Pre-Board Virtual Worksite Meetings Successful. Thank you to all the CAPS members who registered and participated in the Pre-Board Virtual Worksite meetings. Over the course of the meetings, the CAPS Board and staff members were able to meet with more than 50 CAPS members across the State.

Members who registered will be sent a survey to share their experience. Please watch your email for that survey. If you have additional comments, please feel free to reach out to caps@capsscientists.org.

Board of Directors’ Meeting Recap. On November 7, the CAPS Board of Directors hosted the second Virtual Board of Directors’ Meeting, as a result of the novel Coronavirus pandemic. Business addressed by the Board of Directors included:

• Approving the Minutes from the August 22, 2020 Board of Directors’ Meeting.
• Approving new CAPS Local Reps Thaddeus Hunt (Waterboards – Sacramento) and Obediah Sage (CDFA – Sacramento)
• Adopting a budget for the 2021 calendar year.
• Amending Article VIII, Section 3 of the CAPS Bylaws to allow the Elections Committee the ability to consider ways of balloting for the next Board Election that are not exclusively by US Mail (e.g. online voting).
• Authorizing the continued sponsorship of the NorCal STEM Education Foundation for the 2021 Sacramento Regional STEM Fair.

Additionally, the CAPS Board of Directors discussed the following: conducting District, Local Representative, and worksite meetings virtually; improvements to CAPS’ use of the slogan and tagline; expanding the information available to members on the CAPS website related to discrimination and harassment; and CAPS’ goals for equitable pay for State Scientists, including the fair adjustments for Unit 10 Supervisors who were not included in recent payscale improvements.

The Board would like to thank the CAPS members who took time out of their busy schedule to attend the meeting.

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 Fall2020 – it IS case-sensitive.

News Briefs.

State moves to issue land-use restrictions amid Whittaker-Bermite cleanup report – Santa Clarita Valley Signal

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control is developing draft agreements that break down what can and cannot be done in areas that will be restricted in the nearly 1,000 acres on the former Whittaker-Bermite site following the completion of its cleanup, officials said Wednesday. The facility, located in the center of the City of Santa Clarita, had served as the production site of dynamite, fireworks and oil field explosives since the 1930s, leaving behind chemicals and waste by-products in the soil and groundwater even after operations fully ceased in 1987.

The US Left The Paris Climate Agreement This Week. Where Does That Leave California? – Capitol Public Radio

Nearly 70% of Americans said before the election that climate change is important for them to consider when picking a president, according to a Pew Research Center survey from August.  But even with that many registered voters believing in the climate crisis, the United States’ decision to leave the Paris Climate Agreement officially took effect Wednesday. That decision has potential huge ramifications for states like California with ambitious climate change goals, says Cara Horowitz, co-director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the UCLA School of Law.

Nearly 50 California Wild Donkeys Dead from Equine Influenza Outbreak ­- EquiManagement

Wild donkeys in California have been affected by an equine influenza outbreak since mid-October and are sick and dying from the disease.  California Department of Food and Agriculture veterinarians, Moreno Valley Animal Services and San Bernardino County Animal Care & Control are assisting DonkeyLand-a 501(c)(3) rescue in California-that reported the outbreak on its Facebook page.

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

October 22, 2020. State Controller’s Office Calculation Error List Received. In August, the State Controller’s Office announced that they’d made a calculation error with the way employee’s retirement deductions are calculated due to the need to enter in adjustments regarding the May Budget Revise Reductions negotiated across all units. They reported that adjustments would be processed with the August 2020 pay to correct the discrepancy. The adjustment was to be shown as deduction “*PERS ADJ” on the earnings statement on the Cal Employee Connect Portal. At the time, we reported that we had contacted SCO via CalHR to request a list of members who would be subject to the correction along with the amount of the expected adjustment and promised to let the membership know. Well, CAPS has received the requested information. If you encountered issues on your August Pay Warrant (given to you in early September), 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 FALL2020 – it IS case-sensitive.