Government

County Programs Earn 68 National Achievement Awards

collage of the different programs that won the NACo awards.
By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office
Reading Time: 4 minutes

County of San Diego programs earned 68 NACo Achievement Awards for innovation, excellence and public service, the National Association of Counties (NACo) announced.

The honors recognize standout programs across 16 categories, including health, information technology, children and youth, civic education, public information, and community and economic development.

Among this year’s highlights is the Economic Prosperity through Innovative Contracting (EPIC) initiative, which directs at least 25% of the County’s annual contract spending to small, local and diverse businesses. Since launching in 2024, small-business participation has grown from 12% to nearly 21%.

In the South Bay, County public and environmental health staff earned an award for the Environmental Health Dashboard for the Tijuana River Valley, created with UCSD Resilient Shield. The dashboard provides near real‑time information about the ongoing sewage crisis to help those who live, work or visit in the area make informed decisions about recreation, work and daily activities.

The Fire Maintenance Program was honored for strengthening the rural ambulance fleet, improving repair times and expanding after-hours support for rural communities through a new CAL FIRE facility in El Cajon.

The County also earned recognition for modernizing public participation with a unified online Request to Speak system launched in April 2025. The platform replaces paper slips and multiple call‑in methods, letting residents register from any device, receive real‑time updates and join remotely, while staff manage a single dashboard with live speaker queues. It supports more than 100 languages, captioning, interpreter requests and SB 707 requirements. The model is now being explored by several other California counties and cities.

The County’s FY 2025–26 budget communications and engagement campaign was recognized for making a complex governmental process more accessible and inclusive.

The interactive StoryMap connecting residents with Certified Farmers’ Markets (CFMs) also received national honors for strengthening the local food system with an easy-to-use map and filters, including by CalFresh and/or WIC acceptance, day of operation, and proximity to their location.

County Behavioral Health’s Mobile Crisis Response Teams (MCRT) earned an award for providing 24/7 non-law enforcement, clinician-led crisis response across the region.

County Parks and Recreation and Library also received awards for their innovative programs. The Village View Community Park was honored for expanding recreation options in downtown Fallbrook through bilingual community-driven design that created a well‑used recreation space.

A full list of winning programs is below. To see descriptions, visit the NACo Achievement Awards database. You’ll need to select San Diego County and the year, then click the award, which are listed in alphabetical order by program name.

The County of San Diego serves residents with programs that promote health, safety and thriving communities. Through more than 40 departments and a workforce dedicated to equity, transparency and service, the County delivers resources that support well‑being, protect the environment and strengthen quality of life across the region.

County List of Winners

Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation

  • Pages in the Park

 

Children and Youth

 

Civic Education and Public Information

 

Community and Economic Development

 

County Administration and Management

  • Fire Maintenance Program
  • HHSA Research Process
  • One Stop Shop Marriage Services Program

 

County Resiliency: Infrastructure, Energy and Sustainability

  • 3D Printing to Protect Public Health
  • Brown Property Restoration Project
  • Community Collection Program
  • Goldentop Road Water Quality Project
  • Green Street Guidance for Development Projects
  • Septic Rebate Program
  • Standardized Template for Pest Reporting

 

Criminal Justice and Public Safety

 

Financial Management

  • ARCC Proactive Decedent Data Match
  • Saving Money with Happily Ever After Envelopes

 

Health

  • Environmental Health Dashboard for Tijuana River Valley Collaboration with UCSD Resilient Shield
  • Integrated Healthcare: CalAIM Expanding Access to Care for Youth in Custody
  • Overdose Surveillance and Response Program
  • Revive Pathway
  • San Diego County Mobile Pharmacy Services
  • The Street Medicine Initiative: Leveraging Partnerships to Increase Street Medicine Capacity
  • Using Trusted Messengers to Address Environmental Health Concerns: A Scalable CHW Support Model
  • What I Wish My Parents Knew

 

Human Services

 

Information Technology

 

Libraries

  • Electric Library Outreach Vans

 

Parks and Recreation

 

Personnel Management, Employment and Training

  • Data-Driven Decision-Making Training Series
  • Jail Tour Recruiting Program

 

Planning

  • Equity in Action

 

Risk and Emergency Management

  • Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Program
  • Enhancing Emergency Situational Awareness with GIS Dashboards
Yvette Urrea Moe is a communications specialist with the County of San Diego Communications Office. Contact