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 McPherson	Child Support Supervisor (Promotion)
Imperial
Janette Govea	Child Support Specialist (Promotion)
Jewelissa Calderon	Child Support Specialist (Promotion)
Kern
Cindy Howard	Fiscal Support Specialist (New Hire)
Rosa Bautista	Retired (Child Support Officer 4)
Toni Kendrick	Administrative Services Officer (New Hire)
Los Angeles
Araceli Mendoza	CSO III (Promotion)
Armineh Gharapetian	Superivising Child Support Officer (Promotion)
Charita Crawford	Administrative Assistant II (Promotion)
Consuelo Medina	Retired (CSO II)
Cynthia Hernandez	Administrative Services Manager I (Promotion)
Cynthia Werner	Attorney III (Promotion)
Donna Ware	Retired (Senior Typist Clerk)
Jillian Samayoa	Management Analyst (Promotion)
Joel Lozada	Staff Assistant II (Promotion)
Jovita Silvera	CSO III (Promotion)
June Bragg	Accountant II (Promotion)
Kathy Ip	CSO III (Promotion)
Kelly Saldivar	Administrative Services Manager II (Promotion)
Ling-Chia (Jenny) Wu	Management Analyst (Promotion)
Maria Castaneda	Adminstrative Assistant III (Promotion)
Melinda West	Management Analyst (Promotion)
Najla Oliva	CSO III (Promotion)
Olga Quintero	Retired (Supervising Child Support Officer)
Ramoncito Umali	Retired (CSO II)
Rosa Mandel	Retired (Supervising Child Support Officer)
Sue Kim	Attorney IV (Promotion)
Napa
Letty Saldivar	Account Clerk 1 (Promotion)
San Benito
Erika Suarez	Child Support Specialist I (New HIre)
India Moreno	Child Support Specialist I (New HIre)
Patricia Ugarte	Clark County Support Attorney (New Hire)
San Francisco
Annie Perkins-Jeffries	Retired (Child Support Officer II)
Ann-Marie Funderburgh	Child Support Officer II
Santa Clara
Alejandra Rodriguez	CSO I/II (New Hire)
Alejandro Heredia	CSO I/II (New Hire)
Alisa Bustamante	Child Support Officer I/II (Promotion)
Anna Torres	Supervising Child Support Officer (Promotion)
Celenia Velez	Legal Clerk Trainee (New Hire)
Cristina Delgado	CSO I/II (New Hire)
Elvia Valdivia	Legal Secretary I (Promotion)
Gabriel Olguin	CSO I/II (New Hire)
Gracie Flores	CSO I/II (New Hire)
Guadalupe Morales	Child Support Officer I/II
Hazel Velasco	Senior Child Support Officer (Promotion)
Jessica Bailey Murray	CSO I/II (New Hire)
Jessica Tenorio	Legal Clerk Trainee (New Hire)
Karen Vergara-Ruiz	Superivsing Child Support Officer (Promotion)
Leila Ochoa	Child Support Officer I/II (Promotion)
Lisa Bocanegra	CSO I/II (New Hire)
Magally Quezadas	Legal Clerk Trainee (New Hire)
Melvin Osby	CSO I/II (New Hire)
Michelle Capangpangan	Child Support Officer I/II (Promotion)
Michelle Gonzales	Legal Clerk (Promotion)
Mitchell Cheatham	Administrative Support Officer (Promotion)
Monica Mendez	CSO I/II (New Hire)
Patricia Mondragon Lugo	Legal Clerk Trainee (New Hire)
Perla Buendia	CSO I/II (New Hire)
Shelia Sapp	Legal Clerk Trainee (New Hire)
Silvia Garcia	CSO I/II (New Hire)
Sonia Alcazar Luna	CSO I/II (New Hire)
Tanya Sunseri	Legal Clerk Trainee (New Hire)
Victoria Meline	CSO I/II (New Hire)
Lorenzo Sanchez	CSO I/II (New Hire)
Santa Cruz
Annette Hernandez	Child Support Specialist I (New Hire)
Arturo Barron	Child Support Attorney (New Hire)
Jeanette Garcia	Administrative Services Manager (New Hire)
Jeanette Hilton	Child Support Specialist I (New Hire)
Shasta
Ashley Saelee	Child Support Specialist III(Promotion)
Erinn Watts	Child Support Program Manager (Promotion)
Evelyn McCurdy	Supervising Child Support Specialist (Promotion)
Grace Foley	Legal Secretary (New Hire)
Hector Velasquez	Child Support Specialist (New Hire)
Kathy Gooden	Retired (Child Support Program Manager)
Khampasong Phrommavongxay-Hoxie	Child Support Specialist III (Promotion)
Loren Bebensee	Child Support Specialist (New Hire)
Shirley Bruce	Retired (Child Support Assistant III)
Tiina Merrill	Child Support Specialist (New Hire)
Solano
Courtney Perry	Child Support Specialist – Journey Level (Promotion)
Patsy Honeycutt	Retired (Legal Secretary)
Ventura
Belin Ortiz	Child Support Services Specialist III (Promotion)
Roxana Hester	Customer Service Rep 1 (New Hire)
Roxana Rosales	Customer Service Rep 1 (New Hire)
Yvonne Sassen	Retired (Child Support Services Specialist III)

