By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office
March 26, 2025 (San Diego) - Have you ever wanted to speak about an issue at a San Diego County Board of Supervisors meeting?
Well, the County is introducing changes to make it easier to do than ever before.
Until now, anyone who wanted to speak at a Board meeting had to fill out a speaker slip before the meeting started—either a written slip in person at the Board meeting, or electronically online if they wanted to talk by phone.
Starting April 2, no more paper slips, no more waiting in line and no more waiting until the day of the meeting to request to speak.
Anyone can submit a simplified speakers’ slip online using their phone, laptop or other device, at any time before the Board starts taking public comment on the item during the meeting. If you’re speaking by phone, the new system will even call you when the meeting starts and give you real-time notifications about where you are in line to talk on the item or items you’ve selected to speak about.
To make the new changes even easier for the public to use, the County Clerk of the Board of Supervisors will be hosting three informational webinars on Zoom to demonstrate how the system works and to take any questions people may have.
- Saturday, April 5 at 10 a.m. (Zoom registration link)
- Monday, April 7 at noon (Zoom registration link)
- Monday, April 7 at 7 p.m. (Zoom registration link)
And of course, County staff will also be available at Board meetings to provide on-site assistance and help people if they need it to sign-up to speak.
Simple System, How it Works
- Go online to “San Diego County, CA Meetings” webpage: The new speaker-request system is easy to use. Use your smartphone, computer, laptop, or other device to go to the webpage at: https://PublicComment.SanDiegoCounty.gov.
- Click on the Meeting You Want to Speak At: Click on the meeting date for the meeting you want to comment at. That will provide information about the meeting.
- Click “Register”: Click on the blue “Register” box at the bottom of the page.
- Fill out the Form: Clicking the “Register” button will bring up a set of instructions, the online submittal form, and the list of agenda items for you to select one or more items that you want to speak to. The submittal form can be translated into multiple languages. Simply fill out your information, mark the item or items you wish to speak to, and whether you’re attending “In Person” or “Virtually” by phone.
- Scroll to request Interpreter if Needed: Scroll to the bottom of the submission form to request an interpreter if English is not your first language.
- Check the box to ask to be called when the Board meeting starts: You can also check a box to subscribe to updates on the Board of Supervisors.
- Click “Register” again at the bottom: And you’re all set. You’ll receive an email confirming your request to speak.
Improved Customer Service; Take Part in County Government
Making it easier for people to engage with County government is of the utmost importance to us. This new public comment system is designed to do just that. We know that government of the people and for the people works best with the people’s input. So, take part by sharing your thoughts at County Board of Supervisors’ meetings. It’s easier than ever.
For detailed instructions about using the new system, more information about County Supervisors’ Board meetings, how to find Board agendas or more general information, go to the County Clerk of the Board’s website.
Here’s an additional video to help you learn more about the speaking at the Board of Supervisors meetings and about the new speaker online slip process.
By Miriam Raftery
Photo courtesy of Library Foundation San Diego
March 26, 2025 (San Diego) - On Friday, March 14, President Trump issued an Executive Order intended to drastically reduce funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services.
“Without IMLS funding, the 37-branch San Diego Public Library system will lose a significant tool for maintaining, delivering, and developing innovative services for its patrons, said Patrick Stewart, CEO of the Library Foundation SD. “These cuts will impact a wide range of San Diegans — from a parent whose child relies on the Homework Center at their neighborhood library to the entrepreneur learning how to write a business plan at The StartUp center at the Central Library @ Joan Λ Irwin Common. The library is a core public service and a community cornerstone that needs to be safeguarded for our city’s future.”
The San Diego Public Library system uses federal funding distributed through IMLS to support several local initiatives. Loss of funding will negatively impact San Diegans who participate in programs every day including Lunch @ Your Library, adult literacy programs such as READ/San Diego, youth training and career development, entrepreneur and workforce development programs, Stewart added.
