 | | | Ginger Staton Photo Sora O'Doherty | | | | | | Ginger Staton has taken over as Human Resources Manager for the city of Orinda. A Bay Area native, Staton was a business major at CSU Hayward. She comes to Orinda from Zone 7 water agency in Alameda County. She was connected with Alameda County for 13 years. Before that she spent 18 years working for a private waste management company.
Staton likes helping people, and sees her job as more than just the hiring process. She says that she advocates for employees. "You see [employees] at their best and at their worst," she said, adding that she helps them navigate the complexities of life and offers some employment benefits "that you don't pay attention to until you need it." Staton will be overseeing some 43 full-time employees and is currently engaged in hiring temporary employees for the summer, like summer camp counselors. "I like kids," she added. "I have kids, so it's fun for me."
In Orinda, the current contract for employees runs another year, but Staton will be involved in negotiating a new contract. Teamsters Local 856 represents a lot of the hourly management positions, such as accountants, maintenance workers in Public Works and engineering staff, she noted.
What is different for her is the cooperation among public agencies; she is enjoying the helpfulness of neighboring city governments. "I can pick up the phone and ask, 'How do you handle this in your city?'" she said.
Her introduction to the city council was slightly delayed, as the city council meeting was postponed to avoid conflict with election day. Staton will commute from Livermore, where she lives with her husband. Her four children are grown and attending college or already working.
|
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA