Published: August 23, 2020
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