Sarah Aghassi

gm-lueg

Sarah Aghassi is the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer and group General Manager for the County’s Land Use and Environment Group (LUEG). The group consists of the departments of Public Works; Environmental Health and Quality; Planning & Development Services; Agriculture, Weights and Measures; Parks and Recreation; San Diego County Library; University of California Cooperative Extension and San Diego Geographic Information Source. LUEG employs 1,956.5 people, has 5,311 volunteers and an annual budget of nearly $650.1 million.

LUEG unifies the County's efforts in environmental conservation, environmental land use planning, environmental safety, consumer and public health protection, land use and economic development, and infrastructure development and maintenance. Staff work every day to preserve and enhance the environment, provide recreational opportunities, provide stewardship for many of our most important environmental and public infrastructure assets, encourage responsible development, improve air and water quality, foster economic growth and ensure compliance with local, state and federal laws that protect the public's health, safety and quality of life for current and future generations.

Key initiatives in LUEG include:

  1. Providing excellent service to all of our customers.
  2. Reengineering of internal processes to focus on minimizing cycle times, resolving issues more quickly and efficiently, and helping applicants navigate through the process. 
  3. County Parks and Open Space Program: focusing on acquisition, development and preservation of regional parks and open space preserves (including Multiple Species Conservation Program), community parks and recreation facilities and significant cultural resources.
  4. Protecting the public from diseases and environmental contaminants through inspections, enforcement and outreach efforts.
  5. Annual re-investments in infrastructure, through the Capital Improvement Program, for county roads, airports, sanitation districts, and flood control district.