“A society is always eager to cover misdeeds with a cloak of forgetfulness, but no society can fully repress an ugly past when the ravages persist to the public. America owes a debt of justice which it has only begun to pay.” – Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
By Miriam Raftery
Photo: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during a press conference in 1964; public domain image via Wikipedia
January 22, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – While the nation honored slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, President Donald Trump ironically issued sweeping executive orders to revoke not only Biden-era diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) guidelines for all federal agencies, but also roll back actions to protect minorities dating back to the 1960s, such as affirmative action, USA Today reports.
The actions drew swift condemnation from Bernice King, MLK’s daughter. She posted on social media, “This is what my father described in his book, ‘Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?’, as #WhiteBacklash. That’s when any work and progress in the areas of racial justice and equity are met with assertions that no change is needed; with insistence that programs purposed for preventing pervasive, historically anti-Black policies and practices are harmful and unneeded; and with lies and distortion to convince people to curtail the work and progress.”
She noted that her father’s “dream encompassed eradicating racism, including in healthcare, policing, banking, and education,adding,”We have not done that. So don’t attribute canceling #DEI to wanting to honor #MLK.”
DEI programs aim to assure that people of all backgrounds are welcome and have resources to succeed regardless of race, color, or gender orientation. It differs from affirmative action programs, which have a goal of remedying historical injustices through preferential hiring practices.
Trump’s order claims that DEI has corrupted federal institutions by “replacing hard work, merit, and equality with a divisive and dangerous preferential hierarchy.” His order to eliminate DEI will impact all levels of the federal government, including aviation, medical programs such as Medicare, and federal law enforcement agencies. The federal government employees over 2 million civilian workers, of whom the largest number, 147,000, are in California, according to the Congressional Research Office.
During Trump’s first term, he issued executive orders to ban government contractors and federal agencies from offering diversity training, even setting up a tip line for whisteblowers to turn in employers who defied the order.
Private-sector employers may be targeted next, a Trump official told USA Today.
Already, some private employers, notably Amazon and Meta, have announced that they are dropping or scaling back DEI programs.
But other companies are pushing back, such as Apple and Costco. Both have urged shareholders to reject anti-DEI proposals, and argue that diversity initiatives are good for business.
A USA Today investigation suggests the need for DEI remains. The study found that the top ranks of America’s largest companies remain predominantly white and male.
Civil rights leaders have voiced outrage over Trump’s latest actions.
“We have DEI because you denied us diversity, you denied us equity, you denied us inclusion, “ the Rev.Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, said at the Metropolitan AME church, a historic black church in Washington D.C. “DEI was a remedy to the racial institutional bigotry practiced in academia and in these corporations.”
By Henri Migala
Photo: cc via Bing
January 22, 2025 (Washington D.C.) -- On Monday, January 20, President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement for the second time, once again placing the world's top historic emitter of greenhouse gases outside the global pact aimed at pushing nations to tackle climate change.
The withdrawal comes amid increasingly severe wildfires, hurricanes and other severe weather disasters fueled in large part by rapidly accelerating climate change. A National Climate Assessment study found that climate change is affecting every region in the U.S., across economic sectors.
Far from taking any other steps to reduce carbon emissions, however, President Trump has issued executive orders to end actions aimed at cutting carbon and increase use of fossil fuels that accelerate climate change.
His administration has also deleted all climate change information and references from federal websites, eliminating access to key data for researchers, the press, and the public.
What is the Paris Climate and why is it important?
The Paris Climate Agreement is a landmark international accord that was adopted by nearly every nation in 2015 to address climate change and its negative impacts. The agreement holds countries accountable to substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit the global temperature increase in this century to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, while at the same time pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees.
The only countries in the world which have not ratified the 2015 Paris Climate are Iran, Libya and Yemen. With President Trump’s removal of the United States from the Paris Agreement, the U.S. has now joined those countries.
From the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC):
The Paris Climate Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, on 12 December 2015. It entered into force on 4 November 2016.
