Newsletter from County Supervisor

Dianne Jacob dianne.jacob.com

Serving District 2

since 1993

Cities El Cajon La Mesa

Lemon Grove Poway Santee

Communities Agua Caliente

Allied Gardens Alpine Barrett

Blossom Valley Bostonia

Boulevard Campo

Canebrake Casa de Oro College Area

Crest Cuyamaca

Deerhorn Valley Dehesa

Del Cerro Descanso

Dulzura Eucalyptus Hills

Fernbrook Flinn Springs Granite Hills

Grantville Guatay

Harbison Canyon Jacumba Hot Springs

Jamul Johnstown

Julian Lake Morena

Lakeside Mount Helix

Pine Hills Pine Valley

Potrero Ramona

Rancho San Diego Rolando

San Carlos SD Country Estates

San Pasqual Santa Ysabel Shelter Valley Spring Valley

Tecate Tierra del Sol

Vallecitos Wynola

Indian reservations Barona Campo Cosmit

Ewiiaapaayp Inaja

Jamul La Posta

Manzanita Mesa Grande Santa Ysabel

Sycuan Viejas

Diego emergency notification system. √ Download the SD Emer-gency app on your cell phone. √ Check your home, work-place and other locations on the county’s Know Your Haz-ards map. For more on all these, and for additional guidance, go to readysandiego.org .

The most hazardous time of the year is here. Are you prepared for the fall wildfire season? Things you can do: √ Maintain 100 feet of de-fensible space around your home. √ Create a disaster plan and emergency supplies kit. √ Sign up for the Alert San

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Supervisor Jacob recently helped spearhead the creation of a $25 million fund to help address the region’s shortage of affordable housing. “As the cost of living in our region continues to climb, we see more and more folks struggling to keep a roof over their head,” she said. “So we need to step up our game in a big way and give these folks more of a helping hand.” The fund will be used as an investment pool to encourage developers to construct more affordable housing. In a separate but related move, the board identified 11 county-owned properties that

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Battling brush: A local firefighter reduces dry grass at a prescribed burn this year.

ywide.” Jacob first proposed the idea of an online rating sys-tem in 2014, and Cox teamed

up with her on the effort. The site is be-lieved to be the first of its type in the

nation. To find it, go online to choosewellsandiego.org .

San Diego County families with elderly loved ones have a powerful new ally in their search for quality senior care. Supervisor Dianne Jacob, joined by Su-pervisor Greg Cox and others, recently launched Choose Well, an online rat-ing system to guide families in need of assisted living care for older relatives.

“Choose Well will assist res-idents with one of the tough-est decisions they may face – where to place an elderly rela-

tive in need of more care,” said Jacob, “We’re hoping Choose Well will also raise the bar on the level of care count-

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Photo provided by Cal Fire

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ness Bureau-style ratings system that looks at 11 quality measures designed to guide consumers to the most appropriate facility for their needs. About 120 assisted living and group homes for older adults have volunteered to participate in the

scoring system. More expected to be added in the coming months. The website also allows consumers to compare facili-ties and tap into a wealth of related elder care re-

sources. It was developed in cooperation with Consumer Advocates for RCFE Reform, a local nonprofit organization.

could potentially be developed to include low-income housing for qualified seniors and others. Jacob said the board’s recent approval of an affordable housing project for the elderly in Ramona could serve as a model for similar developments. Those 55 and older are the fast-est-growing age group in the coun-ty. Their population will roughly double in less than 20 years. As their population grows, the supervisor noted, so will their need for affordable housing.

are in “high” to “very high” wildfire hazard zones, as defined by state officials. Other areas fall into the “moderate” category or are not considered as serious a risk.

When an address or location is entered, the map provides the hazard designation, along with related links and infor-mation, including the name of the fire protec-tion agency for that loca-tion and the closest fire station. It does not include real-time information on the latest emergency incident or disaster. For that, go to sdcountyemergen-cy.com . Since the deadly wild-fires of 2003, the county has invested more than

$400 million to beef up fire and emergency services. Improvements include a more unified firefighting force, new backcountry stations and the crea-tion of the County Fire Authority.

