November 16, 2020

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REDUCED CEU REQUIREMENTS FOR 2020 & 2021

Dear CASCI Members,

Today, the Judicial Council adopted two new rules of court to address CEU compliance issues affected by the pandemic and the imposition of social distancing measures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, which as you know, forced CASCI and other approved education providers to cancel in-person training this year.

Rule of Court 10.492

Provides temporary relief to court investigators as it relates to content-based and hours-based training requirements:  For New CIs who typically must complete 18hrs of CEUs on specific topics within the first year of his/her start date, they now have two years to complete this content-based education.  For Experienced CIs who typically must complete 12hrs of CEUs each calendar year, the requirement has been reduced to 3hrs of CEUs for 2020 (prorated for one quarter: Jan-March 2020), and 9hrs of CEUs for 2021 (prorated for three quarters: April-Dec 2021)

Rule of Court 10.493

Expands the training delivery methods to obtain the required CEUs by allowing instructor-led training via live webinars and existing remote technology for the duration of the current public health crisis.

The CASCI Board has worked tirelessly advocating for this temporary relief in these challenging times. We are glad the Judicial Council addressed our concerns and adopted these two new rules! Stay safe!

Sandra M. Webb

CASCI President

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November 3, 2020

TRANSITIONING OF CASCI LISTSERV TO GOOGLE GROUPS 

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Dear CASCI Members,

Effective December 15, 2020, Yahoo! is shutting down Yahoo Groups (our current CASCI Listserv platform). Therefore, our CASCI Listserv is migrating to Google Groups. The Google Groups platform is similar to Yahoo Groups, so the transition should be pretty seamless.

In the next few days, all active members will receive a Google Group notification via e-mail alerting you that you have been “added” to the new CASCI Listserv in Google Groups.  You do not have to do anything to “join”, if you want to post on the CASCI Listserv, simply e-mail your post to cascigroup@googlegroups.com. Save the new listserv e-mail address in your contacts (delete the old casci@yahoogroups.com). Once you receive notification that you’ve been added to the new listserv, please start using it for future posts so that we can successfully complete our migration to the new Google Groups platform before December 15th.

The new CASCI Listserv will be managed and maintained by the CASCI Board.  Only active (paid) members will have access to the new listserv.  If you need to re-activate your annual CASCI membership, go to https://www.casci-court.com/membership. 

IF YOU RUN INTO ISSUES POSTING OR ACCESSING THE NEW LISTSERV: If you do not receive notification that you have been added to the new listserv between now and December 15th, please try the following:

1. Confirm with your court management/fiscal department that your 2020 membership dues have been paid.

2. Confirm with your court IT department that e-mails from cascigroup@gmail.com and cascigroup@googlegroups.com are not being blocked. Have them “whitelist” these e-mail addresses.

3. If after completing steps 1 & 2 above, you have not been added or you are unable to post on the new listserv (by e-mailing your post to cascigroup@googlegroups.com), please contact either Billy Blythe at mark.blythe@kern.courts.ca.gov or Liz Carder at Elizabeth.Carder@riverside.courts.ca.gov or Sandra Webb at smwebb@solano.courts.ca.gov

A NOTE ON THE HISTORY OF OUR CASCI LISTSERV: Our listserv was created by Debbie Denny (from Santa Clara County) on November 17, 2003.  As the Board prepared for this transition to Google Groups in 2020, we reached out to Debbie, who’s now retired, but at the time, considered one of the most tech-savvy members.  Debbie was happy to hear that our listserv has become our membership’s primary method of communication, and shared that it was important “even back in 2003 to bring the group into the age of online communication”.  Around 2007, the management of the listserv was entrusted to Lori Coopwood (from Quest) who has managed it ever since.  The Board would like to take this opportunity to formally acknowledge Debbie’s innovation & Lori’s continued contributions to CASCI as we transition our listserv to a new platform after almost two decades of existence. Thank you Debbie & Lori for your vision and for taking the initiative to plan ahead for the future of our membership!

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Best,

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Sandra M. Webb

CASCI President

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July 24, 2020

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2020 CASCI BOARD ELECTION RESULTS

Thank you for participating in this year’s Board Elections!

Let’s welcome our newly elected and appointed members!

