July is Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) Awareness Month | |
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Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) recognizes July as Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) Awareness Month to raise awareness of the challenges affecting the mental health of racial and ethnic groups in the United States as well as to acknowledge and explore issues concerning mental health and substance use disorders relative to minority communities. Studies suggest racial minority groups and sexual minority groups experience higher levels of anxiety, depression, suicidal tendencies, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health disorders.
BIPOC mental health presents challenges for racial and ethnic minority groups with regard to accessing and finding health care and provider representation. Other challenges include having to address negative perceptions about mental health care that may discourage people from seeking help as well as environmental factors such as experiencing or witnessing racial discrimination or violence that can cause stress and racial trauma.
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Mendocino County Strategic Plan | |
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In May 2022, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors approved the first five-year strategic plan that will help guide the critical decisions the Board of Supervisors will face over the next five years with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life for County residents. Departmental reporting will align with the strategic plan.
Click HERE to download the Strategic Plan.
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Departments and Divisions | |
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In light of the recent departure of the Animal Care Services Director, the Executive Office has initiated a comprehensive review of the services offered by Animal Care Services. This strategic effort aims to ensure full compliance with state-mandated requirements and to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of our programs.
As part of this review, we are conducting a detailed evaluation of existing services, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing necessary changes. On July 18, CEO Antle and Deputy CEO Cherie Johnson, held an All Staff meeting with Animal Care Services personnel to discuss the review process and gather valuable input.
Additionally, the Executive Office is in the process of scheduling meetings with the Inland and Coastal Humane Societies to explore potential collaborations and best practices that can inform our approach.
To further strengthen our review, we are researching animal care service models from surrounding counties. This comparative analysis will help us identify innovative strategies that can be adopted to improve service delivery, ensuring our Animal Care Services framework is both responsive and effective in meeting community needs while adhering to regulatory standards.
We are committed to enhancing Animal Care Services and look forward to sharing further updates as the review progresses.
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Help yourself to relieve stress by participating in regular exercise, eat a balanced diet, limit phone use and screen time, practice self-care, journal your thoughts and feelings, reduce caffeine intake, spend time with friends and family, create boundaries, and practice mindfulness that involves being fully present in the moment, observing your thoughts and feelings without judgment to help reduce stress, improve focus, and enhance overall well-being.
Click HERE to read more...
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The Mendocino County Department of Child Support Services strives to “Help Parents Invest in their Children”. Our mission is to serve children and their families by establishing parentage and enforcing support orders in a fair and equitable manner.
Click HERE to read more...
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In June, Mendocino County began its biometric health screening season for employees in the County health plan. This screening is a key requirement for the Wellness Incentive Reward, which offers up to $500 off 2025 health plan premiums. With events continuing through August, specific screenings are planned for certain departments.
Click HERE to read more...
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Our administrative team served 96 customers at our front counter, in addition to responding to them by phone and email. Our Land Use inspectors approved 24 building permits, 8 Site Evaluation Reports, and 4 Water Well Applications, in addition to field inspections. Our Consumer Protection inspectors completed 76 facility inspections, in addition to signing off on dozens of temporary event permits, temporary food booth applications, cottage food applications, and new facility plan checks. Our Hazmat inspectors completed 54 inspections, completing 45.8% of their annual inspections while only being 41.7% into the year.
Click HERE to read more...
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The Contract Unit works directly with departments Countywide to execute contracts and amendments to ensure alignment with County Policy. All review/approval processes are administered through Cobblestone, an electronic contract review software platform. Specific reviewers/approvers are determined by the Mendocino County Purchasing, Leasing and Contracting Policy (Policy No. 1).
Contract Numbers: Since April 1, 2024, the Contract Unit has administered review processes for over 450 contract items, including over 100 items for contracts to begin on or after July 1, 2024.
Contract Review Times: The Contract Unit recently implemented a system that allows automatic report generation of the time needed for the Executive Office and County Counsel to review and approve a contract. This timeframe is from the day the Department Head electronically approves execution of a contract to the day it’s released from Cobblestone with County Counsel, Risk, and Executive Office signatures. It does not include any additional time required for departmental processes either before or after routing through Cobblestone (e.g., RFP administration, contract negotiation, vendor pre-approval and signing, or the time required to submit a contract to the Board of Supervisors for approval).
For the over 200 contracts that have been routed for approval with this system in place, the average review time as processed through Cobblestone was approximately eight (8) working days (not counting weekends or holidays).
