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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJune 2018 SLOWhatSLOWHAT Employee Newsletter I June 2018 Ar 41, -.1 June SLO What -SLO Down to Speed Up! Hello everyone and Happy June! As we're moving closer to wrapping up the end of our 17-18 fiscal year, I wanted to discuss some of my aspirations for the upcoming year. In previous months I've discussed the changes and challenges that are approaching our organization, such as: the Motion Project and the closure of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Powerplant. In addition to recognizing these changes and challenges, I've discussed change management and our partnership with Sierra -Cedar, but this month I'd like to discuss another tactic and strategy that can help us work more efficiently: "slowing down to speed up': Slowing down to speed up is a tactic used by many professional individuals in order to work more efficiently and communicate more effectively. The overall idea is that while working at a continuous fast pace might seem more beneficial in terms of overall productivity, it actually hinders some of the basic skills needed to work in a team like setting where communication is so important. Let's face it, there is a lot going on and there are new people and new people in new roles and taking the time of being clear on details is critical. The process of slowing down to speed up involves taking a break from the continuous fast pace to analyze your work as a whole. * Are you just tackling task after task without understanding the bigger picture? * Are you effectively communicating your progress or questions with your team and supervisors? By stopping and trying to answer these questions, you can gauge how you are doing. If you answer "no" to any of these questions you know that you slowing down may be beneficial your team, yourself and the work that you do for our community. One of our Values is communication and it is one of the most essential duties of our jobs. Whether it be to the Community, Council, or each other, we need to ensure that we are putting our best foot forward and communicating to the best of our abilities. When we take the time to slow down, we can ensure that we are using the most appropriate tactics to meet our own individual expectations and those that our organization has established for us. While moving quickly through our jobs and tasks may seem opportune in the short term, in the long term it can impair our ability to engage in long term thinking, miss important details and impact the organization. If we get in the habit of pausing, evaluating and questioning our own work, and checking in with each other it can help with overall engagement and effectiveness. One of the best tools when embarking on a team assignment is to prepare a project plan. Project plans activate critical thinking and spur conversation and discussion about important aspects of your project or program. What is the objective of the project? Who are the stakeholders? Who is the decision maker? What is the budget? What is the schedule? What are the risks and opportunities? These simple questions are examples that can help you and your team navigate issues and take the time to slow down to speed up. Below, please find the FY 2018-2019 Learning and Organization Development Program Elements offered by our partners, The Centre for Organization Effectiveness. These trainings can be a great way to slow down while gaining valuable skills such as Change Management, Operational and Performance Excellence, and Leadership and Management Academy trainings. Keep an eye out in your emails for dates for these upcoming trainings and if you have any questions, reach out to Human Resources. THE CENTRE C*10KWORGANIZATIGN EFFECTIVEN ESS CrrY OF son S S City of San Luis Obispo Learning and Organization Development Program Elements FY 2078-2079 Alumni Day At Alumni Day, graduates from Foundations in Excellence, START, Supervisors Academy, Man agernent Acade my, and Leadersliip Academy will attend a day full of discussion{ and interactive exercises revolving ar-ound what has been learned and applied from the different leadership academies. Targeted Trainings These standalone works hops wiII cover topics. such as; % DISC/St rengtllsApplying the Knowledge + Change Managernent/Resiliency + Operational/Performance Excellence Regional Foundations in Excellence A two-day program that will focus on strengths, sphere of influence, emotional intelligence, resiliency, and much more. Regional START Over two -days, this program discusses what it means to be a supervisor, how to make that transition, and how to dea: with practical