QP C

County of los Angeles 

Quality and Productivity Commission 

2012 AnnuAl RePoRt 

QP C 

INVESTING 

IN A 

Quality Future 

http://qpc.co.la.ca.us

County of Los Angeles Quality and Productivity Commissioners 2012 

William A. Sullivan, Esq. 

Chair 

Patricia Johnson 

1st Vice-Chair 

Rodney C. Gibson 

2nd Vice-Chair 

Jaclyn Tilley Hill 

Chair Emeritus 

Jacki Bacharach 

Viggo Butler 

Marshal Chuang 

Ron Galperin 

Evelyn Gutierrez 

Nancy G. Harris 

Algird G. Leiga 

Huasha Liu 

Edward T. McIntyre 

Gerald Nadler, Ph.D. 

Bud Treece 

William C. Waddell, DBA Joseph P. Wetzler Victoria Pipkin-Lane 

Executive Director 

Mary Savinar 

Program Manager 

Laura Perez 

Program Support

Table of Contents 

Message from the Chair..................................................................................................................................2 

Message from the Executive Director............................................................................................................3 

Mission Statement and Strategic Goals.........................................................................................................4 

Commission Programs and Projects..............................................................................................................7 

Productivity Investment Fund Projects and Final Report .....................................................7–19 

Department Visits .......................................................................................................................12–18 

n Alternate Public Defender 

n Parks & Recreation 

n Child Support Services 

n Public Defender 

n Children & Family Services 

n Public Health 

n Community Development Commission/ 

n Public Library 

Housing Authority 

n Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk 

n Community and Senior Services 

n Sheriff 

n Coroner 

n Fire Department 

Productivity and Quality Awards “Investing in a Quality Future” .....................................19–31 

n Grand Eagle Award Winners 

n Top Ten Awards 

n Commission Technology Awards 

n Commission Special Awards 

n Chair Leadership Award 

Quality and Productivity Managers’ Network.........................................................................32–34 

n Productivity Manager of the Year 

n Message from the Chair of the Productivity Managers’ Network 

Commissioners’ Leadership Conference X: “Leadership Tomorrow”.............................35–36 

Shared Practices................................................................................................................................37 

Strategic Foresight Working Group................................................................................................38 

Executive Staff..............................................................................................................................................39 

Quality and Productivity Annual Report 2012 

1

Message from the Chair 

As I complete my second term as Chair of the Quality and Productivity 

Commission (Commission), I reflect back on a year filled with many 

challenges and several achievements. The Board of Supervisors and 

County departments were forced to make tough budget decisions, managing 

limited resources against an ever-increasing demand for public services. While 

the County was able to avoid employee layoffs and furloughs, many staff positions 

remained vacant due to a lack of funding. 

William A. Sullivan, 

Chair 

In this budget conscious environment, the Commission worked effectively with 

Department Heads and Productivity Managers to jump start innovative projects, 

initiatives and programs designed to enhance the quality of County services and 

improve employee productivity. The Commission’s Productivity Investment Fund 

provided financing for the projects, all of which are included in the annual “Best 

and Shared Practices Report” posted to the website. 

The Commissioners’ Leadership Conference, held in May, was a huge success with more than 175 Department 

Heads, Commissioners, senior executives and managers in attendance. Guest speakers included Moidin Mohiuddin, 

Ph.D., Associate Director, IBM, and Ulmont Smith, Vice President, Intel, who captured the attention of the audience 

with cutting edge information on the employee of the future and the workplace in 2020. In addition, Supervisor Zev 

Yaroslavsky, Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, CEO William T Fujioka, DHR Director Lisa Garrett, CIO Richard 

Sanchez, and Public Affairs Director David Sommers gave informative presentations on the future of the County. 

A major highlight of the year was our 26th annual Productivity and Quality Awards (PQA) program. “Investing in a 

Quality Future” was the theme. Renowned local broadcaster Patrick Healy, news reporter for NBC4, returned as 

our master of ceremonies and was enthusiastically welcomed back by the County family. The PQA recognized 69 

exceptional projects which resulted in estimated annual benefits to the County exceeding $169.8 million. It was 

a very successful event and I want to thank Commission staff and Productivity Managers for their hard work in 

organizing and coordinating the luncheon ceremony. 

On a more somber note, we lost Commissioner Raymond Hemann, who passed away on March 31, 2012. He was 

appointed to the Commission on June 21, 2011, and quickly made an impact in the area of strategic foresight. 

He will be missed. On October 2, 2012, businessman Marshal Chuang was appointed to replace Commissioner 

Hemann. Commissioner Chuang is currently President of JMC Motors, Inc., an auto consultant business, and 

President of M&L Sales, Inc., a preschool kindergarten. We look forward to working with Commissioner Chuang in 

the year ahead. 

Finally, I want to thank my fellow Commissioners and support staff for all their assistance throughout the year. 

William A. Sullivan 

Chair 

2 Quality and Productivity Annual Report 2012

Message from the Executive Director 

Greetings! I was honored and thrilled to be appointed Executive Director 

of the Quality and Productivity Commission in 2011. My seven years as 

Productivity Manager for the Chief Executive Office taught me a lot about 

the Commission and its outstanding programs and activities to promote quality, 

productivity and efficiency across County Departments. 

We had a great year of achievement, starting off with release of the Commission’s 

“Single Web Access Report for Los Angeles County” in April. At the direction of 

Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, the Commission conducted a six-month study 

of the County’s Portal, its redesign, migration of Departments onto the system, 

and enhancements to eGovernment. 

Victoria Pipkin-Lane, 


Among its recommendations for a modern, cross-platform system, the report 

called for: 

1) Establishing a policy that all Departments will become a part of the County Portal 2.0 in a timely manner; 

2) Developing mobile applications for a more efficient interface with the public seeking a permit, inspection or 

appointment; and 

3) One entity to oversee Web development with responsibility for budgets and timely deployment of new 

technologies 

We revised the Productivity Investment Fund forms and guidelines, and enhanced procedures for the Department 

Visits to ensure alignment with the Commission’s Strategic Plan. Commissioner Jaclyn Tilley Hill, Chair Emeritus, 

worked with the Productivity Managers Network (PMN) to launch a PMN Alumni Network, which will be a valuable 

resource for all members. We also started a quarterly Best and Shared Practices Bulletin to highlight Department 

initiatives, such as the Alternate Public Defender’s “eWorkflow” program. 

In December, the Commission elected a new Chair, Commissioner Edward T. McIntyre, who took the reins 

from Commissioner William Sullivan, Esq. Now, with a full year completed I look forward to the future with great 

expectations. 

Chief Executive Officer Bill Fujioka continues to support the Commission’s budget, which we use to help Department’s 

launch innovative programs, test pilot projects and compile important data, as well as develop initiatives, which are 

certain to enhance employee productivity, improve County services and make them more efficient. 

In short, the Commission and the County’s best days still lie ahead of us. 

Let’s get to work making more QPC history! 

Victoria Pipkin-Lane 



3

Mission Statement and Strategic Goals 

Mission 

To provide advice, innovative ideas, assistance and 

support to the County’s elected officials, managers 

and employees to promote the effectiveness, 

efficiency and quality of County public services. 

Strategic Goals 

1. It is the objective of the Commission to keep the 

Board of Supervisors and the Chief Executive 

Officer (CEO) informed of Commission 

activities, grant and loan approvals, and total 

savings gained from quality and productivity 

projects. 

c Reviewed eighteen Productivity Investment 

Fund proposals totaling $2,746,013 

c Awarded nine Productivity Investment Fund 

projects totaling $1,754,198 

2. It is the objective of the Commission to foster 

productivity and quality improvement through 

department visits. 

c Conducted 13 department visits with follow-up 

action items 

c Shared interdepartmental challenges and 

areas of common interest 

c Promoted best practices 

c Solicited department PQA applications and 

PIF proposals 

3. It is the objective of the Commission to 

strengthen the County’s fiscal capacity by 

recognizing department projects that may result 

in cost avoidance, cost savings, or revenue 

generation. These projects may reduce costs, 

raise levels of efficiency, or increase quality and 

achieve greater productivity. Each achievement 

must be measured and reported as a quality or 

productivity accomplishment and cumulatively 

over time. 

c Showcased the 26th Annual Productivity and 

Quality Awards program demonstrating an 

estimated cost avoidance of $73,698,659, 

estimated cost savings of $42,902,197 and 

estimated revenue generation of $53,224,082 

for a total estimated benefit of $169,824,938 

c Estimated PQA benefits cumulative total is 

$4.2 billion dollars over 26 years 

c Recognized Productivity and Quality award 

winners at the awards ceremony and at the 

November Board meeting 

4. It is the objective of the Commission to work 

closely with the Productivity Managers’ Network 

to assist in developing and administering 

programs at the department level, and to 

support the County’s Strategic Plan. 

c Conducted five Quality and Productivity 

Network Manager (QPMN) general membership 

and training sessions 

C February 15 – West Hollywood Library 

C May 9 – Hollywood Bowl Museum 

C October 1 – Hall of Administration 

(Training/Orientation) 

C November 14 – LAC+USC Medical 

Center 

C December 6 – Kenneth Hahn Hall of 

Administration 

5. It is the objective of the Commission to share 

information, department practices, and ideas 

with County Commissioners and County 

Managers. 

c Sponsored the 10th Annual Commissioners’ 

Leadership Conference, “Leadership 

Tomorrow,” providing a forum for County 

Commissioners to network with colleagues, 


Mission Statement and Strategic Goals 

develop leadership strategies, as well as 

support and promote the countywide Strategic 

Plan 

6. It is the objective of the Commission to 

distinguish department practices that solve 

complex problems, create financial benefits, 

and provide quality service. 

c Distributed the fourth annual “Shared Practices 

Report” to the Supervisors, department heads, 

and County managers 

c Conducted a “Shared Practices” survey to 

identify those practices that have served as a 

model for other departments 

7. It is the objective of the Commission to publish 

an electronic newsletter and annual report that 

provide County departments with quality and 

productivity achievements. The newsletter 

and annual report also list loans and grants to 

departments that support various projects. 

