive ond
progressive ideos developed by its
employees. You ore on inspiration to

me ond I will never forget the work
ond effiort you put into mokirlg Sonto
Cloro County such o wonderful ploce
to work ond live in.

monogement ore involved in

A Message from

plonning deportmentgools ond obiectives through Comprehensive
Performance Monogement.

Ron Gonzales
I believe Sonto Cloro County will one
day be considered the best-run county
in the notion. In the lost eight years,

I've had the pleosure to work with
dedicoted ond tolented individuols
who represent the best in public

service.Together, we reinvented
Countygovemmentto moke ito ploce
where we con be proud to wolk.

Whot is one of the first things you
plon to oddress in the Stote
Legisloture?

wos done during difficulttimes. While

Even though I om leoving the Boord

services hos not.We remoin the sofety

Much of whotwe hove occomplished

the growth of county revenues hos
slowed, the demand for our importont
net for those who hove nowhere else to
turn ond we provide o lodder to those
who wish to i,mprove themselves.

I begon looking for woys to
improve seryice ond sove tox dollors,
I immediotely looked to you for help.
Several yeors ogo, I storted hoving
lunches with employees from nearly
every deportment. To dote, I've hod
the pleosure of meeting with over 2,0O0
individuols during these informol
gotherings. In these meetings, we
discussed problems the county foces
ond solutions we need to foce future
chollenges. Monyof you shored ideos
with me thot I thought would make
Sonto Cloro County o better ploce.
When

sove tox dollors. Some employees
hove alreody soved the County over
$300,0OO. Also

frontline workers and

When I wos Choir of the Boord, I
colled for the County to invest in

technology. Our investment in

technology hos improved customer
seryice ond reduced costs. Some of
the chonges we mode while reinventing government hove olso
helped us oddress importont issues
focing the County.

Our commitment to technology
chonged the woy we opprooch
criminol justice. Now the Sheriffs
deportment uses two stote-of-the-ort
progroms to protect victims of violent

crimes.The Victim Notificotion
System notifies victims of violent
crime when the ossoilonts ore
releosed from the County's iails ond

the Domestic Violence

Protective

Order Registry trocks restroining
orders countywide.
Together, we took significont steps
to improve the quolity of life in Sonto

Cloro County. With your help, we
will continue to moke mony positive
chonges to our community.
A County employee once osked me,
"If ourctrstomers hod o choice, would
they choose us? " County govemment
must continuolly osk thot question

if we ore to provide the excellent
services our customers deserve.

C" MLINE
The Boord of Supervisors recently

employees Armond Borreros, Suson

mentql Protection Agency's Green
Lights Progrom to promote

Sonchez, DooTron, RudyLaro, Ruby

approved joining the Environ-

upgrodes

of lighting quolity

throughout County focilities over the
nextyeor. The Green Lights Program
will ollow the County to implement
mony energy soving improvements
which provide employees ond the
public with o higher level of light
ond result in costsovings.The County
hos olreody mode greot progress in

improving energy efficiency in
County focilities. As o result of these
efforts, the County hos received more

thon $ 1 million in rebotes from
PG&E. Also in 1995, PG&E oworded
the County its single lorgest rebote
check for the yeor totoling $69 3,28O.

Chestnut, Marie Aroiza, Sylvia
Boroios, fone Luu, Cloudio Medino,
Ruby Price, Ngo Khuu, Rogue
Guerro, & fulie Le.
Congrotulotions to Morilyn PitmonWqite, o Sculptress ond o Heolth
Educotion Speciolist with the
Deportment ofAlcohol & Drug Services
(Prevention Div.), who wos commissioned by the DASIT Compony of
Milono, Itoly, to creote o sculpture of
their existing logo ond o new compony
logo for their new building. DASIT is

Mohamed Assof, Senior Focilities
Manoger, ond Kothryn Berry,
Deputy County Counsel for their
dedicoted efforts in working towords
this Iong-owoited ogreement.