issues, Regional Supervisors Academy During this six-day program (spread over 2--3 months), participants will learn about strengths, emotional intellrgence, trust, trine management, facilitation, project management, strategic planning and much more. Regrogal Management Academy This six-day program (spread over 2-3 months), dives into leadership, strategic th i n ki ng, group dynamics, critical conversation, and ethics, along with many other topics. Lead ershi p Acadc-my Over six -days (spread over 2-3 rnonths), this program i nciudes topics such as innovative leadership, performance improvement, process rnapping, and athertopics that Evill result in a work-related, project. Presentations Workshop This one -dad{ training focuses on the requirements needed for Certified Public Manager Credential. Whether it be a quick walk around the block or a breath of fresh air, slowing down from time to time can be the perfect accelerator ofyour productivity. It is also essential for our personal health and aligns with our SLO Healthy and Smart philosophy. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. Happy June! Sincerely, Derek Johnson City Manager Do What You Love, Love What You Do Confucius probably has the best longstanding quote about "do what you love' His words, "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life;' have been repeated throughout history. In the past four years the City has invested in its Leadership and Learning Academy to help participants learn, develop, and explore aspects of themselves and their work to help set the stage for "doing what you love" and loving what you do. Over 150 of you have participated in Foundations in Excellence, Supervisor Academy, Manager Academy (aka Leadership Lab), and trainings on behavioral styles using the DISC indicator and Strengths Finder. There have been sessions on Managing Transitions, Delegation, Effective Meeting Management, Conflict Resolution, Facilitation Skills, and Managing the Soon to Retire. We believe this investment in your professional development, correlates directly with the fact that almost 55% of our job opportunities are filled internally through our Employment Opportunity Program (EOP). The investment will continue in 2018-19 with a focus on regional offerings, including a new Leadership Academy (please see Learning and Organization Development Program Elements chart in Derek's article above). Much of the work through the Leadership and Learning Academy is grounded in Strengths with the premise being that if you listed all the work you do in a week with the activities you "loved" on one side of the paper and the activities you "loathed" on the other side of the sheet, you could start to identify your natural talents or strengths by looking at what it takes to get the work done that you love to do. Marcus Buckingham, co-author of "Now, Discover Your Strengths" says that strengths aren't what you are good at and weaknesses aren't what you are bad at. Good and bad describes performance, but strengths or talents are what you prefer. Do we typically perform better when we do things we naturally prefer or have a tendency toward? Sure, which is why we try to align our work with our Strengths and when we do we are more inclined to feel that we "love what we do': For more information on these concepts check out this short video or this longer one. As you consider your Strengths and the opportunities ahead of you and our organization think about the words of Warren Buffet, "Take a job that you love" or of Maya Angelou, "...pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can't take their eyes off of you" I tti 11 • r y CI'*t Yployee Picnic Saturday, August 25th, 2018 Cuesta Park 10:00am-3:OOpm * BBQ * Volleyball * Wiffle Ball * Employee Recognition Ceremony * Horse Shoes * Face Painting * ...AND much more!.. = _r CONTEST: Here is your chance to win a friendly competition. The department with the highest percentage of attendees will receive a FREE breakfast, lunch, or snack bar! J *� %%*% Ah \ 0!0 61011116 ACCOUNTING ADMIN rigitte Brigitte Elke Tavy Garcia Accountant Interim Finance Director Lynn Covey Senior Alex Ferreira Accountant Traci Kawaguchi Budget Manager Accountant Rico Pardo Accounting Manager Controller Vinay.lathanna Michael Reniere Technology Projects Manager Accounting Assistant Payroll Cheryl Blair Allison Richards Accounting Assistant Business Systems Analyst Accounts Payable PURCHASING 61011116 REVENUE Eric Geddes System Integration Administrator FMika McGee mi - Mika Assistant Barbara Hage Lorraine Colleran Marjorie Hernandez Lisa Boatman Accounting Assistant Accounting Assistant Supervising Accounting Accounts Payable