c Published two comprehensive e-newsletters 

highlighting programs and activities and 

spotlighting Productivity Managers’ Network 

c Published a 2011 Annual Report and distributed 

it to more than 500 County employees and 

residents 

c Distributed publications to Board offices, 

department heads, productivity managers, 

County commissions, committees, and 

advisory boards 

8. It is the objective of the Commission to keep the 

Board of Supervisors and the Chief Executive 

Officer (CEO) informed of Commission 

activities, grant and loan approvals, and total 

savings gained from quality and productivity 

projects. 

c Published summaries of department visits, 

Productivity Investment Funds awards 

and Productivity and Quality awards in the 

Commission e-Newsletter, Quality Matters, and 

annual report distributed to the Board offices, 

the CEO, department heads, and productivity 

managers 

c Provided periodic updates of Commission 

activities to the Board of Supervisors and 

Board Deputies 

9. It is the objective of the Commission to maintain 

strong supportive committees that will provide 

information, policy recommendations, and 

solutions to enable the Commission to better 

serve County departments. 

c Department Visit Committee 

C Visited with 13 department heads and 

staff 

C Shared interdepartmental challenges 

or areas of common interest 

c Productivity Investment Board 

C Held five quarterly meetings 

C Reviewed 18 Productivity Investment 

Fund applications 

C Recommended funding for nine 

Productivity Investment Fund projects 

c Promotion Committee 

C Publicized the 26th annual PQA event 

with a press release, web streaming, 

a video clip on the County Channel, 

program and video on QPC website, 

and an article in the County’s Digest 

C Promoted the 10th Annual 

Commissioners’Leadership 

Conference with web-streaming and 

article in the County Digest and on 

the QPC website 

C Published articles in the Quality and 

Productivity Commission e-newsletter 

Quality Matters promoting the 

Commissioners’ Leadership 

Conference, the Productivity and 

Quality Awards Program, Productivity 

Investment Fund, and Shared 

Practices 

c Strategic Foresight Working Group 

C Researched potential partnerships 

to expand the Commission’s reach 

and opportunities to enhance quality 

and productivity 

c Commissioners’ Leadership Conference 

Committee 

C Successfully planned and implemented 

the 2012 Commissioners’ Leadership 

Conference 


5

Commissioners in Action 

County of Los Angeles Quality and Productivity Commission 


Commission Programs and Projects 

Productivity Investment Fund Projects 

Fund activities during the calendar year 2012: 

Loans Approved $ 543,000 

Grants Approved $1,211,198 

Total Funds Awarded: $1,754,198 

PUBLIC Health – 

Healthy Communities Website 

($80,000 Grant) 

The funds will be used to create 

a website which tracks over 100 

health related indicators by Healthy Communities 

Institute (HCI). HCI is a one-stop shared resource tool 

which pulls health data from various sources. It will 

streamline PH’s data collection process and provide 

staff with increased accessibility to data. 

SHERIFF – Emergency High 

Frequency Radio and Antennas, 

CREW 

($85,895 Grant) 

Funds will pilot use of new radio 

and antenna systems designed for military use when 

normal communications are inoperative. Technology 

will be utilized by the Communication Resources 

and Emergency Workaround group in the Sheriff’s 

Department. 

HEALTH SERVICES 

– Censitrac ®Surgical 

Instrument Management Solutions 

($78,315 Grant) 

Funds will be used to purchase 

software to add accuracy, accountability, and cost 

avoidance to the instrument reprocessing area that 

supports the Ambulatory Surgery Center and Care 

Clinics. 


(OLIVE VIEW) – 

Landscaping for Outdoor 

Psychiatric Recreation Yard 

($44,488 Grant) 

Olive View’s Outdoor Recreation Yard was destroyed 

in the Sayre Fire. Funds will be used to restore the 

yard back to its “original condition” prior to the fire. 

The department is now able to provide services to 

mental health in-patients at a pre-fire level. 

BEACHES AND HARBORS 

– Automated Fuel Management 

System 

($308,000 Loan) 

The funds will be used to install 

eight new Fuel Island Controller Units at seven 

existing fueling locations, thus creating an automated 

networked system to track fuel use at all DBH fuel 

pumping stations. 

REGISTRAR-RECORDER – 

VSAP Voting System Design Phase 

($235,000 Grant, $235,000 Loan) 

Funds will be used to develop a 

design brief that would lay the foundation for system 

engineering, prototyping, and development at a new 

voting system using an open, transparent, data driven 

process that fully engages the public. 

FIRE DEPARTMENT – 

Videography Equipment for 

Improving Quality of On-line 

Training Content 

($155,000 Grant) 

The department is transitioning its “in-service training” 

from a class format to an on-line system. The money 

will be used to upgrade the videography equipment to 

support the new system. 

CONSUMER AFFAIRS – 

Advanced Telephone System for 

Improved Customer Service 

($32,500 Grant) 

The grant will fund a new telephone 

system to improve customer service. It will be more 

user-friendly, more reliable, and will enable redesign of 

menu trees and re-record messages. 


7


HUMAN RESOURCES – Executive 

Leadership Development Program 

($500,000 Grant) 

The funds will be used for a pilot 

program to assess and enhance the 

leadership competencies of the County’s current and 

emerging leaders. The program will launch the new 

Leadership Development Institute. 

“Final Reports for 2012” 

ALTERNATE PUBLIC 

DEFENDER – APD EDMS 

($431,618 Grant) 

This project had two goals: create 

an electronic document storage and retrieval system 

(CASE360) for all APD closed files; and link APD’s 

Case Management System (CMS) to the Information 

Systems Advisory Body (ISAB) Cloverleaf Proactive 

Information Exchange (PIX) for the exchange of data 

between the Court’s Trial Court information system 

and APD’s CMS. 

Results of the Project 

CASE360 has generated substantial efficiencies by 

cutting down on APD’s annual storage and retrieval 

costs. All new files are scanned into the system and 

any old files brought from storage are scanned in, 

eliminating the need to physically retrieve them ever 

again. This system also allows for convenient, efficient 

viewing of all files related to a particular case. CMS/ 

PIX have allowed APD staff to save tens of thousands 

of keystrokes each year. The time saved is used to 

complete tasks more directly related to the efficient 

preparation of cases, which helps move cases through 

the court system in a timelier manner and has reduced 

the need for additional support staff. 

Accounting of Fund Expenditures: 

Total Loan: $431,618 

Total Withdrawn: $431,000 

Total Repaid: 

$N/A 

Total Program Cost: $433,221 

ARTS COMMISSION – 

Cultivate/Create Initiative 

($75,000 Grant) 

The overarching goal of Cultivate/ 

Create was to increase the capacity of small and 

midsize arts organizations to generate renewable 

sources of income and to develop individual donor 

programs as well as to support artists and artistic 

creativity through the commissioning of new work. 

Nine arts organizations received $10,000 grants to 

commission new works of art, as well as technical 

assistance workshops, coaching and peer learning 

sessions to help them engage and sustain relationships 

with individual donors, and enhance their capacity to 

generate renewable sources of income. 


Through this initiative, over $273,000 was raised, 

equaling 174% more than the minimum required match 

of $100,000, and nearly 100 artists were employed to 

commission new works of art which were presented 

to the benefit of Los Angeles County residents in the 

spring and summer of 2012. 


Total Grant/Loan: $75,000 


Total Repaid: 

N/A 



AMBULATORY CARE 

NETWORK/HIGH DESERT 

HEALTH SYSTEMS – Mid-Valley 

Retinal Camera System 

($37,500 Grant) 

The Retinal Camera Telemedicine System is a screening 

process that increases access to Ophthalmology 

services. Early diagnosis identifies those in need of 

immediate treatment in a timely manner and promotes 

positive outcomes. This system takes an image of 

the retina, allowing the Ophthalmologist to evaluate 

eye disease without a face-to-face patient visit. This 

process is useful for diagnosing a range of maladies, 






Total Repaid: 

N/A 

Total Program Cost: $40,882.78 

MENTAL HEALTH – Art SMART 

($124,300 Grant) 

The Art SMART project was 

developed to provide workshops 

in fine arts, music, dance, and drama to youth in the 

Los Angeles County Probation Camps. This was an 

expansion of services that were present in the Juvenile 

Halls. It involved a contract with California Institute 

of the Arts (Cal ARTS) to provide experienced artisteducators 

to lead weekly 2-hour workshops for ten 

weeks each quarter at chosen sites, with staff support 

by Probation and Mental Health, and collaboration 

from the Los Angeles County Office of Education. 

Results of the Project: 

The efficacy study taking place alongside the classes 

found a number of positive outcomes among youth 

who participated. 

• Youth who participate in at least one Art SMART 

class reported improvement in their ability to cope 

during their stay in the facility 

• Youth who participate in Art SMART classes 

reported improved social skills in their relationships 

with other youths, as well as instructors 

• DMH/Probation survey results reveal that staff/ 

probation have witnessed behavioral benefits to 

clients receiving classes 




Total Repaid: 

N/A 


MUSEUM OF ART – Improving 

Audience Access with Wireless 

Phones 

(Pilot Program - $282,170 Grant) 

The Museum of Art designed and built a smart phone 

appplication to provide audience and visitors easy, 

personal access to information about the museum 

experience. Visitors can access general information 

about the museum, discover special exhibitions, event 

highlights, retrieve information about parking, tours, 

and restaurants. Users can also make reservations 

at restaurants, get tickets, and access membership 

information. 


The Museum capitalized on the general availability 

and acceptance of mobile technologies to provide 

visitors with self-guided, personalized access to 

information and services without having to rely entirely 

on traditional visitor service centers, printed materials, 

web or traditional advertising methodologies. 




Total Repaid: 

N/A 


PUBLIC DEFENDER – 

Pitchess Motions Go Green 

($55,000 Grant) 

Pitchess Motions Go Green (ePitchess) converts a 

burdensome and costly manual system of serving and 

accepting Pitchess (legal) motions into a streamlined, 

efficient, eco-friendly electronic process. Since January 

2010, hard copy police reports and electronically 

generated Pitchess motions have been delivered to 

the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD). 

This process was expanded in March 2011 to serve 

motions to the Los Angeles Police Department. 


