Written by Julianne Foster
San Diego County Supervisors Jim Desmond and Kristin Gaspar have been actively pushing for reopening more businesses and activities within San Diego as they struggle to help people back on their feet. Supervisor Gaspar has especially been advocating for youth sports to resume so kids can get back to the things they love.
The strength of our coalition to restore youth sports is growing thanks to the outpouring of support from San Diego’s professional athletes who are advocating on behalf of our kids to the Governor. pic.twitter.com/EsnySbQRt8
— Kristin Gaspar (@KristinDGaspar) May 29, 2020
On Tuesday, Supervisor Desmond proposed to the County Board of Supervisors to take the position under social distance and safety protocols, to ask the state to allow them to reopen hotels, gyms, wineries, breweries, churches [to full safe distancing capacity], charter and fishing boats, theme parks, youth sports, recreational and therapeutic pools, arts, culture and museum venues and the remaining businesses in their pilot program. These reopenings could have a large impact on San Diego’s economy as people could resume their jobs, businesses could start recovering from the financial losses of closing their doors, and the public would be able enjoy their summer as in previous years.
However, not everyone on the Board of Supervisors understands the need to safely reopen various aspects of our lives. While the Board voted 4-1 in favor of advancing the pilot plan to Gov. Newsom, Supervisor Nathan Fletcher was the lone dissenting vote.
“While I believe there are a number of entities that we could move forward with immediately, I don’t think the totality of those immediately is in our economic interest or public health interest,” said Fletcher.
Supervisor Fletcher, the lone Democrat on the Board of Supervisors, disapproved of the proposal due to insecurities with the economy’s readiness to open so many businesses immediately. However, he agreed with Desmond over the reopening of gyms and some outdoor activities, but not churches to full capacity, theme parks, and so on.
Despite Fletcher’s disapproval, the County Board voted 4-1 to move forward to have Chairman Greg Cox send a letter on behalf of the board telling Governor Newsom that San Diego is ready to reopen. This decision is supported by data showing that the coronavirus cases in San Diego have flattened or decreased. As of Tuesday, there were 7,554 cases and 269 deaths within the county.
“We are proud, united, and strong. Let’s give the power back to the people and get San Diego back to work,” said Supervisor Desmond.
In an interview with KUSI News, Desmond reviewed some reasons for why the state is “dragging their feet” when it comes to reopening. Desmond is greatly concerned with San Diego County’s unemployment being above 30 percent and has been greatly pushing to fully reopen the economy within the county’s reopening criteria. Paul Rudy, the KUSI newscaster suggested that the reason for the state’s hesitation was not specifically surrounding concerns with the public’s health, but rather their interest in federal bailouts. Desmond expressed that he is unsure why the state is hesitating, because there are no numbers to give them such great concern. He understands states such as California, New York, and Illinois are interested in being reimbursed for the expenses that COVID-19 cost them and the necessary assistance the people need, however it’s uncertain they will receive such federal funding.
“If the president wants us to open up a little faster maybe we can show them we’re doing that and potentially get some of these dollars,” said Desmond. The Board sent the state their proposed pilot program in May to allow San Diego to serve as a pilot test trial for the rest of the state to encourage them to move through the phases quicker. While they have yet to hear back about the pilot program, they have had significant success in getting approval from the state to reopen their businesses. The Board is also expecting their approved proposal for small business loans to come into effect soon, which will provide small businesses with less than 50 people the opportunity to apply to up to a $50,000 loan.
Rudy further brought up the problems surrounding the schools being closed, since they are necessary for the economy to continue to reopen. Desmond agreed with him, explaining that “we need to get kids back in school to get people back to work, it’s all tied together.”
My goal has always been to open more businesses and continue our momentum, while protecting those that are vulnerable. We need to empower the people of San Diego County to get back to work. Due to the fact that many businesses have submitted safe guidelines for opening up.
— Supervisor Jim Desmond (@jim_desmond) June 2, 2020
As the local government officials and state health officials continue to communicate and reopen the economy, it is without doubt that Supervisors Desmond and Gaspar deserve recognition for their heavy support of San Diegans. They have been asking people to contact the governor’s office to help them push for the reopenings.
