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 Stacy Gray to share in our next issue of OneVoice. Central Sierra Liane Platt Deputy Director (New Hire) Contra Costa Heidi Carter Child Support Superviser (Promotion) Jessica Shepard Administrative Services Assistant II (New Hire) John-David Villagrana Child Support Specialist II (Promotion) Juliana Collaco Child Support Specialist II (Promotion) Matt Brega Chief Assistant Director (New Hire) Roxanna Hernandez Child Support Specialist II (Promotion) Sarah Bunnell Administrative Services Officer (Promotion) Saundra…

Los Angeles County CSSD By Jonna Lewis, Special Assistant to the Director, Los Angeles County CSSD While Los Angeles County CSSD participates in community engagement throughout the year, Child Support Awareness Month (CSAM) gives us a special opportunity to share information about our vital services and interact in new ways with the community and the families that we are privileged to serve. In May, our Office of Innovation and Community Engagement convened a CSAM Planning Committee, comprised of representatives from all of our divisions, to brainstorm creative and innovative ways to observe CSAM not only in the community, but in all of our offices as well. The result was over 100 special…

By Leon Fernando, Customer Service Manager, Alameda County DCSS California has the highest rate of child poverty in the country according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure. One in five children in California live in poverty, and 9.1%—over 800,000 children—live in deep poverty. AB1520, signed into law in 2017, created the Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Task Force.   The purpose of the task force is to provide the Administration and Legislature with recommendations on comprehensive strategies to reduce child poverty, especially deep poverty, in California. The task force is scheduled to issue its final report by November 1, 2018. The Department of Social Services convened the…

By Selis Koker, Attorney III, California Department of Child Support Services The biggest overhaul of the U.S. tax system in more than 30 years was signed into law on December 22, 2017. The Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) went into effect on January 1, 2018 and made sweeping changes to personal income taxes as well as corporate taxes. The impact on California’s child support program was significant, because unlike many other states’ child support guidelines, California’s child support guidelines are based on net income that is available to parents after federal and state income tax liabilities. More specifically, California Family Code section 4059(a) requires that state and federal…

Click Here to Register By Ron Ladage, Assistant Director/Chief Attorney, El Dorado County DCSS, & Marissa de Almeida, Chief Attorney, Stanislaus County DCSS The 2018 CSDA Legal College will be held October 1–4 at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach in Orange County, CA. What do we have in store for you this year? First, we are offering 11 new and exciting sessions that will educate you on a wide range of topics including improving settlement outcomes through mediation strategies, deconstructing the tax code, civil procedure for the IV-D attorney, and the ever important “specialty” MCLE classes including ethics and competency. Additionally, attendees will be treated to a mock trial that…

Regional Director, Sierra Nevada Regional DCSS Greetings. My name is George Michael Dent and I am the new Director of the Sierra Nevada Regional Child Support Agency. You can call me Mike. Being from a rather small county, I also wear some other hats: Collections, Housing (Home Loans, CSBG & CDBG) and Homeless. The Early years: Born in Auburn, California, and raised on a hilltop in the Sierra Foothills nearby an old gold rush stagecoach stop called Applegate, I was a child of the mountains. Being the only boy of four kids, it was just me, my trusty Red Ryder BB gun (I upgraded to a .410 shotgun at age…

Executive Director, Central Sierra Child Support Agency, JPA Wow, it has been a while since I have written about myself in this way. Let’s see if I can make it somewhat interesting! I am the youngest of 5 children, two boys and three girls. I was born in Landstuhl Germany in 1967; unfortunately we moved back to the states when I was about age 3, so I was not able to experience living abroad in the same way that my older siblings did. We moved often with my dad being in the Air Force. At the age of 4, which is about the time of my earliest memories, we were…

By Mary Clesi, Department Fiscal Officer, Santa Clara County DCSS We are excited to announce that Santa Clara County DCSS is hosting the first ever “CSE Financial Workers’ Town Meeting” on September 26, 2018, in Los Gatos, CA. Prior to California’s conversion to CSE, the LCSAs using the “CASES” legacy system had in-person quarterly meetings of its financial workers at the Santa Clara County Department of Child Support Services. The meetings were eventually reduced to three times per year and stopped when we converted to CSE. Financial workers throughout the state participated as well as the CASES Consortium staff. The purpose of the meetings was so that financial workers could…

By Greg Wilson, Executive Director, CSDA The Child Support Directors Association has been watching several legislative bills this year several of which continue to move forward in the legislative process. SB1121 (Dodd) http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1121 Intended as a clean-up bill for AB375 (Chaptered June 29, 2018). This bill was gutted and amended on August 6 and further amended on the 27th. CSAC and a coalition of mostly retail, insurance, medical and other large data-heavy businesses had advocating additional amendments. There is some concern that the bill’s final language may inhibit for-profit businesses from participating freely with LCSAs. This bill has passed out of both houses and has been enrolled. It is now…

By Greg Wilson, Executive Director, CSDA The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) was first created on October 8, 1941, with the mission to provide analysis and nonpartisan advice to the California Legislature on fiscal and policy issues. Since its inception 75 years ago, only five individuals have held the position of “Legislative Analyst.” Rolland Vandegrift served from 1941 to 1949; Alan Post served from 1949 to 1977; William Hamm served from 1977 to 1986; Elizabeth Hill served from 1986 to 2008; and Mac Taylor is currently in the position. The LAO is not primarily concerned with return on investment of the State’s expenditures but is rather known for providing expert advice…