Administrative Assistant Assistant WFJO WE AMD E ADMIN rigitte Brigitte Elke Interim Finance Director Alex Ferreira Budget Manager Vinay.lathanna Technology Projects Manager Cheryl Blair Business Systems Analyst REVENUE Eric Geddes System Integration Administrator FMika McGee mi - Mika Assistant Barbara Hage Lorraine Colleran Marjorie Hernandez Lisa Boatman Accounting Assistant Accounting Assistant Supervising Accounting Accounts Payable Administrative Assistant Assistant WFJO WE AMD E SUN MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT 11 1 2 John Murphy, Utilities David Hix, Utilities 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Jesse Nolasco-Ramos, IT Evan Stradley, Police Crystal Locarnini, Cheryl Blair, Finance Michael Clinite, Fire Jordan Hopkins, Phyllis Simpson, Timothy Koznek, Police Police Diane Lawson, Utilities Public Works Public Works Richard Murphy, Nicki Fowler, Public Works Parks & Rec 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Traci Kawaguchi, Caleb McCormack, Michelle Hafner, HR Finance William Humphrey, Police Jeff Cannon, Utilities Public Works Andrea Pease, Admin 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 -rek Johnson, Admi ura Matthieu, Utilities Miguel Guardado, IT Robert Estrada, Andrew Mora, Randal Stevenson, eg Hermann, Admii i Public Works Utilities Utilities Athew Anderson, ilities ?4 25 26 27 28 29 30 •egory Benson, Poli :e Robert Bisson, Fire Miguel Lozano, Hayley Sabatini, Niels Grether, Parks & Rec iristine Wallace, Police Police Parks & Rec lam Stahnke, Polic 11 July SUN MON STIR m 1 2 "eresa Purrington, =ity Clerk 8 9 Joseph O'Donnell, Utilities 5 16 Michael Reniere, Aolly Brown, Fire Finance Michael Tate, Utilities 2 23 seph Little, Utilitie hn Millar, Utilities 9 30 STIR m YEAh.-3 OF SERVICE 2 Years Jesse Nolasco-Ramos, IT Cara Vereschagin, CDD Brian Nelson, Public Works Scott Lee, Public Works Robert Estrada, Public Works 3 Years Joseph Hurni, Police Michael Labarbera, Public Works Brittani Roltgen, HR 4 Years Kurt Long, Utilities Kyle Van Leeuwen, CDD Shawn Tucker, Parks & Rec 5 Years Megan Weeks, Public Works 6 Years Kathleen Hix, Public Works Jason Beres, Fire 8 Years Ryan Dale, Utilities 10 Years Jacob Davison, Public Works Miguel Guardado, IT Barbara Hage, Finance 11 Years Ralph Garcia, Public Works 12 Years Jeffery Kline, Public Works Meghan Tolley -Burger, Parks & Rec Bryan Wheeler, Public Works 13 Years Ralph Otte, Admin 14 Years Christopher Felt, Public Works 17 Years John Villanti, Police Jeffrey Booth, Police 19 Years Edward Humphrey, Utilities 21 Years Glenn Lubak, Utilities 29 Years David Hix, Utilities L dPeo erving P�aA&k,%k1AnijE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thank you SLO City and Urban Forest Services. The tree is beautiful. I can't wait to plan my next trip to SLO and see it again. I don't have the words to thank you for the new tree, your thoughtfulness and follow up. It is a place that made me feel closer to my mom than anywhere else. I don't have those same feelings where she is buried. It means so much to me to now have a new beautiful redwood to honor her instead. It is such an appropriate tree with a massive one growing in the yard where she grew up. Mike Johnson is a true blessing to those who have trees to memorialize their families. His kindness has touched my family and my friends and will not be forgotten. Thanks hardly feels like enough to show our gratitude. With sincerest thanks, Marilyn Pats on the Back . . ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ . ■ "Caught You Doing Something Safe" Winner.... • The Safety Committee chose another winner for the "Caught You Doing Something Safe" ■ drawing at the last Safety Committee Meeting! • The winner is.... BRITTANI ROLTGEN from HR. Her nomination was for reporting ■ unsafe side walk conditions. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ F ■ ■ pow - The "Caught You Doing Something Safe" March winner was BRENT INGLEHART from ■ ■ Police for wearing a safety vest at a traffic at night. Prepared by the PW Communications Committee Left to right: Brian Nelson, Mike McGuire, Jennifer Lawrence, Kathleen Hix, Hai Nguyen, Violeta Esparza-Reniere, Richard Burde, Shelsie Kloepper What's New in Capital Improvements Proiect Engineering The CIP Engineer division has recently seen extensive staff transitions and changes. Since June 2016, a total of seven new (and new-ish) staff members have begun working with the program due to vacancies resulting from retirements, inter -departmental transfers, and other job opportunities. Managing these staff transitions have presented numerous yet exciting challenges, and we are fortunate as a City to attract