From inception of the project in January 2010 through 

September 30, 2012, the Public Defender served 1,601 


9


Pitchess motions electronically, 1,024 to LASD and 577 

to LAPD. The Public Defender achieves cost avoidance 

and savings through reallocation of investigator hours 

to more substantive tasks, elimination of thousands 

of miles for delivery purposes, and reduction of 

consumables, including paper and toner. 




Total Repaid: 

N/A 


PUBLIC HEALTH – CHOI Data 

System Rebuild 

($250,000 Grant) 

This project focused on rebuilding the original 

Children’s Health Outreach Initiatives (CHOI) data 

system to make it more user-friendly, and increase 

robustness and efficiency. CHOI helped increase 

enrollment and retention rates in health care coverage 

programs. 


The system allows the user to track clients and provides 

a tickler system to enable the user to follow-up at 

scheduled intervals. As a result of this rebuild project, 

contracted staff can generate numerous reports 

required by DPH, and internal staff management 

reports. Some of the reports include: Enrollment 

verification statistics, utilization data, renewal and 

retention numbers and percentages, cleaning reports, 

and scope of work percentages for staff workload 

management. 

Accounting of Fund Expenditures 



Total Repaid: 

N/A 


PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES 

– Food Stamp/Medi-Cal Mobile 

Outreach Project 

($212,000 Grant, $163,000 Loan) 

The Health & Nutrition Mobile Office (Mobile Office) 

is deployed to various venues and events to allow 

the department to reach out and bring CalFresh and 

Medi-Cal application and enrollment services to 

the community throughout Los Angeles County. In 

addition, when a department district office encounters 

a power outage or is required to evacuate the building 

for an extended period of time, the Mobile Office is 

deployed to that area to assist the district office in 

providing services to the public. 


The Health & Nutrition Mobile Office became 

operational on September 29, 2010, and as of 

December 31, 2012, has participated in 347 outreach 

activities, which generated the following results: 

• 3,224 CalFresh and 478 Medi-Cal applications 

were taken and processed at the Mobile Office 

• 922 CalFresh and 356 Medi-Cal applications 

were distributed by the Mobile Office staff to 

those individuals and families who were unable to 

complete the process or who preferred to submit 

their applications at a later date 




Total Repaid: $168,110 


REGISTRAR-RECORDER/ 

COUNTY CLERK – Six Sigma 

Efficiency Training 

($60,000 Grant) 

In April 2011, 44 employees were trained in the process 

improvement methodology known as Lean Six Sigma 

(LSS) and utilized consultant services to improve 

several core processes. The Quality Assurance Unit 



is assigned to act as an “internal consultant”, leading 

an in-house training program to train all employees 

at some level of LSS with the goal of creating further 

efficiencies. 


Implementation resulted in faster process times and 

reduced defects in certain processes. Although cost 

savings cannot be always calculated for creating 

faster, more streamlined processes, a greater capacity 

to do more with the same or fewer resources was 

achieved. One measurable example of the Lean Six 

Sigma process involves Vital Records requests from 

the public. The system reduced the processing time 

for these requests from 17 days to 1 day. 

money, and cutting salary costs of managing these 

timetables. Inmates and staff are also more secure 

as video visits eliminate the need to move inmates for 

traditional face to face meetings. 




Total Repaid: 

N/A 




Total Withdrawn: 

N/A 

Total Repaid: 

N/A 


SHERIFF – Video Arraignment 

& Video Visiting Pilot 

($300,000 Grant) 

The Video Visiting Pilot will allow for remote visitations 

of inmates utilizing 15 public facing and 15 intimate 

facing video units. Public facing units are provided at 

Lakewood and San Dimas Sheriff’s Stations, Century 

Regional Detention Center, Twin Towers Correctional 

Facility, Men’s Central Jail, and the Pitchess Detention 

Center. There is a portable video unit for inmates 

housed at the Los Angeles County Medical Center 

prison ward. Five additional video units have been 

ordered, one of which will be installed in the booking 

area of Century Station to allow for video conferencing 

of arrest approvals with Compton Station. 


Exceptional efficiency has been achieved by allowing 

visitors to schedule video visits through an automated 

system. The system notifies visitors if meetings will 

be cancelled or rescheduled, saving visitor’s time and 


11


Department Visits 

Jacki Bacharach 

Commissioner 

Under the leadership 

of Commissioner 

Jacki Bacharach, 

Chair of the Department 

Visit Committee, the 

Commission visited with 13 

County department heads. 

The role of the Committee 

is to gain an understanding 

of department operations 

and challenges, then 

offer solutions to assist toward realizing enhanced 

productivity and quality service. 

Activities of the Committee: 

c Continued to gather trends from site visits 

c Distributed department visit summary reports to 

the Chief Executive Officer, Department Heads 

and Network Managers 

c Visited the following Departments during the 2012 

calendar year 

Alternate Public Defender 

Janice Fukai, Director 

(Visited March 23, 2012) 

Major quality and productivity 

challenges and opportunities: 

New cases resulting from AB109 State Realignment of 

parolees has created a working alliance between the 

Alternate Public Defender and the Justice Department 

to handle the new caseload. Meanwhile, Court layoffs 

have forced APD to rework its staffing model and 

workload distribution. Numerous IT and technological 

advances, including WDI and video training on the 

desktop, have been implemented to counter staffing 

shortages, streamline workflow, and provide training 

to new staff. 

Actions taken to improve quality and productivity: 

c Successful implementation of the document 

management system (DMS) Case360, storing 

more than 2 million pages of closed files which 

has reduced costs 

c 

c 

c 

c 

c 

c 

Collaboration with the District Attorney, Public 

Defender and Internal Services Department to 

install the Remote Access Pilot Project (WiFi) in 

the downtown Criminal Courthouse 

Sharing the WiFi project data with L.A. Superior 

Court, which installed the system in all criminal 

courthouses 

Use of the Workload Difficulty Index and 

Electronic Work Requests (EWR) to ensure 

efficient workflow and work distribution among 

staff 

Development of user-friendly software programs, 

which have enhanced the department’s ability to 

serve its clients 

Widespread use of Inmate Video Conferencing 

(26,000 sessions resulting in a savings of 10,000 

staff hours and reducing 1.2 million commute 

miles) 

Implementation of eSubpoena (more than 500) to 

reduce staff travel 

Best practices that could be shared with other 

departments: 

c Embrace and manage change 

c Innovate incrementally 

c Collaborate with departments 

c Invest in IT strategies and do not allow them to 

stagnate 

c APD Case360 and CMS for Public Defender 

Child Support Services 

Stephen J. Golightly, Director 

(Visited April 30, 2012) 



The primary aim of the Community and Senior Services 

Department is to increase support collections in a 

number of different types of cases. Innovative new 

programs and extended outreach were employed 

to meet these goals. CSS also sought to bring new 

efficacy to its internal operations. Certain cases over 

three years old were resolved without court order, data 

cleanup and maintenance was carried out, and a new 




c Implement software programs that allow for 

online submission of child support forms 

c Major reduction in Call Center wait times from 26 

minutes to less than three minutes 

c Shepherd an imaging project in which 200,000 

cases were scanned, allowing staff easy access 

to case files. 

c Collaborate with the Department of Community 

and Senior Services on Workforce Investment 

Program opportunities for unemployed parents 

c Effective use of video conferencing for staff 

training and to disseminate information to all 

satellite offices 

c Reduce staff travel time by filing judgments, 

orders and summons electronically 

c Tracking staff performance through C-STATS 

c Ongoing communication with staff through the 

Weekly Director’s Message 


departments: 

c CSTATS 

c Director’s Weekly Message 

c Quarterly Meeting with Best Practices Summit 

Attendees 

c Child Support Officer Olympics 

c Call Center Customer Service Training 

c Use of Video Conference Technology 

c Host National Forum to discuss trends & share 

best practices – “Changing Face of Child 

Support” 

Children & Family Services 

Philip L. Browning, Director 

(Visited July 26, 2012) 

for more such improvements as manageable case and 

workloads for social workers, more flexible funding, 

and better communication and teamwork with other 

County departments. 


c Collaboration with the Departments of Health 

Services and Mental Health on an Enterprise 

Master Person Index (EMPI) to identify common 

clients 

c Full implementation of the Electronic Suspected 

Child Abuse Report System, in collaboration with 

law enforcement agencies in the County 

c Effective use of savings from the Title IV-E 

Waiver to reduce the foster care population by 20 

percent 

c Innovative deployment of executive staff 

members to spend time working at the 24-hour 

Command Post and participating in drive-alongs 

c Co-location of staff with other County 

Departments (Sheriff, Health Services, Mental 

Health, Public Health) for joint case planning and 

to improve outcomes for children who are victims 

of abuse and neglect 

c Use of an Automated Early Education and 

HeadStart Referral System to expedite enrollment 

of children 

c Establishment of Ask, Seek, Knock (ASK) 

Resource Centers in conjunction with community 

partners to provide free prevention services 


departments: 

c Inter-departmental cooperation and collaboration 

c Co-locate staff whenever possible as an effective 

means of sharing resources and performing joint 

case planning 



While the Department of Children and Family Services 

(DCFS) maintains a diligent focus on achieving better 

outcomes, continued success in servicing children 

and their families and achieving positive outcomes is 

reliant on several key factors. DCFS continues to strive 


13


Community Development 

Commission/Housing Authority 

Sean Rogan, Executive Director 

(Visited June 21, 2012) 

c 

of conducting business, such as expanding 

automated processes 

Assessing the quality of services to ensure that 

the delivery method is effective and efficient 



The greatest challenge to the department’s commitment 

to quality and productivity is massive budget cuts 

and budget freezes. On July 1, 2012, the department 

was forced to reduce staff by 44 filled positions and 

32 vacant positions. Numerous programs have also 

suffered without proper monetary financing. Several 

sources of Federal funding have helped stymie the 

drastic reduction in resources, but even these funds 

leave programs monetarily short of where they were 

just a few years ago. 


