San Diego County Supervisors Kristin Gaspar and Jim Desmond recently released their plans to reopen San Diego. Their common sense plan received praise from many, including State Senator Brian Jones.
Jones spoke out in favor of the initiative in a letter to Board of Supervisors Chairman Greg Cox, reminding him of the economic threats our county faces. “Our state’s economy has been under a government-mandated shutdown for over eight weeks. During that time, millions of Californians have become unemployed and tens of thousands of businesses have been shuttered.”
That’s not the only issue that’s come up in recent weeks. The effects of spending such a long period of time locked in our homes are daunting.
“Other problems we are now experiencing from the prolonged shutdown include increased reports about the isolation of seniors, long term mental health effects on children and teenagers, and many Californians putting off important health checkups, exams and procedures,” Jones added.
This pressure seems to have made a difference, as Supervisor Cox—along with Supervisor Dianne Jacob—finally relented and joined Supervisors Desmond and Gaspar in voting to advance a reopening plan for the county. Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, unsurprisingly yet disappointingly, was the lone opposing vote.
“After some prodding by a lot of us, including Supervisors Desmond and Gaspar, the full Board is finally starting to ‘get it,'” Jones said. “Our battle for control of our own lives is not yet over but at least it’s a start. It is time to get back to work, to stop being afraid and start living life as it was meant to be lived.”
San Diego is ready to reopen safety, and getting this support from Senator Jones is a great way to show statewide support for Gaspar and Desmond’s plan. Our leaders must continue to advocate for our citizens, moving forward into recovery.
