We live in a beautiful region and we have a wonderful quality of life, which all of us pay a premium to enjoy.

We can be thankful to live and work in San Diego County. But to maintain this quality of life, we have much work to do.

During the past two years, the County has processed more than 215,000 property tax re-assessments, with an average lowered property value of $100,000.

Although this helps cash-strapped families during these difficult times, it also results in a corresponding drop in property tax revenue to local governments.

This money is needed to fund the good things we do for San Diego County.

For instance: The County operates 33 libraries and three animal shelters. We provide Sheriff’s deputy protection, the Probation Department, the Office of the District Attorney, and we run the jails.

We inspect and rate your restaurants for cleanliness and food safety.

And we test your beach water for contaminants like e.Coli. Supervisor Greg Cox led a regional effort to restore our monitoring program after the state dodged its responsibility and eliminated the funding.

We inspect cash registers and sales at your stores to make certain that you are not being cheated.

Over 45,000 acres at 33 parks and open space buffers are maintained by us. This includes the largest multi-species conservation and land protection plan in the country - which this Board of Supervisors put in place.

We protect your food supply through inspections of the County’s $1.5 Billion agriculture industry.

The County has firefighting helicopters at the ready, and I’d like to thank Supervisor Ron Roberts for taking a leadership role on that issue.

We clear dry trees and brush to prevent fires. Last year we spent more than $33 million to protect your homes from fire.

Next month we will complete a Fire Deployment Study at the behest of Supervisor Jacob. This will assess fire services countywide so we can plan ahead as a region.

In the County of San Diego’s Operational Plan, our Chief Administrative Officer Walt Ekard promises more of the same. But he warns of further challenges ahead.

That might be an understatement.

When revenue is down, this board must cut expenses.

To read the entire text click on state of the county

February 12, 2010

The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) will hold five more H1N1 vaccination events for San Diego County residents in the upcoming weeks.

The first is Tuesday, Feb. 16, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the El Corazon Senior Center, 3302 Senior Center Drive in Oceanside, CA, 92056. The other events will be held in Escondido, Chula Vista, El Cajon and San Diego.

"We've had great response to our H1N1 vaccination events, but we know there are still people out there that haven't been vaccinated and we want to reach those individuals," said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H, San Diego County Public Health Officer. "It's not too late to get vaccinated against H1N1. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their loved ones."

"Promoting safe, affordable housing opportunities
and improved communities in the San Diego region"

he County Office of Emergency Services in partnership with Papa John’s Pizza encourages residents to sign up to receive emergency notifications on their cell phone with the County’s AlertSanDiego system.  As an incentive, Papa John’s Pizza is offering special deals this month to those who register.  The first 500 to sign up received a free, one-topping pizza.  Those were claimed quickly, but all registrants will be able to print out an exclusive Papa John’s AlertSanDiego special offer coupon through the month of February.

“Collectively our goal is to motivate residents to prepare for an emergency before one occurs. By being informed, residents can make the right decisions for the safety of their family in an emergency. We greatly appreciate Papa John’s Pizza commitment in assisting us to reach more families in our communities by offering special incentives to those that register for AlertSanDiego,” said Ron Lane, director of the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services.

Important Radon Facts:

To help ensure your family's protection, call Mold in California, Inc. at (888) 847-4848 for a radon inspection for only $300.

Testing and corrections (if necessary) are inexpensive, especially when compared to the potential health costs of lung cancer.

January 15, 2010

A series of intense winter storms is bearing down on San Diego County with rainfall amounts expected to be heavy, especially in the foothills and mountains. With the intense rainfall over several days, there is a strong possibility of stream flooding with resulting road closures and mud and debris flows, especially in the areas impacted by recent wildfires.

“I urge county residents to be prepared,” said Pam Slater-Price, Chairwoman of the County Board of Supervisors. “Water can do a lot of damage to your home and property. We need the rain, but we don’t need it in our living rooms.”

County public works crews have been checking storm channels and culverts, inspecting stream monitoring systems, and preparing snow plows and other equipment that may be needed. The department also did work earlier this year to rehabilitate several culverts, which are large storm drains that pass under roads or other structures.