Board chairman dishes out praise for partnerships, employees in State of the County address

Board of Supervisors Chairman Vito Chiesa delivered a State of the County address Tuesday that was more upbeat than his speech four years ago.

Rather than talking about staff cuts and revenue shortfalls, Chiesa said the winter rain was filling reservoirs and bringing Stanislaus County back from the drought.

County leaders expect to retire general fund debts in the coming year and continue work on community partnerships that improve quality of life.

Chiesa said good things result when local agencies collaborate, and private donors work with the public sector, such as the Gallo Center for the Arts and the regional animal services center.

It happened again last year when a veterans advisory committee, the Veterans Foundation of Stanislaus County, the county and Modesto created the Stanislaus Veterans Center.

“We’ve accomplished some pretty inspiring things in our county, none of them easy and none of them done alone,” said Chiesa, who is serving a second stint as board chairman.

Chiesa dedicated his speech to the memory of sheriff’s Deputy Dennis Wallace, who was slain while investigating a stolen car Nov. 13 at Fox Grove Fishing Access near Hughson. “We miss his smile and his heart of compassion.”

Other county employees were praised in the speech for their customer service, loyalty and innovation.

Chiesa noted that the county workforce is more dominated these days by those marked by experience – the average age is 45 – and only 13 percent of county employees are younger than 30. The county needs to develop the next generation of public service employees, he stressed.

“There are major changes in how young generations view an employer relationship and how they seek out employment,” Chiesa observed. “As an organization, we need to put away our platform shoes and our disco pants and get with a new program.”

Outreach librarian Olga Valencia Cardenas was singled out for taking library programs to underserved residents and working with young people at Juvenile Hall. Her efforts were recognized nationally by the American Library Association.

County departments are putting more services online, including park reservations, building permit services, pet adoptions and election materials.

A larger population is using the more traditional county services. Last year, the Health Services Agency clinics had almost 150,000 patient visits. People suffering from psychiatric episodes received help at a crisis stabilization unit that opened in March. As a result, 500 patients didn’t need to be hospitalized and 2,900 averted psychiatric readmission.

Chiesa said water remains a priority. The North Valley Regional Recycled Water Project is coming into fruition to provide recycled wastewater for agriculture. In addition, the county is forming agencies to comply with state requirements for managing groundwater.

The county and irrigation districts will continue fighting a state plan for unimpaired river flows, which would take water from agriculture to benefit salmon. “We need to continue to fight as a community to protect our water supply,” Chiesa said.

In another challenge, Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed a significant change to the In-Home Supportive Services program that could put a $6 million dent in the county general fund.

Chiesa said the county has not forgotten long-term projects, including a business park at the former Crows Landing Naval airfield, expansion of Highway 132 and the North County Corridor expressway.

“These are long-term, very complex and expensive projects, and we will continue to press forward,” Chiesa said.

This story was originally published February 7, 2017 at 5:32 PM with the headline "Board chairman dishes out praise for partnerships, employees in State of the County address."