Congrotulotions to Robert Cushmon of the CenterforUrbon Anolysis
in the County Executive's Office who
outhored o chopter in o newly
published book entitled Three Strikes
and You're Out: Vengeance as Public
Policy.Ihe chopter describes the effect
of the newlow on Iocol justice systems
ond highlights Sonto Cloro County's

on internotionol compony which

eorly efforts to bring together
representotives of the Courts, the

develops ond monufoctures medicol
equipment. Morilyn hos been invited
to ltoly to see her 6' morble creotion be
ploced in its permonent home.

District Attorney, the Public Defender
ond other justice agencies to onolyze
how the County's justice services will
be impocted.

The Sonto Cloro County Porks ond
Recreotion Deportment is pleosed to
onnounce thot o settlement ogreement
hos been reoched for the cleonup of
mercury contominotion ot Almoden
Quicksilver County Pork. After seven
yeors of environmentol studies ond
litigotion, the Stote of Colifornio hos
ogreed to o cleonup plon, ond the
beoutiful pork, which is filled with ook
trees, monzonito, deer ond howks will
once ogoin be open for public use in
December 7997. Ihe Porks Deportment wishes to ocknowledge ond thonk

Emmo Torrez, o member of the stoff

This post election, millions of
Colifornions found

it

eosier thon

ever to get concise, eosy to
understond election informotion
thonks to o gront to the Reoding
Progrom, the County librory's odult
Iiterocy service. With funding from
the Colifornio Stote Librory, odult
literocy students creoted the Easy
Reoder Voter Guide, which
simplified the Bollot Pomphlet from
the Secretory ofStote (111 poges) in
16 eosyto reod poges. The guide wos
reprinted ond distributed by severol
newspopers including the LA Times
ond the Son |ose Mercury News,
purchosed by mojor corporotions for
their employees, distributed by the
County Registror to 10,000 new

citizens 0t

noturolizotion

{

t.

ceremonies, purchosed by schools,
ond feotured on the Osgood File with
Chorles Osgood on CBS. The Eosy

t

ovoiloble on the Internet.

shelter for its opening ond to provide
ossistonce to clients. Hots off to SSA

_n^

C'MLINE

Notionol Literocy Volunteers of

Americo Conference. f omie

Distefqno, o volunteer tutor for the
Reoding Progrom hos been oworded

the Miss South Boy Cities title ond
will compete in the Miss Colifornio
contest in fune. She hos chosen
literocy os her public service project.

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$

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DANCING THEIR WAY TO GOOD HEALTH
Ken Hashimoto, Chief Physical Therapist for the California Children's Services Program at
SCVHHS, leads employees in the "Macarena" at the Festival of Fitness held in October.

NEWS

The Comline production schedule for 1997 hos not yet
been estoblished. The nexisubmission deodline islenl,olively
set for Jonuory 27. Send your Comline items to the editor
vio PONY (County Executive's Office, 7O W. Hedding St,
1 1th flr) or fox (295-16,l 3). For more informotion, phone
299-3800 x7O26.

EIIIT()R
Cala Liftle

Sundin

Leodership Troining Progrom ot the

{

or

th

Iiterocy students notionwide selected

to porticipote in the

re{."

Reoder Voter Guide wos olso

The stoff ot the Social Services
Agency Applicont Assistont Center
mode o speciol contribution to the
new InnVision homeless shelter.
Thirteen employees took vocotion
time from work to help prepore the

of the County Librory Reading
Progrom, wos one of ten odult

GRAPHIC DESIGI'I

PR()l)UCTI(!N

PRIlITING

Valerie Altham

Glenn Hopper

GSA Printing Services

PUBLISHED BY: Office ot the County Executive. Strategic Planning .Jane Decker, Director

SE

NEW NUMBERFORIOB LINE: ThC
new phone mrmber for the County Job

Lineis (408) 299-3016. The oldnumber
(299-2857) will no longer be used. The

|ob Line is a24-hour information line,

with recorded messages regarding
County job openings and transfer
opportunities.

@

A RECYCLED AND RECYCLABLE PAPER

@ urt