talented individuals that will help us succeed as an organization dedicated to a high quality of public service. Our newest staff members are Hai Nguyen, Shelsie Kloepper, Richard Burde, and Lyle Nemeth. Hai is a Professional Engineer (PE) and most recently worked at Tetra Tech, where he designed infrastructure maintenance and replacement projects for agencies on the Central Coast. Shelsie worked for Community Development prior to coming on board with PW and brings a strong background in development review and knowledge of City process. Richard, also a PE, worked in the Bay Area primarily on land development projects, many of which included post construction storm water requirements, a skill that we plan to capitalize on. Lyle comes from a previous position with Kiewit, a large construction firm, and we will be utilizing his combination of engineering and constructiorknowledge through his work with both CIP Engineering and the construction division. We are very fortunate to have these individuals on the team and are excited to see the contributions they make to the City! What We Do How We Do It Why We Do It Preserving and enhancing city infrastructure for an Partnering for excellence, providing results. Inspiring you to have the best day you've ever had. accessible, safe, and inclusive community experience. CIP Engineering: Proiects and Services Within the past year, CIP Engineering has been working hard to deliver Capital Improvement projects to the City. Engineering staff are working on delivering a total of 85 public works infrastructure projects ranging from high profile street paving and complete streets projects to minor maintenance projects such as HVAC replacements and exterior re -painting of City owned facilities. The total design and construction costs of all these improvements is estimated to be $22 million. Small Sampling of Completed Proiects in FY ' 17: Madonna — LOVR Rehabilitation Project: This $2.7 million project included maintenance sealing of Los Osos Valley Road and Madonna Road, including portions with full reconstruction. Existing road conditions ranged from good to poor, requiring several types of pavement rehabilitation techniques. In addition to pavement maintenance work, this project enhanced the City's multimodal transportation improvement goals by installing ADA compliant sidewalk curb ramps and substantial roadway striping changes to improve safety for bicycles, including new green and buffered bike lanes. Sinsheimer Park Playground Renovation: Opening in November of 2017, the revamped playground at Sinsheimer Park has children rejoicing. It has an all new large centerpiece with a tower, multiple slides, and swings. It even has a miniature zip line and a grass hill for carboard sledding, and a climbing wall! The new park meets ADA guidelines for accessibility and includes new walkways, picnic tables and water filling stations. Since opening, children and parents have flocked to the new park and it was even featured in the SLO Tribune. Reservoir Canyon Bridge: If you've ever hiked the Reservoir Canyon trail, then you know of the waterfall near the start of the trailhead. This new pultruded fiberglass bridge crosses the creek at the top of the waterfall and was installed in February in only three weeks. Once the bridge was in place, the parks rangers constructed granite steps leading to the bridge deck. Go take a hike and check it out! Small Sampling of Ongoing Proiects: Meadow Park Pedestrian Bridges Replacement - Replacement of bridges at Meadow Park Concrete Streets and Accessibility Improvements Project - Paving of Dana Street and Reconstruction of intersections at Palm/Toro and Palm/Johnson. Pickleball Courts - Replacement of the basketball courts at French Park with three new pickleball courts. The basketball court will be relocated to the volleyball court. Police Station Concept Plan - Originally constructed in 1969, the SLO police station has now outgrown its useful life. CII' Engineering is working with PD and consultants to develop a conceptual replacement plan for the existing location. What We Do How We Do It Why We Do It Preserving and enhancing city infrastructure for an Partnering for excellence, providing results. Inspiring you to have the best day you've ever had. accessible, safe, and inclusive community experience. CITY OF S L + PUBLIC WORKS PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS A srniP awrrpWng ofthe nmrilavignoe your Prjbkc WbrAs f}gm67wrd provides far Sha Gaffmwrr V a�ucr.