LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors, which welcomed two new members this week, approved a plan for the training of those new board members and a new protocol for this year.

County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson proposed the new training and protocol plans to the board, which earlier in the meeting had seen new members Tina Scott and Moke Simon sworn in.

She explained that in November she attended the California State Association of Counties, or CSAC, annual conference and training for new supervisors.

At that time she learned that many counties provide additional in-house training to new supervisors “to assist in the smooth transition of new leadership.” She also learned that other counties adopt complementary documents on board procedures or protocols that establish “simple, additional ground rules” for meetings, agenda items, interaction with staff and more.

Huchingson said she was particularly moved at the training by District 3 Supervisor Jim Steele's account of beginning as a supervisor.

She said he talked about his first day on the job, “during which his training consisted of, 'Let us know if you have any questions.'”

She added, “That had a powerful impact on me, Supervisor Steele, and I'd like to see us do something entirely different for our new supervisors so that they are quickly made aware of all the resources available to them and really have the opportunity to get off on the best foot possible as new supervisors.”

Huchingson presented to the board a training plan for the new year consisting of a number of parts, beginning with training offered by her office on basics such as using county phones and the computer system, where their inboxes are and where they should park, the role of clerk of the board and how the County Administrative Office can support them.

In a week the new board members will be asked to come back for the second part of their training with the County Administrative Office, which Huchingson said would include an overview of the budget.

They also will receive training from County Counsel Anita Grant on the Brown Act, conflicts of interest, the Public Records Act and more, Huchingson said.

In the weeks to come, she said all 25 county department heads are poised to train the supervisors on what they do, the mandated services they offer and their goals, their budgets and challenges they're facing, Huchingson said.

Huchingson, who became county administrative officer in April, said she similarly met with department heads to learn about what they do and she found it very helpful.

Besides the in-house training, Huchingson said there are mandatory online trainings for supervisors on topics such as ethics and sexual harassment. She said she's also reached out to the sheriff to ask about trainings he would recommend regarding local disaster management.

She encouraged board members to take advantage of out-of-county trainings as well, such as those offered by CSAC.

Board Chair Jeff Smith called Huchingson's proposal “excellent,” and Steele also complimented her for her efforts.

Scott indicated she already has taken the online sexual harassment training, and said while serving on the Lakeport Unified School District Board she took every training she could. She added that trainings that offer the chance to meet with members of other boards also are very helpful.

Scott, who won her seat by a large margin, was able to attend CSAC's new board member training at its annual meeting in November. However, Simon, whose race was much closer, had to wait for the election's final certification and so couldn't attend.

Huchingson said she reproduced the training materials for Simon. CSAC will hold another, different training for new board members in February.

Huchingson also presented the new Board of Supervisors protocol for 2017, which she said included “some additional ground rules” besides those in the county ordinance that lays out meeting frequency and structure.

The protocol reminds supervisors that individual board members don't direct the work of staff but that the entire board sets policy, she said.

She said board members are asked to communicate with departments through department heads unless otherwise arranged, and when a supervisor received a communication from a community member about another board member's district, they're to refer those contacts to the supervisor of the district that's involved.

Huchingson also wanted to add a section on office hours and how the public can best communicate with board members.

Simon indicated that, due to the distance he has to travel from the south county, he would like to have office hours in his district. “It's a long way for my constituents to come.”

Fellow board members suggested options including the sheriff's substation, the senior center or even arranging meetings at local coffee shops. Huchingson suggested a space that she had used at the Gibson Museum while acting as the recovery coordinator after the Valley fire.

Huchingson said how board members want to manage office hours and interactions with the community will be up to each of them. Her office has a steady stream of people coming through asking when board members will be available.

She said of Scott and Simon, “Even before you got here, they were asking for you.”

Simon said that, before he was elected as a supervisor, he also had made such visits to the county offices to seek out board members.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.