CFS Update: Our March 19 Meeting with the County CEO's Office

Dear OCEA member,

Thank you to everyone who supported us in our effort last week when we brought critical CFS issues to the highest level of County governance at the Board of Supervisors meeting. Because of your voices, we forced County leadership to acknowledge the crisis at CFS. The momentum is building and we cannot let up—real change requires continued pressure.

On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, we met with County CEO Michelle Aguirre and SSA leadership to confront CFS issues directly. We presented data, real-life impacts, and a clear set of demands.

Who Was at the Table

• OCEA Team: General Manager Charles Barfield; General Counsel Tia Grasso; Operations Manager Veronica Rodarte; Senior Labor Relations Representative Kerensa Schupmann; and Labor Relations Representative Alisha Greene.
• County Leadership: CEO Michelle Aguirre; Chief HR Officer Colette Farnes; incoming Chief HR Officer Jamie Newton; SSA Director An Tran; SSA Chief Deputy Director Veronica Rodriguez; SSA HR Director Hilda Juarez; and CFS Division Director Jyothi Atluri.

What We Made Clear

OCEA’s Charles Barfield opened by stating that we don’t escalate matters to this level unless there is a full-blown crisis. After exhausting every internal channel—direct conversations with SSA leadership, the Caseload Management Forum, and the Labor Management Committee—this was necessary.

OCEA’s Veronica Rodarte emphasized that the dysfunction at CFS is decades in the making, deeply entrenched in the Division’s culture, and worsened by a lack of leadership and oversight. It cannot be fixed with minor tweaks—it demands real intervention.

Our Demands to the County

• Halt the Mandatory Rotation Policy.
• Ensure Workers Can Take Earned Time Off Without Penalty.
• Hold CFS Executive Management Accountable.
• Assign Direct Oversight of CFS to the County CEO’s Office.
• Establish Regular Meetings Between OCEA & the CEO.

Core Issues We Raised

• Mandatory Rotations Are Disrupting Stability – The forced movement of workers without proper planning is creating service gaps, increasing liability, and jeopardizing child safety. We highlighted how vacancies from recent rotations left critical positions unfilled for months—including in Placement and the Child Abuse Registry (CAR).
• Workloads Are Unrealistic & Time Off Is Nearly Impossible – Workers are burning out because of unmanageable caseloads. Many fear repercussions for taking earned leave, often working excessive, unpaid hours just to keep up. Management knows this but refuses to address it.
• Lack of Management Support & Accountability – Executive leadership operates in a silo, with no real oversight. Decisions are made arbitrarily, with no transparency, and workers are left to manage crises alone.
• Culture of Fear & Retaliation – Employees who raise concerns face intimidation, individual reprimands, and even negative evaluations. We cited specific examples, including the suppression of dissent after a recent town hall.

County Response & Next Steps

CEO Michelle Aguirre was focused on our team’s comments throughout the meeting and we are appreciative of the level of engagement she demonstrated. She committed to:

• A follow-up meeting in two weeks.
• Reviewing the Mandatory Rotation Policy (but not halting it—yet).
• Pulling data on, and looking further into, various issues raised.
• Potentially revising communication protocols to address breakdowns.
• Addressing leadership failures at the Deputy Director level in a smaller group setting.

While this is positive movement, it is not enough. OCEA’s Veronica Rodarte pushed for executive-level intervention—not just an internal review, but an outside assessment of CFS operations to prevent further harm. This is what the County did with the Treasurer-Tax Collector.

Political Pressure is Building

At the OCEA Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday, March 18, two Supervisors seeking re-election asked for our endorsement. They were directly questioned about the crisis in CFS, and both expressed “troubling” reactions to what they heard. They committed to monitoring the situation—but monitoring isn’t enough. We need them to act.

What’s Next?

We’ll keep you updated as this unfolds. But this fight is far from over. Your voices made all this possible. Keep speaking up, standing strong, and demanding the workplace you deserve.

Stay tuned. More to come.

In Solidarity,

OCEA

Publication Date: March 21, 2025