Agenda

Return

D.2

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	Anna Roth, Health Services Director
Date:	August 10, 2021

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Temporary Hire of County Retiree - Waiver of 180-day "sit-out" Period

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 08/10/2021

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:	Matt Kaufmann, (925) 655-3235
cc:	Larita Clow Jo-Anne Linares Matt Kaufmann Cheryl Shipley

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: August 10, 2021
Monica Nino, County Administrator

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

1. WAIVE the 180-day "sit-out" period for Maria Duazo, Hazardous Materials Specialist II, in the Health Services Department
2. FIND that the appointment of Ms. Duazo is necessary to fill a critically needed position

3. APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the hiring of retiree Maria Duazo as a temporary, County employee for the period of August 16,2021 through August 16, 2022

FISCAL IMPACT:

Upon approval, this action has an annual cost of approximately $48,966. No impact to the General Fund. Salary costs are included within the Department's operating budget. Contra Costa Health Services - Hazardous Materials Programs (CCHSHMP) will fund this position with program fees.

BACKGROUND:

Contra Costa Health Services - Hazardous Materials Programs is requesting an exemption from the 180-day “sit-out” period for the following reasons:
1. CCHSHMP is the Certified Unified Program Agency for all of Contra Costa County. As the County’s hazardous materials regulatory and response agency, CCHSHMP’s mission is to protect human health and the environment from the threat of hazardous materials.
2. When fully staffed, CCHSHMP has 19 Hazardous Materials Specialists (Specialists) who perform regulatory compliance inspections at hazardous materials facilities. There is currently one open position (Ms. Duazo’s) and two Specialists are working part time on the COVID-19 response. Over the past 14 months, as many as 15 of the 19 Specialists were activated as Disaster Service Workers, and as recent as March of 2021, CCHSHMP was without 25% of our workforce. This has led to a back log of overdue inspections and outstanding violations.
3. Ms. Duazo is a State-certified Underground Storage Tank (UST) inspector. Ms. Duazo’s experience and skills will although CCHSHMP to address overdue inspections and outstanding violations caused by staff reductions and the COVID-19 response.
4. Ms. Duazo is a State-certified hazardous materials responder and instructor. She has been the Program Lead of the CCHSHMP Hazardous Materials Incident Response Team for the past seven years. All four of the hazardous materials response teams located in the County have benefited from Ms. Duazo’s experience and instruction.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

The COVID-19 pandemic response has significantly impacted the CCHSHMP workforce and our ability to meet State-required time frames. Failure to receive Board approval may prevent the Hazardous Materials Programs from meeting regulatory required inspection frequencies and will require CCHSHMP to prioritize regulatory compliance, focusing enforcement activities on only the most significant offenders.