�ac oa wcerFa 52% 75°moo 1 What We Do How We Do It Why We Do It Preserving and enhancing city infrastructure for an Partnering for excellence, providing results. Inspiring you to have the best day you've ever had. accessible, safe, and inclusive community experience. FIRE DEPARTMENT SAFETY MESSAGE As we embark on yet another fire season, there have been several recent tragic lessons learned from the destruction witnessed last season. One of these lessons is the ability to be notified of evacuation orders. Historically, counties have utilized a Reverse 911 system to send out emergency messages to all land lines in a specific geographical area. As times have changed, less and less people have land lines and more rely on mobile phones as their only form of communication. Subsequently, to improve emergency personnel's ability to reach a larger amount of people, the County of San Luis Obispo utilizes the same system where the public can also self -register their cellular phone numbers. The Reverse 911 system is managed by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department and can be used county -wide. Although the system is used primarily for disasters which require the public to take action, it may also be utilized in other emergencies such as high risk missing persons. The Fire Department recommends that everyone registers their cellular phone numbers for the County Sheriff's Department Emergency Notification System. If you are interested, it only takes a couple minutes to sign up, and you can do it right here! Also, for more information to help prepare for wildfire, please take time to review the Ready, Set Go! Program. You can download it here, or pick up a copy at Fire Station 1 to help put together your personal wildfire action plan. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY -NC -SA YOUR PERSONAL WILDFIRE ACTION PLAN pal SLO Police Department Updates SLO PD is pleased to welcome two new Communication Technicians! Katherine Mercer Lauren Henry Officers Claudia Molina and Israel Villanueva showing support for Scout Troop 322's pancake breakfast. (Photos Courtesy of Sergeant Jeff Booth) • Day of Welcome Participants May 23, 2018 Top Row: Joseph Cox, Joe Parzanese, Kyle Van Leeuwen, Kelsey Hitchen, Jordan Reece Bottom Row: Chris Nichols, Ava Morales -Davis, Emma Kleeman, Katherine Mercer, Lauren Henry M Thank you to all who attended SLOFit Open House! The SLO Fitness Facility is a great opportunity to get and/or remain healthy and active. Best of all, it is free and available 24/7 for City Employees. There were 41 attendees, and the lucky winner of the $50 Dick's Sporting Goods gift card was Bryan Chen! Feel free to come check out the various amenities the wellness room offers! Wellness Wednesday Come join us for an exciting and informative lunch and learn on time management! • M ny employees work long hours while juggling extra responsibilities and experiencing overload in their personal lives. • Our hectic schedules can cause us to lose enthusiasm and motivation to complete daily tasks, but by enhancing time management skills, we can cultivate joy and achieve balance in our lives. • It's also easy to fall victim to common distractions causing that 20 -minute task to turn into a two-hour project. • Learning to manage your time can help you beat work overload, be more effective, and achieve more throughout the day. r__.3 Improving your time management skills can help you to: • Meet your deadlines • Have a sense of control over your productivity • Improve your quality of work • Separate meaningful activities from meaningless activities • Do more in less time Come and develop and individualized time management strategy that will decrease stress, be more punctual, flexible, and successful in reaching the goals you set for yourself! STATE CAPITOL P.O. BOX 942849 SACRAMENTO, CA 94249-0035 (918) 319-2035 FAX (916) 319.2135 DISTRICT OFFICE 444 HIGUERA STREET, SUITE 100 SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93401 (805) 549.3381 FAX (805) 549-3400 May 3, 2018 SrATP r- a a JORDAN CUNNINGHAM ASSEMBLYMEMBER, THIRTY-FIFTH DISTRICT City of San Luis Obispo Transit Division 29 Prado Road San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Dear Sir or Madam, COMMITTEES CO-CHAfR: ETHICS VICE CHAIR: JUDICIARY VICE CHAIR: RULES BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS UTILITIES AND ENERGY SELECT COMMITTEES CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND BUILDING A 21sT CENTURY WORKFORCE CYBERSECUHITY JOINT COMMITTEE CLIMATE CHANGE POLICIES On behalf of the 35th Assembly District, congratulations on being named Outstanding Transportation Agency for 2018 by CaIACT and being honored with the 2017 Project of the Year — Sustainable Initiatives Award by the American Public Works Association. Thank you for all you do to serve our community. l look forward to watching SLO Transit continue to grow and thrive in San Luis Obispo. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can ever be of assistance to you. Congratulations once again, it is an honor to represent you in the State Assembly. Sincerely, Jordan Cunningham Assembly Member, 35th District Printed on Recycled Paper PAG � PRdF�SSIdNAL ASSOCIATION FOR CITY �NiPLOYT=i=S 1 11 jg("�A H(Dwx@ juOw 11, 201 Fun! 12pcl 0030P Thanks for being a part of PACE! ���� o 1== a�T_ w Jack House is located at 536 Marsh Street RSVP Free for all PACE Members! $15: non -PACE Ow Join an AWARD WINNING team! Become a PACE Board Member! • Build valuable relationships with fellow board members and City employees! • Grow as a leader within the City of SLO! • Monthly Board Meeting Luncheons • Annual Team Building Retreat for Board Members The PACE Board 2017-18 Legacy Project was sponsoring a hydration station at Sinsheimer Park! PAC E PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR CITY EMPLOYEES Our Mission: To provide professional growth and leadership development opportunities and related activities which promote teamwork, camaraderie and open communication among employees at all levels and contribute to the effectiveness of the City organization and community. Offices up for election: President Secretary Professional Vice President Member Relations Development Election process: An electronic ballot election will take place the week of June 181h and new officers will be sworn in at the PACE Membership Appreciation Picnic on July 111h. If you are interested in running for one of the offices, please email Jennifer Rice at Trice@slocity.org. We look forward to welcoming you to the Board! • Histor of SLO: Pioneers'Story WITH JOSEP CAROTENUTI, CITY HISTORIAN/ARCHIVIST Walter Murray We're pleased to have an opportunity to welcome one of our community's foremost pioneer, Walter Murray, at the suggestion of Judge William Beebee. A local legend, Walter traveled from England to help establish the civic foundations of the county seat. "Thank you for this opportunity and thank you to Judge Beebee. He and I share some life experiences in the judicial system although he served much longer than I was able to realize. As for traveling from Europe, you must talk with Jake Simmler to discover someone who traveled even further to here' Thank you for the suggestion. But for today, we'd appreciate your recalling just how you managed to arrive in San Luis Obispo in 1849 to spend the rest of your adult years? "It certainly was an adventure as wishing to come to California and doing so involved many years and included being in battles in Mexico. However, I'm anticipating. Let me first mention how very upset I was when I finally waded ashore at Avila. Initially, I simply wanted to move on to almost anywhere else. In those early years, this was not a place you would want to stake your fortune or raise a family or even try to earn an honest income. Indeed, I found myself deeply involved in the Vigilance Committee to bring some semblance of safety to the community." I'm sure this will make an interesting discussion, but we'd like to hear how you came from England to California? (Note: Murray was born in England in 1826) "I left England for America when I was 17 after beginning my studies as a barrister. I had long dreamed of coming to the new country but didn't have the funds to fulfill my dreams. As it happened, I wasn't the only young man who longed for this country. As a member of a club of young clerks, I contributed to pooling resources to finance the trip for one of the members. Good fortune smiled upon me as my name was drawn by lot and so I departed for Boston aboard a ship that at best was barely seaworthy." Did you continue your law studies in Boston? "I wish I had but instead I worked for a publication called the Mechanic Apprentice for three years and learned an entirely different skill. In reality, while I was unaware of it at the time, both the law and the press became important factors in my later life. Being young and enterprising, I still wanted to explore more of this country - especially California — but still didrit have the resources to make the dangerous trip from the east cost to the west. Remember, the only way to travel was by land over mostly unchartered and dangerous routes or around the Cape that proved fatal for many. It was a five to eight-month trip sailing around the tip of South America covering about 18,000 nautical miles' Thank you. It must have been a demanding voyage but we need to stop for now but look forward to your continuing your remembrances. Contact: jacarotenuti@gmail.com Visit: wwwjoefromslo.com 06/2018