Did You Know? Board Member Newsletter - Spring 2024

A Message From Board And Bureau Relations

Dear Board, Advisory Committee, and Commission Members:

Happy spring and welcome to the Board and Bureau Relations Newsletter! We want to thank you for your continued commitment and service to California’s consumers. We strive to continue to assist and support you and your leadership teams with the information and tools you need. Please do not hesitate to reach out for any needs or questions you may have.

Melissa and Yvonne, Board and Bureau Relations (BBR) team

Secretary Moss Meets with DCA Leaders

On April 30, DCA hosted an in-person meeting with Business, Consumer Services and Housing agency Secretary Tomiquia Moss and executive leaders. This meeting was an opportunity for bureau chiefs and executive officers to meet with the secretary to learn more about her vision for Agency and the Department. We look forward to future opportunities for Secretary Moss to hear directly from our boards and bureaus about the great work they are doing.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Board Member Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Training—October 9, 2023

On April 5, the DEI Steering Committee held its quarterly meeting. The Committee discussed the member application process, establishing subcommittees, and garnered input from the Committee on ways to expand language access, workforce development, and advance DEI in 2024. The next Committee meeting will be on July 26, 2024. If you have ideas you would like the Committee to consider, please email DEICommittee@dca.ca.gov.

On April 18, Dr. Bernard Gibson, an external consultant, provided an in-person DEI training to DCA leaders titled “Beyond the Obvious: Cultivate Human Skills and Critical Thinking.” Dr. Gibson focused on the importance of human skills in leadership and the benefits within a team when they are developed. He also dove into the important role of critical thinking in effective leadership.

As a reminder, board members can access training through DCA’s Learning Management System (LMS). If you need any further assistance, please reach out to Board and Bureau Relations.

REACH OUT TO BBR/CONTACT US

BBR is here to assist board, advisory committee, and commission members with:

• Appointments and reappointments.
• Training requirements and support.
• Best practices for remote and in-person meetings.
• Questions related to DCA.

The BBR team can be reached via email at MemberRelations@dca.ca.gov.

HOW TO RESET YOUR LMS PASSWORD
Password reset instructions for members using a non-DCA email
If you are unable to reset your password, your password is not recognized, or you simply forgot your password, please email BBR at MemberRelations@dca.ca.gov

1. Include your name and email being used for the LMS access, as well as contact information.
2. Once we have reset your password, we will contact you when the reset has been completed
3. Once the password is reset, you will be able to log in with your email address and new password

CONGRATULATIONS, BOARD MEMBERS

New Appointments and Reappointments as of April 30, 2024

California Board of Accountancy

California Architects Board

Board of Barbering and Cosmetology

Contractors State License Board

Medical Board of California

California Board of Naturopathic Medicine

California State Board of Optometry

California State Board of Pharmacy

Physician Assistant Board

California Board of Psychology

Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board

**Reappointment

CONSUMER PROTECTION SPOTLIGHT

As a result of an investigation conducted by the DCA Division of Investigation, multiple felony charges were filed earlier this month by the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office against an unlicensed individual fraudulently posing as a registered nurse (RN). The Division’s investigation determined the individual used the stolen identity of a licensed RN to secure employment and posed as an RN at multiple medical facilities in Northern California. An unlicensed person performing services poses a serious threat to the health and safety of Californians and is an egregious violation of the law. The arrest was conducted by the Division of Investigation with assistance from Shasta County’s Bureau of Investigations and is a prime example of DCA’s mission in action. Great job by the DCA team of investigators on this case.

DCA CONNECTS WITH U.S. MILITARY AND FAMILIES TO SHARE LICENSING RESOURCES

On May 29, 2024, DCA held a live webinar to share information about licensing resources available to members of the military and their families. The webinar was held during Military Appreciation Month and attendees were welcomed by Undersecretary Melinda Grant, provided a demonstration of the Federal Professional License Portability and State Registration portal by Chief Information Officer Jason Piccione, and had their questions answered by executive officers and staff from the boards of Barbering and Cosmetology and Physical Therapy. The event concluded with remarks from Director Kirchmeyer encouraging attendees to share the licensing resources with others and reiterating DCA’s commitment to supporting the military community. Webinar attendees included individuals from Army Base Fort Irwin, U.S. Navy Southwest Region, U. S. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Space Force, San Diego Military Advisory Council, the State of Connecticut, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Senate staff, and others. An archive of the webinar will be available on DCA’s Military Resource webpage.

BE AWARE OF SCAMS TARGETING LICENSEES

DCA has learned of a recent increase in scams specifically targeting board licensees. Although the nature of the scams vary, they all primarily involve individuals falsely identifying themselves as board employees and/or law enforcement, and make licensees believe they are under investigation. The scammers attempt to gather personal and/or financial information and may even demand payment. Boards are encouraged to remain vigilant and proactively provide tips to licensees to avoid falling victim to these scams. It is recommended that you put information regarding these scams on your website and send information to your Listserv and licensee emails (if you have a separate licensee email database). DCA’s Office of Public Affairs (OPA) is available to assist boards with scam messaging and social media materials. For assistance, please contact OPA Manager Matt Woodcheke.