Its overarching goal is to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”
However, in recent years, world leaders have stressed the need to limit global warming to 1.5°C by the end of this century. That’s because the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that crossing the 1.5°C threshold risks unleashing far more severe climate change impacts, including more frequent and severe droughts, heatwaves and rainfall.
To limit global warming to 1.5°C, greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 at the latest and decline 43% by 2030.
The Paris Climate Agreement is a landmark in the multilateral climate change process because, for the first time, a binding agreement brings all nations together to combat climate change and adapt to its effects.
History of U.S. climate action and commitments under Paris Climate Agreement
The United States' relationship with the Paris Climate Agreement has seen significant shifts, influenced by changes in presidential administrations. Under President Barack Obama, the U.S. was an active participant in the negotiations and played a significant role in shaping the agreement. In 2016, President Obama formally signed the Paris Agreement, committing the U.S. to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025.
In 2017, President Donald Trump, who called climate change “a hoax,” announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris Agreement, citing concerns about its economic impact and fairness to American industries. The formal withdrawal process took effect in November 2020.
On his first day in office, President Biden formally notified the United Nations of the United States’ intent to rejoin the Agreement, which the US did thirty days later, on February 19, 2021 (a delay required by policy).
The U.S., under President Biden, took an active role in global climate negotiations, aiming to reduce emissions, invest in renewable energy, and encourage other countries to enhance their climate commitments. The U.S. pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and was working to advance both domestic and international climate action.
In 2022, less than two years since taking office, President Biden’s leadership to tackle the climate crisis had boosted U.S. manufacturing and deployment of cost-cutting clean energy technologies, put the country on a durable path aligned with limiting warming to 1.5 °C, and galvanized global action by partners and the private sector – building unprecedented momentum towards achieving critical climate goals and strengthening global resilience.
Former President Biden’s climate action plan, presented at the COP27 (The 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Egypt in November 2022, positioned the United States to achieve the ambitious goals of reducing emissions 50-52% below 2005 levels in 2030 and to net-zero by 2050 through a series of unprecedented climate actions.
These Green New Deal actions were not only reducing emissions, but promised to bolster energy security, help families save money on their energy bills, create good-paying jobs for workers and spur a new era of clean American manufacturing, advance environmental justice, and ensure healthier air and cleaner water for communities.
Trump declares national energy emergency, moves to worsen greenhouse gas emissions
On Monday, January 20, President Trump terminated America’s commitments to address climate change, both domestically and internationally, while promising to actively and aggressively engage in activities that directly contribute to climate change, such as committing the US to use more fossil fuels that increase greenhouse gas emissions.
The U.S. has been the world’s largest oil and gas producer for years. The CEOs of Exxon and Chevron have said oil and gas production levels are based on market conditions and are unlikely to change meaningfully in response to Trump’s desire to “drill, baby, drill.”
As part of President Trump’s energy agenda, the President has declared a national energy emergency, arguing that the U.S. faces a “precariously inadequate and intermittent energy supply, and an increasingly unreliable grid” that threatens national security.
In anticipation of President Trump’s promise to expand U.S. production and use of fossil fuels, President Biden moved to protect U.S. coastal waters from oil and gas drilling. President Trump has issued an order to revoke Biden’s ban, although it is uncertain if the President has the authority to do so. A federal court struck down a similar order by Trump during his first term that sought to reverse President Obama’s move to protect Arctic and Atlantic waters from similar exploitation. President Trump has also ordered the exploitation of natural resources in formerly-protected , environmentally sensitive raeas in Alaska.
Excerpts from the President’s Executive Order:
Sec. 3. Implementation. (a) The United States Ambassador to the United Nations shall immediately submit formal written notification of the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
(b) The United States Ambassador to the United Nations shall immediately submit written formal notification to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, or any relevant party, of the United States’ withdrawal from any agreement, pact, , or similar commitment made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
(c) The United States Ambassador to the United Nations, in collaboration with the Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury, shall immediately cease or revoke any purported financial commitment made by the United States under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
(e) The U.S. International Climate Finance Plan is revoked and rescinded immediately. (Note: all references to the US International Climate Finance Plan have been removed from all US government websites and was not available for review for this article).
