2013 Employee Recognition Awards - General Government
GOLD - Shared by members of the County Clerk's Office:
Left to Right:
Crystal Bertheau
Martin Peaden
Tricia Webber
Jaime Young
Margarita Williams
Margaret Morrison
Not Pictured:
Kathy Wolf
On Friday, June 28, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted its stay on same sex marriages and Governor Brown and Attorney General Harris issued an order to County Clerks statewide that same sex marriages could resume. While driving back to Santa Cruz from meetings in Sacramento, Tricia coordinated with State officials and volunteer officiants to develop a plan to begin same sex marriages the following Monday, and then shopped for flowers, cider, and cookies over the weekend. Martin tracked court decisions on Friday, as well as State correspondence and challenges over the weekend, in order to ensure that marriages could move forward on Monday as planned. Margaret called couples on the County's waitlist to let them know that marriages could begin on Monday and booked appointments to conduct ceremonies. Crystal and Jaime worked over the weekend to decorate the wedding room so that couples would have a beautiful wedding experience, and Kathy and Margarita coordinated with officiants and assigned them to perform weddings throughout the day. As a result of the extraordinary efforts of each member of this team, the department issued 27 marriage licenses and performed 21 marriage ceremonies in just one day, allowing couples who had been together for decades to have the opportunity to become legally married.
SILVER - Shared by members of the Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building Seismic Retrofit Team from General Services and Emergency Services:
Left to Right:
Anthony Loero
John Singleton
Carol Johnson
William Kersten
Paul Horvat
Mike Derrigan
Not Pictured:
Joe Hickel
In January 2010, the Veterans Memorial Building was closed due to structural deficiencies that would not meet minimum life safety performance standards during a seismic event, resulting in a $3.4 million building upgrade requiring the relocation of veterans groups and County staff from the project site to the Emeline campus. Each member of this dedicated team – many of whom are veterans themselves – successfully managed all aspects of this sensitive project, which included moving dislocated veterans and County staff out of, and then back into, the Veterans Memorial Building and ensuring the comfort of veterans and staff while repairs went forward. Team members rearranged work and personal priorities in order to respond to every request that came their way, completed tasks quickly and efficiently, and made certain that the needs of all concerned were met throughout this process. The efforts of each member of the team represent the highest quality of service and commitment, and their exceptional performance merits public recognition.
BRONZE - Justine Leonard of the General Services Department
Justine is recognized by co-workers as the glue that holds the maintenance staff together. She is responsible for scheduling Facilities, Project Management, and Custodial staff, operating the remote HVAC control system for offices at 701 Ocean Street, running the fleet car program at Emeline, and responding to concerns from staff housed at locations throughout the county. Justine processes countless work orders each year, assigning appropriate staff to resolve problems at County facilities and ensuring that all tasks are completed. She is extremely competent, friendly, and professional and is recognized as an excellent resource not only for maintenance staff, but for staff throughout County government. Justine handles a large workload, often under stressful conditions, and her outstanding work merits public recognition.