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 activities and events planned for August – the most CSAM events ever planned in the history of our Department!

In addition to the many special workshops, presentations, and resource tables in the community, our folks really got into celebrating CSAM this year by organizing backpack and school supply drives to benefit local schools, giving away books to every child who visited our offices in August, and wearing the “color of the day” every Wednesday – a great way to unify 1500 child support professionals spread out at 7 locations throughout the county. CSAM 2018 was such a success that our folks can’t wait to start planning CSAM 2019!

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Sacramento County DCSS

By Jill Lucena-Machado, Outreach Coordinator, Sacramento County DCSS

To honor Child Support Awareness Month (CSAM) Sacramento County Department of Child Support Services (SCDCSS) has celebrated with special events outside our normal customer service and Outreach activities. These special activities include:

• A Backpack Drive to benefit the Sacramento Children’s Home. Our staff collected 79 backpacks and more than 650 school supplies for children in our community.
• A wall display at the Sacramento County Administration, 700 H Street, Sacramento, CA to advertise the Child Support program and August being Child Support Awareness Month.
• A collaboration with the Sacramento Superior Court’s Family Law Facilitator’s Office (FLF), DCSS has a table at their office for the month of August on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays providing information and education for participants visiting the family court.
• An interview article with a NCP about his experience working with DCSS. This article was featured in our in-house journal as well as shared with the State and the CSDA for publication in their respective newsletters.

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Kern County DCSS

By Susan Saelee, Program Manager, Kern County DCSS

In Kern County, Child Support Services employees work daily with parents to create a better life for children. But every August, in honor of Child Support Awareness month, employees come together and take on new roles to ensure that children are prepared to succeed in the upcoming school year. Our employees raise funds from within the community to purchase backpacks and school supplies to fulfill a large need that exists. We have become the largest Backpack Giveaway in our county, providing over 3,000 free backpacks annually though our Ready-Set Back 2 School events. From partnering with local library branches to our annual Health & Wellness Fairs in Bakersfield and Ridgecrest where we also provide free haircuts and immunizations, these events allow us the opportunity to interact with thousands of parents, grandparents and guardians to spread the message about the importance of child support in the life of a child. Furthermore, we increase the awareness of our services with the hundreds of community partners and government agencies that participate in our events. It is an opportunity to see the direct effect our employees have in our community over and above the services that our Department offers. The Kern County Department of Child Support Services employees exemplify our goal of working to create a better life for children.

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Stanislaus County DCSS

By Rhonda Mason, Assistant Director, Stanislaus County DCSS

Stanislaus County Department of Child Support Services commemorated August as Child Support Awareness Month by successfully hosting the 2nd Annual Kids Connect Community Celebration on Thursday, August 2, 2018, at James Marshall Park in Modesto. The event was planned and presented in partnership with City of Modesto, Parks and Recreation Department to celebrate Child Support Awareness Month. The goal of the event was to promote Child Support Awareness in a positive and fun way while highlighting the many family-centered nonprofit agencies throughout the community.

Over 350 parents and children attended the event and 34 agencies were available to provide information on the resources they offer to families in Stanislaus County. Families were able to learn about healthcare, childcare, employment, behavioral health and a variety of other services agencies provide. Vendors and sponsors donated items and gift cards that were used as prize drawings for attendees. Local dignitaries and representatives from various child support agencies joined in supporting the fun-filled event. Throughout the day live entertainment was provided by performers from the community and Stanislaus County Department of Child Support staff or their families.

As a result of the event, Stanislaus County Department of Child Support Services made contact with potential new customers and existing customers to answer questions they have regarding opening a case, establishing a child support order or enforcing an existing order for child support. Those in attendance shared various stories about how the event helped connect them to needed resources.