(f) Within 30 days of this order, the Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Agriculture, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Chief Executive Officer of the International Development Finance Corporation, Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, President of the Export-Import Bank, and head of any other relevant department or agency shall submit a report to the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs that details their actions to revoke or rescind policies that were implemented to advance the International Climate Finance Plan.
Global and domestic reactions to the announcement of the second U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement:
World Meteorological Organization Spokesperson Clare Nullis:
"The United States of America accounts for the lion’s share of global economic losses from weather, climate and water-related hazards. According to the U.S. figures, the U.S. has sustained more than 400 weather and climate disasters since 1980 where overall costs exceeded $1 billion... The need for the Paris Agreement is more urgent than ever."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning:
"China is concerned about the U.S. announcement that it will withdraw from the Paris Agreement. Climate change is a common challenge facing all of humanity. No country can stay out of it, and no country can be immune to it."
Brazil's Environment Minister Marina Silva:
"President Donald Trump in his inaugural speech started to confirm the most pessimistic predictions about the challenging times to come. His first announcements go against backing the energy transition, combating climate change, and valuing renewable energy. They are the opposite of policies guided by evidence brought by science and common sense imposed by the reality of extreme weather events, including in his own country."
Former French Prime Minister and President of COP 21 Laurent Fabius:
"This is a serious decision, contrary to scientific evidence, but one that should not prevent us from continuing the vital international fight against climate change and its serious consequences for humanity."
New York Governor Kathy Hochul And New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Co-Chairs of the U.S. Climate Alliance:
"Our states and territories continue to have broad authority under the U.S. Constitution to protect our progress and advance the climate solutions we need. This does not change with a shift in federal administration ... It's critical for the international community to know that climate action will continue in the U.S. The Alliance will bring this message to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Brazil (COP30) later this year."
Ani Dasgupta, President and CEO of World Resources Institute:
"It simply makes no sense for the United States to voluntarily give up political influence and pass up opportunities to shape the exploding green energy market."
Resources:
“Everything you Need to Know” about the Paris Climate Agreement: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/paris-climate-agreement-everything-you-need-know
To read the full text of President Trump’s Executive Order to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement and revoke the US International Climate Finance Plan, see: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/putting-america-first-in-international-environmental-agreements/
For additional information and to read the full details about the strategies and goals of the Paris Agreement, see: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement
The Green New Deal: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-resolution/109/text
Extreme Weather and Climate Change:
https://www.c2es.org/content/extreme-weather-and-climate-change/
National Climate Assessment: https://refresh-stg-c2es.pantheonsite.io/content/national-climate-assessment/
Biden hopes to next achieve a cease-fire in Gaza before his term ends, with an agreement for a Palestinian state and security for Israel
By Miriam Raftery
Photo, left: Hezbollah fighters in Southern Lebanon in 2023, via Tasnim News Service
November 28, 2024 (Washington D.C.) – In a historic accord, on Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden and President Emmanuel Macron of France issued a joint statement announcing that after “weeks of tireless diplomacy,” Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a cease fire that went into effect yesterday.
“The United States and France will work with Israel and Lebanon to ensure this arrangement is fully implemented and enforced,” the statement continued. Though the U.S. has supported Israel including sending war planes used to bomb Hezbollah targets, U.S. troops will not be sent to the region, the President assured.
The agreement includes assurances that Israel will be secure from threats by Hezbollah, which has been bombing Israel from southern Lebanon, and other terrorist groups. Hezbollah must move its forces north of the Litani River, about 20 miles from the Blue Line marking the Israel-Lebanon border.
Over the next six weeks, stabilization of southern Lebanon is to be provided by the Lebanese army and State Security Forces will deploy 10,000 troops, under international supervision. The agreement also includes withdrawal of Israeli forces, ultimately allowing residents of both Israel and southern Lebanon to return safely to their homes.
But President Biden made clear in a press conference, “This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.”
