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
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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...
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...
Last week, when Governor Newsom made the announcement of a new regional approach, I was hopeful. Over the past eight months, I’ve been asking for the focus to be on ICU and hospital capacity and I was glad to see that he finally was changing the focal point. However, once again, he’s missed the mark. The governor and state did not consult with San Diego County and unilaterally implemented a “regional” approach that unfairly puts people out of work. San Diego has roughly...
Has shuttering businesses and crushing livelihoods worked to control the virus? Obviously not. If businesses aren’t spreading the virus, what is? Dr. Ghaly, the head of the California’s Health and Human Service Agency, responded to where people are getting the virus; his answer is, “everywhere.” Clearly, the state was missing the mark. Focusing on business sectors provides a false sense of security and is a cause, not a solution, to the spread. Many of the closed and prohibi...
I don’t think there’s ever been a more important Thanksgiving than this year. Now more than ever is a time for reflection, for sitting down and thinking about all the things for which we are grateful. I was grateful to sit down with my family this year, have a wonderful meal and just spend time with each other. It’s been a hectic year and we haven’t had enough opportunity to all sit down, talk about our lives and be together. I was grateful to talk to my extended family...
Throughout the past seven months, I’ve tried to follow the facts and the science. I’ve listened to our public health officials and the great work they’ve done. I’ve tried to get as much information as possible when it comes to this virus and I must say, I am concerned about the increase in positive cases. As the cases increase, it’s vital we have the available hospital capacity. People need to observe the safety protocols – distancing, masking and sanitization. I do hope eve...
Seven months ago, San Diegans were asked to flatten the curve, protect our most vulnerable and make sure we had enough personal protection equipment available. Seven months later, our curve has flattened, we are protecting our most vulnerable and we have more than enough personal protection equipment. While the people and business owners of San Diego have done everything that’s been asked of them, they’re being punished. With the state putting us back into the most restrictive...
No more TV commercials, no more opening up your mailbox to 20 different mailers from candidates, no more political signs, the 2020 election has come to a close, sort of. At the time of writing this, 64.4% of the votes have been counted in San Diego County and over 95% of the votes have been counted at the state. While some races are too close to call, it looks like there will be three new members on the Board of Supervisors. I look forward to working with Nora Vargas, Terra...
Every COVID-19 death is a tragedy and while we continue to fight this virus, we may never know the real number of deaths when it comes to this disease. According to the U.S. Census Bureau as of July, more than 44% of Californians reported levels of anxiety and depression. Over 71% of Californians between the age of 18 and 29 reported feeling down, depressed or hopeless. The reality is a significant portion of the population is suffering, not from coronavirus, but from the...
As we now come upon the seventh month of lockdowns in San Diego County, I see us getting further and further away from our original goal. As I’m writing this, COVID-19 patients make up 5% of current hospitalizations, which is a credit to our public health officials and the people of San Diego. We have done an outstanding job of protecting our most vulnerable. While positive cases may be rising, our hospital capacity remains strong. However, businesses are still suffering. W...