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 task force in December 2017. The task force is multi-disciplinary and is made up of government and community leaders, researchers, and subject matter experts. Subcommittees focus on specific topic areas for review and recommendations: coordinated services, early childhood programs, housing & homelessness, social safety net, special populations (foster care and juvenile justice), and workforce training & support. So far, the task force has issued memoranda on four areas of focus: coordinated services, early childhood services, juvenile justice, and the social safety net. The memoranda summarize existing programs and approaches, research findings on program results, and identify considerations for formulating recommendations.

The last meetings of the task force are scheduled for August 23 and September 26, 2018. This is a final opportunity to communicate the important role that child support can play in reducing poverty. While the child support program is not traditionally considered a social safety net program, child support payments provide more support each month than SNAP, WIC or the Earned Income Tax Credit. Nationally, child support provides 41% of family income to poor families who receive support payments, and lifts one million people out of poverty each year. It is critical that the task force considers the impact that child support can have on poverty reduction in formulating recommendations for the final report.

Additional information, including memoranda and meeting materials, can be found at the California Department of Social Services website: http://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/CDSS-Programs/Poverty-Task-Force.

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Data sources:

• United States Department of Commerce. U.S. Census Bureau. (2017 September). The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2016. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2017/demo/p60-261.pdf.
• State of California, Department of Finance. Population projections. (2017 March). Retrieved from http://www.dof.ca.gov/Forecasting/Demographics/Projections/documents/P_PressRelease.pdf.
• Child & Family Research Partnership. (2015 May) “The Hidden Social Safety Net”. Retrieved from https://childandfamilyresearch.utexas.edu/news/infographic-child-support-hidden-social-safety-net.
• Office of Child Support Enforcement. (2016 December) “The Child Support Program is a Good Investment.” Retrieved from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/programs/css/sbtn_csp_is_a_good_investment.pdf.

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 income taxes in a child support calculation are those actually payable (not necessarily the amount of the withholding from the taxpayer’s paycheck or other income) after considering appropriate filing status, all available exclusions, deductions, and credits.

State DCSS Child Support Services Division and Legal team began tracking proposed federal tax bills earlier in 2017 and submitted a comprehensive Request for Change to the guideline calculator approximately three weeks after the TCJA was signed into law. The changes were completed in two phases with a dedicated team of developers from the DCSS Technology Services Division and assistance from the DCSS Cross Functional Team. The first phase addressing all changes to federal taxes was validated by an independent certified public accountant (CPA) and released to users on April 22, 2018. A release training as well as an advanced guideline calculator training were provided to the local child support agencies (LCSAs) the following week covering all changes under the TCJA. Any remaining validation errors resulting in less than 1% discrepancy in federal tax calculations and changes to state tax calculations were completed and the final results were certified by the CPA on May 14, 2018, with no exceptions or discrepancies. The Judicial Council of California completed its review and testing on June 21, 2018 and re-certified the DCSS guideline calculator on June 21, 2018.

DCSS Office of Legal Services continues to provide training and discussion forums to the LCSAs regarding the TCJA and resulting changes to child support calculations. The most recent discussion forum was held at the Statewide Attorney Forum in Orange County, CA, in July 2018 and a more comprehensive training will be provided at the Child Support Directors Association Legal College on October 1, 2018. DCSS Child Support Services Division and Office of Legal Services are always available and happy to answer questions from the LCSAs regarding the guideline calculator and the impacts of the tax changes on child support calculations. Following is a high-level overview of the TCJA changes to personal income taxes and the resulting changes to the guideline calculator:

• Federal personal exemptions have been suspended: For tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2017, and before Jan. 1, 2026, the deduction for personal exemptions is effectively suspended by reducing the exemption amount to zero (IRC Sec. 151(d), as modified by Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Sec. 11041(a)). As indicated by the language of the TCJA, this is a temporary suspension until 2026 which reduces the amount of personal exemptions to $0. Accordingly, the personal exemption field in the guideline calculator has been maintained, but the correlating deduction amount has been set to $0 in the background for each exemption entered.
• Federal standard deduction amounts increased for all filing statuses:
  • $12,000 for single or married filing separately
  • $18,000 for head of household
  • $24,000 for married filing jointly
• All federal personal income tax brackets and rates have changed.
• Child tax credit increased to $2,000 per qualifying child. The amount of the credit that is refundable increased to $1,400 per qualifying child. The adjusted gross income thresholds for child tax credit phase out have increased to $400,000 for married filing jointly, and $200,000 for all other filing statuses. These changes will result in the child tax credit amounts being higher and available to more families.
• New $500 non-refundable credit for qualifying dependents other than qualifying children (Family Tax Credit) has been introduced.
• The State and Local Taxes (SALT) deduction has been capped at $10,000 for married filing jointly, $5,000 for all other filing statuses.
• Federal itemized deduction phase-out has been suspended.
• Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) exemption phase-out amounts, exemption amounts, and AMT excess taxable income thresholds have increased (resulting in fewer AMT cases).
• New Internal Revenue Code section 199A allows individuals to deduct up to 20% of qualified business income (Qualified Business Income Deduction) from self-employment and pass-through entities such as S corporations and limited liability companies.