President Biden, in a press conference, noted that over 70,000 Israelis and over 300,000 Lebanese people have been forced to live as refugees in their own countries due to Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, bombing Israeli communities and Israel retailing with military strikes in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah.
Photo, right, via Israeli Defense Forces: F-151 fighter jet provided by the Biden administration to Israel, shown here in bombing run against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in September 2024.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he supported the agreement, along with Israel’s Security Cabinet, to focus on the threat from Iran, which has backed Hezbollah, and to work toward bringing hostages taken by Hamas home now that Israeli actions have killed Hezbollah’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and decimated its ranks. Netanyahu has made clear that Israel reserves the right to respond militarily if the agreement is violated, such as if Hezbollah resumes bombing, building tunnels or bringing in more weapons, San Diego Jewish World reports.
The peace is a fragile one. Already in the past 24 hours, each side has accused the other of violating the cease-fire. Israel claims Hezbollah was moving its people into the no-go zone, and responded with warning shots from drones followed by bombing of a missile storage site. Hezbollah has claimed these were Lebanese civilians returning, though civilians have been warned to stay out of the area until it has been made safe.
Mike Huckabeee, Trump’s U.S. ambassador to Israel designee, told Fox News the peace agreement is “certainly good news” for both Israelis and Lebanese, “if it holds, but the problem is that Hezbollah and its Iranian backed proxies like Hamas and the Houthis, they’ve never kept an agreement.”
Al Jazeera, an Arab news service, reports that tens of thousands of displaced Lebanese have begun returning home to southern Lebanon and celebrating in the streets, despite warnings from the Israeli military to wait until it is secured and Israeli forces have withdrawn.
Congressman Darrell Issa, a Republican from San Diego who is of Lebanese descent, refused to acknowledge Biden’s contributions despite intense negotiations by the Biden administration. Issa tweeted, @realDonaldTrump deserves credit for peace in the Middle East. Biden deserve none.”
However the international media hails Biden, along with Macron, for achieving the daunting task of a cease fire in Lebanon and aspiring for a broader peace.
Reuters, the French news service, calls the ceasefire agreement “a rare diplomatic feat in a region racked by conflict.”
Similarly, the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, makes clear, “The US, Israel's key backer, had led the charge with France in negotiating the deal in Lebanon.”
According to Reuters, Hezbollah strikes in Israel have killed 45 civilians and 73 Israeli soldiers, while Israel strikes in Lebanon have killed 3,961 people and injured 16,520 more. According to Israel, however, all but a handful of those kills were Hezbollah militants, not civilians.
As for the Gaza conflict, President Biden made clear that while he blames Hamas for initiating the war by slaughtering over 1,300 Israeli civilians on Oct. 7,2023, the people of Gaza have “been through hell” and deserve an end to the fighting and displacement. Over 40,000 Gazans have been killed as a result of Israel’s relentless military campaign to destroy Hamas.
Biden faults Hamas for refusing to “negotiate a good faith ceasefire and a hostage deal.” He said Hamas now has a choice to make, and that the “only way out is to release the hostages including American citizens” in order to “bring an end to the fighting which will make possible a surge of humanitarian relief.”
Next up, Biden revealed that in the coming days, the U.S. will be pushing along with allies in Turkey, Egypt and Qatar to attain a cease fire in Gaza. Any such agreement would have to include plans for a future Palestinian state as well as assurances that it cannot threaten Israel or harbor terrorist groups backed by Iran.
President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20, and has pledged to be a staunch supporter of Israel and a hard-liner against terorrism, though domestically he has drawn criticism for praising anti-Semitic leaders, such as saying of Swastika-bearing marchers in Charlston, "There are good people on both sides."
The U.S. is also prepared in the waning days of the Biden administration to conclude historic deals with Saudi Arabia including a security pact and economic assurances, along with what Biden described as “a credible pathway for establishing a Palestinian state and the full normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel."
President Biden pledged, "In my remaining time in office, I will work tirelessly to advance this vision for an integrated, secure and prosperous region—all of which strengthens America’s national security.”