By Membership Vote:

Amanda Halvorson (Amador County)

CASCI Executive Board Member-At-Large

Fatima Villasenor (Stanislaus County)

CASCI Executive Board Member-At-Large

By Executive Board Appointment:

Lezlie Abbott (Kings County)

CASCI Legislative Committee Chair

Anna Moradian (Madera County)

CASCI Region III Representative

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Best,

Sandra M. Webb

CASCI President

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May 7, 2020

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2020 GOLDEN QUILL AWARD SELECTION

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Dear CASCI Members,

The CASCI Board is proud to announce that Constance Catlapp is this year’s recipient of the 2020 Golden Quill Award.  Constance was nominated for the Golden Quill Award prior to her passing on February 19, 2020.  With this Award, we are honoring Constance’s legacy and contributions to CASCI post-mortem, something that has never been done before in the history of CASCI.  Because Constance is not survived by immediate family members, we are presenting her Golden Quill Award to her manager, Denise Esquivel, on behalf of Constance’s Orange County Superior Court family.  They look forward to displaying Constance’s Golden Quill Award in their Courthouse in honor of her memory.

The following is the submission received by the CASCI Board nominating Constance for the Golden Quill Award by Orange County Superior Court Probate Manager Denise Esquivel:

“Constance Catlapp has over 45 years of professional service working in the public sector and over 30 years as an agent and/or representative of the judicial system. She began her career in 1972 working in the mental health field, assessing recovering addicts. Constance remained in this field for ten years until she transitioned to the position of Deputy Public Guardian for the Public Guardian’s Office in the County of Orange. In her role as Deputy Public Guardian, she investigated and administered Probate and LPS conservatorships. Her work as a Deputy Public Guardian would prove essential as she later transitioned to Probate Court Investigator for the Superior Court in Orange County in 2006, where she continues to serve in that role.

Constance is known as a “walking Probate book” by her unit for her tremendous wealth of knowledge, extensive Probate experience, and tenacity for knowledge in her field. She evokes a passion for the population served and goes above and beyond to ensure her investigations are thorough and accurately reflect all statutory requirements. She has been an active member of CASCI throughout her tenure as a Court Investigator, always emanating a collaborative spirit in the sharing of ideas and knowledge on emerging Probate issues throughout different counties. She has contributed her personal time and expertise throughout the years. Most recently, she has been essential to the planning, execution and collaborating as liaison for the CASCI conference. When CASCI members hear the name “Constance,” you can be sure she is recognized not only for her impressive Probate experience and quirky sense of humor, but also her dedication and feverous spirit for the work we all do as Probate Court Investigators.

It is with deep joy and enthusiasm that I respectfully nominate Constance Catlapp, Probate Court Investigator from the Superior Court in Orange County, for the prestigious Golden Quill Award. Constance has dedicated her professional career to ensure quality treatment for those seeking judicial remedy in Probate matters. Her ability to disseminate and provide input on legislative issues that impact our work continues. Lastly, Constance’s colorful personality and passion for the work she does imprints a lasting impression on all those lucky enough to know and work with her.”      

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May 7, 2020

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2020 BOARD ELECTIONS TO BE CONDUCTED ONLINE

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Dear CASCI Members,

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We hope this message reaches you in good health. Thank you to all members who have submitted their 2020 annual membership dues! Given these unprecedented times and our inability to conduct this year’s Board Elections in person, the CASCI Board is creating an online process to conduct Board nominations and be able to vote electronically.  All active members will have online access to nominate (self-nominations are welcomed), vote, and potentially serve on the Executive Board.  You must be an active member to participate in Board Elections and to serve on the CASCI Executive Board. To that end, the deadline to submit annual membership dues has been extended until June 15, 2020. Please check with your individual Courts to confirm your 2020 CASCI Membership Dues have been paid to ensure your participation. This year’s Board Elections are scheduled to begin at the end of June.  Details will be sent out directly to all active members at that time.

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Stay healthy and safe,

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Sandra M. Webb

CASCI President

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March 18, 2020

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2020 CASCI CONFERENCE - CANCELLED

DUE TO COVID 19 PANDEMIC SHELTER IN PLACE ORDERS

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Dear CASCI Members,

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With further developments in the outbreak of COVID-19, the CASCI Executive Board members have unanimously decided to cancel the 2020 CASCI Conference scheduled to take place next month in Contra Costa County.  In accordance with the guidance of public health authorities, Bay Area counties have issued orders directing all businesses and governmental agencies to cease non-essential operations and prohibiting all non-essential travel and gatherings.  Given this situation, it is not feasible to host our annual conference as planned.

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Full refunds of the conference registration fees will be issued.  We’ll be contacting your local Court’s finance departments to properly process each refund.  For members who paid their conference registration fees with a personal check, our CASCI Treasurer will be contacting you directly to process your refunds.

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The Board is exploring the possibility of conducting our annual membership business meeting on line to make remote participation in this year’s Board elections available.  The Board has also been in contact with the AOC to inquire about potential training requirement deferments for this year.  We’ll provide updates and information as soon as they become available. 

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There is no question that these are extraordinary times, and it calls on all of us to be flexible and support each other with great care. Our actions have a direct impact on our ability to end this pandemic.   

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Stay healthy and safe,

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Sandra M. Webb

CASCI President