DPSS Executive Progress Report TO COMPRESS

Dear Supervisors and Executive Team: Thank you for your commitment to the wellbeing of Riverside County’s 2.5 million residents. Your support for the health, safety and economic stability of our communities has been instrumental in helping DPSS navigate these unprecedented times. I also want to thank my leadership team and sta ff . Together, we took the helm of DPSS just weeks before the coronavirus hit in March. As demand for our services skyrocketed, and while so many of our sta ff were also personally impacted by the pandemic, our team continued delivering services with passion, dignity, and unrelenting focus to address our customer needs. Overnight, we shifted the way we deliver services to the nation’s tenth most populous county. We accelerated our long-term plans to transition our 4,300-member workforce to telework, from 10% to 80% of sta ff working from home. Within a month, our goal for business continuity was seamless, balancing the need to serve those in crisis and o ff ering flexibility so our employees can address the extra familial demands brought on by the pandemic. As I reflect on our journey this year, several important accomplishments stand out. Most customers are now accessing benefits online or through our call centers and lobby visits are limited. Access to services is more e ffi cient. We continue to explore flexible pathways best suited for the A T R A N S F O R M A T I O N A L J O U R N E Y B E G I N S

Sayori Baldwin Director

populations we serve. Productivity is up and sta ff job satisfaction is high. Internal and external communications have increased. We maintained our conservative approach to spending, implementing cost cutting strategies such as consolidating facilities that saved $1.7 million per year. Automation and innovation continue to occur with the goal of modernizing the way we deliver services. Our protective service workers are continuing their critical mission of conducting safety and welfare checks on at-risk community members. Importantly, case workers are collaborating with many agencies including our public health partners and first responders to keep at-risk children and adults safe during heightened social isolation. We have joined new and existing civic, faith and community partners to strengthen the safety net around our most vulnerable neighbors. While we’re still in the early stages of our transformation, we are clearly gaining momentum to achieve our goals of operational excellence, world-class customer service, and creating a learning organization that supports a competent and engaged workforce. We have begun the fundamental work to establish a system of continuous quality improvement. We are building on our leadership and organizational readiness to tackle our long-term strategic planning e ff orts in 2021, with a laser focus on Transforming Organizational Performance (TOP). We know our biggest challenges are still ahead. We are prepared to serve higher numbers of vulnerable children, families and seniors. Many are facing extraordinary challenges from job loss, economic insecurity and social isolation. With strong alignment between our organizational goals and those of the County Executive O ffi ce, we are confident in our contributions to Riverside County’s 2030 Vision of One County Strong and the Best Place to Live, Work, and Play, Thriving Riverside County, California. Thank you for entrusting me and our executive team to lead a dynamic and mission-driven organization that focuses on people and communities. I have been honored to serve as Director these past eight months. With your support, we look forward to a fruitful and rewarding year ahead. 1 RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES