Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 138
The federal government is taking advantage of San Diego County and it shows no sign of stopping. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been briefed on the situation at our Southern Border. After seeing the heartbreaking pictures of kids in cramped quarters and the increased risk of being sexually trafficked, I’ve been deeply troubled by many aspects. After learning that the state and the federal government are also refusing to test those entering the United States for COVID-19, I’m wo...
The federal government has allocated over $300 million to San Diego County for COVID-19 recovery efforts. Each Supervisor has submitted their plans to the Chief administrative officer for how they would like the money to be used. The CAO will then take all the requests and the board will vote on the allocation of dollars on Tuesday, June 8. Some of my requests include helping our restaurants, assisting our first responders and military families, and mental health services for...
We are blessed to live in a County that is home to many beaches and pools, which we can enjoy all year long. Unfortunately, along with the beauty and fun of swimming, tragedy can strike. Drowning is among the leading causes of deaths for children under the age of 5. My family has experienced the tragedy of a loved one drowning and I want to do all I can to make sure no family has to experience that same pain. In 2020, data showed that in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, mo...
For the last 14 months, like many around the country, the Board of Supervisors has held their meetings on Zoom. Prior to COVID-19, like many, I’d never heard of Zoom; now I wonder how did we ever function without it? At the time of writing this, over 87% of the population in San Diego has received at least one dose of the vaccine and over 64% are fully vaccinated. The County is expanding its vaccine efforts making it easier for businesses and community organizations to host m...
We’ve learned a lot over the last year. While there’s been tragedy, we’ve also adapted as a society and hopefully we can use some of that knowledge going forward to help those in need. The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light the limits of healthcare access in our rural San Diego County communities. There are many homebound seniors who struggle to get the proper care they need and we are taking steps to bring services to them. At the beginning of the pandemic, the County began t...
San Diego County restaurants have suffered greatly over the last year. We’ve all seen the out-of-business signs on many of our favorite local establishments and I want to make sure we do all we can to help those holding on. I have proposed to my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors that we waive all restaurant permit fees for the upcoming year. Before the pandemic, there were 8,131 restaurants with over 126,400 workers in San Diego County. We know many of these employees l...
We’ve all heard the phrase, ‘Follow the science,’ over the last year. While it may sound good, at times I’ve questioned if those at our state level truly are following the science. A study released this week examined more than 48,000 Kaiser Permanente patients in Southern California and the effects regular exercise has on their COVID-19 complications. The results, “Patients with COVID-19 who were consistently inactive had a greater risk of hospitalization, admission to the IC...
A lot has been happening recently in San Diego County, and progress continues to be made. On April 15, everyone 16 years and older became eligible for the coronavirus vaccine. While the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been put on pause, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are still available in San Diego County. I know the vaccine appointment websites can be confusing, so if you have any problems, 211 can help schedule an appointment, or you can contact my office at 619-531-5555....
We’ve all heard the same political campaign speech, ‘We need to solve homelessness,’ and while it sounds good, that promise which has been made time and time again, usually lacks substance. San Diego County continues to struggle with an on-going crisis of homelessness with an estimated 22,000 people experiencing homelessness at some point throughout the year. While much of the focus on homelessness is in the urban core, North San Diego County feels the effects. In 2019, 1,540...
We continue to make great progress in our fight against COVID-19. San Diego County expects a strong supply of vaccines to arrive over the next few weeks, which has allowed those 50 and over to become eligible for the vaccine. On April 15, those 16 years of age and over will be eligible to receive the vaccine! This is great news as we make progress in our fight against COVID-19. We've administered over 1.7 million vaccines to San Diegans and that number continues to climb. The...
Over the last several weeks, we’ve started to see heartbreaking photos coming from our southern border. Families and unaccompanied minors, shoulder to shoulder, stuck in limbo hoping to get to the United States. This crisis hit home Tuesday, March 23, as it was announced that the San Diego County Convention Center would temporarily house over a thousand unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the United States. Over the past few months, the crisis at the border has been w...
The past week was a major step forward in our fight against COVID-19. First, on March 16, a new vaccination site opened in North County, specifically in the 92058 zip code in Oceanside. This walk-in clinic, located at 1701 Mission Ave., will play a vital role in distributing vaccines to one of the communities hardest hit by COVID-19. The clinic will provide over 700 daily vaccines and will replace the current Oceanside vaccine center at the North Coastal Live Well Center. As...
I have great news for North County. Starting Saturday, March 20, North County unincorporated residents will have a new location to dispose of household hazardous waste and old electronics, for free. San Diego Environment Health has reserved 30 appointments on two Saturdays a month, strictly for those in the unincorporated area. Appointments must be made, by going to http://www.sdhhw.org or by calling 877-713-2784. The location will be at the Escondido Household Hazardous...
