President’s Letter 
By: Hallie Thompson 

Dear CCEA,
Once again, thank you for your excellence and professionalism as we navigate the ever-changing world of COVID-19. I will be honest, it has not been easy to manage the challenges of balancing work and personal life. But as my mom says, “This too shall pass” and “We can do hard things”. We should feel proud that we have continued to provide city services with minimal disruptions to our residents and businesses. Thank you Carlsbad employees. 
Unfortunately, because of COVID-19, we cannot have our annual picnic. I really miss this opportunity to see you all in person. We are currently putting together a schedule for some virtual meetings; please join us if you can. 

What does CCEA do?
We have received some questions from members wondering what exactly we do, so here are some examples of ways we support you:

• Help you navigate benefits and leave from medical issues
• Help you work with HR and your supervisor for a safe workspace that meets your needs
• Support you during disciplinary hearings
• Answer questions about benefits and services you’re entitled to as a city employee
• Foster communication between staff and management
• Direct you to our legal support for issues needing an attorney
• Talk with HR about schedule changes, policy changes, or anything that affects our members

Our Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is the agreement of conditions of employment between CCEA members and the city. You can find it on our website www.carlsbadcea.org This MOU outlines the areas that CCEA is able to apply with the city. To sum it up, we are here for you in almost any type of scenario. To sum it up, we are here for you in almost any type of scenario, including but not limited to: benefits, discipline, work safety, schedule changes, and protected leave. We are committed to being open, transparent, and available. 

Update on Negotiations
The city and CCEA have begun negotiations. Our stellar negotiations team is made up of Ayinde Smith, Bonnie Crane-Sullivan, Hallie Thompson, Leticia Reyes, and Mayra Turchiano. We have started with non-economic proposals, the low-hanging fruit of contract negotiations. We hope that you were able to participate in our member survey. If you did not participate, please contact us and we can send you the link.  We value your input and would like to hear from you.

Thank you, 
Hallie

New Soap Dispensers
By: Esther Lan 

You may have noticed a subtle change around the city! The City of Carlsbad is in the process of replacing all automatic soap and hand sanitizer dispensers to manual (pump-action) dispensers. The previous dispensers caused issues for users and staff: battery pump fails, battery drainage, and created a reliance on proprietary soap packets only available from the vendor. With the switch to manual dispensers, facilities will be able to source soap and sanitizer from different suppliers; this is important because the last sanitizer order took two months to arrive. The manual dispensers are disinfected as restrooms are serviced and will create a more reliable experience for all users. 

CCEA Board Members

Hallie Thompson President
Marie Ashe-Nutter Vice President
Rosario Aranda Treasurer
Mayra Turchiano Secretary
Leticia Reyes Public Works: Transportation
Daisy Hernandez Community & Economic Development
Ayinde Smith Public Works: GFE
Tom Vega Public Works: Utilities
Allen Edwards Housing & Neighborhood Services, Policy & Leadership, and Safety 
Eric Smith Parks 
Esther Lan HR, IT, and Finance
Bonnie Crane -Sullivan Library & Recreation 
Ally Goodwin At-Large

Anniversaries