c Developing an online grants management system, 

which is accessible to all 48 cities served by the 

CDC 

c Implementing of the Job Order Contacting (JOC) 

procurement process, which resulted in savings 

of between 60 and 80 percent on capital fund 

rehabilitation projects 

c Incorporating green technology in building 

construction, including water conservation, 

renewable energy, native landscaping, recycled 

materials, and high efficiency mechanical 

equipment 

c Revitalizing commercial corridors in 

unincorporated areas of the County through 

renovations to facades, adding public parking, 

and improvements to pedestrian amenities such 

as street trees, bus shelters, trash receptacles 

and sidewalk repair and replacement 

c Using Green Route Software to maximize 

efficiency in the inspection process by 

automating such tasks as inspection scheduling, 

creating inspection itineraries and mapping, and 

generating notices and reports 


departments: 

c Seeking grants 

c Finding more efficient and streamlined ways 

Community and Senior 

Services 

Cynthia D. Banks, Director 




The scope of the Department of Community and 

Senior Services projects tends to involve multiple 

County departments. With each department subject to 

different regulations, and each funding source having 

its own complex requirements, it can be challenging 

to coordinate every aspect necessary to ensure a 

program delivers quality results. 


c Continued implementation of “best and shared 

practices” identified in the Commission’s annual 

report 

c Use of technology, such as an electronic statistics 

program, to measure performance and program 

efficiency 

c Collaboration with the City of Los Angeles’ Area 

Agency on Aging to promote programs and 

services 

c Ongoing training of personnel to keep pace with 

staff retirements 

c Proactive audit of internal department policies 

and procedures 


departments: 

c Contract Management System 

c WebEx digital meeting tools and services save 

time, gas, and the environment 

c Employee interviews to determine department 

areas in need of improvement 



Coroner 

Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, Director 


standardization within departments and larger 

organizations 



The Coroner had three key areas of challenge to 

overcome: quality assurance, measurement, and 

implementation of recent changes to Quality Assurance 

policy. 

The Coroner will work in accordance with several 

national and international standards organizations, 

and its own Quality Assurance Committee will serve 

a more active role, to address quality assurance issues. 

Updates to the department computer system will help 

standardize and quantize measurements of quality. 


c Participating in national forums such as the 

Scientific Working Groups for Forensic Toxicology 

and Medicolegal Death Investigations 

c Developing a Pathology Assistant Training 

Program in collaboration with Rosalind Franklin 

University 

c Obtaining accreditations from both the National 

Association of Medical Examiners and Institute 

for Medical Quality 

c Partnering with other counties and agencies to 

develop an information-sharing and cost-sharing 

Regional Mass Fatality Management plan 

c Utilizing social media to promote the Department’s 

programs and services 

c Anticipating the need for an Emergency 

Management Director and laying the groundwork 

to create that position 


departments: 

c Partnering with a local university to create an 

internship program 

c Continuing education for employee 

c Accreditation 

c Investigating and experimenting with new 

technology and resources 

c Creating or participating in professional working 

groups to promote employee efficacy and create 

Fire Department 

Daryl L. Osby, Fire Chief 




The Department’s top challenge continues to be its 

financial sustainability to support its emergency service 

delivery. Budget cuts have forced the department to 

streamline, discover, and implement new efficiencies. 


c Installing infrared technology on helicopters 

c Implementation agreement with the U.S. Forest 

Service to define unified command procedures, 

including night flying of helicopters and the use of 

Super Scoopers 

c Establishing a department Strategic Plan with 12 

goals 

c Implementing internal efficiency initiatives to 

reduce risks 

c Partnering with the private sector to create a 

Fire Foundation to restore programs eliminated 

because of budget cuts 


departments: 

c The collaborative development of a Strategic Plan 

among departments in concert with the County’s 

Strategic Plan 

Parks and Recreation 

Russ Guiney, Director 

(Visited May 21, 2012) 



The department’s greatest challenge has been 

maintaining patron satisfaction while reducing staff 

hours. One initiative to cope with budgetary restraints 

and improve efficiency has been the Los Angeles 


15


County Activity Registration and Reservation System 

an electronic system that allows patrons to reserve 

and/or register for Department services and programs 

online. 


c Cleaning up 33 County Parks and the Arboretum, 

which suffered more than $10 million in damages 

from windstorms last year 

c Maximizing $200,000 in funding from Productivity 

Investment Fund to pilot a sustainable green pilot 

program at Obregon Park in East Los Angeles, 

resulting in estimated annual energy savings of 

$10,500 

c Developing a “Sustainable Park Concept” 

program encompassing energy, water and 

programming that could be used by other County 

departments, and monitoring savings achieved in 

each area 

c Generating an additional $1 million in revenue 

by entering into long-term leases for private 

management of the nineteen golf courses, and 

developing a centralized golf reservation system 

on the Internet 

c Continuing the Countywide Fitness Challenge 

in cooperation with the Department of Human 

Resources and health providers (such as Kaiser 

Permanente and Anthem Blue Cross) to improve 

employee health and well-being 


departments: 

c Use new technologies to eliminate waste, cut 

down on inefficiencies, and become more selfsufficient 

c Apply principles of reduction and reuse to 

department resources 

allows for electronic management of case files. Office 

communications have been upgraded, utilizing the 

latest in video conferencing, WiFi, and other internet 

technologies. A revitalized staff education program 

seeks to inform employees on new legal subjects and 

reinforce old principles. 


c Implementing the Public Defender Electronic 

Document Management System, an automated 

repository and retrieval system containing more 

than 411,400 scanned files 

c Increasing employee productivity by expanding 

Video Conferencing to include a desktop 

program, utilizing “Go to Meeting” and “Go to 

Webinar” programs 

c Developing a new and more user-friendly Public 

Defender website and a new Portal to increase 

communication within the department 

c Partnering with other justice agencies on Wi-Fi 

connectivity at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal 

Justice Center and expanding the ePitchess 

Program to deliver motions electronically to 14 of 

the busiest courthouses in the County 

c Maintaining funding for the award-winning Client 

Assessment Recommendation Evaluation (CARE) 

project where teams assess and identify the 

mental health and special education needs of 

juveniles and make recommendations to the 

juvenile courts 


departments: 

c Improve systems of standardized indexing of files 

c Customize and standardized archives 

c Expand use of common digital file storage and 

access systems 

Public Defender 

Ronald Brown, Director 




The Public Defender has sought to overcome challenges 

by implementing a new case management system that 

Public Health 

Jonathan E. Fielding, Director 

(Visited February 29, 2012) 



The field of healthcare is rapidly evolving with many new 

issues that affect the environment, disparities in health 



care and access, limited resources and cultural and/or 

ethnic diversity. The Department must continue to be 

flexible and adaptable in its response to these issues. 

With the field of healthcare rapidly evolving, a demand 

for more and higher quality services, and working 

with a culturally and ethnically diverse population, 

the Department’s challenges are complicated by the 

inability to hire new staff. The Department is working 

to do more with less. Information systems are being 

updated and work is underway to develop a onestop 

portal for staff and external partners to access 

healthcare information. 


c Implementing the Mommy and Baby (LAMB) 

surveillance project on pre-natal health care and 

outcomes, providing valuable data for multiple 

agencies and task forces, and receiving national 

recognition 

c Developing the Performance Improvement 

Learning Collaborative, providing a framework for 

performance improvement 

c Training all Public Health employees as first 

responders, including terrorism response, 

and coordinating response preparedness with 

Federal, State, and local agencies 


departments: 

c Performance Improvement Learning Collaborative 

c Employee training 

Public Library 

Margaret Donnellan Todd, Director 

(Visited July 11, 2012) 



Reductions in funding have affected the Library’s 

ability to provide resources, hire staff, and maintain 

traditional hours of operation. The proliferation of 

electronic media has forced the Library to extensively 

retool the services and technologies it offers. For 

example, the Library is partnering with Job Scout 

to provide computer and job skills training. These 

challenges have provided ample opportunities to refine 

the services provided and create new efficiencies. 


c Expansion of self-check machines 

c Development of free mobile applications for iOS, 

Android and Blackberry devices, which allow 

customers to request materials on the go 

c Creation of a partnership with Job Scout, an online 

learning service that teaches basic Internet skills 

c Collaboration with the Department of Mental 

Health on providing public access computer 

services in clinics and providing caregivers with 

literacy and parenting skills training policies 

c Implementation of “An Even Better You” program 

that focuses on building confidence and selfesteem 

in at-risk youth 


departments: 

c Analyze and recognize customer trends to 

identify services and practices that are necessary 

and those that are obsolete 

c Refine services and practices to keep them 

relevant to customers and to the times 

Registrar-Recorder/County 

Clerk 

Dean C. Logan, Director 

(Visited May 2, 2012) 

Major quality and productivity challenges and 

opportunities and actions taken: 

The key challenge facing the Registrar-Recorder/ 

County Clerk is to streamline and refine internal 

processes in order to maintain quality and efficiency. 

As an extremely paper based department, a major 

focus for meeting these challenges has been to 

digitize and automate many processes, including 

filing, registrations, document storage, and mailing 

processes. A succession plan was put into effect 

to combat potential staff shortages and gaps, while 

several new efficiencies were added to the Los Angeles 

County voting process. 


c Partnership with California State University- 


17


c 

c 

c 

c 

c 

Northridge on undergraduate and graduate 

classes at the Norwalk headquarters 

Tracking and responding to social media (Twitter, 

Facebook, YouTube) conversations about the 

department, providing election information in real 

time and correcting misinformation 

Full implementation of the “Lean Six Sigma” 

project - improving vital records processing by 

cutting the online process from 17 days down to 

one, and reducing the mail opening function by 

utilizing two employees instead of six 

Adoption of principles for the Voter Systems 

Assessment Project (VSAP), a strategy to develop 

a new voting system for Los Angeles County 

Use of Plain Language in all department 

documents 

Staff development of automation initiatives to 

improve employee productivity, such as the 

eSample Ballot and online campaign finance 

disclosure filing forms 


departments: 

c Ensure jobs will not be eliminated through 

process improvements 

c Staff development does not always require 

training funds. Sometimes it just requires a 

convenient and targeted opportunity. 

