Pay Information for Glass Fire

County Employees:

It is unbelievable that we are once again communicating with our employees about how to handle pay and other benefits as the result of another emergency.  I hope you and your families are safe and coping as well as can be given the circumstances.  Early this week, Sheryl Bratton, the County Administrator, declared a local emergency for the Glass Fire.  Today, the Board of Supervisors ratified this declaration.

Many employees were/are in mandatory evacuation zones, and may have been/are unable to report to a County worksite or to telework because of evacuation. As with the recent LNU Fire, the County would like to lessen the impacts of the Glass Fire mandatory evacuation orders and other impacts on our employees.

A special Glass Fire page has been established on the County’s Employee Resources web page. 

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

Regular and extra-help employees may be eligible to receive compensation for time not worked due to the emergency depending on their circumstances. An Employee Situation Matrix (Glass Fire Employee Situation Matrix) for the current pay period that ends on Monday, October 5, 2020, is now available on the Employee Resources:  https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/HR/Employee-Resources/Glass-Fire/

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.

In addition to the Glass Fire, some employees are also impacted by the COVID-19 emergency. 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 Glass 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 Donation Program

The disaster proclamation issued by the County Board of Supervisors has activated the County’s Disaster Leave provisions for the Glass Fire. This means employees may now donate accrued vacation leave to other employees who have had their primary residence affected by this disaster.  Employee donations are pooled and distributed each pay period to eligible employees. Additional information  is provided on the application and donation forms,

Having current employee address and contact information, and emergency contact information in our employee database is very important, particularly during times of disaster.  Be sure that your information is current by checking Employee Self Service and making updates as needed. 

Thank you, yet again, for working through more disaster. We are grateful for our very resilient and dedicated County employees.  

Warm regards,

Christina Cramer,
Human Resources Director
County of Sonoma