The first quarterly CAPS Board of Directors’ Meeting for the 2021-2023 Board of Directors was held last Saturday, November 6, 2021. Actions by the Board of Directors included:

• Approving the minutes of the August 22, 2021 Board of Directors Meeting.
• Setting the upcoming regular meeting schedule for the CAPS Board of Directors as follows: For 2022: February 5, May 21, August 20, and November 5. For 2023: February 4, May 20, August 19, and November 4.
• Approving the CAPS Bargaining Committee consisting of Chairperson District IV Director David Rist (DTSC – Berkeley) and Committee Members President Margarita Gordus (CDFW – Fresno), Secretary Justin D. Garcia (CDFW – West Sacramento), Local Rep Maureen Lee-Dutra (CDFA – Tulare), District II Director Jacqueline Tkac (SWRCB – SLO), and District III Director Itzia Rivera (DWR – Sacramento).
• Approving Secretary Justin D. Garcia as Chairperson of the CAPS Representation Committee and Committee Members Vice President Daniel Ellis (SWRCB – Sacramento), Director At-Large Mia Roberts (CDFW – West Sacramento), District III Director Itzia Rivera (DWR – Sacramento), and Director At-Large David Miller (DTSC – Sacramento).
• Approving Vice President Daniel Ellis (SWRCB – Sacramento) and Secretary Justin D. Garcia (CDFW – West Sacramento) with additional authority to sign checks for the remainder of this Board’s term.
• Authorizing a contribution of $500 from its operating account to support the 2022 CDFW Science Symposium.
• Authorizing a contribution of $14,000 from its operating account to the Sacramento Regional Science and Engineering Fair Foundation in support of the 2022 Sacramento Regional STEM Fair to be scheduled virtually.
• Approving Treasurer Kris Wiese (CDFW – Ontario) as Chairperson of the CAPS PAC, and Committee Members Supervisor Director Kelley Aubushon (CDFA – Tulare), Secretary Justin D. Garcia (CDFW – West Sacramento), District V Director Monty Larson (CDFW – Redding), and Director At-Large David Miller (DTSC – Sacramento).

The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, February 5, 2022 (location TBA).

Staff Quarterly Report Posted. The Quarter 3 Report detailing representation items of interest is now posted on the Members-Only Section of the CAPS Website here: https://capsscientists.org/members/. The password is ChooseCAPS! – it IS case-sensitive.

In Review. Check out what you may have missed from past CAPS Updates here:

Holidays Often Mean Vacation Time. The winter holidays are fast approaching, and while this year will likely still be unique, this time of year often brings questions about vacation, including whether a Department can deny an employee vacation time, while granting it to someone else; or how quickly vacation requests need to be approved. CCR 599.742.1 explains that “it is the employee’s responsibility to plan vacations well in advance to minimize conflicts with the operational needs of the agency. It is the appointing power’s responsibility to provide reasonable opportunity for all employees to take an annual vacation commensurate with their annual accrual rate of vacation or annual leave.”

When making vacation requests, a good rule to follow is to request the time as early as possible to avoid possible conflicts. If you encounter issues getting your vacation requests approved, contact CAPS (caps@capsscientists.org).

Read the rest of the entries, or see what else you may have missed on the CAPS Website here: https://capsscientists.org/supervisors/. The password is S10CAPS – it IS case-sensitive.

Choose Unity. Choose Strength. Choose CAPS!