Who’s going where? This is a great opportunity to let us know who is promoting and or joining your organization. These are their new positions. Would you like to let us know who is moving and where? Send an email to Danielle Wermund to share in our next issue of OneVoice.   BUTTE Jackie Nelson Administrative Assistant Senior Scott DeWitt Child Support Specialist III CENTRAL SIERRA Joann Mendoza   15 years Retired (CSS) Michael Hawley-Jones Retired Myra Mercer    23 years Retired (CSS) KERN Anabel Castellanos Child Support Officer II Angela Yates Retired Angelica Martinez Supervising Customer Service Representative Anna Vasquez Senior Office Services Specialist Antonio Vital Child Support Officer II Ashley…

Phyllis P. Nance, 2019 CSDA President and Director, Alameda County DCSS I can’t believe it is March 2019. I have been your President for two months now, and what a busy two months it has been! For the first time in recent history, the Governor’s proposed budget included increased funding for our program. We saw a notable increase in proposed child support legislation, and we are planning our first ever Legislative Day at the Capital. Last year, former President Don Semon described 2018 as a “defining moment” for child support.  While Don had great vision, I don’t believe even he could have imagined the astonishing progress our program and Association…

Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Mark Ghaly, a pediatrician and the director of Health and Social Impact for Los Angeles County as Secretary, California Health and Human Services Agency. Ghaly brings a deep knowledge and understanding of how individual and community health outcomes intersect with policy and law on issues like whole-person care, mental health and stage of life care. Ghaly served as the medical director for the Southeast Health Center, a San Francisco Department of Public Health clinic from 2006 to 2011 and earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Harvard Medical School and a Master of Public Health degree in health policy from the Harvard School of Public…

Phyllis P. Nance, 2019 CSDA President and Director, Alameda County DCSS As we continue our spotlight on this year’s CSDA non-profit charity recipient, DreamCatcher Youth Services, we focus on girls under the age of 18 escaping commercial sexual exploitation. DreamCatcher at Nika’s Place is a refuge for homeless youth who are statistically more at risk of homelessness than adults, and more likely to be engaged in high-risk behaviors such as survival sex and prostitution. According to the National Conference of State Legislature (NCSL), more than 80% of all sexually exploited youth were homeless at the time their exploiter found them. Studies on youth homelessness show that within 72 hours of…

“Building a Future for Families by Transforming Services” We have an exciting lineup of talented and thoughtful speakers guiding us to explore future trends, share current research, and explain new policy decisions impacting the future of delivering service in California. We welcome the acclaimed futurist Mary O’Hara-Devereaux, who will illuminate the changing landscape of work, family, and society. Using data and analytics, she creates informational forecasts, so leaders are able to make smarter, long-term decisions. Heather Hahn, a researcher at the Urban Institute, will discuss ways to support low-income families through the application of three core principles of mobility: economic success, power and autonomy, and being valued in community. Because…

“Lifting Families Out of Poverty” By Marie Girulat, Director, San Bernardino County DCSS This year the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) held its annual Policy Forum once again in the nation’s capital, Washington DC, February 7-9, 2019. The theme for this year’s conference “Lifting Families out of Poverty” resonated throughout each of the plenary sessions and workshops. Over 500 representatives from around the country and the international and tribal child support communities gathered to discuss how we can continue to shape the conversation about child support as an anti-poverty program. OCSE Commissioner Scott Lekan, kicked off the first plenary of the forum with thought provoking questions on how we…

Director of Child Support Services, County of San Luis Obispo. I am very excited to be the new Director of Child Support Services in San Luis Obispo County. I grew up in Canada the eldest of three children and immigrated to the United States right before I started high school. The transition was difficult at first, but I quickly adapted to the warm weather, beaches, and all the outdoor activities California has to offer. I began my career in public service in San Mateo County after graduating from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Social Work degree. The county wasn’t hiring social workers at that time, so I…

It was early morning on a cold December day that I came into this world. The youngest of four brothers, sons of my father Roman and mother Marge, themselves from Arizona (Globe and Miami), their parents from Jalisco and Guadalajara Mexico. We grew up on the “other side of the tracks” in a small home built by my father and his half-brother Isaac. We lived modestly and attended Church regularly (I was an altar boy). My father drove a truck and worked as a warehouseman; my mom raised and cared for her four boys. At a young age we moved to a new home near a grammar school, walking distance…

By Greg Wilson, Executive Director, Child Support Directors Association Several California Legislators have introduced bills of interest to the child support program. The 2019 individual legislator deadline to introduce bills was February 22 and so any new bills beyond those listed here will have to be introduced by a committee or result from a gut-and-amend of an existing bill. CSDA’s Legislative Advocacy Committee is tracking these bills and will be developing positions statements. Senate bills in order of bill number: SB73 (Michell) http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB73 This is the Senate version of the 2019-2020 states budget bill, which includes an additional $56.5 million for local child support administration SB337 (Skinner) http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB337 This bill…

By Colin Anderson, Lead Attorney, Yolo County DCSS A very interesting case was recently decided by the California Supreme Court this summer that may have significant impacts on IV-D courts throughout the state. The case is Jameson v Desta (2018) 5 Cal.5th 594. Jameson involves an incarcerated indigent litigant who attempted over the course of a decade to successfully bring a medical malpractice action regarding his medical care provided through a physician assigned to the prison. Ultimately, plaintiff’s case was finally set for trial. During a pre-trial proceeding held 10 days prior to trial, plaintiff was told that the court would not provide a court reporter and that if he…