The qualified business income deduction and the family tax credit entries in the guideline calculator currently require workarounds as shown in the Advanced Guideline Calculator training available on Child Support Central/CSU. A dedicated field for the qualified business income deduction is scheduled to be released in October 2018 eliminating the need for the workaround. A family tax credit field is scheduled to be released in November 2018.

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 will be interactive and immersive in teaching the rules of evidence, proper admission of evidence, and hearing preparation specific for the high volume IV-D Courtroom.

There is so much more that the Legal College offers that can best be explained by IV-D attorney attendees. El Dorado County DCSS attorney Adrienne Reed, with four years in the Program, describes the invaluable networking opportunities of the college.

“The CSDA Legal College is a great opportunity for IV-D attorneys to network with colleagues, share experiences, and expand their knowledge of the program all while earning valuable MCLE credits. Entering the governmental child support program either as a brand-new attorney, an attorney coming from a private family law practice, or from a completely different area of law, can be an overwhelming experience. The College helps to break down complex issues into manageable pieces while reinforcing the fundamentals of child support law.”

Another perspective is offered from El Dorado attorney Derek Hooper with just one year in the Program.

“The attorneys benefit from having direct access to subject matter experts where they can have face-to-face conversations about problems and issues unique to their county and caseload. The Networking Reception and happy hour is a great opportunity for attorneys to meet colleagues from other counties in a more relaxed, casual atmosphere and make new friends and connections that will prove invaluable as attorneys return back to their counties to put their knowledge to use. In addition to the terrific content, the conference provided opportunity for unstructured social time which I found valuable and enjoyable. I was able to spend time with several other attorneys who shared freely their practices, challenges and solutions. The networking provided me relationships that have enhanced my enjoyment and efficiency as a child support attorney.”

This year CSDA will be adding an exciting new feature to the Attorney College, the Outstanding Attorney Award, which will recognize one LCSA attorney who has made a significant impact to the child support program in the areas of improving program performance, improving court processes, or improving customer service. Be a part of the inaugural event to present this first CSDA attorney award to the 2018 Outstanding LCSA attorney before their fellow LCSA attorneys. Come check out the CSDA 2018 Legal College. This year’s college promises to be fun, interactive and educational. You don’t want to miss it!

Click Here to Register

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 9), and a faithful canine sidekick named Sadie. My playground was a vast swath of land that abutted the mountain route of Union Pacific train tracks. There were miles of fire breaks to discover, an abandoned train tunnel to explore, and my pride and joy—a 4-story treehouse that I developed over the course of my youth. Once that rope latter was pulled up, I was immune from the inevitable attack by my little sister.

As I matured, I had my own landscape business and loved outdoor activities like gold panning, backpacking, high school sports, and four-wheeling with my dad and eventually with my buddies.

Education and Employment: After graduating from high school, I went to college at Chico State and left with a degree in Liberal Arts and a minor in Criminal Justice. That is a pretty weird combination, right? I initially wanted to be a middle school teacher, but there were a lot of state budget cuts to education back in the early 1990s, so I thought I would get into law or law enforcement. I should also mention at this point I had just met my future wife Jackie, so my budding thoughts of becoming a U.S. Marshal (I played volleyball with one who always had the best stories to tell) were smothered by the warmth of love for the woman I would eventually marry and build my life with.

I quickly found a job in Grass Valley at a small law firm and went back to Chico State and got my Paralegal Certificate. After three years at the law firm, I had developed a distaste for becoming a lawyer, so I took a job at the County Jail where I was a Correctional Officer for about 4 more years. I learned during my time in jail that the 3 o’clock hour was not my best time (most of my time in jail was swing or overnight shifts), particularly when you had a new house to remodel and a baby on the way. I transitioned to Child Support for 10 months and worked in our establishment unit while I eyed a job as a Probation Officer. I soon landed the Probation gig where I stayed for the next 16 years. The last 8 years was as a Program Manager. I worked every division in Probation and was also the department’s first force options instructor (firearms, baton and defensive tactics).   I also returned to Chico State and received my master’s in public administration in 2011.