Sheriff 

The Honorable Leroy Baca, Sheriff 

(Visited April 2, 2012) 

vacant patrol, custody, and court positions, saving on 

overtime expenditures. 


c Adjustments in the jails due to the increased 

prisoner population as a result of AB 109 

(Realignment) 

c Smooth absorption of the Office of Public Safety 

(700 employees) 

c Saving $40 million in procurement costs by 

purchasing three used helicopters for patrol and 

rescue 

c Operating within the department’s budget by 

moving between 1,300 and 1,400 staff members 

into vacant positions one day per month 

c Refurbishment of the Biscaluiz Center and 

renovation of the Hall of Justice 

c Ongoing reduction in crime by working with 

community partners and increasing inmate 

education programs 

c Progress on the Los Angeles Regional 

Interoperable Communications System 

(LACRICS) with California Department of 

Transportation ($121 million) and U.S. Homeland 

Security ($141 million) funding 


departments: 

c Integration of social media into practices and 

procedures to reach and inform as many people 

as possible 



Budget reductions have led to the challenge of 

maintaining programs and providing services with 

the same number or fewer staff. AB109 and AB117 

pose new problems for the Department, transferring 

responsibilities from the state to the local level, adding 

even more responsibility to an already full agenda. 

A Budget Best Practices Committee was formed 

to examine Department operations and implement 

efficiencies. The Cadre of Administrative Support 

Personnel program used sworn personnel to fill 



Productivity and Quality Awards 

The Quality and Productivity Commission is 

committed to promoting and sharing best 

practices in the County. 

An important part of this commitment is the annual 

Productivity and Quality Awards program 

(PQA). Each year, County departments submit 

their best projects to compete for a Top Award. The 

Commission honors the department heads, managers 

and employees who pay a key role in designing and 

implementing the best creative projects at the PQA 

awards luncheon. 

The County of Los Angeles Quality and Productivity 

Commission’s 26th Annual Productivity and Quality 

Awards Program, “Investing In A Quality Future,” was 

held on October 17th at the Grand Hall of the Dorothy 

Chandler Pavilion. Supervisor Michael Antonovich, 

Chief Executive Officer William T Fujioka, and the 

Quality and Productivity Commission joined together 

to honor award winners. Over 500 County employees 

attended the event. Patrick Healy, news reporter for 

NBC4, was this year’s emcee. He has hosted the event 

a number of times before, and was enthusiastically 

welcomed back. 

The 69 exceptional projects demonstrate new and 

better ways of serving the public in Los Angeles 

County. This year, the departments reported an 

estimated total of over $169.8 million in cost benefits. 

Service excellence and cost efficiencies continue to 

grow through the dedication and hard work of our 

County managers and employees. Their efforts help 

ensure the delivery of needed services. 


19

Grand Eagle Awards Winners 

The Commission’s top three awards, the “Gold,” “Silver,” and “Bronze” 

Eagle Awards are selected from the Top Ten winners. Selection criteria 

include innovation, teamwork, collaboration, service enhancement, 

cost savings, cost avoidance or revenue generation. These best practices 

serve as examples of creative solutions to universal problems. 

Gold Eagle Award Winner 

“Data Mining Solution for Child Care Welfare Fraud” 

Department of Public Social Services with Chief Executive Office, 

Chief Information Office, Office of County Counsel, and Office of District Attorney 

Los Angeles County faced an ever increasing 

threat of fraud in the California Work Opportunity 

and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) Stage 1 

Child Care Program from both participants and child 

care providers. To assist in program integrity efforts 

in the CalWORKs Stage 1 Child Care Program, Los 

Angeles County turned to analytics solutions from 

SAS Institute Inc. to identify potential fraud, enhance 

investigations, and prevent improper payments. By 

doing so, they’ve helped the most vulnerable members 

of the community while protecting millions in taxpayer 

dollars. 

Los Angeles County conducted a Data mining pilot 

which achieved an 85% accuracy rate in detecting 

collusive fraud rings. Estimates of cost avoidance 

were calculated in three areas, totaling $6.8 million. 

The Data Mining Solution for child care welfare fraud 

detection was implemented on May 9, 2011, to assist 

Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Social 

Services Welfare Fraud Prevention and Investigations 

Section in the detection of welfare fraud relating to 

child care. 


Grand Eagle Awards Winners 

Silver Eagle Award Winner 

“Vital Records Mail Processing” 

Department of Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk 

One of the responsibilities of the Vital Records 

Mail Processing staff is to process and mail 

birth certificates to customers as requested. 

Although policy stated that this procedure could take 

up to 30 days to complete, the staff, in partnership with 

the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) process improvement team, 

believed that the processing time could be reduced 

with a few practical changes. 

Sigma methodology, the staff was able to reduce the 

processing time for mail-in birth records from 17 days 

to one day. 

By implementing the new work rotation, the team was 

able to eliminate over 30 necessary steps and handoffs, 

resulting in faster processing time, enhanced customer 

service, and allowed some staff to be reassigned to 

other critical areas within the Department. 

To meet the County’s goal to provide efficient customer 

service, the team took an in-depth look into the existing 

operation. They were able to identify various areas 

where the reduction in handoffs and transportation 

of the document, along with the streamlining of 

workflow, could help to eliminate unnecessary steps 

in order to respond to customer needs in a more 

expedited manner. Through the use of the Lean Six 

Bronze Eagle Award Winner 

“The Contractor Alert Reporting Database (CARD)” 

Office of Auditor-Controller with Office of County 

Counsel, Internal Services Department, Chief Executive 

Office, Department of Public Social Services, Department 

of Children and Family Services, Department of 

Health Services, Department of Mental Health and 

Department of Public Health 

Los Angeles County has over 7,500 active 

contracts, at a total cost of $15.5 billion. 

However, the County did not have a centralized 

database that all departments could share to identify 

poorly performing contractors. As a result, one County 

department may award contracts to contractors and 

not be aware that the contractors have had fiscal 

solvency issues or performance issues with other 

County departments. The Board of Supervisors 

directed a Task Force with representatives from the 

Auditor-Controller, the Chief Executive Office, County 

Counsel, and Internal Services Department to develop 

a countywide method to share contractor information 

and track poorly performing contractors. 

The Task Force developed and implemented the 

Contractor Alert Reporting Database (CARD). CARD 

allows departments to report poorly performing 

contractors in a centralized online database. It further 

allows departments to share performance information 

of potential contractors. Lastly, CARD encourages 

contractors to correct areas of non-compliance, 

including repaying the County for inappropriate 

billings. During 2011-12, three contractors repaid the 

County $450,000 in questioned costs to avoid being 

placed in CARD. 


21

Top Ten Awards Winners 

“Child Support Services Case Management Tool” 

Child Support Services Department 

In October 2008, the Los Angeles County Child 

Support Department transitioned onto California’s 

statewide child support automation system (CSE). 

This system automatically performs many routine child 

support enforcement activities, such as employment 

searches and database matches. Even so, many 

critical steps to establish paternity and enforce 

support rely on employee-directed action. In CSE, 

caseworkers must manually review individual cases to 

determine what action is needed. 

performance not only met, but exceeded goals for 

current support and arrears established by the State of 

California. Families benefit from this tool by receiving 

more support than they have in the past. 

To address this problem, a complex software 

application was developed and named the Case 

Management Tool (CMT). The CMT organized cases 

in CSE by office locations, team, and worker. As a 

direct result of implementing the CMT, for the first time 

in the department’s history, the Department’s annual 

“Outpatient Pharmacy Barcode Verification 

System” 

Department of Health Services with Internal 

Services Department 

Prior to implementation of the Barcode Scanning 

project, technicians relied on manually 

matching medications to patients picking up 

their prescriptions, a common process in most retail 

pharmacies. When a patient presented to the pharmacy 

for their medication, the patient handed in a claim slip. 

The claim slip was scanned and the technician located 

the bag of medication. The technician visually verified 

the bag label and the medication was handed to the 

patient. If an incorrect medication happened, through 

human error, to be provided to the patient, the chance 

of harm existed. Given that most outpatient pharmacy 

medications are dispensed for 30-90 days, the error 

might result in a patient taking the wrong medication 

for days, weeks, or months. 

collaboratively implemented a computerized solution 

to modify DHS’ outpatient pharmacy information, 

PSCAS (Pharmacy Stock Control Audit System) 

that requires barcode verification at the outpatient 

pharmacy window. 

The barcode scanning project successfully prevented 

handout pharmacy medication errors during the first 

year of implementation, playing an important role in 

the department’s commitment to ensure that patients 

receive the highest level of patient care and safety. 

To reduce the possibility of human error and prevent the 

incidence of medication handout errors, DHS and ISD 



“E-mHub System Connecting DHS Medical Hubs 

and DCFS” 

Department of Health Services with Department of 

Children and Family Services, Chief Executive Office, 

Chief Information Office, Internal Services Department, 

Department of Public Health, and Office of County 

Counsel 

The Department of Health Services (DHS) 

operates six Medical Hub clinics that 

serve children referred by the Department 

of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Close 

collaboration between the DHS clinics and DCFS 

is essential to ensure that children’s health care 

needs are coordinated. However, communication 

was cumbersome and paper-based processes often 

created delays in medical exam results reaching the 

currently assigned DCFS social worker. 

appointment status alerts and medical exam results, 

viewing access for Public Health Nurses, and record 

sharing between the Medical Hub locations. E-mHub 

was implemented in February 2011 and has greatly 

improved continuity of care for children served, 

increased efficiency of Medical Hub operations, 

strengthened communications between the two 

departments, and improved coordination of services 

for the vulnerable children. It also provides a template 

for overcoming legal and regulatory barriers associated 

with information sharing across departments. 

The E-mHub information system was customdeveloped 

and implemented at the Medical Hub 

clinics to improve information sharing. The webbased 

system allows electronic submission of 

referrals from DCFS to the Medical Hubs, automated 

“Increasing Patient Pharmaceutical Access – PAP 

Programs” 

Department of Health Services 

As the economic recovery continues to struggle 

along with an expanding indigent/uninsured 

population, the Department of Health 

Services (DHS) has continued to be challenged for 

innovative solutions to manage and control escalating 

pharmaceutical costs. The complexity of managing 

multiple chronic diseases has become a mainstay of 

modern medical care. 

afford these expensive medications. To obtain these 

much needed medications, eligible patients must be 

enrolled, meet certain financial criteria, and individual 

applications submitted. To date, multi-year savings of 

more than $25 million are documented and a projected 

annual savings of over $9 million for FY2012/13. Also 

DHS has accessed patient assistance programs for 

over 22,000 patients. 

