2013 Peer Awards

Tera is a great worker that helps many people in this office. She never shies away from responsibilities and does whatever is necessary to get the job done. She always has a positive attitude and a smile on her face!Tera is one of the unsung heroes of the office. She is always helping others to get things done – she knows what to do and where to go to get the resources that are needed and she always does so with a smile on her face.Tera is quite a jack of all trades. She orders all of our office supplies; she processes the mail and courier; she keeps the county cars serviced, registered and accounted for; she handles the cell phone distribution and repairs; she arranges travel, training tuition and registration; she handles Traffic Court cases; she oversees the copy machines – from ordering the paper and toner for them to getting out the most difficult of paper jams; she is in charge of reporting problems to building maintenance (I saw her with a hammer the other day fixing the metal strip by the third floor stairwell!). She is in charge of keeping things in order at the Tanforan Storage facility and at the drop of a hat she goes out there to retrieve boxes of files when people need them. She is currently updating the electronic system with details of old homicide cases. While the Set-Up Division was short staffed for an extended period she handled the in-custody list for them. Whenever there are office moves, Tera is right there on her hands and knees moving furniture, equipment and even personal belongings. When office equipment and furniture get broken or obsolete, she loads them up and takes them to surplus or to the county landfill. Not to mention that she provides back-up for Vicki with Payroll, Workers’ Comp Claims, Asset Forfeiture cases and Safety Meetings. This year she got a double whammy when Vicki and Wendy were both on vacation. She covered for both of them, for weeks, and she does all of this with a smile. She is very deserving of the Professional Staff of the Year award.

Estela Morales is the sweetest person ever. She is so patient, understanding and helpful to everyone around her. Estela works hard and deserves to be the advocate of the year.Always very pleasant to work with, sincerely cares about her work and the victims she contacts.

Alicia has always been one of the hardest working employees I have seen in my professional career. She is knowledgeable, resourceful and dependable and is always ready to help. She is the role model for all enforcement officers!Always works hard, great attitude, always willing to help.Alicia is a wonderful asset to this office! She is reliable and hard working. She goes above and beyond to make the jobs easier for everyone.

Always available to help out a co-worker. Is the go to Enforcement Officer if there are any exigent circumstances that require immediate attention.

He will be missed when he leaves. For the last year. Ray has been invaluable in investigations. He can pretty much find any body I send a sub out to. I’m tempted to sub Santa Clause just to see how good he really is.Ray has taken the initiative to go above and beyond on cases I’ve asked him to look into for me. He is persistent and remembers to follow up on things without having to be reminded.Takes care of all that is asked of him! Has handled vast majority of all General Criminal investigation requests, as well as serving subpoenas and chairing this years Fraud Fair.

Ray has been a steady presence in the Investigations Division of the office. At mid-year, after several years of good service working in the Auto Insurance Fraud Investigator Position, Ray moved into the General Criminal Unit. In the Auto Insurance Fraud Unit he had been successful in obtaining increasing amounts of grant funding to cover this position. Notably, he worked to install and maintain important surveillance equipment on the Clarksburg bridge in Southeast Yolo County through a funding partnership with the DA’s office and YCSO. This is an area that has historically been a dumping ground for stolen vehicles. Ray utilized this technology on numerous occasions to identify Auto Insurance Fraud suspect and to assist other agencies in their investigations. Ray moved into the General Criminal Unit at a time in which he was the only DA Investigator. Despite this, he eagerly took on all of the assignments given to him, including the case analysis and follow up work on a public corruption case and helping to lead the fraud unit in preparing for the 6th Annual Fraud Awareness Fair. Additionally, Ray has assisted in organizing and assigning process serving duties and workload in the absence of a dedicated process server. Despite this necessary increase in workload, Ray has been a positive force; has made suggestions to improve work flow and work practices; and has provided quality work and work product.

Always very pleasant to work with! Assisted Investigations on several cases/ interviews. Plus makes great food for us to enjoy!Miriam is always supportive and understanding when we come and talk to her about things going on either at work or in our personal lives that might have an impact on our work performance. She listens, never judges and always pushes us to do our best and be efficient in the completion of our expected duties.

Matt is a very hardworking DDA. He is always pleasant to be around and he is always working extra to stay on top of his cases. He is one of the most dedicated attorneys I have seen and it’s very inspiring to others.

Crystal is always smiling and in a great mood. She has a great sense of humor and has the unique ability to make everyone around her laugh. Crystal is awesome!