The Library Foundation SD advocates for the City of San Diego Library Department. San Diegans can learn how to participate in this advocacy by visiting libraryfoundationsd.org/takeaction.
Dulzura author, editor and children’s book illustrator Clarissa McLaughlin from Santee, in an email to ECM, stated, “I have relied on libraries my entire life. I have read a plethora of library books since early childhood, I volunteered at my local library in high school, and now as an adult, I'm working to get my own books into libraries. Libraries are both an essential service to the American people and are critical to my professional industry. I have relied on my library as a polling location and I use Libby all the time to listen to audiobooks, both for fun and for my MFA classes, in which I'm studying Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing.”
She added, “My only wish for my library is that it had more funding so it could be open on Sundays again. Normally, I can only visit on Saturdays as I work 9-6, Monday-Friday. My library is well-loved and well-needed. It cannot be defunded.”
Dulzura resident Connie Kirkpatrick notes that libraries today provide more than books, serving as community centers that support education, career and personal development. In an email to ECM, she wrote, ““My library has been a cornerstone of my learning journey, providing books, classes, and programs that have expanded my knowledge and skills. Whether it’s attending author talks, technology workshops, or educational lectures, I have continually benefited from the opportunities my library offers. In today’s digital age, free access to information is more crucial than ever, and my library ensures that everyone, regardless of financial background, can benefit from books, online resources, and the internet.”
Libraries also serve as a community gathering place that welcomes people of all ages to come together for events, discussions and support groups, she observed. “It has been instrumental in helping individuals with job searches, resume writing, and skill-building programs that empower them in their careers. Whether it’s a student needing a quiet study space or an entrepreneur researching market trends, the library caters to diverse needs.”
In addition, the library plays a vital role in preserving our local history and culture. “Through archives, genealogy services, and historical exhibits, it safeguards our heritage for future generations. Additionally, creative spaces like makerspaces, technology labs, and writing workshops encourage innovation and artistic expression, making the library an incubator of new ideas,” Kirkpatrick stated.
“For those in rural or underserved areas, such as myself, the library is a lifeline. It bridges the digital divide by offering free internet access, computers, and technical assistance, ensuring that no one is left behind in the information age. More importantly, it provides a safe and inclusive environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect,” Kirkpatrick concludes. “In a time when access to knowledge, technology, and community support is more essential than ever, libraries remain a fundamental public good. I urge continued investment and advocacy for these vital institutions so they can continue to serve and uplift our communities.”
By Tesa Balc, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association
Photo: Rep. Sara Jacobs in her congressional office. (File photo courtesy of Jacobs’ office via Facebook)
March 24, 2025 (Jacumba) - A San Diego Democrat said Saturday that Republicans have told her they will not back President Donald Trump if he defies court orders.
The remarks, by Rep. Sara Jacobs, were part of a virtual town hall she hosted Saturday in which she answered pre-submitted questions and addressed comments and queries from an audience that at times reached a high of 1,200 viewers.
While providing legislative updates and answering constituents’ questions, Jacobs acknowledged that a majority of her initial updates were “bleak” for those opposed to Trump’s policies and proposals.
But then she pointed to recent decisions in which judges ruled against Trump – including a temporary restraining order to block the administration from deporting hundreds of Venezuelans under the Alien Enemies Act – as proof of progress.
“Yes, we know Trump ignored the court order, but I think it’s important that the court order happened and now we’re pushing Republicans to stand up and respect the courts because they have privately told me that their red line is Trump not abiding by a court order,” Jacobs said.
Other rulings have blocked Trump’s ban on transgender service members and, most recently, barred the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Social Security records.
Jacobs represents California’s 51st Congressional district, which includes central and eastern San Diego. She has been in town this past week, taking multiple meetings with residents and stakeholders, including at Rady Children’s Hospital where she discussed potential cuts to Medicaid funding.