Want to get a better fix on any potential hazards at your home and work-place? A new county website at readysandiego.org al-lows you to type in any local address or location and learn about possible hazards, like whether you live in a high-risk wildfire or earthquake zone. The debut of the Know Your Hazards search tool comes just as the region enters peak wildfire sea-son. The San Diego County Office of Emergency Ser-vices developed the interactive map, drawing on data provided by disaster preparedness agencies. The map shows large areas of the county, mostly in the backcountry,

Jacob announced her idea for the site in her 2014 State of the County address, noting that “families need more tools to find a good home. Or, at least, how to help them avoid the bad ones. “I don’t want to indict an entire industry. That would not be fair. Some long-term care facilities are doing a good job,” she said. “But how would the public know? How would fami-lies looking for a caring home know which ones are doing right by their residents?” The website uses a Better Busi-

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A series about neighborhood issues raised and resolved in East County

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Fun run: Lakeside kids celebrated the opening of a community ballpark in 2009.

Success stories in East County, we’ve got a lot of them. Among those in District 2 to recently re-ceive county proclamations:

El Cajon Valley High School boys soccer team. They recent-ly won the Southern California Regional Title Championship.

Marissa Grace McRoberts. The 14-year-old La Mesa singer(second from right) and her band have performed at some of San Diego's best venues. Keep an eye out for this rising star!

Cartwright Termite & Pest Control. The El Cajon company has been supporting youth groups and community events for dec-ades.

The problem: Communities have been hungry for more park and recreation facilities, but frustrated by funding gaps and policies that have made it harder to create new parks and maintain existing ones. The solution: In her State of the County speech earlier this year, Supervisor Jacob said she shared those frustrations. She called on the county to step up spending on parks and stream-line their development. County staff crafted a park

spending plan and development timeline — and the Board of Su-pervisors approved it in June. It includes $13 million in gen-eral fund money, along with oth-er funds, for improvements in Campo, Descanso, Julian and other areas, along with money for dog parks in Lakeside, Ran-cho San Diego and Spring Valley.

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Are you a senior or caregiver? Join Supervisor Jacob at a spe-cial Nov. 1 forum on how to avoid financial scammers and other crooks. The free, two-hour gathering will start at 9 a.m. at Skyline Church, 11330 Campo Rd., La Me-sa. Deputy District Attorney Paul

Greenwood and others will offer tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of the “grandmother scam,” “IRS scam” and other rus-es targeting older residents. Look for more information soon at diannejacob.com . To reg-ister, call 844-899-1597 or go to surveymonkey.com/r/dontgethooked .

Dianne Jacob

Coffee with Constituents

Questions, concerns or ideas about your county government

or community? Join Supervisor Jacob at an upcoming coffee: Tuesday, Sept. 19, 5:30 p.m.

Alpine Library 1752 Alpine Blvd., Alpine

Thursday, Oct. 26, 9 a.m. Julian Town Hall

2129 Main St., Julian

District 2 staff

Jeff Collins Chief of Staff

Taylor Dupont Policy Advisor Victoria Floyd

Field Representative Marilu Glassman

Administrative Assistant Matthew Parr Policy Advisor

Janelle Palermo Chair’s Assistant

Alice Re Office Manager & Scheduler

Steve Schmidt Communications Advisor

Robert Spanbauer Senior Policy Advisor

Adam Wilson Senior Land Use and Policy Advisor

Supervisor, District 2 San Diego County

Board of Supervisors 1600 Pacific Highway, Room 335, San Diego

CA 92101 Phone

619-531-5522 800-852-7322

Fax 619-696-7253

Email dianne.jacob@sdcounty.ca.gov

Website diannejacob.com

Twitter @dianne_jacob

Facebook facebook.com/dianne.jacob.58

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CA 92101

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Basketball legend Bill Walton joined Supervi-sor Jacob (and fellow Helix High alum) at a recent groundbreaking for a Boys and Girls Club in La Mesa. The new Brady Family Clubhouse at La Mesa Middle School will in-clude a gym named after the NBA giant, who grew up in East County. Thanks to Mary Alice and Ron Brady, community leaders and, of course, the great Bill Walton himself for making it possible.

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