The County Connection Employee Newsletter

November 2010 Vol. 58

Second Quarter 2010

DVC GranD OpeninG CelebratiOnSeptember 25, 2010

Honor Roll Shining Stars.............2-3Quarterly Anniversaries................4HR News.......................................5Employee Wellness Program.........5Tell Us About Your Riders..............6Message from Rick........................6

Thanksgiving Feast........................7Annual Halloween Contest............8Legends.........................................9Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.......10Raiders........................................11Basketball...................................12

In this issue:

Honor Roll’s

Glen Edlund has been with County Connection since November 1986 when he was hired as a service worker. He is now a top level mechanic. Glen can handle any job and work as a shop lead when needed. Not only is

he always on time and ready to work, he’s always available for extra work. Mike Foley said, “I can count on Glen to handle anything I throw his way and do it correctly. He’s a true ambassador for the company.”

Prior to coming here, Glen worked as a mechanic for Bridgehead Auto, Truck, and Marine. He said the biggest change he’s seen in the years he’s been here is the service cuts. There are a lot of buses sitting in the yard during the midday. There used to be very few buses in the yard during that time. Glen enjoys working here because the people are great. They really take care of each other.

In his spare time, Glen enjoys riding his dirt bike on the trails. If he were to win the lottery, he would take the family on a cruise to Mexico or Alaska. While on the cruise, he would take the time to think about what else he would want to do.

It’s no wonder Glen has received this honor four times. He has 23 years of perfect attendance and safety. Way to go Glen! You truly are an inspiration to your coworkers.

Glen EdlundMaintenancePatria came to

County Connectionnine years ago looking for a change. Having spent five years working in the warehouse and press room at the Contra Costa Times, she was looking for a little less “heavy

lifting”. And according to Patria, the years have flown by. She’s been working four day split shifts during most of her time here, and prefers it that way. Having the extra day each week and a big chunk of time during her work days give her the opportunity to focus on herself and her aging parents.

As a transit rider, Patria decided early on that she thought driving a bus would be fun, so on a whim, she filled out an application. Little did she know that in less than a month, she’d be getting a call from County Connection! Patria loves her job, and all the people she meets. She’s often surprised when she sees a now grown adolescent on the bus and they remember her. “It makes me feel good that they remember me, and they’re still riding the bus.”

Patria is a ten year breast cancer survivor, so staying active and healthy is more than a “fad”. It’s her life – something she has a deep appreciation for. This appreciation for life extends to her parents, and she spends a lot of time with them doing things they enjoy, such as gardening.

Patria describes herself as a tomboy, and enjoys being outdoors. She involves herself in a lot of breast cancer fundraisers, and follows the Oakland A’s.

Patria, her husband, and her three grown children live life to the fullest and it shows in her smile and her giggle. Patria, we expect to see that smile, and hear that giggle for years to come. Congratulations!

Patria AguilarTransportation

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Shining Stars

Loretta, Loretta, Loretta… Oh where to begin! Don’t let her quietness fool you. Loretta moved from Missouri to California to meet her dad, who happened to be George Draper, a driver for Coun-ty Connection. With Loretta’s strict upbringing, she sure didn’t know what to make of California when she moved here. When people asked her what she thought of the “Beaver”, she didn’t know what that was. Now she knows they were refer-encing “Leave it to Beaver”.

Loretta has been with County Connection for nearly eighteen years. What she likes most about her job is the diversity. No two days are the same. She also works a split week which makes her three hour commute worth it. This allows her more time at home to care for her seven miniature horses. She also breeds Newfoundland dogs. When asked what she would do if she won the lottery, she said she would buy a ranch and help people with spe-cial needs. But of course, that requires playing!

Kevin Finn said, “It is rather hard to put into words what she means to CCCTA. Loretta has and will continue to have her presence known in so many ways. She is the fact keeper of the property in gen-eral. When we need to know what, when and how a certain item was replaced you can rest assured that Loretta will have the information. When any of the many county inspectors come on property you can be certain that whatever they ask for, she will have the documentation to back up her claim that we are current and abide by all regulations. Loretta looks after CCCTA with the attention to de-tail that others can only aspire to reach.”

Congratulations Loretta on a job well done. You truly are an asset to the County Connection family.

LorettaDraper

Administration

Leroy started as a part-time operator in 1995 and was promoted to full time in 1998. Since 2001, Leroy’s been working as an extra board operator. In 2007 and 2008 he had perfect attendance and so far, this year has been perfect too. Leroy has thirteen years of safe driving.

