Client Spotlight: Veterans Village of SD Receives Public Health Award

Author, Emily Marasso, Media Communications Assistant, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Image provided by the San Diego County News Center.

On April 16th, 2020,  Veterans Village of San Diego was awarded the Live Well San Diego Public Health Champion North Central Region Award by the National Public Health Week (NPHW), sponsored by the American Public Health Association. Veterans Village of San Diego is a non-profit organization focused on assisting homeless veterans; servicing more than 3,000 vets across San Diego County. Their motto is “Leave No One Behind” and they have been doing just that for almost 40 years.

The NPHW runs from April 6 - April 12, 2020 and is observed across the United States. It is intended to highlight issues and contributions to public health in order to improve the health of the nation. Each year, NPHW chooses a theme that carries throughout the week with each day focusing on a different topic relating to the Live Well San Diego initiative. Appropriately for this year’s theme, they have chosen COVID-19.

Alongside daily focus topics, the county holds an award ceremony recognizing people and organizations that have helped to improve the well-being and health of San Diegans. Due to social distancing, the ceremony was held virtually, but the recipients were announced by the county during their daily COVID-19 briefing. 

About Veterans Village of San Diego
Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) has served all veterans since 1981 and is dedicated to “Leave No One Behind.” VVSD is the only program of its kind in the United States and is nationally recognized as the leader in serving homeless military veterans. Each year VVSD provides services to more than 3,000 military veterans throughout San Diego County. For more information about Veterans Village of San Diego and how you can help support their efforts, visit www.vvsd.net.

Welcome Desmond - The Newest Rancho Mesa Family Member!

Author, Emily Marasso, Media Communications Assistant, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. would like to congratulate Brittani Davis and family on welcoming their newest family member, Desmond Myles Davis. Mom and baby are doing great and big brother DJ said it was “the best day of his life!”

We could all use some more joy in our days right now and this squishy baby face will definitely do it for you. We would also like to take a minute to say a big congrats to Kim Vasquez as well, for being promoted to Gigi, again.

From all of us at Rancho Mesa, we want to wish your family health, happiness and prosperity.

Cal/OSHA: Enforcement vs. Consultation Workshop Educates Local Business Owners

Author, Emily Marasso, Media Communications Assistant, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Do you know the difference between the Enforcement Branch and Consultation Branch of Cal/OSHA? On January 22, 2020, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. hosted a workshop led by Carmen Cisneros, Area Manager from the Cal/OSHA Consultation Services Branch in San Diego. The workshop was held at the Boys & Girls Club of East County and covered how Cal/OSHA’s consultation branch can be a helpful resource to improve workplace safety.

Carmen suggests any business with an Experience Modification (XMOD) over 125, contact Cal/OSHA for a free onsite consultation. Have the consultation held at a jobsite to ensure you get accurate suggested improvements.

In addition to improving workplace safety, requesting a consultation from Cal/OSHA may assist your business in becoming eligible for the Golden Gate Program. Contact Cal/OSHA Consultation for more details.

Laws and guidelines will continue to change. The Cal/OSHA Consultation Branch is there to help make your job sites safer and hopefully assist in avoiding a visit from the Enforcement Branch.

To learn more about Cal/OSHA’s consultation services, contact your location branch office.

Are You Ready for 2020 Employment Law Updates?

Author, Emily Marasso, Media Communications Assistant, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. hosted a 2020 Legal Updates workshop on December 2, 2019 at the Boys & Girls Club of East County.

Thomas E. Daugherty, a lawyer with Klinedinst Attorneys, led the workshop and discussed the employment law changes that will go into effect in 2020 and how you can be prepared.

Some of the key elements discussed in the workshop are:

• Independent contractors must meet all 3 elements of the ABC Test to be classified as such and not an employee.

• Mandatory arbitration agreements are no longer acceptable.

• The minimum wage amount is increasing again; affecting salary thresholds. 

In addition to these updates, the statute of limitations has increased from 1 to 3 years, and additional time has been given to employers to complete company-wide harassment prevention training. Alongside these changes, discrimination outlines have been extended to include perception against natural hairstyles including afros, braids, twists, locks, etc.

New parents can be thankful that workplace lactation accommodations have been updated and Paid Family Leave is now 8 weeks in lieu of the previous 6 weeks standard beginning July 1, 2020. Domestic partnership now includes any two adults over the age of 18 instead of the previous age of 62. Domestic partners are granted the same rights, protections, benefits, etc. as married spouses.

Construction employees, in certain counties, are required to be trained on Valley Fever and the dangers of being exposed to the fungus. The counties included, but not limited to, are Fresno, Kern, Madera, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare and Ventura to name a few. Gun violence restraining orders now expand availability to employers, co-workers (with employer approval) and employees or teachers at a secondary school.

For clients who missed the workshop, a video of the presentation will be available to view on-demand in the Risk Management Center within the next few weeks. An update will be sent when it is ready to view.

Employee Spotlight: Emily Marasso Joins Rancho Mesa's Media Communications Department

Author, Lauren Stumpf, Media Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services is pleased to announce that Emily Marasso has joined the Media Communications and Client Services department as a Media Communications Assistant. With a background in marketing, web design, and customer relations, Emily’s energy and expertise make her an ideal fit for the Media Communications and Client Services department and Rancho Mesa team.

Emily was born and raised in Poway and now lives in El Cajon with her husband, two sons, and three dogs. She enjoys taking the trailer camping with her family and everything motorsports.

Rancho Mesa is excited to welcome Emily Marasso to the RMI team!