Borrego Sun - Since 1949

Ensuring the well-being of all animals is one of my big priorities. Over the years I have introduced and supported bills that provide funding to care for native wildlife, protect wild horses and burros, limit unnecessary animal testing, and many more. This session, I introduced... — Updated 9/14/2023

Last week, was a day of great significance as I stood alongside the City of Oceanside and The Prevent Drowning Foundation to raise awareness for a crucial cause - Drowning Prevention. We have all heard heartbreaking stories of children falling into pools or parents looking away... — Updated 9/14/2023

During the pandemic, the Employment Development Department (EDD) virtually collapsed, and legislative offices like mine stepped into the breach. My office alone handled over 3,000 unemployment cases. Solving that immediate crisis was critical for constituents needing their unemplo... — Updated 9/14/2023

In response to the reversal of the State Assembly’s Public Safety Committee’s decision regarding SB 14, San Diego County District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond released this statement. “It was disheartening to see as human trafficking is categorized as a “non-serious” crime, undermini... — Updated 9/14/2023

Last year, San Diego Supervisor Anderson and I partnered on a program called the Agriculture Pass, designed to assist commercial livestock and agriculture operators in a wildfire or other disaster. The Ag Pass allows certain people access to evacuated areas to care for their crops... — Updated 9/14/2023

California’s $310.6 billion budget for the new Fiscal Year was approved in mid-June. Trailer bills that make specific funding allocations for state agencies and programs are receiving approval and in many cases are still under review. As often happens, politically expedient w... — Updated 9/14/2023

I start my morning drinking about two cups of strong coffee with a splash of non-fat milk of which I make in a French coffee press, and although through the years I have weaned myself off coffee for a few months here and there, I presently know I really like a cup and a half (no... — Updated 7/18/2023

We like our Tamarisk trees for their privacy, shade and windbreak abilities. When our trees stared to look bare, on closer inspection we found the small black caterpillar that turns into the beetle. Now after treating with Bio Advance Tree & Scrub Granules, the bugs are gone and... — Updated 7/18/2023

As Vice Chair of the Assembly Emergency Management Committee, I participated in a Joint Informational Hearing with the Assembly Insurance Committee on June 14. Discussions involved the current crisis facing the state’s insurance industry, specifically related to wildfires and t... — Updated 7/18/2023

We’ve known for a while now that SANDAG, the Federal Government, and the State of California have been looking to implement a per-mile tax. This hasn’t been met with enthusiasm by voters throughout the country. However, now there’s a synonym for the per-mile tax that is makin... — Updated 7/18/2023

Thank you committee members for your important efforts to get better medical care options for Borrego. This is important and valuable work. I saw the recent article in the Sun about a vision of many new buildings outside of the Palm Canyon main business district and about plans... — Updated 6/21/2023

Last week, the Board of Supervisors voted 3 – 1 to authorize a memorandum of agreement between the County of San Diego and the San Diego Housing Commission to purchase four hotels in an effort to combat homelessness. I was the lone “no” vote as this legislation fails to addre... — Updated 6/21/2023

The California State Senate passed Senate Bill 583, authored by Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego). The bill creates the Salton Sea Conservancy to unify the state’s efforts to expedite preservation project delivery, protect residents’ health, and foster ecological recovery in... — Updated 6/21/2023

Senator Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta) is proud to announce that nine bills from his 2023 legislative package have passed out of the State Senate and are now headed to the Assembly. They cover a wide variety of important topics, including Veteran benefits, government reform, public... — Updated 6/21/2023

I read the Editorial for the May 25 issue of the Borrego Sun and would like to correct a few items and also comment on the article, “Seven Reasons to Say “NO” to the County’s Decarbonization Plan.” I did, indeed, attend the Revitalization Meeting with San Diego County District... — Updated 6/15/2023

I’m pleased to see that the Mirage Gas station illuminatedsign has now been switched off. I hope that the letter I had previously sent to the Borrego Sun had something to do with this, and I thank whoever the powers at be are that got this done. Driving down Palm Canyon towards C... — Updated 6/15/2023

Thank you for the excellent letter regarding the solar panels , aquifers and toxic soil in the March 30 issue of the Borrego Sun on Page 5. In 1961, my grandmother took me by train from Chicago to California stopping at every large state park. She said at that time “I want you t... — Updated 6/15/2023

May was Wildfire Preparedness Month, with the danger of wildfires increasing as we head into summer. Last winter’s record rainfall generated a massive amount of fuel throughout California, and San Diego County is no exception. Drive down almost any road in the backcountry and y... — Updated 6/13/2023

Nathan Fletcher has let San Diego down. His actions have left a vacant seat and the Board of Supervisors were left with a decision of what to do in order to fill it. We were faced with three options: Hold a special election. Start the appointment process. Start the appointment... — Updated 6/13/2023

The two fees proposed by the Public Utilities Commission is poorly thought out, “half backed” and an attempt to hide another tax ona basic necessity – electricity – that we all need and use. Rate #1 is a surcharge, based on filed income tax returns that is really like a hidden... — Updated 6/13/2023

I recently read with interest Nikki Symington’s piece in the Borrego Sun on visioning Borrego Springs. The piece fails to recognize the synergy between Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the community of Borrego Springs. Synergy is what is missing here and drives who we are. I a... — Updated 6/8/2023

On Tuesday, May 9, we recognized National Fentanyl Awareness Day. Each month, fentanyl claims the lives of 500 Californians and nationally, fentanyl overdose deaths more than tripled over the past few years. I serve on the state’s first Select Committee on Fentanyl, Opioid A... — Updated 6/8/2023

Response to Jim Desmond, San Diego County District 5 Supervisor, in the May 11 issue of the Borrego Sun, “The Failures of Housing First.” Jim, it truly pains me to hear you speak so. Rather than present only a partial set of the facts and vilify our most vulnerable, lets go look a... — Updated 6/8/2023