In his fifteen years of service, Leroy has had held this honor three times. In 2001, he also carried the title of Employee of the Year for the Transportation department. In his last spotlight in 2007, Leroy was an avid bike rider. He has participated in bike rides around Mt. Diablo.

Whenever you see Leroy, he always has a smile on his face. It’s been said he’s easy to work with and never complains. Congratulations on a job well done!

Leroy Dominguez

Transportation

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2 years Jim Borem Jaime Lozano Anne Muzzini

5 years Chan Saechao

7 years Jim Brown

8 years Juanita Proctor-Williams

9 years James Treat Ronald Allison Joseph Cuevas Malissa Dean Adrienne Griscti

10 years Roxanne Delaney Glenn Van Buskirk

12 years Benjamin Poaha Doug Robinson

13 years Ricardo Rodriguez Arthur Williams

14 years Julie Shipe Gerardo Cerda

15 years Roy Hough

16 years Hector Meza

19 years Oscar Palicte Charlene Carter Thasani Mahavongtrakul

20 years Steve Miraglio Oscar Alvarenga Juanita Garcia Virgilio Sanchez Juanita Valles

21 years Stanley Hull Eric Williams

22 years Lisa Walters Sayed Miry Erwin Osias Barbara Yencho

24 years Robert Douglass

25 years Victor Fucci Ossie Robinson Rethamae Abdelrahman

26 years John Mitchell Sharon Porter

27 years Janet Madrigal

28 years Sharon Ashby Michael Foley Derrick Hamilton Gregg Lacomb Tia Neves

29 years Carol Muegge Linda Pellegrini Karen Troche Deborah Walton

April - June Malissa Dean will be having a girl on November 22.

Lathina Hill is expecting a boy December 1.

Operators enjoying cake.

Administrative employees catching up with each other.

Attendees to the Model Train Railroad Museum at

Larkey Park in Walnut Creek.4

Employee Wellness Program

As some of you may recall in our last issue of the Phantom Flyer. The General Manager talked about paying closer attention to your health. In the article he provided some very important changes that we all can do to live a healthier lifestyle.

Considering that our work force is getting older it is time for all of us to take better care of our health, a new Health and Wellness Committee has been formed.

Committee Members:Rick Ramacier, General Manager

Maurice Mayberry, OperatorSonia Grady, Operator

Juanita Proctor Williams, AdministrationScott Pevahouse, MaintenanceSharon Porter, Committee Chair

What does this mean to you? You now have someone that you can give your suggestion too and get feedback from on what you would like to see happening with our program.

More good news from the committee! All of the equipment has been serviced in the exer-cise and weight rooms. All the equipment is working well. The only thing missing is some of us. We also have some lockers available which can be assigned to you should you need one. You may see Janet Madrigal or call her atext. 2044.

Keep your eye and ears openfor these upcoming events:

Regular Blood Pressure screening is the second Tuesday of the month in Breezeway First Floor 1:30 to 3:00 and Maintenance 3:15-4:45.

Brown Bag Lecture- November 30, 2010 in the training room 11: 30 a.m.

Remember, it is all aboutyour Health!

HR NEWS

CalPERS MemberEducation Opportunities

CalPERS offers various seminars and workshops. Whether you are interested in financial planning, or attending a retirement planning interactive workshop, you can log on to CalPERS On-Line to find a list of available seminars and workshops. Register on-line using a Personal Identification Number (PIN) at www.calpers.ca.gov or call toll free: (888) CalPERS (225-7377).

CalPERS MemberHome Loan Program

The CalPERS Member Home Loan Program is available to all employees. They offer conven-tional, FHA (Government Mortgage Loans), low down payment programs, competitive interest rates, as well as 60-day rate protection. One of the greatest values of the CalPERS Member Home Loan Program is the reduced closing costs with a CalPERS Mortgage Loan. Not only does CalPERS limit the amount of some of the fees, but CalPERS completely eliminates other closing costs, while offering you competitive mortgage interest rates.

Before you consider any other mortgage loan product, take a look at the savings and security of the CalPERS Member Home Loan Program. It may be the key to reaching your dream. For more information, call CalPERS Customer Service at 800-874-7366 or contact them at www.calpers.ca.gov.

Change of Address/Beneficiary

Just a reminder… if you move, change phone numbers and/or want to update your emergency contact, please complete the Change of Address form located at either the reception area, Trisha in Maintenance, or Sharon Grant in Transporta-tion. Also, if you get married/divorced you may want to change your beneficiary on your life insurance. Please see Juanita Proctor-Williams for the forms.