By Miriam Raftery
January 8, 2025 (La Mesa) – Dozens of public speakers at yesterday’s Grossmont Healthcare District meeting urged the board to move its 9 a.m. meetings to evenings in order to accommodate people with full-time jobs. The proposal was made by newly elected director Nadia Farjood, a working mother who says her new full-time job at the District Attorney’s office prevents her from attending daytime meetings.
The district represents about 520,000 residents. Around 271 people signed a petition in support of Farjood’s proposal, and around 40 showed up in support at yesterday’s meeting. But despite testimony from union representatives, healthcare workers, district residents and local elected officials, Farjood’s proposal failed, with no other director in support.
Some speakers voiced concern not only for Farjood, but for the potential chilling effect on would-be candidates who may be persuaded from running for office if they have full-time day jobs.
Jesse Garcia from the carpenters’ union called it “unfair” and “unAmerican” to “disenfranchise the 23,000 voters” who backed Farjood in the recent election by refusing to accommodate her request, potentially forcing her off of the board. He noted that he serves on multiple boards and committees, which all have evening meetings.
Regina Beasley, a Sharp Healthcare worker and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) member, said restricting meetings to mornings is “discriminatory” based on age, gender and employment status, noting that “most of us in here have children.”
Leila Kater (photo, left) testified that she represents almost 2,000 healthcare workers in the Grossmont district. She told the board that workers “will start paying a lot more attention to these meetings” in order to “hold this board accountable.”
Toni Vargas, a phlebotomist, voiced concerns over "exclusion" of working people including healthcare workers by holding morning meetings, and said avoiding evening meetings is "about preserving power."
Briana Costen, a trustee on the La Mesa Spring Valley School District board, said she was “deeply troubled” by the tone of the discussion. “This is a public board, and you serve the public,” she stated, noting that “75% of voters in this district are below retirement age” and thus likely to have work conflicts that would make it difficult to attend daytime meetings.
Patricia Dillard, Vice Mayor of La Mesa, called for “transparency and accountability.” She said if any member cannot attend evening meetings that are more accessible to the public, “you should have no choice to go get off this board.”
Former La Mesa Councilmember Jack Shu said he would often take calls late at night from constituents. “Public service means you serve the people when it is needed,” he said after dozens of others had spoken out. “I have not heard one person speak in favor of keeping the 9 a.m. time,” he said, noting that the city of La Mesa changed its meetings to 6 p.m. and had an increase in attendance as a result.
Melinda Vasquez said she worked with Farjood and voted for her because “I knew that she would bring a different vantage point to this board...She should not have to quit her day job to do public service.”
Several callers gave remote testimony on Zoom, including La Mesa Councilwoman Lauren Cazares, who praised the “excellent service” she received from the healthcare district after being hit by a drunk driver and injured in December. She noted, “I have a full-time job and am a councilmember. It shouldn’t be difficult to participate in meetings,” then urged the board to “please serve the community that elected all of you.”
After public testimony, the board held a discussion led by board president Bob Ayres, who thanked everyone for sharing their views.
Director Virginia Hall disputed claims by some speakers that all board members are retired and should be more flexible. “I do work,” she said, adding that she’s also helped care for her grandson. “It saddens me to hear these comments.” She praised the district for accomplishments including lowering tax rates for taxpayers, giving out $1.5 million in grants to community organizations, receiving a Golden Watchdog Award, and being named the Best Healthcare District in California in 2023.
Hall noted that people who can’t attend in person may participate via Zoom, and noted that the board did launch a pilot program holding meetings at 5 p.m. for six months last year, but that attendance did not increase. She suggested that attendance at meetings is low because the community trusts board members to make wise decisions.
Director Randy Lenac, participating remotely, noted that the head of LAFCO has said the Grossmont Healthcare District is the “gold standard of healthcare districts” and that Sharp Grossmont is a “great hospital.” He voiced support for keeping meetings at 9 a.m. and said the meeting time has been “settled for a long time,” drawing groans from the crowd.
