Chair Nathan Fletcher State of the County Address Thursday, February 18, 2021 -- 7:00PM “Resilient and Ready to Rise” Remarks as drafted OPENING Good evening. I come to you tonight from the County’s Emergency Medical Operations Center. 370 days ago, our county was one of the first in the nation to declare a public health state of emergency on COVID-19 -- activating this site and others to respond. From this modest warehouse our region’s massive mobilization was equipped. Masks, ventilators, testing supplies, PPE, and now vaccines. At its heart, thousands of dedicated workers responding to the ever changing, incredibly challenging pandemic of the past year. A year that has tested us and at times divided us. A year of tremendous sacrifice and tremendous loss. A year that has shown us the very best of each other and sadly some of the worst. But through it all--we never gave up. We are still battling COVID-19... but the tide is turning. The last year has shown our enduring strength and toughness. As I stand before you tonight, I have no doubt: The State of our County is resilient. And together, we are ready to rise. Ready to rebuild… Rebuild our economy, our children’s education. Ready to restore…Restore our faith and trust in one another. Ready to reunite...Reunite both from social distancing and deep divisions. Ready to recover, rebuild... and truly build anew. HUMAN FACE Tonight, I present to you progress in our fight against COVID-19. And plans to set our county government in a new direction. We don’t simply strive to get back to “normal”. We want better than that. Our commitment is comprehensive action to make life fundamentally better for all. COVID’s conflicts get the attention but our commitment to one another...That is what has what’s kept me going through the darkest moments. I see that in Cam Fomby, a Marine Corps veteran and restaurant owner, who didn't protest the public health orders…he prioritized them... because in his words, 'you can rebuild a business, you can't rebuild a life'. The perseverance of Eh-leesa Barnett with the San Diego LGBT Community Center--on the streets delivering groceries to homebound seniors. I see our resilience in Michelle Pin-goal, a nurse who has spent a year fighting to save lives from COVID-19. She wowed us with the national anthem, and represents a workforce that has wowed us for a year with their grace and commitment. I see indescribable strength every single day -- in my wife. She does her job, a difficult one. And then does everything else--kids on zoom, out to play, things at home in perfect order. She amazes me. But I know that she represents millions of women who always find a way to step up and get it all done. The commitment of world renowned scientists, Doctors Kristian Andersen, Natasha Martin, Chip Shoe-lee and many more, in global demand, but still making the time to advise a county supervisor on following the science. 2 And I see it in all of you--parents, mothers, neighbors, essential workers--each of you doing your part to protect each other. For over a year you didn’t give up your commitment and you didn't lose hope. And neither has your county government. COVID RESPONSE Our immediate priority continues to be controlling and defeating coronavirus. COVID cases are down. Vaccinations are up. Hospitalizations have stabilized. But we must continue to be resilient… wearing masks and avoiding high risk settings because of continued COVID spread and more contagious new strains. Now, the hope of a vaccine is present and we are rising to the task at hand. VACCINE All of your County Government is focused on distributing and administering the vaccine. Because the sooner everyone gets vaccinated, the sooner we get our lives back … get San Diegans back to work…and our kids back in the classroom. Our county has led the state of California. Not a leader, but the leader in vaccines administered. In January, we launched our state’s first vaccination super station at Petco Park. There are now 5 superstations and more than 15 community points of distribution--in the areas hardest hit by COVID. While lack of vaccines and problems in shipments have caused frustration, we are continuing to press ahead as best we can. All of San Diego’s skilled nursing and long term care facilities, who house the seniors most vulnerable to COVID -- they have all been vaccinated. Phone lines stand ready to assist seniors without computer access. If our seniors lack transportation we will take them. If they can’t leave their home we will go to them. 3 Mobile teams going to senior living centers, hard to reach rural areas and standing ready to vaccinate our farmworkers--in the fields. We’ve added community health workers to go into the hardest hit neighborhoods with dedicated appointments. Fighting for equitable vaccine access for San Diegans too often left behind. Together with our healthcare partners, San Diego County has administered more than 684,000 vaccinations. But it’s not enough… we have to do more. With even more effort and better outcomes on ensuring access to those communities most impacted. In the coming weeks, we’ll be launching new sites to vaccinate the next tier: Teachers, grocery workers and yes--law enforcement. And we stand ready to go March 15th to begin offering vaccinations to those with underlying health conditions and disabilities. COVID LOOK BACK While there is hope on the horizon with the vaccine, the harsh reality of this global pandemic is well known. Leading the County’s Public Health response has been a daily choice between bad options and worse options. Trying to do the least harm. And even when we’re making a positive difference saving lives, I know many San Diegans don’t feel a positive impact because of what had to be done. San Diego has a death rate lower than any surrounding county...half that of surrounding states, but our kids are still not in the classroom. We’ve performed over 3.3 million COVID tests at 37 public testing sites. Contact tracing, case investigations. Yet we couldn’t contain the most recent national surge. We’re delivering over $300 million dollars in economic aid to families, small businesses and nonprofits. Yet it didn’t stop the pain, it barely softened the blow. 4 Too many small businesses on the brink--too many working families pushed to the edge. A year of inaction from Washington, though we know hope and help is now on the way. The reality COVID has made clear is not just a global public health pandemic. We see clearly there is a pandemic of inequality we must stamp out. A pandemic of injustice we must overcome. A pandemic of intolerance we must unify against. And so tonight, let us resolve to continue our fight not only against the coronavirus, but against all the underlying conditions that have made this response so hard. From real action to tackle our climate crisis to substantive, not performative work on racial justice….from economic opportunity to education...from clean air and water to protecting our immigrant population...from mental health care to housing and homelessness…. Action to make County Government truly work for every San Diegan. And to our county workers...the backbone of our county government. I value you. I appreciate you. And I will always be here to support you. FRAMEWORK FOR THE FUTURE--SET STAGE Now, spring is coming, hope is on the horizon, and we must look towards the future and the incredible opportunities ahead. My first action this year as Chair of the Board of Supervisors was setting in motion a new progressive agenda for a new era in County Government. We will always honor our commitment to the unincorporated communities. And even with crime at historic lows, we can not lose our focus on public safety. But we have an opportunity to do more. 5 Making justice, fairness and opportunity a core principle guiding our actions. RACIAL JUSTICE The legacies of the original sin at the founding of our country are still present today. In all parts of our society--land use, environmental and economic policy, criminal justice. A Black baby born in South Eastern San Diego will live, on average, 10 years less, than a white baby born in La Jolla A Latino child in Barrio Logan is 7 times more likely to have asthma than a white child in Solana Beach. The average life expectancy of a Trans Woman of Color is just 35 years old. A perpetual wage gap that sees workers of color and women paid less for the same work than white men... Our community can’t rise to its full potential, if so many San Diegans are prevented from ever rising at all. That’s why we brought back the Human Relations Commission to empower the community and strengthened the Citizen’s Law Enforcement Review Board to provide more oversight. We declared racism a public health crisis to break down barriers keeping communities of color from accessing the healthcare they need. This past year we also established the County’s new Office of Equity and Racial Justice with a mission as profound as it is broad…To incorporate equity and racial justice into all our policies, all of our programs, changing our culture. We must add to this office the requirement for an annual racial equity report-- to assess our impacts and progress based on data.