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A MESSAGE FROMTHE GENERAL MANAGER

Tell Us About Your Riders

By now we hope everyone has had the chance to see the new updated look to our web site. We’ve added a lot of photos to all the pages to create a more personal and human look to the site. The marketing department would to like go a step further and feature a passenger each month on the home page.

If anyone knows of a passenger that would like to be featured, please encourage them to let us know through the website. We’re looking for new riders, long time loyal riders, and all those in between with a positive and interesting story to tell about our service. A request for entries will be posted on the website, as well as to our Facebook and Twitter pages.

The monthly passenger will be featured in the rolling “feature” section at the bottom of our home page, and will be given a free monthly pass.

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As we approach the holiday season leading off with Thanksgiving, I urge everyone to think about how many things we each have to be thankful for. I know that can be hard to do as we continue to struggle with our challenging times. However, giving thanks for the good things in our lives – even when we struggle – allows us to enjoy life and recognize the good that we all have. Giving thanks will make you feel better!

Perhaps you are thankful for family, friends, or loved ones. Perhaps you are thankful for a relatively peaceful life, for a place to live that is safe and dry, or for the food that you eat. Perhaps you are thankful for the Giants winning the world series, for the Raiders being interesting, or that the A’s have not yet moved. Perhaps you are thankful for the sunrise, the rain that allows us to drink water, the ocean, the mountains, or the simple beauty of California. There are so many other things you might be thankful for.

The point is, this is a time to focus on the positive and realize it is not all negative and bad. This is a time to share and celebrate each other, to celebrate that we are all in this together. So, I urge you to get into the holiday spirit, give your thanks and give to each other. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Rick Ramacier, General Manager

Annual Feast: November 18, 2010Cost: $5/employee by November 15, 2010 $7 at doorSign up at reception desk or see Trisha in Maintenance Menu: green salad with italian & ranch dressing, rolls with butter, turkey, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables, assorted deserts, strawberry lemonade and iced tea

This is an employee only event. No guests please.

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Annual HalloweenCostume and Pumpkin Carving Contests

Scariest - Maggie ChavezLINK Driver

2nd PlaceThasanai Mahavongtrakul (NUI) Operator

1st PlaceFatima MixonOperator

Most CreativeFatima Mixon - Operator

Funniest/Truest to Character

Stacy Howard - Operator

3rd PlaceBarbara YenchoCustomer Service8

CCCTA and Legendsteam up for

MONDAY NIGHT

Legends4050 Port Chicago Hwy

Sign up at reception desk or contact Valerie x2042 or carver@cccta.org

by Monday Noon for that night game.

All employees, families and friends are welcome.Dinner specials available at a substantial discount.

Specials every Monday with discounts up to 50% off.Come one come all! All employees are responsible for their own bill.

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Tickets available and valid on:November 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21

Cost: $17 cash only please

Contact: Valerie Carver x2042 oremail carver@cccta.org

Upgrade tickets at park toSeason Pass 2011 for $24.99

You’ll get rest of 2010 seasonand all of 2011 for total of $41.99

(Season Passes on sale for $49.99)10

Sunday, November 28 @ 1:05 PM vs. Miami Dolpins

Sunday, December 19 @ 1:15 PM vs. Denver Broncos

Ticket prices: $26.00 - $151.00

Link and ticket prices valid until Friday before game.

Access the link by logging into the employee login section on CCCTA website. Click on Employee Events.

Set up account with emailaddress to order tickets.

Raider NationCounty Connection

teams up withOakland Raiders!

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Ticket and a T-shirt for as litt le as $20!Save $10 off the cost of every ti cket!

Come out to Oracle Arena to watch Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, David Lee and the new-look Warriors take on the Detroit Pistons, Amar’e Stoudemire and the New York Knicks or Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets! Tickets available for as litt le as $20!:

Monday, November 15th – Detroit Pistons *T-Shirt Included!

Friday, November 19th – New York Knicks

Monday, November 22nd– Denver Nuggets *T-Shirt Included!

Purchase ti ckets for 11/15 or 11/22, and receive an adidas Warriors t-shirt with every ti cket purchased! Aft er purchasing, you will receive an email with instructi ons detailing how to pick up your shirt. Lower Level corner ti ckets are available for only $60 (reg. $70) while supplies last. Club 200 sideline seats are available for $35 (reg. $45, rows 1-9) and Club 200 corner/baseline seats can be purchased for as litt le as $20 (reg. $30)! Visit the County Connecti on employee login secti on for more informati on and link to purchase ti ckets online.

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