I was bumping along through life having fun and keeping the community safe when I got the call from our CEO to step up and take over Social Services. I entered that job in the midst of the ACA open enrollment aftermath. Those were tough times. Over the next 4 years, I built a great team and we were doing great and innovative things in the Social Services arena. I also became heavily involved in CWDA executive functions and co-chaired statewide Fiscal, and 20-small meetings. I also was our C-IV Region 6 director representative for the past 3 years. Then I got another call to trade places with Tex starting July 1 of this year.   I took over all of Tex’s duties, plus I now have to orchestrate our new No Place Like Home Initiative. I look forward to serving in this role for the next several years and hope to learn a lot from my peers here at CSDA.

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 living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with my mother while my dad was TDY in Greece for a year. Five kids, no job, no driver license….my mom, at the young age of 24, dealt with a lot by herself. By the time my dad returned, my mom decided that she needed to spread her wings, alone. From there, my dad was transferred to Sacramento, McClellan AFB, with five kids in tow.

Despite being separated from my mom at an early age, my childhood was quite rich. My oldest sister, only 12 at the time of the divorce, took on the role of our caretaker. She sacrificed considerably in doing so. I will be forever grateful for her guidance, nurturing, and the love she poured over us all. After our move to Sacramento, my dad took one last transfer to Chanute AFB in Illinois where we spent a couple of years before returning back to the Sacramento area. My dad retired from the Air Force, pretty quickly found a job with the County of Sacramento and began a new career.

During high school, I worked a couple of different jobs, but soon after graduating (through my dad’s constant pushing) I reluctantly took a job with the County of Sacramento. At that time I had my heart set on becoming either a court reporter or a lawyer—I did not want to take a job with the county. But since the job offer was with the District Attorney’s Office, I thought in some way it would get me closer to where I planned to be.

I was dead set on staying with the D.A. when the discussions about the new department began. I quickly realized, however, that child support was something that was already in my blood. By the time the transition was underway, I had more than 13 years in the program; I just couldn’t break away. I continued with Sacramento DCSS for a total of 26 years before I had an opportunity to move to a small LCSA experience. I worked for El Dorado DCSS for 3 years and I have been with Central Sierra for a little more than 2 years now. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experiences and differences between large and small programs as well as the regional structure. I cannot tell you how much my perspective has changed through these last few years.

Getting back to the personal side, I recently relocated my home to Sacramento County from Placer County. I am married to my wonderful husband Rudy and we have four children. Three of the kids are in the Sacramento area, all with families of their own. Our youngest daughter, 23, is in grad school at Columbia University in New York with 3 years left in her program (we are counting the days until she comes home). We have 9 grandkids with one more on the way. We love spending time with our kids, grandkids, and extended family. We are often found in the backyard gathered around the pool with the BBQ going and playing a game of cornhole. We enjoy being at home. We love the outdoors, the beach, travelling, and riding our motorcycles when we have time.

I was appointed as the Executive Director of Central Sierra Child Support Agency effective July 1, 2018. I am excited to spend the last decade of my career with the folks at the Agency. I have joined a team of incredibly smart, dedicated, and kind people who really love what they do and are good at doing it. I look forward to growing my leadership skills and contributing to the great work that my team is doing. I appreciate the unbelievable support not only from my team here locally, but from my extended child support family around the state. This program—and all of you—have made an incredible impact on me and I appreciate each and every one of you. 😊

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 get to know each other, network, promote uniformity in our financial case work practices, develop procedures and training materials, work through complex financial issues, and make recommendations for changes to the CASES system. Our meetings were a great success, and those of us who are still around remember how memorable and beneficial they were, but also fun!

Over the last 10+ years (since our conversion to CSE), we have lost many experienced financial workers throughout the state due to retirements, promotions, etc. These were valuable resources with lots of historical knowledge especially related to legacy systems and conversion. We also lost the contacts we made over the years with counterparts in other counties, which has contributed to the isolation of financial workers (especially those in small counties) who don’t know who to contact for help. Additionally, there has been a loss of uniformity in how financial workers do our jobs, which directly affects all of us especially when cases transfer between counties.