Farjood pointed out that the issue at hand was not whether or not the district has done good work. She then pressed her colleagues over their responses to a survey sent to board members about their availability for meetings at other times. Though all other members had written down a preference to keep meetings at 9 a.m., she noted, “None of the members identified any conflict with 6 p.m..” She said she has seen board members at other evening meetings, including a recent holiday party.
Lenac insisted that “9 a.m. is the best time to assure principal participants can attend,” and insisted that his availability for other times is “irrelevant,” drawing laughter from the audience. He noted, however, that when meetings used to be at 7:30 a.m. he sometimes had to drive through snow from his rural residence, but added, “I never missed a meeting.”
Farjood asked who Lenac considered principal participants, prompting the attorney to try and stop her questioning. This drew shouts from the audience, such as ”No one elected him!” and “Stop speaking down to us!”
Assured she could continue, Farjood stated, “My view is that the public are principals.”
Lenac then clarified that he was referring to members of the hospital who regularly address the board on matters such as healthcare quality, finances, facilities, and future projects.
Farjood said the board is the oversight body for the hospital. “To say we would put the interests of the hospital above the public you’ve heard from today is backwards,” she added. She asked Lenac how he knew that hospital principals couldn’t attend a 6 p.m. meeting, and he admitted, “Well, I don’t know, but I know that 9 a.m. works.”
As for the 5 p.m. pilot program, Farjood called it a “sham” and noted that many people get off work at 5 p.m. and are commuting home at that hour. She also objected to what she views as inadequate outreach by the district, noting that most constituents she met walking precincts said they “never heard of it.”
Farjood clarified that she is not asking the board to change its days, which alternate between Tuesday and Thursday, but only to shift times to 6 p.m. or later.
Hall objected, saying that people are tired at the end of the day, and that traffic can be bad at 6 p.m.
Farjood suggested that better outreach could boost meeting attendance. When Hall asked why so many people showed up at 
this meeting, when meetings are usually sparsely attended, Farjood replied, “Because I let them know about this,” drawing cheers from the audience.
Board Chair Gloria Chadwick (photo), a retired nurse and long-time advocate for seniors, noted that some seniors are vision-challenged, particularly with night driving. Pressed on her own availability for evening sessions, Chadwick said, “I will do whatever our board decides.”
Direcftor Ayres (photo,left) said “it’s possible” he could attend evening meetings, but noted that he has an outside full-time job that often requires evening work, including talking with clients in other countries. “Last night I didn’t finish until almost 9 p.m.,” he noted.
As for Farjood’s conflict with attending daytime meetings, Ayres noted that directors are also expected to attend training sessions, committee members, legislative days, grantees’ events and community events, which are often during daytime hours.
Farjood asked why the board needs two meetings a month. She then made a motion asking the board to change to one meeting per month, on the third Thursday at 6 p.m. No member seconded the motion, which died without a vote.
“Today is a dark day for the Grossmont Healthcare District,” concluded Farjood (photo, left), who added that increasing public access was a key part of her campaign. “No amount of years serving on this board can erase the message sent today—that working people cannot serve on this board.”
But she added defiantly, “I am not going anywhere,” suggesting she may seek accommodation from her employer or, as an attorney, perhaps pursue a legal remedy. “I will be advocating for this at every meeting,” she pledged, thanking all who showed up in support.
Photo: County Supervisor Jim Desmond delivering his State of North County speech in June. (File photo courtesy of Desmond’s office)
January 16, 2025 (San Diego) - San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond announced that he will run for Congress.
The District 5 Republican said on Thursday that he hopes to “restore common-sense leadership” and is a candidate who prioritizes real-world solutions.
“It’s becoming unbearable to live in California,” Desmond said in a press release.
“The cost of living is driving working families and seniors out of this state.”
The 49th Congressional District straddles San Diego and Orange Counties, including the communities of Oceanside, Vista, Encinitas, Carlsbad, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, and others.
The district is currently represented by Democratic Party Congressman Mike Levin, who easily defeated his Republican opponent in both San Diego and Orange counties in the 2024 general election.
More information about Jim Desmond and his congressional run, including his list of priorities, can be found here.