Public safety power shut offs can disrupt life throughout San Diego County. The shutoffs can wreak havoc on the community and come at inopportune times. In fact, Fallbrook had their power shutoff on Christmas Eve while a fire burned on Camp Pendleton. It’s not just the rural areas that have been impacted by these shutoffs. In many instances, cities in the North County have had their power cut for prolonged periods of time. During a power shutoff in 2019, the battery life on a...
Last week, I wrote a letter to our governor asking him to allow fans into Petco Park for Opening Day. My argument for this is based on science and data. Numerous professional and collegiate sporting events have been taking place across our nation for many months. College football and the National Football League both had successful seasons without any major COVID-19 incidents. The Superbowl was able to allow 22,000 fans into the stadium and cases continue to drop since the...
We are back to the purple tier in the County of San Diego, in fact we’ve been in purple ever since Governor Newsom rescinded the stay-at home order in California. As you probably know by now, by being in the purple tier this allows some businesses to open, including outdoor dining, hair salons and other services. However, many businesses remain closed, or limited by outdoor operations. So, how do we get to the next tier? I’ve always argued this color-coded system is fla...
San Diego County has administered over 500,000 vaccines and that number continues to climb. While we are limited on supply, San Diego County has the infrastructure ready for when we receive more vaccines. I know it may seem slow, but San Diego County is well ahead of many others in the State, and we are ready for the next doses to arrive! Also, Operation Collaboration (a collection of fire agencies) have been going out to the unincorporated areas and administering vaccines....
The rollout for the COVID-19 vaccine has been frustrating, not just in San Diego County, but across the State of California. While there is some good news, with the opening of the Super Station at Cal State San Marcos, there is a growing disappointment with the way the vaccine is being allocated and I completely understand. The County of San Diego has created the infrastructure to be able to administer the vaccines, the challenge is, there are simply not enough doses. The...
My office has received hundreds of questions and I want to provide an update on how you can sign up to receive the vaccine. To sign up for the vaccine visit, myturn.ca.gov, where you’ll see the list of available appointments. Another option is by calling 2-1-1. Last week, the County of San Diego set up a vaccine distribution center in Oceanside. The Oceanside vaccine center can only administer about 500 vaccines a day, which is why appointments fill up so quickly. Around n...
An important issue is coming before the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, one that will have major ramifications for the entire unincorporated area. (Depending on when you’re reading this) On Wednesday, Jan. 27, the Board of Supervisors are, or will have made a decision regarding the commercialization of marijuana in San Diego County. If approved, it would legalize the sale, distribution, and growing of marijuana for recreational and medicinal purposes. Regardless of w...
We must get the COVID-19 vaccine to San Diegans! To me, this is the most important task in San Diego County. While our COVID-19 numbers continue to rise, we know there is light at the end of the tunnel. We’ve known for months the vaccine would be here, but unfortunately the state isn’t acting fast enough. As of last week, California had received about 1.3 million vaccines for distribution, but unfortunately only 35% of the vaccines had been distributed. That’s not good enoug...
Hello and Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a wonderful and safe holiday season. The health impacts of COVID-19 have been tragic for so many vulnerable people, their families and loved ones. While our numbers continue to rise in San Diego County, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The vaccine has arrived in San Diego County and our front-line healthcare workers are starting to receive it. On Jan. 7, I held a Vaccine Rollout Town-Hall with our county health official...
I think we can all agree, I’m glad 2020 is in the rearview mirror. As we head into the new year, I don’t want to dwell on the past, I want to focus on the future, by getting back to basics. While there’s been a lot of media attention surrounding three new members joining the Board of Supervisors, my focus doesn’t change. When I ran for election in 2018, my top three priorities were fiscal responsibility, public safety and making sure we had adequate behavioral health services,...
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and I think we all are looking forward to the new year. While we have had a hectic 2020, one that we will never forget, I’m starting to look ahead. My theme for 2021 is, “Back to Basics.” I’ll explain a bit more about what I mean in next week’s article, but I think we need to focus on safe communities, quality roads and infrastructure, addressing homelessness, mental health and addiction for families and those who can’t help themse... Full story
I'm focused on reflection and gratitude this holiday season. As I reflect on the changes brought in 2020, there's a lot I've missed in light of our new normal. I've missed going out to our different communities in District 5 and interacting with all of our wonderful constituents. I've missed our in-person revitalization meetings in the unincorporated areas. I've missed the neighborhood Christmas parades, the lighting of the Christmas trees and everything else the holiday...
