Sacramento, CA – State Senator Brian Jones (R-Santee) today sent the following letter to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in support of Supervisors Jim Desmond and Kristin Gaspar’s plan to begin reopening San Diego County:
May 18, 2020
The Honorable Greg Cox, Chairman
County of San Diego
1600 Pacific Highway
San Diego, CA 92101
Dear Chairman Cox,
As a longtime San Diego County resident, as a small business owner and as a State Senator representing over one million east and north county San Diegans, I strongly urge the Board’s adoption of the proposal by Supervisors Jim Desmond and Kristin Gaspar to accelerate the reopening of San Diego County.
As you know, 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.
Our freedom of assembly, our right to engage in commerce, and our liberty to enjoy the great outdoors have been infringed upon by the Governor.
Californians were told the shutdown would only be temporary, just until we “flattened the curve” of COVID-19 cases so as not to “overwhelm our emergency rooms and health facilities.” As we all now know, the curve has been flattened and there has been no overwhelming of emergency rooms or health facilities. In fact, the situation has been the opposite at many health facilities, with health care professionals being laid off.
I know I don’t need to relay to you the staggering numbers of San Diegans who have seen their economic well-being turned upside down by this prolonged government-ordered shutdown.
In addition, 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.
I urge the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to support Supervisors Desmond and Gaspar’s proactive approach and help our businesses and communities survive. We can re-open now and we can do so safely.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Brian W. Jones
Senator, District 38
cc: The Honorable Jim Desmond, Nathan Fletcher, Kristin Gaspar and Dianne Jacob
Members, San Diego County Board of Supervisors