• Neurodivergent Excellence: Inclusive Interviewing, an innovative initiative to expand equity in hiring practices and to better serve neurodivergent applicants and County employees by creating a more accessible, supportive and inclusive interview process. This program not only supports neurodivergent applicants but all applicants.
  
  
• The Levant Senior Cottages development which provides 126 new affordable homes for very low- and extremely low-income seniors. The development marks the first affordable housing project on County-owned land. The housing incorporates services and design features intended to improve the lives of its residents. 

• The Encampment Resolution Funds Program which uses $22 million from the state to address homelessness. The funds provided intensive outreach, engagement, person-centered wraparound resources, low-barrier emergency housing, supportive services, housing navigation and rental subsidies to 300 encampment residents living along the banks of the Sweetwater River in the Plaza Bonita area and throughout the San Diego Riverbed.

• The Campo Road Corridor Revitalization Specific Plan is a community-driven initiative that will transform Campo Road from a four-lane to a two-lane road to create additional amenities for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. The plan strives to improve the quality of life, ensure public safety and stimulate economic development in Casa de Oro. 

• The Youth Development Academy Fire Program, a 19-week academic and physical training program for justice-involved youth. The fuels crew and vegetation management program allows them to do community service projects and creates a pathway to a career in the fire service. 
  
  
• The Waterfront Park Active Recreation project was designed to increase active recreation opportunities for downtown residents. The project improved an underused portion of passive open space, revitalizing approximately 1.5 acres and providing a new basketball court, pickleball courts, an unleashed dog park and more. The County worked with residents to understand the community’s needs and inform design. 

Other Awards:

The County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation won a National Apex Awards Grand Award in the Campaigns, Programs and Plans category for its ‘Get Out There’ Theme Exhibit at the San Diego County Fair in July 2024. In 2025, the department won a Facility award from the California Parks and Recreation Society, District 12 for the Waterfront Park Active Recreation Area. This project also won an Honor Award from the American Public Works Association.

The County Communications Office won nine National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors awards in the government programming category in 2025 including an Award of Excellence, seven Awards of Distinction and one Award of Honor.

The County’s Southeastern Live Well Center won the National Project of the Year in 2024 by the editors of Engineering News-Record. The project was submitted as the best of the best in their western region.

The Ramona Community Resource Center received a Design-Build Institute of America 2025 National Award of Merit in the Federal/County/State and/or Municipal category.