Pay Information For LNU Fires

Dear Sonoma County Employees,

On August 21, 2020, the Board of Supervisors ratified a proclamation declaring the LNU Complex Fire emergency and disaster effective August 18, 2020. With that ratification, the Board of Supervisors gave authority for pay decisions related to this event. Many employees live in mandatory evacuation zones, were ordered to evacuate from their primary residence, and may have been unable to report to a County worksite or to telework because of the mandatory evacuation orders.  Sadly, we have also received word of County employees who have lost their homes. The County would like to mitigate the impacts of the LNU Complex Fire mandatory evacuation orders and other impacts on our employees.   

Mandatory Evacuation Orders and Disaster Paid Not Worked (“DPNW”)  

Regular and extra-help employees who were scheduled to report to work at a County worksite or to telework and who were not able to report to a County worksite or telework due to mandatory evacuation orders, or were not assigned an essential job associated with the LNU Complex Fire or as a disaster services worker, may be eligible to receive compensation for time not worked due to the emergency.  An Employee Situation Matrix (LNU Complex Fire Employee Situation Matrix) is in development and will be completed tomorrow. Payroll clerks will apply the Disaster Paid Not Worked (“DPNW”) timecode to eligible employee’s timecards at the end of the pay period, consistent with the Employee Situation Matrix.   The matrix will be communicated to departments when done and will be placed on the Employee Resources Page, http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/HR/Employee-Resources/.  

In addition to the LNU Complex Fires, many employees are also impacted by the COVID-19 emergency. Please be advised that the Board of Supervisor’s August 21, 2020 ratification did not authorize the County Administrator to make decisions about employee pay for time not worked resulting from the COVID-19 public health crisis and emergency. Therefore, employees who are unable to report to their worksite or telework for reasons related to the COVID-19 public health crisis and emergency are not eligible to receive compensation for time not worked due to the LNU Complex Fire disaster and emergency. Employees who are unable to report to work or to telework due to the COVID-19 public health crisis and emergency (including school closures, lack of dependent care, or other COVID-19 related reasons) should contact their HR Liaison or the Disability Management Unit for guidance on pay and benefit programs for COVID-19 and how they should code their time.    

Disaster Leave  

The disaster proclamations issued by the County Board of Supervisors and the President have activated the County’s Disaster Leave provisions for the LNU Complex Fires. This means employees may now donate accrued vacation leave to other employees who have had their primary residence affected by the current disaster, and have exhausted all of their own accrued leave.  Employee donations are pooled and distributed each pay period to eligible employees.  Additional information is provided on application and donation forms.

Please refer to the County’s Employee Resource Page tomorrow for more details and application and donation form on the Disaster Leave Program, http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/HR/Employee-Resources/.

Rolling Black Out/Power Outages  

Employees working remotely via telework may have experienced power outages due to last week’s heat wave and rolling black outs that impacted their ability to telework during their regularly scheduled shifts. Employees who flexed their schedules to make up for time not worked during a power outage out should record their flextime via Timesaver. Employees who did not work or flex their time may use vacation time or compensatory time to meet their FTE for the pay period ending August 24, 2020.    

I hope you and your loved ones are safe.  Thank you, yet again, for working through more disaster.  

Sincerely,
Christina Cramer
Human Resources Director