She began the town hall Saturday by outlining her frustration with the federal spending bill that was approved by Congress last week, as she said the vote felt like a missed opportunity to push back against Trump’s administration.
“I voted against this bill because I am very concerned about some of what was in there, including cuts to veterans care, cuts to rent subsidies, cuts to Army Corps of Engineers construction projects,” Jacobs said.
“And I am very disappointed that some Senate Democrats, not [California’s] – our two Senators did the right thing – but some Senate Democrats gave our leverage away for free and helped Republicans to pass this continuing resolution.”
Before answering questions, Jacobs shared her opposition to the president’s use of the Alien Enemies Act; she is a co-sponsor of a bill to repeal the 1798 law. The congresswoman also said that she joined a recent bipartisan oversight delegation on a trip to Guantanamo Bay to see the conditions in which migrants were being held.
“After our oversight visit, they actually moved all the immigrants who were there back to the continental United States, I think, because even the Republicans realized there was no real reason for the cost and the cruelty,” she said.
Questions for Jacobs ranged from DOGE and challenges to its leader, billionaire Elon Musk, to complaints about Sen. Chuck Schumer – a subject of criticism for his role in passage of the spending bill – and other Democrats they accused of not opposing Trump more actively.
Some of the constituents who took part in the town hall feared for democracy itself. Jacobs tried to reassure them.
“What we’ve seen from other countries is that if we can put together a broad-based pro-democracy movement, we actually have a pretty good chance of getting a better democracy on the other side,” she said.
She also told constituents they could support congressional efforts to halt Musk’s actions by filing a Freedom of Information Act request for a report on the information that DOGE has accessed about them personally. Doing so, Jacobs said, “is one way that you can really help us do our constitutional oversight job.”
“Send that to us,” she urged. “That is really helpful to us in being able to understand exactly what DOGE has accessed and what they continue to access.”
She added that her office will post information on her website about how to file FOIA requests.
Jacobs plans another town hall, this one in person, on April 22 in El Cajon.
The USDA has cut funding for two programs that allowed schools and food banks to purchase fresh food from local farms, also halting deliveries to food banks.
By G. A. McNeeley
March 21, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Trump administration has cut two programs that provided more than $1 billion to schools and food banks to purchase food from local farmers and ranchers.
About $660 million of those funds were contained in the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS), which provided funds to schools and child care facilities.
The rest of those funds were part of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA), which provided funds to local food banks and other organizations.
State officials were notified on Friday, March 7, of the USDA’s decision to end these programs this year. More than 40 states had signed agreements to participate in previous years, according to the School Nutrition Association (SNA) and several state agencies. The USDA also notified states that it was unfreezing funds for existing LFPA agreements, but did not plan to carry out a second round of funding for fiscal year 2025.
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources confirmed it was notified on March 7, that the 2025 funding would be terminated within 60 days.
These cuts come as Donald Trump’s second presidential administration has cut federal spending and imposed tariffs, which forced food organizations and farmers to cut staff and halt investments.
What Do These Programs Do?
"This program will strengthen the food system for schools and childcare institutions by helping to build a fair, competitive, and resilient local food chain, and expand local and regional markets with an emphasis on purchasing from historically underserved producers and processors," the USDA website says on the LFS program's page. The LFS program helped build new income sources for local farmers and food producers.
The LFS program was also expanded to include child care centers, which was announced by the USDA in December 2024. "Families can feel good knowing their kids are eating food that was grown right in their own community," said then-Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Cindy Long.
The goal of the LFPA program is to "improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency," their website said.
LFPA agreements allow states, tribal and territorial governments to purchase food within their own communities (in the state itself, or within 400 miles of the food's destination). That food goes to food banks and organizations that feed people in "underserved communities," according to the USDA's website.
Both programs were introduced to respond to the impacts to the food supply chain brought on by the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the USDA. By the end of 2024, food purchased through the program had been distributed at 7,900 food banks, food pantries, and communities in the U.S., the agency said.
