Letter: Report shows county in motion
In the words of the county’s chief admini-
strative officer, the best organizations in the nation don’t stand still.
“They keep evolving and challenging their operations,” CAO Helen Robbins-Meyer says. “The County of San Diego is maturing into a world-class organization because it is a county in motion.”
Our County of San Diego Annual Report for 2014-15 shows the great progress we have made.
The county government is on a mission to efficiently provide public services that build strong and sustainable communities. And while our work is never done, this annual report shows we are accomplishing that mission.
We have enlisted more than 140 organizations as partners in our regional wellness initiative, Live Well San Diego. I take pride in having recognized dozens of our Live Well Partners with official county proclamations. New partners include the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation, San Diego Botanic Garden and the Surfing Madonna Oceans Project in Encinitas.
Working with our partners, we have expanded assistance for Alzheimer’s disease patients and their caregivers and have dedicated resources to support research for a cure. We have stepped up monitoring of long-term care facilities.
On the public safety front, 2014-15 brought reductions in crime in areas covered by our Sheriff’s Department. Meanwhile, our Probation Department is seeing reductions in the juvenile population it houses as a result of compre-
hensive re-entry programs, the report shows.
We have added aircraft to our firefighting fleet and have secured funding to bring more crews to the fire lines.
We have approved funding for supportive housing for mentally ill people and have increased the number of teams that respond to crisis situations. This year, the Board of Supervisors voted to adopt Laura’s Law, which allows court-ordered treatment of severely mentally ill people who refuse care and present a risk to themselves or others.
The county’s North Inland Live Well Center opened this summer in Escondido. The county also supported the opening of the Hawthorne Veterans and Family Resource Center in Escondido.
The report shows we earned 43 achievement awards from the National Association of Counties, and a Grand Golden Watchdog award from the San Diego Taxpayers Association for our efforts to streamline solar permitting.
Our strong fiscal management remains a point of great pride, as reflected in our Triple A bond ratings. To view the report, visit www.sdcountyannualreport.com.
Dave Roberts represents the Third District on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.