Liz Bellas has been a parks professional for over 26 years. She was appointed as Director of Sacramento County Regional Parks in January 2019, and has served many roles within the Department, including recreation operations, master planning, budget and fiscal officer, and park management.
In this conversation, Liz talks about her biggest challenges in managing the County’s regional parks system, how she addresses them, as well as some exciting new projects in the works.
Annette Bedsworth is the Director of Sacramento County's Animal Care Services. Annette began in her role as director in January 2022. Bedsworth has more than 30 years of public service, including more than 20 years in management and director level positions. Before she came to the County, Bedsworth served as the Executive Director for Animal Services for Stanislaus County since 2008.
In this conversation, Annette talks about the challenges the shelter faces in terms of operations and animal care; how members of the community can be involved in supporting the shelter through volunteering, fostering kittens or donating; and advice for anyone considering adopting a pet.
Emily Halcon is the Director of the Department of Homeless Services and Housing (DHSH) for Sacramento County. Emily serves as the central coordinator of the County’s policy and program development efforts to address homelessness with the goal of aligning and integrating County policies, programs, services and funding toward reducing the prevalence of homelessness in Sacramento County and its impact on communities, business districts, and people experiencing homelessness.
Prior to joining the County in 2021, Emily spent six years as the Homeless Services Manager for the City of Sacramento, overseeing policy and programs through the City to address homelessness.
Our County Conversation is with John Lundgren, Sustainability Manager for the County. John Lundgren is the County Sustainability Manager in the Office of the County Executive. John was hired by Sacramento County in 1995 after obtaining his bachelor's degree in Range and Wildlands Science from U.C. Davis. Prior to his current assignment, he advanced in his County career through Code Enforcement, Animal Services, Environmental Review, and Long-Range Planning.
In this conversation, John talks about the community-wide sustainability measures the County has implemented, the challenges the County has faced in its efforts to become more environmentally friendly, and what listeners can do to support a greener environment.
Join in us as we welcome Marlon Yarber, Chief Probation Officer for Sacramento County in our inaugural podcast “County Conversations: Sac County Podcasts" series! Marlon Yarber was appointed Sacramento County Chief Probation Officer in October 2021. He began his career with Sacramento County Probation as Assistant Chief Probation Officer in December 2013. He provided oversight of Adult Operations between 2013 and 2018 and then transitioned to Juvenile Operations. Before joining Sacramento County, Yarber worked for Stanislaus and Yolo County Probation Departments, as well as the State of California - Board of Corrections.
In this conversation, Marlon gives us a glimpse behind the scenes of administering the County's Department of Probation, the myths vs. reality, the department's focus on rehabilitation, and an inspiring story about how he stays motivated in spite of challenges.
