SeeCalifornia.com

California County Innovations 2013

There are 58 counties in California, all having to meet challenges of getting  jobs done with less staff and money. Here are a few programs recognized by California State Association of Counties:

• GLENN: Community Re-Entry Work Program (CREW). Ex-offenders now have a choice between receiving general assistance for three months or enrolling in CREW, a 12-month program the provides opportunity to receive assistance in housing, employment assistance, life skills and education.
• ORANGE: Does more with less. Orange County Social Service Agency saw a startling rise in the demand for services at a time when resources were diminishing. The Agency transformed from a one-to-one case worker process to a task-based service center, made possible through the development of an automated Task Management System (TMS).
• SAN BENITO:  Grow Strong Benito program.  Parents have impacted their children’s lives through first-time drug offender rehabilitation and intervention, breaking multi-generational cycles of crime and drug abuse by supporting the literacy and educational success of potential at-risk children.
• SAN DIEGO: San Diego County Parks and Recreation Department Volunteer Program utilizes an extensive and successful volunteer program. Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve is just one of the gems among approximately 100 parks that shines and stays open to the public through volunteers.
• SONOMA: As a result of its Comprehensive Energy Project, Sonoma County has been able to reduce its energy use by one-third, significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions and modernize equipment.
• STANISLAUS: Latino Emergency Council (LEC) set up an emergency response network linked to the Latino community. LEC engages Stanislaus County’s large Spanish-speaking population to prepare for emergencies and to respond when they occur.
• SAN BERNARDINO: AB 109 Program. It is far more expensive to keep someone in jail than it is to supervise them in the community. The corollary to that is it is far less expensive to help someone so they don’t break the law again, than it is to have to put them back in jail if they do. With that in mind, San Bernardino County is at the forefront of a growing trend in criminal justice: meeting the needs of low-risk offenders so they don’t reoffend and get sent back to jail.
• NAPA:  Work Proximity Housing Program. For many people, purchasing that first home is even more difficult in destination areas such as Napa County where housing prices are high and homes are in demand. Napa County went about trying to figure out how to assist low and moderate-income workers who work in Napa.
• RIVERSIDE: Use of Inmate Labor. Riverside County has a long-running jail inmate work program to pick up trash and maintain the landfills. It helps keep the roadsides clean and the inmates get some much-needed activity. Duties were expanded to include minor construction and other small projects, as well as the typical trash clean up.