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Legislative Update
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…
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LPC Corner: The Far-Reaching Impact of Jameson v Desta
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…
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People on the Move – January 2019
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 Dakota Jones CSS II (Promotion) Dwana Johnson CSS II (Promotion) Rhonda Ross Retired (Assistant Director) IMPERIAL Arita Riddle Legal Clerk I (New Hire) Daniel Lopez Child Support Assistant I (New Hire) Janette Govea Child Support Specialist I (New Hire) Jennifer Pipkin Child Support Assistant I (New Hire) Jewelissa Calderon Child Support Specialist I (Promotion) Karla Lopez Child Support…
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Experiences from the Hackathon
By Sacramento, Solano and San Bernardino Counties The Hackathon project at the State DCSS provided LCSAs with an amazing opportunity to get involved in the ongoing development of the Child Support Enforcement system. The collaboration between the state and LCSAs fostered the development of new, creative ideas that led to incredible success. Furthermore, the project allowed LCSAs to provide valuable input into changes that will affect caseworkers on a daily basis. A few of us who participated would like to share our incredible experiences and successes. From the perspective of Laura Galsi (Sacramento County DCSS), what stood out was how much intricate work goes on behind the scenes in CSE.…
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2019 Annual Conference Teaser – Mission Possible
Registration Opens Monday, January 28, 2019 The 2019 Mission Possible CSDA Annual Training Conference & Expo being held April 29 – May 2, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Garden Grove is just over 100 days away. The conference planning committee members are doing an excellent job of securing engaging and knowledgeable speakers and coordinators for the 68 workshops. A variety of workshops subjects will include leadership skills, law & casework, caseload management, and professional development. Your mission will be trying to choose between the many outstanding workshops offered. We are thrilled about our Keynote Speakers this year. You will hear from Michelle Gielan, bestselling author of Broadcasting…
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Did We Define the Moment?
Don Semon, Director, El Dorado County DCSS, 2018 President of CSDA Board of Directors I wrote an article for the One Voice Newsletter back in January as I began my Presidency of CSDA. In that article, I talked about 2018 being a “Defining Moment” for our association. I explained that one of my biggest mantras in life was based on a line in the movie, Tin Cup, when Roy says, “…when a defining moment comes along, you define the moment…or the moment defines you.” As I mentioned in that article, I believe life is made up of defining moments, and either you define the moment, or the moment will define…
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Taking it to the Streets!
Using a Mobile Vehicle to take Child Support Services to the Community Using a Mobile Vehicle to take Child Support Services to the Community By Julie Watson, Deputy Director of Operations, Los Angeles County CSSD How do you spread the word about available child support resources in a county as big as Los Angeles? When you participate in resource fairs or outreach, how do you provide real-time case information, generate license releases, or collect child support payments? These were the problems facing our department, and we knew we needed to find creative solutions. A full-service Mobile Vehicle Unit (MVU) seemed like the perfect solution. Caseloads continue to decrease statewide, yet…
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LPC Corner – “Mom, dad, and … a second dad?”
By Rob Lafer, Chief Legal Counsel, San Diego County DCSS No, it’s not the theme for a new sitcom. A recent appellate case highlights the relatively new California law (Family Code section 7612 subdivision (c)), which allows a court to determine that a child has more than two parents. In the case of C.A. v. C.P. “(2018) 29 Cal.App.5th 27, a man (plaintiff) wanted to be legally recognized as the child’s father, so he filed an action in court against the child’s mother and the mother’s husband. The mother in this case had conceived a child with a coworker (plaintiff) while still married to her husband. The child’s mother (wife…
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Military Outreach in the Inland Empire
By Alan Skidmore, Child Support Attorney, San Bernardino County DCSS In California, we have more than 128,000 active-duty personnel and over 56,000 reservists increasingly called to active duty. We are seeing more and more cases involving military parents. As such, it has never been more important to engage with our customers on duty. Recently the San Bernardino DCSS (SBDCSS) conducted outreach events involving the Fort Irwin National Training Center (NTC), and the 29 Palms Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC). Our liaison team for these events consisted of Chief Attorney Marci Jensen-Eldred, Child Support Attorneys Alan Skidmore and Anne Chen, Operations Manager Will Williamson, and Supervising Child Support Officer…
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Meet Your Peers – Sean Farrell
I spent most of my childhood in Yuba City enjoying the many outdoor experiences that Northern California has to offer. During my teenage years, I worked at Glacial Trails Scout Ranch, located near Donner Summit, for five summers. I really enjoyed my experiences working at this summer camp and I am proud to have earned the rank of Eagle Scout. I attended college at CSU, Chico earning a B.S. in Business Administration. I financed my education primarily by enlisting in the U.S. Army Reserves as a Combat Engineer. During my college experience, I took a life-changing semester off and backpacked Europe alone for a period of five months. This was…