Faced with the challenges of limited funds and the 

growing indigent population, DHS partnered with drug 

distributor (Cardinal Health) to pursue Patient Assistance 

Program (PAP) reimbursement in DHS facilities. PAPs 

are programs offered by pharmaceutical companies, 

in which “free” drugs are provided to uninsured and 

needy patients, who otherwise would not be able to 


23


“LAC+USC Medical Center Street to Home Project” 

Department of Health Services with Department of 

Department of Mental Health with Board of Supervisors 

First District, Chief Executive Office, Department 

of Health Services, Department of Public Health, 

Department of Public Social Services, Office of County 

Counsel and Sheriff’s Department 

T 

he project’s primary goal is to provide 

outreach, engagement and eventual placement 

in supported, permanent housing for a target 

population of unsheltered, chronically homeless and 

vulnerable individuals living on and around the campus 

of the LAC+USC Medical Center. This is part of a 

greater strategy to promote change related to the helpseeking 

behaviors of high utilizing individuals of Los 

Angeles County public hospital resources, primarily 

Emergency Departments. 

Care Center. There, they receive integrated treatment 

of physical health, mental health and substance abuse 

issues. They are also linked to ongoing primary and 

mental health care. Team members assist clients with 

housing and in the development of essential community 

support intended to foster reintegration, improve 

housing retention, and enhance recovery. Overall, 

the population of unsheltered homeless individuals 

living on the LAC+USC campus has decreased 

and a culture of change has been introduced to this 

population and the hospital staff. 

The program was designed to enhance and improve 

cost effective services previously delivered in 

LAC+USC Emergency Departments by redirecting 40 

homeless individuals for care at the Exodus Urgent 

“Enhancements to the GR SSIMAP Advocacy 

Program” 

Department of Public Social Services with Department 

of Health Services, Department of Mental Health and 

Sheriff’s Department 

In response to the rising General Relief (GR) 

caseload and to strengthen the advocacy services 

which assist physically and mentally-disabled 

GR participants to apply for Supplemental Security 

Income (SSI), the Department of Public Social Services 

(DPSS) and the Board of Supervisors identified the 

need to enhance the General Relief Supplemental 

Security Income and Medi-Cal Advocacy Program (GR 

SSIMAP) in ways that will decrease the GR population 

by transitioning more participants to SSI. 

documentation, provide a more in-depth partnership 

with SSI, and to increase outreach and trainings. As a 

result of these efforts, in Fiscal Year 2010-11, there were 

8,380 SSI approvals which exceeded the established 

target of 6,400. In addition, individuals who are 

approved for SSI achieve great self-sufficiency due to 

an increase in a grant amount from $221 (GR) to $830 

(SSI) and with each SSI approval, there is a reduction 

in the GR program cost. 

This need was addressed with the February 9, 2010, 

approval of the GR Restructuring Plan by the Board 

showcasing SSI advocacy enhancements as one of 

its core features. The enhancements were designed 

to strengthen the medical and mental health-related 



“My Jury Duty Portal” 

Los Angeles Superior Court 

The Los Angeles Superior Court commenced 

the My Jury Duty Portal (MJDP) project in in 

January 2010 and completed it in August, 2011. 

It operates as a unique and customized Web Portal, 

functioning as a “one-stop shop” for jurors. MJDP 

provides a single point of contact to obtain services 

and the information needed to complete jury service in 

Los Angeles County. 

To date, the Court has received almost 1,000,000 

hits and 25,500 responses to the online customer 

satisfaction survey. The majority of survey responders 

(95%) indicated overwhelming juror appreciation. The 

chat session feature is one of the most appreciated 

aspects of the project. 

The project has two primary goals: 

1. To increase customer service and satisfaction 

2. To increase cost savings and productivity 

MJDP more than meets these goals: it has become 

one of the most praised services offered by the Court. 

“Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, 

tell ‘em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and 

find out how to do it. ” 

Theodore Roosevelt 


25

Commission Special Winners 

Best Application of Technology 

“The Works” – iPhone App 

Department of Public Works 

The Works is an iPhone application developed 

by the Los Angeles County Public Works 

Department, which provides the public an 

intuitive and convenient way to request services 

or report issues related to graffiti, potholes, illegal 

dumping, or street sweeping. 

Keeping current with consumer trends and the 

County’s strategic direction, The Works has launched 

Public Works into a new medium, providing an entirely 

new and consumer relevant delivery channel to serve 

the public. The Works is available for free on the Apple 

AppStore. In the first two months of release, there were 

900 downloads from the AppStore, with over 250 items 

reported through The Works. 

The Works leverages cutting edge technologies 

to streamline and enhance public works services. 

Using an iPhone, the public simply confirms their 

location, selects the issue, and submits the request. 

The Works captures the location through the builtin 

Global Positioning System (GPS). Images can be 

included to better illustrate the issue. Requests are 

automatically routed to the responsible business unit 

for a timely resolution. If the request is outside of the 

County service area, The Works provides the contact 

information of the appropriate agency. 

Best Service Improvement 

“My Waterworks Account Manager (MYWAM)” 


My Waterworks Account Manager (MyWAM) 

is an online account management tool that 

enables water customers to directly access 

their account information, pay their bills via credit card 

or eCheck (without convenience fees) using two easy 

methods: Quick Pay and Auto Pay. 

• User-friendly graphical user interface and efficient 

navigation; 

• Better customer service tools for resolving issues 

and communicating with customers; and 

• Flexibility in bill content and presentment, 

significantly enhanced on-demand reporting tools, 

and interfaces to existing County system 

Customers and Public Works now save time and 

money through reduced phone calls, in-person visits, 

and electronic bills. In the preceding twelve months, 

MyWAM has processed over 77,800 electronic payment 

transactions, amounting to over $8 million in total 

payments. Running on the back-end is the new stateof-the-art 

billing and customer information system that 

replaced an old mainframe, the new system provides: 

• Greater flexibility in developing rate structures to 

encourage water conservation; 



Best Teamwork 

“Los Angeles County Veterans Court” 

Office of Public Defender with Office of Alternate Public 

Defender, Office of District Attorney, Los Angeles 

Superior Court, Department of Veterans Affairs - VA 

Greater LA Healthcare System, and Public Counsel 

program combines intensive judicial supervision 

with federal and local treatment services. Utilizing a 

multi-agency and multi-disciplinary team approach, 

the Court aims to reduce recidivism and reintegrate 

veteran offenders back into their communities by 

providing access to intensive treatment services and 

case management while minimizing incarceration. 

Approximately 18% of all California’s veterans 

live in Los Angeles County. As a result, there 

is a growing trend of veterans facing charges 

stemming from substance abuse and mental illness. 

Research has shown that traditional services do not 

always meet the needs of veterans adequately. They 

respond more favorably to a treatment court process 

with those who have common past experiences and 

needs. 

The Veterans Court was established in September 2010 

as a collaborative pilot program to respond to the needs 

of veterans with addiction, mental illness, co-occurring 

or other military related disorders. The 18-month 

Commissioners’ Memorial Award 

“Supervisorial Redistricting Public Access Plan” 

Chief Executive Office with Department of Regional 

Planning, Internal Services Department, Office of 

County Counsel, Board of Supervisors Executive 

Office, Department of Registrar-Recorder/County 

Clerk, and Chief Information Office 

The process of redistricting has historically been 

a complex and time-consuming endeavor, 

conducted by a few “experts,” who had 

access to Census data and mapping software as well 

as knowledge of redistricting principles. The Board 

of Supervisors adopted the framework of a Public 

Access Plan that expressed the County’s commitment 

to promote public participation in the redistricting 

process, ensure the widest practicable participation 

by the public, and provide for dissemination of 

pertinent redistricting information through innovative 

technologies. 

collaboration of seven departments developed and 

implemented a Public Access Plan that met various 

constituent interest levels ranging from the basic 

principles of redistricting, to offering free, dynamic 

redistricting software, which included analytical tools 

and the ability to submit redistricting plans electronically 

for County consideration. Compared to the 2000 

effort, when public participation was sparse and only 

two plans were submitted, the collaboration resulted 

in more public participation and the submission of 19 

redistricting plans. 

The challenge was to develop and implement a multifaceted 

Public Access Plan in a large, diverse County 

of almost 10 million people with a limited budget. A 


27


County Image Enhancement Award 

“Coroner Forensic Training for Marines Program” 

Department of Coroner 

While Lt. Fred Corral was on duty at the U.S. 

Marine Corps (USMC), the family of a fallen 

hero asked him to escort the serviceman’s 

remains back home. Lt. Corral complied with orders, 

although he had received no prior training for the task. 

also provided in other areas, including notifications 

and identification. 

The Marines have expressed gratitude for the invaluable 

training they received in the program. This program 

has offered Marines a unique training opportunity so 

that fallen heroes will be escorted with a heightened 

level of respect, integrity, and compassion that each of 

these men and women so richly deserve. 

Years later, while working at the Department of Coroner 

and with the advent of the USMC’s Personnel Retrieval 

Processing-PRP Company, Lt. Corral developed the 

idea for a program to provide forensic training for the 

Marines. The Personnel Retrieval Processing (PRP) 

Marines Program trains and prepares Marines for 

deceased personnel processing. In January 2009, 

the first group of Marines began the comprehensive 

four week program which involves working alongside 

Decedent Services Unit by responding to hospital 

and field calls, processing decedents, and collecting 

evidence and personnel effects. Additional training is 

Mega Million Dollar Award 

“Mental Health Services Act Housing Program” 

Department of Mental with Community Development 

Commission/Housing Authority 

As part of the overall effort by the County of 

Los Angeles to address homelessness, the 

Department of Mental Health has worked to 

develop Permanent Supportive Housing for individuals 

with mental illness who are homeless. Mental health 

intervention in the absence of safe and stable housing 

is often ineffective, placing clients at high risk for 

incarceration, hospitalization and/or death on the 

streets. 

date, 305 apartments have been developed for their 

clients and their families and an additional 424 are in 

various stages of development. In most cases, these 

newly constructed buildings have replaced abandoned 

and blighted properties creating buildings that become 

the pride of the community. The apartments will remain 

allocated to the Department’s clients for at least 20 

years. It is estimated that about 2,287 jobs have been 

created to develop and build 14 of the 33 projects. 