In December 2024, the USDA announced a $1.13 billion investment for the programs. Of that funding, $471.5 million was slated for states and territories to "purchase local, unprocessed, or minimally processed domestic foods" to serve in schools participating in free or reduced-cost meal programs, and $188.6 million for child care centers participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
Food banks have also been seeing demands (due to rising food prices) and Republicans in Congress are pushing to make significant cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
What Are the Officials Saying?
“These proposals would cause millions of children to lose access to free school meals at a time when working families are struggling with rising food costs,” said Shannon Gleave, the president of the SNA, in a press release. “Meanwhile, short-staffed school nutrition teams, striving to improve menus and expand scratch-cooking, would be saddled with time-consuming and costly paperwork created by new government inefficiencies.”
Maura Healey, Governor of Massachusetts, criticized the Trump Administration for cutting programs that would’ve provided $12 million in food-related funding for schools and food banks in her state.
In a press release, Healey said, “Donald Trump and Elon Musk have declared that feeding children and supporting local farmers are no longer ‘priorities’, and it’s just the latest terrible cut with real impact on families across Massachusetts”.
“There is nothing ‘appropriate’ about it. Trump and Musk are continuing to withhold essential funding in violation of court orders, and our children, farmers and small businesses are bearing the brunt of it,” Healey added.
An unnamed USDA spokesperson told Politico that funding for the programs, “is no longer available and those agreements will be terminated following 60-day notification”.
The spokesperson also said, “These programs, created under the former Administration via Executive authority, no longer affect the goals of the agency. LFPA and LFPA Plus agreements that were in place prior to LFPA 25, which still have substantial financial resources remaining, will continue to be in effect for the remainder of the period of performance.”
ECM spoke with the San Diego Food Bank, and asked them how these cuts would affect their budget, as well as their ability to provide food to their customers.
Cole Williamson (Vice President of Administration), told us in an email, “At the SDFB, we do not know precisely how changes to USAID or other Federal programs will impact us. We are working with State and Federal officials to figure that out. We will continue to monitor the developing situation and adjust as needed.”
USDA Halts Food Bank Deliveries
On Wednesday, March 19, Politico reported that the USDA halted millions of dollars worth of deliveries to food banks without explanation, according to food bank leaders in six states.
The USDA had previously allocated $500 million in deliveries to food banks for fiscal year 2025 through The Emergency Food Assistance Program. Now, the food bank leaders say many of those orders have been canceled.
For the Central California Food Bank, that means a loss of 500,000 pounds of expected food deliveries worth $850,000 just for April through July, according to co-CEO Natalie Caples.
Caples says that she has not received any assurances from USDA on whether the delivery cancellations are temporary.
The money that was clawed back came from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). It’s not clear how much of the $500 million for the emergency assistance program has been cut, but one USDA employee (granted anonymity to discuss private conversations), said the Trump administration has been trying to claw back CCC money that the Biden administration previously allocated in order to devote funds to other priorities.
USDA was supposed to spend $148 million of the $500 million this year to buy dairy products, eggs, blueberries and more. But last month, the department notified state agencies that it was canceling solicitations from suppliers, according to a February 20 email that Feeding America sent to its network of food banks (and was viewed by Politico).
“USDA has not yet announced plans to move forward with the canceled food orders,” the email states. “We believe the best approach is for network members to work through state agencies to obtain clarification from USDA.”
The emergency food assistance network gets its funding from a mix of money from the farm bill and through commodities USDA purchases. But the patchwork funding system has left the program unable to meet increasing hunger needs (especially during the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent years of food inflation), anti-hunger advocates say.
The Biden administration responded to the demand on food banks by supplementing the emergency assistance funding with roughly $2 billion from the CCC fund in 2022 and 2023, then the additional $500 million in 2024.
Many of the organizations that rely on funding from the emergency assistance program were also receiving funding from the LFPA.
The clawbacks come as Congress is weighing shrinking the SNAP, which helps 40 million low-income Americans afford food. That could further exacerbate the pressure on food banks, which provide just one meal for every nine that SNAP supplies.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/11/usda-cuts-food-banks-schools
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/10/usda-cancels-local-food-purchasing-for-schools-food-banks-00222796
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/03/11/usda-food-bank-school-funding-cuts/82265217007/
https://schoolnutrition.org/sna-news/proposed-school-meal-cuts-prompt-nationwide-advocacy/
https://www.mass.gov/news/governor-healey-denounces-president-trumps-decision-to-cut-12-million-in-federal-funding-to-feed-children-support-local-farmers-in-massachusetts
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/19/usda-halts-deliveries-food-banks-trump-00239453?cid=apn
Eligible low-income residents aged 55, older may receive funds for housing
Source: City of La Mesa and Jewish Family Services
March 21, 2025 (La Mesa) – The City of La Mesa and Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) are launching the City’s first-ever Older Adult Rental Assistance Program, assisting seniors aged 55 and older who are at risk of homelessness. The program, operated by JFS, will provide 40 participants with a $500 monthly housing subsidy paid directly to their landlords for 12 months and individualized case management. Applications are being accepted beginning the last week of March. Priority will be given to applications filed by April 4.
According to the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, nearly half of unhoused Californians are 50 and older, and more than 41% are experiencing homelessness for the first time in their lives.
"With many seniors on fixed incomes challenged by increasing expenses, this program serves as a vital lifeline,” said La Mesa Mayor Mark Arapostathis. “The program will help rent-burdened older adults in La Mesa maintain housing stability and financial security, allowing them to age in place with dignity.”
Applicants must be 55 and older and reside in the incorporated area of La Mesa with a household income at or below 50% of the city’s median income. They must be currently spending at least half of their income on rent or be at risk of losing their housing. Their landlord must also be willing to participating in the program. Priority will be given to heads of household who are 65 and older and households with incomes at or below 30% of the area median income.
Working closely with the City of La Mesa, JFS will provide monthly case management, creating individualized plans and assessing each participant’s needs at the end of the program.
To apply and learn more, visit www.jfssd.org/our-services/older-adults/la-mesa-older-adult-rental-assistance. Or call (858) 637-3217.
JFS staff are also available to answer questions, help determine eligibility and begin the application process during the following office hours, with appointments required:
- March 24, 1 to 4 p.m.
- March 26, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- March 27, 4-7 p.m.
Individuals can call 619-667-1322 to reserve a 20-minute appointment. All sessions are hosted at the La Mesa Adult Enrichment Center located at 8450 La Mesa Blvd.
“We look forward to partnering with the City of La Mesa to run the Older Adult Rental Assistance Program. There is a great need for programs like these as studies show the number of older adults accessing homelessness services has more than doubled in the last seven years,” said JFS COO and incoming CEO Dana Toppel. “At JFS, we run a number of programs dedicated to supporting older adults’ health and well-being to assist them as they age in place with dignity. We are looking forward to continuing that mission through this innovative program in La Mesa.”
In addition to JFS’s On the Go rideshare, Fix It home modification, meal delivery, congregate dining and day center programs for older adults throughout San Diego County, the agency operates a privately funded Older Adult Rental Assistance Subsidy Pilot through its Center for Jewish Care. The pilot supports 27 Jewish participants at risk of homelessness with a $360 per month subsidy paid directly to their landlords for 12 months.
About Jewish Family Service of San Diego – Moving Forward Together
Founded in 1918, Jewish Family Service (JFS) is one of San Diego’s most impactful nonprofit agencies – providing resources and support to over 105,000 people every year. Through integrated services, the organization empowers people of all ages, faiths, and backgrounds to overcome challenges, set goals, and build more stable, secure, and connected lives. JFS is committed to helping individuals and families move forward, while developing innovative strategies to break cycles of poverty and strengthen our San Diego community.