DATA STANDARDIZATION WORKGROUP

On April 11, Director Kimberly Kirchmeyer convened a Data Workgroup meeting with all boards and bureaus. Over the next several months, DCA will hold additional licensing and enforcement data workgroup meetings to refine and finalize the way that all boards and bureaus collect and report their data. In 2023, DCA met with all boards and bureaus to define the metrics that would be included in the DCA Annual Report, and all agreed to the specific definitions. The project is now focused on how the boards and bureaus will gather the data, i.e. the codes utilized to track universal steps in the licensing and enforcement processes. Once there is consensus on the specific codes that will be used, DCA will develop new reports that the boards and bureaus can easily use for the Annual Report, sunset reports, and more. While this project may impact boards and bureaus by causing changes to their processes or require additional data cleanup, the end goal of standardizing the licensing and enforcement data across the Department will be invaluable and help to reduce workload for board staff reporting this data.

VIRTUAL MEETINGS AND THE BAGLEY-KEENE OPEN MEETING ACT

On February 2, DCA provided guidance to DCA board and bureau leadership on the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act amendments to the teleconference meeting requirements, which took effect on January 1, 2024. The guidance provides a general overview of the traditional in-person and teleconference meeting requirements and a detailed discussion of the legal requirements and best practices for conducting meetings using the two new teleconference meeting procedures. DCA is here to help boards and bureaus navigate the new requirements. Please direct any questions about the requirements for teleconference meetings to board or bureau legal counsel.

Beginning January 1, four meeting options became available pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act:

Option 1—Traditional single-location option.

• This is a meeting where the majority of members are gathered at one publicly noticed and accessible location.
• No members are participating remotely.
• There is no requirement to allow for remote public participation.

Option 2—Traditional teleconference option.

• Board members are located at different, publicly noticed and accessible locations, and they are connected via phone or Webex.
• There is no requirement to allow for remote public participation.

Option 3—New teleconference option.

• A majority of board members are gathered at one publicly noticed and accessible location.
• The extra board members above a majority can participate remotely from private, non-public sites.
• The meeting must allow for remote public participation.

Option 4 – The new advisory body teleconference option.

• All members of an advisory body can participate remotely from private, non-public meeting sites.
• The meeting must have at least one publicly noticed and accessible location where at least one board/bureau staff member is present, and where the public can participate in the meeting.
• Additionally, the meeting must allow for remote public access.

REQUIRED BOARD MEMBER TRAININGS AND FORMS REMINDER

California law requires all DCA board members to complete the following:

1. Form 700 Statement of Economic Interests must be filed within 30 days of assuming or leaving your appointment and annually on April 1. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Melissa Gear at Melissa.Gear@dca.ca.gov. (Note: Bureau advisory committee/council members are not required to file a Form 700 unless otherwise noted.)
2. Board Member Orientation Training (BMOT) must be completed within one year of appointment and reappointment to the board. BMOT is an all-day training, and for 2024 is being offered on the following dates: June 18 and October 22. Due to the directive to reduce expenditures, all BMOT training will be virtual in 2024, so please sign up for the first available date to be compliant. Members can sign up using DCA’s LMS.
3. Ethics Training must be completed within the first six months of appointment and repeated every two years throughout their term on the board. The training is available at the ethics training is available on the California Department of Justice’s website. (Note: Bureau advisory committee/council members are not required to complete this training.)
4. Sexual Harassment Prevention Training must be completed every two years. The training is online, interactive and can be completed at your convenience via the LMS. All members must complete the two-hour Supervisory training. Please note this has been changed since last year.
5. Defensive Driver Training is required at least once every four years and is an online, interactive training that can be completed at your convenience. Additionally, board members with an assigned DCA email (i.e., dca.ca.gov) are required to complete the annual Information Security Awareness Fundamentals training. This training addresses your role in protecting DCA data and information.

Upon completion of required trainings, please provide copies of completion certificates to your executive officer or bureau chief and DCA at MemberRelations@dca.ca.gov.

If you need to confirm if you have completed your training, please contact MemberRelations@dca.ca.gov.

MEETING CALENDAR AND WEBCASTING SCHEDULE
The DCA meeting calendar and webcasting schedule are both available online.

BOARD MEMBER RESOURCE PAGE
Training information, meeting guidance, forms, rosters, and more can be found on DCA’s Board Member Resource Center.

Brought to you by the BBR team: Judie Bucciarelli, Yvonne Dorantes, Melissa Gear, and Korrina Moreno.