To address the scarcity of permanent affordable 

housing for individuals with mental illness, the 

Department maximized its investment of $115 million 

in Mental Health Services Act funding into a $551 

million pool through leveraging local, state and federal 

funding. Working with the Chief Executive Office, 

Board offices and stakeholders, they engaged 21 

private housing developers for 33 new projects. To 



Performance Measurement Award 

“Coordinated Services Action Teams” 

Department of Children and Family Services with Department 

of Mental Health 

The Coordinated Services Action Teams (Teams) 

are regionally based clinical management 

teams established to help Children’s Social 

Workers (CSWs) identify families’ strengths and needs, 

and match those with available community based 

services. The Teams work with CSWs to coordinate 

different types of assistance for families with a goal of 

reducing service duplication. 

Implementation of the partnership between 

Department of Children and Family Services and the 

Department of Mental Health began in May 2009. The 

mental health screening process, a key part of the 

program, was redesigned in October 2010. It identifies 

whether children need mental health services, as well 

as the levels of need. The program was implemented 

countywide in September 2011. This program has 

resulted in a large number of foster children receiving 

mental health services. 

CSWs receive support from clinical management 

teams to navigate the complexities of child welfare, 

health, mental health, education, the regional center, 

and social services agencies. They also manage 

access to services. The Teams are trained and have 

experience to provide office-based expertise to speed 

up and ensure service linkage. 

Personal Best Award 

“Chagas Disease: First Center of Excellence” 

Department of Health Services/Olive View-UCLA 

Sheba Meymandi, MD 

Chagas Disease (Chagas) is a deadly parasitic 

illness that has long been the leading cause 

of heart failure in Latin America and is now 

increasingly recognized among immigrant communities 

in the United States. The CDC estimates that there are 

over 300,000 cases in the United States, but very few 

cases are diagnosed and even less are treated. 

patients. Her efforts, driven by her passion, and funded 

by non-County funds, have led to a fully integrated 

Center including testing, diagnosis, treatment, education 

and research. She has collaborated with numerous 

organizations and academic institution to truly champion 

this disease and the patients it affects. Both the treatment 

and raising awareness are not easy. It is Dr. Meymandi’s 

goal to educate the community about this disease and 

to promote early detection and treatment to prevent the 

development of heart failure and early death. 

There are many barriers to diagnosis and treatment, 

including lack of awareness among healthcare providers 

and lack of access to care among the affected individuals. 

In response, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center opened 

the first and only “Center of Excellence for Chagas” in 

the United States devoted to studying and treating the 

disease. 

Sheba Meymandi, MD, a cardiologist at Olive View, 

spearheaded the program to provide care for Chagas 


29


Plain Language Award 

“Safe Shoe Campaign” 

Department of Public Social Services 

In Fiscal Year 2009-10, the Department of Public 

Social Services spent nearly a million dollars and 

lost thousands of work hours due to trip, slip, and 

fall injuries. Research determined that inappropriate 

footwear was a significant contributing factor to this 

leading cause of workplace injuries. When an employee 

is injured, it negatively impacts the Department, 

employee, and employee’s family. The injured worker 

may experience a reduction in his/her pay and the 

ability to care for his/her family. 

of appropriate and inappropriate footwear along with 

a companion poster highlighting the potential negative 

impact trip, slip, and fall injuries have on our employees, 

their families, departmental operations, and the budget. 

The posters are displayed in a visible location as a 

consistent message to employees about shoe safety. 

In an effort to reduce the trip, slip and fall accidents in 

the workplace, the Department launched a Safe Shoe 

Campaign to increase employee awareness about the 

importance of wearing appropriate footwear while at 

work. The Safe Shoe Campaign poster depicts pictures 

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, 

the rest of us just get up and go to work. ” 

Stephen King 


2012 Commission Chair Leadership Award 

Dr. Jonathan Fielding, MD, MPH 

Director, Department of Public Health 

Learning Collaborative and implemented the highly 

successful “Mommy and Baby” surveillance project. 

Dr. Fielding embraces new technologies, fosters a 

productive and creative workforce, and diligently 

carries out the mission of his department – to protect 

health, prevent disease and promote health and wellbeing. 

He leads a staff of more than 4,000 employees 

with a budget that exceeds $750 million dollars. He 

is held in high esteem by colleagues and health care 

professionals across the nation. 

Each year the Commission recognizes a 

leader within the County. This individual is a 

Department Head, who leads by example and 

carries out the mission and vision of our organization. 

This year’s recipient is Dr. Jonathan Fielding, Director, 

Department of Public Health. 

Under Dr. Fielding’s leadership, the Department trained 

all employees as “first responders,” including terrorism 

response, developed the Performance Improvement 

He chairs a national committee on Health Promotion 

and Disease Prevention and is Vice-Chair of the Los 

Angeles First 5 Commission. First 5 grants over $100 

million to programs designed to improve the health 

and development of children, ages 0 to 5 years. He is 

Chair of the U.S. Community Preventive Services Task 

Force, which makes recommendations to the federal 

government on programs and policies to improve 

public health. 

It was an honor for the Commission to present the 2012 

“Chair Leadership Award” to Dr. Fielding. 

“I am greatly humbled and your award serves to remind 

me there is still so much to do to make access to healthcare 

a reality for many. I see this award as a mandate to work 

further on the social and physical environments that will 

improve the determinants of health and result in a better 

informed and healthier Los Angeles County ” 

Dr. Jonathan Fielding, MD, MPH 

Director, Department of Public Health 


31

Productivity Manager Header of the Year 

Stephanie Maxberry 

Community and Senior Services 

Selection of the “Productivity Manager of the Year” is based on participation in 

the Commission’s programs, promotion of quality and productivity within the 

individual’s department and across the County, and demonstrated leadership 

within the Quality and Productivity Managers Network. 

The Commission selected Productivity Manager Stephanie Maxberry from Community 

and Senior Services as the 2012 Productivity Manager of the Year. 

Stephanie has all the qualities of the Productivity Manager of the Year and many 

more. She is personable, enthusiastic and always displays a positive attitude. She first 

joined the Network while serving with the County’s former Department of Ombudsman, which is now a part of the 

Department of Community and Senior Services. 

Additionally, Stephanie has served as Co-Chair, 1st and 2nd Vice-Chairs of the Network, and is a valuable member 

of the Productivity Investment Board’s Advisory Committee. In all, she has more than 25 years of outstanding 

County service. Her experience and knowledge made her an invaluable asset to the Network. 


Quality and Productivity HeaderManagers’ Network 

The The Quality and Productivity Managers’ 

Network is made up of employees from each 

County department who are appointed as 

Quality and Productivity Managers by their department 

heads. The Network is led by an Executive Committee 

composed of a Chair or Co-Chairs, Vice-Chairs, 

and Committee Chairs. The Executive Committee is 

elected by the membership. 

Members serve voluntarily on the following committees: 

Productivity and Quality Awards, Productivity 

Investment Fund, Department Visit, Plain Language, 

Promotion, Executive Committee, and Education and 

Training. 

2012 Executive Committee 

Jennifer Coultas, Chair 

Child Support 

Stephanie Maxberry, 1st Vice-Chair 

Community and Senior Services 

Kirk Shelton, 2nd Vice Chair 

Consumer Affairs 

Elizabeth Mendez 

Training and Education Chair 

Department of Parks and Recreation 

Elisa Vasquez, PQA Co-Chair 

Community Development Commission 

Emma Ayala, PQA Co-Chair 


Charlene Abe, PIB Advisory Committee 

Chief Executive Office 


33

Quality and Productivity HeaderManagers’ Network 

Message from the Chair of the Quality and Productivity Managers’ Network 

Jennifer Coultas 

QPMN Chair 

It has been an honor to 

work with the Quality and 

Productivity Managers’ 

Network (Network) in 2012. I 

want to extend my special 

thanks to the Network Managers 

for their enthusiasm, support, 

and dedication to improving 

productivity through innovation 

and collaboration. 

The Network, working hand-in-hand with the 

Commission, is dedicated to finding ways to increase 

efficiency while ensuring the continued delivery 

of quality services to the residents of Los Angeles 

County. The Productivity Managers met several 

times in 2012 and were hosted by the Sheriff’s 

Department, Beaches and Harbors, Arts Commission, 

and Registrar-Recorder. We focused on leadership 

development as well as other topics, including: 

submission of investment fund projects, shared 

practices, productivity awards applications, efficiency 

projects, and quality improvement. We learned to 

increase efficiencies within our departments with new 

tools such as Six Sigma and WebEx. 

The 26th Annual Productivity and Quality Awards 

ceremony was a highly successful Commission and 

Network partnership. Elisa Vasquez and Emma Ayala 

co-chaired this stellar event. The theme, “Investing in 

a Quality Future,” recognized innovative projects that 

continue to raise the bar in excellence and improve 

services to Los Angeles County residents. 

The Managers’ Network elected another solid slate 

of energetic Executive Committee members for 2013. 

Congratulations to our newly elected officers: 

n Chair – Jennifer Coultas 

n Special Executive Advisor – Stephanie S. 

Maxberry 

n 1st Vice Chair – Kirk Shelton 

n 2nd Vice-Chair – Elisa Vasquez 

n Chair, Productivity Investment Board Advisory 

Committee – Amy Clarke 

n PQA Chair – Emma Ayala 

n Training and Education Co-Chairs – Elizabeth 

Mendez and Gerardo Pinedo 

I want to acknowledge the continuing support of 

the Quality and Productivity Commission, under the 

leadership of its Commission Chair, William Sullivan, 

and Network Advisor, Commissioner Jaclyn Tilley 

Hill. I also wish to provide a special thank you to the 

always helpful Commission staff, Victoria Pipkin-Lane, 

Mary Savinar, Laura Perez, Ryan Stanley, and Andrew 

McClure. 

The Network will continue to work in partnership with 

the Quality and Productivity Commission to fulfill the 

County’s strategic goals in 2013. 