Our goal with this Town Meeting is to give financial workers throughout the state the opportunity to make valuable contacts with their counterparts in other counties. As with the CASES Financial Workgroup meetings, we need to meet our fellow financial workers to network, share challenges and accomplishments, identify training needs and procedures to promote uniformity, develop a communication method where we can talk with each other and share problems/issues, and talk about changes we would like made to CSE to make our jobs easier, etc.

We’re hoping this will be the first of many meetings for California CSE Financial Workers. This initial town meeting is “in person only”—webcast or conference call options will not be offered at this first meeting.

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 waiting on a signature or veto from the Governor.

• AB1811 (Committee on Budget)

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1811

This Budget Trailer Bill was Chaptered on June 27, 2018. The bill gives the Association and DCSS a road map for the shared “Phase 2” discussions for the purpose of identifying state and local operational efficiencies, refining the child support budget methodology, and cost-of-living, salary, and benefit increases in local child support agencies. A final report is due to the Legislature by July 1, 2019.

• AB2802 (Friedman)

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB2802

Deals with the interception of insurance payments. There has been little opposition and it continues to enjoy bi-partisan support. This bill has passed out of both houses and has been enrolled. It is now waiting on a signature or veto from the Governor.

• AB2684 (Bloom)

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB2684

Revises and recasts provisions of the Uniform Act on Blood Tests to Determine Paternity and makes conforming changes to the Uniform Parentage Act. This bill has passed out of both houses and has been enrolled. It is now waiting on a signature or veto from the Governor.

• AB2780 (Bloom)

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB2780.

Deals with the vocational assessments and qualifications of vocational training counselors. This bill has been signed by the Governor and chaptered on August 20.

• SB695 (Lara)

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB695

Makes conforming changes to various laws with respect to the use of an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) in lieu of a Social Security Number (SSN). The bill allows the State Department to provide an ITIN to other agencies when a SSN has not been provided. Amendments suggested by DCSS have been adopted into the bill language. This bill has passed out of both houses and has been enrolled. It is now waiting on a signature or veto from the Governor.

• SB1511 (Committee on Judiciary)

This bill was ordered to the inactive file prior to the end of the legislative session.

• AB3248 (Committee on Judiciary)

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB3248

This bill makes changes to emancipation provisions when documented medical conditions prevent full-time high school attendance; requires the SDU to send all family support collections payments directly to families; updates the Family Code to allow LCSAs to access and copy information from closed child support hearings; and extends the exemption for the electronic filing of court documents to January 1, 2021. This bill has passed out of both houses and has been enrolled. It is now waiting on a signature or veto from the Governor.

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 and focusing on finding cost effective and efficient solutions to some of the State’s biggest social needs. In general terms, the LAO is an analytical resource to the Legislature. It was the first such government entity in the United States and like many things that start in California, other states soon formed their own similar offices including the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office in 1974.

The LAO has a staff of 43 analysts and about 13 support staff and is overseen by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC), a 16-member committee of the Legislature. The analysts are generally assigned to four topic areas that include Corrections, Environment, and Transportation; State and Local Finance; Education; and Health and Human Services. The Child Support program falls under Health and Human Services.

Each year the LAO carefully analyses the annual budget as proposed by the Governor in January and as revised in May. That detailed review is published in February and aids in rich budget discussions within the Legislature on how best to allocate the State’s limited fiscal resources.

The LAO also researches, writes, and publishes Program Reviews of the various State programs. These are all public documents and can be found on the LAO website at https://lao.ca.gov. Program Reviews help the Legislature, other state agencies, and the public understand the operational details of the State’s budget and its programmatic goals. https://lao.ca.gov. Program Reviews help the Legislature, other state agencies, and the public understand the operational details of the State’s budget and its programmatic goals.

Two analysts assigned to the Child Support Program under Health and Human Services: Ginni Bella-Navarre and Jackie Barocio are preparing to write a Program Review of Child Support. They, and likely one or two other LAO analysts, will be visiting a dozen or so Local Child Support Agencies to learn more about the current workings and operational needs of local Child Support. Those visits will inform their understanding of the financial resource needs of local programs and how the State’s money along with the Federal Financial participation is used to provide effective services.

The LAO also reviews budget requests from the administration after it has been enacted. The Office reviews Initiatives and Ballot Measures to estimate the fiscal effect of proposed initiatives and prepares analyses of all measures that eventually qualify for a statewide ballot. And the LAO also forecasts the state revenues and expenditures.