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In June, the Grants Unit prepared and submitted two applications totaling $2,333,629 on behalf of Mendocino County and its interests and is in the process of revising the Fuel Abatement Ordinance grants with HCD.
Click HERE to read more...
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General Services maintains vital infrastructure and related services that enable County employees to serve the citizens of Mendocino County. In their support role, General Services focuses on Mendocino County’s Facilities Management, Fleet Management, Capital Project Management, Real Property Administration, purchasing of goods and services, energy management, and sustainability practices.
Click HERE for updates on telematics, County fleet and fuel consumption, County-wide utility consumption, County-wide printing, capital improvement projects, surplus sales, disaster/emergency preparedness activities, and facilities statistics.
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The function of Human Resources involves managing the recruitment, development, well-being, and performance of government employees, while also ensuring compliance with regulations and promoting the efficient delivery of public services.
Service Awards
From January 1st through June 30, 2024, 147 County employees were recognized for their years of dedicated service during the June 25th Board of Supervisors meetings. We extend our sincere appreciation to each honoree. Click HERE to view the list of individuals acknowledged for their years of service so far in 2024.
Extraordinary Merits
Mendocino County Code requires all extraordinary merit increases for employees to be reported to the Board of Supervisors. Click HERE to view the chart showing all extraordinary merit increases approved during the second quarter of calendar year 2024.
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July continues the Summer Reading Program at the Library and offers chances for many outreach events. While the buildings are important, the Library serves its community, including bringing the Library to those who might not be able to visit a branch. It is also a way to make the Library more visible to the public. Staff participate in events including parades, Fire Safe activities, lunch programs, farmers markets, and even nature walk story times.
Click HERE to read more...
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The Planning and Building Services Department continues to work on the County’s strategic plan objectives while focusing on four primary internal goals: establishing tools to measure success, documenting and improving Department procedures, enhancing the customer experience, and cultivating a structured and productive workplace culture.
The Department’s tool for measuring basic performance criteria, and thereby measuring success, is monthly metric reports, which are posted monthly to the Planning and Building Services Department webpage. These reports quantify revenue vs. expense, applications received, workload inventory, and lead time for completion. The metrics are separated by division.
Please go to https://www.mendocinocounty.gov/departments/planning-building-services/metrics-and-permits for the latest metrics.
Click HERE to read more...
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Current Status of the Ignition-Resistant Roof Program: Staff have worked diligently with the County Counsel’s Office to implement the direction of the Board of Supervisors from the December 5, 2023 meeting. In the interim, Staff conducted outreach to homeowners advising them of the changes to the program. There were also numerous outreaches made, on a case-by-case basis, requesting missing documents from homeowners, primarily W-9 forms needed for the creation of funding agreements with homeowners, but also for property deeds and updated roofing bids for review. Staff have prepared maintenance covenant forms for all homeowners which should hasten reimbursements for completed construction.
Click HERE to read more...
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July is Ultraviolet (UV) Safety Awareness Month and a time to remind all about UV radiation and the effects of exposure it has on the body, as well as ways to protect yourself, prevent sunburns, sun damage, and skin cancer.
UV radiation is a form of invisible radiation that comes naturally from the sun’s rays. UV radiation is at its highest when and where the sun’s rays are the strongest. This means that UV levels will be highest around noon on a clear sunny day, even more so during the summer months. UV levels will also be highest near surfaces that reflect sunlight, such as water, cement, snow, and sand, and more pervasive at higher altitudes thus increasing the need for safety measures.
Click HERE to read more...
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The Mendocino County Veterans Services Ukiah office has moved to 405 Observatory Ave. as of July 2nd, 2024. Staff worked quickly minimizing the disruption to services and organizing the space to best meet the needs of this office. In addition to the move, we are thrilled to have welcomed our newest Veteran’s Services Representative, Macy Waddington! Macy began her career with our department on July 7th and we are looking forward to have two full time VSR’s to serve our Veterans.
Mendocino County Department of Social Services Wraparound program is a comprehensive, strengths-based, planning process put in place to respond to a serious mental health or behavioral challenge involving children or youth. Wraparound shifts focus away from a traditional service-driven, problem-based approach to care and instead follows a strengths-based, needs-driven approach.
Click HERE to read more...
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The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) in Mendocino County is dedicated to providing research-based educational programs and resources to support the local community. Our team of expert advisors focuses on a range of areas including agriculture, natural resources, and youth development.
Click HERE to read more...
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COME & VISIT
Main Ukiah Campus:
501 Low Gap Road
Ukiah, CA 95482
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