Jennifer Coultas 

Chair, Quality and Productivity Managers’ Network 


Quality and Productivity Managers’ Network 

Commissioners’ Leadership Conference: “Leadership Tomorrow” 

The Quality and Productivity Commission hosted 

the 10th Annual Commissioners’ Leadership 

Conference, “Leadership Tomorrow,” at the 

Music Center on May 23, 2012. 

This year’s leadership conference highlighted 

how selected departments used new ideas and 

technologies to identify ways to improve efficiency and 

make better business decisions to serve the people 

of Los Angeles County. Each of the presentations by 

the department heads identifies a successful way to 

make their departments more effective in delivering 

customer service. 

Commissioners, department heads and managers, 

were welcomed by Commission Chair William 

Sullivan, Committee Chair Algird Leiga, and 

Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. They were 

followed by the speakers below: 

n 

Moidin Mohiuddin from the IBM Almaden 

Research Center spoke about the continued 

integration of technology into the workforce and 

the need to rethink the workforce model to meet 

the expectations of future employees, taking into 

consideration cloud sourcing, social networks, 

and analytics. 

Adapting to ubiquitous computing sources and 

harnessing relevant data is essential to maintaining 

quality services. 

n 

n 

Lisa Garrett, Director of Human Resources, 

spoke on the challenges of adapting to an ever 

evolving workforce. Our challenge is to anticipate 

the impact of attrition and develop succession 

plans. Part of this challenge is to provide training 

and development of managers supervising mobile 

staff. 

Ulmont S. Smith, Vice President and General 

Manager of Intel’s Advanced Technical 

Sales, spoke on the challenges presented by 

the sheer mass of information in our world. The 

coming technological changes in computing will 

bring information in unprecedented quantities. 

n 

n 

Richard Sanchez, Chief Information Officer, 

elaborated on the technological changes sweeping 

the county and the new “mobile” workforce. He 

asked Conference attendees to consider the work 

environment where staff are mobile and can access 

analyzed information, using tablet technology, 

to assist in making informed decisions through 

various social media sources. This scenario is 

taking form and will be a common occurrence in 

the next few years. 

Our Chief Executive Officer, William T Fujioka 

shared his vision and the State of the County in 

2020. The CEO called for visionary leadership to 


35

Commission Programs Header and Projects 

n 

ensure a productive and efficient workforce in 

2020. The leaders of today need to design a road 

map to assist our employees to work smarter and 

faster tomorrow. 

David Sommers, Acting Director of Public 

Affairs, explained the next steps in leadership, 

vision, and technology. Building on CEO Fujioka’s 

idea of the County in 2020, David foresaw a future 

built on heavy use of social media to achieve 

County goals, based on the County’s current 

projects utilizing social media. 

The Quality and Productivity Commission thanks 

the department heads, managers, and County 

commissions for their continuing efforts to effectively 

use “Leadership Tomorrow,” in their quest to provide 

efficient and high quality services for the residents of 

the County of Los Angeles. 


Shared Header Practices 

The Shared Practices Report highlights practices 

used by departments to solve complex 

problems, create cost benefits, and provide 

quality services to our residents. The Quality and 

Productivity Commission recognizes these innovative 

practices through the Productivity Investment Fund, 

Department Visits, and Productivity and Quality 

Awards. 

The creative ideas and practices used by one 

department can serve as a guide for others. The ideas 

in the report highlight useful tools that we call shared 

practices. Examples of these practices include: 

Sharing these practices will help departments develop 

a knowledge base on what others are doing to solve 

problems that may be similar to theirs. We believe that 

sharing these practices will help generate new ideas 

to improve productivity and enhance the quality of 

County services. 

The report is posted on the Quality and Productivity 

website at: http//qpc.co.la.ca.us. 

• Using available technology in new ways 

• Leveraging private sector business practices 

• Collaborating to deliver improved services 

• Creating new ways to deliver services 

• Telling our story 


37

Strategic Foresight Header Working Group 

Algird Leiga, Chair 

The Strategic Foresight 

Working Group (SFWG), 

under the leadership of 

Algird Leiga, looks at futurist 

predictions to identify game 

changing events that could 

alter the way the County does 

business. The idea is to identify 

potential changes early enough 

so the business of the County can 

evolve without major disruptions. 

Compiled by Commissioner Evelyn Gutierrez, the 

following information provides highlights of workforce 

and workplace challenges to come: 

Workforce 2020 

c Baby Boomers (1946 – 1964): 74 to 56 years old, 

44% of the workforce 

c Generation X (1965-1979): 55 to 41 years old, 41% 

of the workforce 

c Absent an unpredicted increase in future “new 

hires”, Workforce 2020’s median age will be 41 to 

65 years old. The average retirement age will be 

65. 

Future Skills Shift for Employees 

c Focus will be on teamwork, shifting away from the 

“individual” 

c Flexibility will be required to adjust to an ever 

changing workplace 

c Technology literacy, computer skills, and social 

media skills will be required 

c Continuous learning will be essential for new 

assignments and personal growth 

Workplace 2020 

c Traditional office space and departmental offices 

will be restructured to provide one-stop services 

c Virtual services provided through new technology 

(on-line services, WiFi, mobile hand held units) and 

social media service platforms 

c Departmental offices in the community will provide 

full-service options through shared office space, 

public-private partnerships, non-traditional service 

partners, and self-service centers, (kiosks and 

City-County informational resources) 

Recommendations 

c Funding for continuous Workforce Training will be 

critical 

c Conducting experience sharing, mentorship and 

on-the-job training will be essential 

c Re-designing the Workplace and office sharing will 

provide future efficiencies 

c Promoting new technology, mobile services 

and one-stop services will meet the future needs 

of culturally diverse communities 

c Exploring public-private service partnerships will 

leverage service resources 

The SFWG uses information gathered throughout the year to identify ideas that will increase efficiency 

and improve services. The goal is to keep County departments apprised of changes or innovative ideas 

that may assist them with challenges in their respective departments. 

The Committee is also looking at opportunities to bring educational tools to assist Productivity Managers 

in their administrative roles. 


Executive HeaderStaff 

Office of the Commission 

The Quality and Productivity Executive Staff provide 

central support and coordination through the Chief 

Executive Office for the many activities of the 

Commission. Executive Director, Victoria Pipkin- 

Lane, Program Manager, Mary Savinar, and Program 

Specialist, Laura Perez, carry out day-to-day 

operations, coordinate activities, and respond to the 

requirements and direction of the Commission. 

As part of a continuing tripartite relationship between 

the Board of Supervisors, the Chief Executive Office, 

and the Quality and Productivity Commission, the 

Chief Executive Office furnishes the Commission with 

a fully-staffed office on the fifth floor of the Kenneth 

Hahn Hall of Administration. Conference rooms are 

also made available for Commission and Network 

business. Commissioners visiting the Civic Center on 

Commission business frequently use the office as a 

stopping-off place before, after, or between meetings. 

Victoria Pipkin-Lane 


vpipkin@ceo.lacounty.gov 

(213) 974-1361 

Mary Savinar 

Program Manager 

msavinar@ceo.lacounty.gov 

(213) 974-1390 

Laura Perez 

Program Support 

lperez@ceo.lacouty.gov 

(213) 893-0322 

Chief Executive Office, Budget and Fiscal Services Staff 

The Chief Executive Office, Budget and Fiscal Services 

provides support to the Commission by managing 

the Productivity Board loan/grant tracking system. 

The tracking system allows the Commission to input, 

track, revise, and report on loans and grants issued 

to County departments. They also maintain financial 

reports, withdrawals, and payment schedules and 

fund balance projection. 

Rick Hong 

rhong@ceo.lacounty.gov 

(213) 974-1176 

Giles Quan 

gquan@ceo.lacounty.gov 

(213) 974-2582 

Jacqueline Bui 

jbui@ceo.lacounty.gov 

(213) 974-1138 


39

County of Los Angeles 

Board of Supervisors 

2012 

Gloria Molina 

Supervisor, First District 

Zev Yaroslavsky 

Supervisor, Third District 

Chair 

Mark Ridley-Thomas 

Supervisor, Second District 

Don Knabe 

Supervisor, Fourth District 

Michael D. Antonovich 

Supervisor, Fifth District 

Chief Executive Officer 

William T Fujioka 

Chief Executive Officer 


Commission Chair Leadership Award Recipients 

Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH 

Public Health - 2012 

Cynthia Banks, Director 

Community and Senior Services - 2011 

Russ Guiney, Director 

Parks and Recreation – 2010 

Dennis Tafoya, Director 

Affirmative Action – 2009 

Pastor Herrera, Jr., Director 

Consumer Affairs – 2008 

Janice Y Fukai, Alternate Public Defender 

Alternate Public Defender – 2007 

P. Michael Freeman, Fire Chief 

Fire – 2006 

J. Tyler McCauley, Auditor-Controller 

Auditor-Controller – 2005 

Connie B. McCormack, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk 

Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk – 2004 

Anthony Hernandez, Director 

Coroner – 2003 

Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, Director 

Chief Medical Examiner/Coroner – 2003 

Joan Ouderkirk, Director 

Internal Services Department – 2002 

David E. Janssen, Chief Administrative Officer 

Chief Administrative Officer – 2001 

Harry Stone, Director 

Public Works – 2000

In Memoriam 

Commissioner Raymond G. Hemann 

January 24, 1933 – March 31, 2012 

Raymond Hemann was appointed to the Quality and Productivity Commission on June 

21, 2011, by the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors. 

Commissioner Hemann was President and Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Systems 

Research, Inc. He had 45 years of broad technical and management experience in the 

aerospace industry and in government, having served as a consultant to the U.S. Department 

of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Air and Space Intelligence 

Center and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. 

A former manager of advanced concepts for Lockheed Aircraft, he also served as the 

corporate director of future requirements for Rockwell International, and was an assistant 

professor of military operations research at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 

Monterey, California. 

Commissioner Hemann earned a master’s degree in economics and a master’s degree 

in engineering from California State University-Fullerton, and a certificate in systems 

dynamics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

He served the Commission in an exemplary manner and is commended and thanked for 

his service to the residents of Los Angeles County.

Quality and Productivity Commission 

2012 AnnuAl RePoRt 

http://qpc.co.la.ca.us

QP C

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