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  GOLD -  Elections Department Staff Members
Left to Right:
Tricia Webber
Crystal Bertheau
Martin Peaden
Inger Christenson
Jaime Young (not pictured)

With four elections in just one year, Tricia, Crystal, Jaime, Inger and Martin devised new and improved processes and procedures to ensure success in an extraordinary year of elections. These improvements allowed staff to manage a record number of new registrations and process approximately 20,000 voter registration cards in the final month before the November election. Numerous improvements were also made to the elections processes to make poll worker training more effective, improve the efficiency of Election Day procedures, and ensure an accurate, verifiable and transparent vote count. Staff greatly increased their knowledge and expertise of the voting equipment, ballot layout, and ballot counting programs, thereby reducing County costs and reliance on vendor support. With record breaking numbers both for vote-by-mail ballots and voter turnout countywide, staff met the many challenges by putting in countless hours and working under extremely stressful conditions, all the while maintaining a professional and positive outlook. They each deserve public recognition for their selfless efforts to ensure that Santa Cruz County elections are conducted in a manner that is open, accessible, and accountable.

  SILVER -  Members of the Treasury Investment Team

Left to Right:
Minerva Torres
David Zweig

Operating under the direction of the County Treasurer-Tax Collector, the County's Treasury Investment Team is responsible for managing the day-to-day investments of the Investment Pool. The Investment Pool consists of funds of the County of Santa Cruz, all school districts, Cabrillo College, and all autonomous districts, as well as districts governed by the Board of Supervisors. Pursuant to State law and local policy, the priorities for managing these funds are safety, liquidity and yield. As a result of the very difficult financial times in all areas of financing that affect state and local government, David and Minerva have stepped up to the significant challenge to ensure continued protection of the public's funds, managing funds in such a manner as to have cash on hand to meet pool participants' needs and providing an uninterrupted monthly distribution of earnings on the investment of pool funds. With an average balance of approximately $650 million, David and Minerva have been diligent in their efforts to thoughtfully, carefully and professionally manage the Pool, achieving positive results throughout the year. While some public agencies lost millions of dollars of value in solid investments when the markets collapsed, David and Minerva have been able to shepherd Santa Cruz County's Investment Pool through these difficult financial times. Their efforts are to be commended.

  BRONZE - Shared by members of the Light Brown Apple Moth Litigation Team

Left to Right:
Jason Heath
Chris Cheleden

The detection of the Light Brown Apple Moth in Santa Cruz County was first reported on April 12, 2007. In the ensuing months, the California Department of Food and Agriculture developed a treatment plan which included an extensive aerial spraying application of a microencapsulated pheromone product over major portions of Santa Cruz County. The State's proposal generated overwhelming opposition by local government and concerned residents about both the short-term and long-term effects on public health and the environment posed by exposure to this pesticide. In response, the Board of Supervisors authorized the Santa Cruz County Counsel to file a lawsuit to fight the aerial spraying, arguing against the State's claim for an emergency exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act. As the attorneys assigned to this case, Jason and Chris demonstrated extraordinary diligence, intelligence, compassion and excellent lawyering in advancing the County's lawsuit. Their efforts culminated in a victory for the County when the State announced that the aerial spray program would be abandoned in California. Residents throughout Santa Cruz County, as well as visitors to our area, can now rest comfortably knowing that they will not be subjected to a pesticide which has not been proven by independent, outside experts as safe for contact with humans, animals and the environment.