State Senator Brian Jones (R-Santee) sent a letter on May 18 to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in support of Supervisors Jim Desmond and Kristin Gaspar’s plan to begin reopening San Diego County and their proactive approach to help businesses and the communities survive.

The following is the letter he sent out:

Dear Chairman (Greg) Cox,

As a longtime San Diego County resident, a small business owner, and a State Senator representing over one million east and north county San Diegans, I strongly urge the Board’s adoption of the proposal by Supervisors Jim Desmond and Kristin Gaspar to accelerate the reopening of San Diego County.

As you know, our state’s economy has been under a government-mandated shutdown for over eight weeks. During that time, millions of Californians have become unemployed and tens of thousands of businesses have been shuttered.

Our freedom of assembly, our right to engage in commerce, and our liberty to enjoy the great outdoors have been infringed upon by the Governor.

Californians were told the shutdown would only be temporary, just until we “flattened the curve” of COVID-19 cases so as not to “overwhelm our emergency rooms and health facilities.” As we all now know, the curve has been flattened and there has been no overwhelming of emergency rooms or health facilities. In fact, the situation has been the opposite at many health facilities, with health care professionals being laid off.

The last eight weeks have taken a devastating toll on small businesses, their workers and families throughout the region.

I know I don’t need to relay to you the staggering numbers of San Diegans who have seen their economic well-being turned upside down by this prolonged government-ordered shutdown.

In addition, other problems we are now experiencing from the prolonged shutdown include increased reports about the isolation of seniors, long term mental health effects on children and teenagers, and many Californians putting off important health checkups, exams and procedures.

Our battle for control of our own lives is not yet over but at least it’s a start.

I urge the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to support Supervisors Desmond and Gaspar’s proactive approach and help our businesses and communities survive. We can re-open now and we can do so safely.

It is time to get back to work, to stop being afraid and start living life as it was meant to be lived.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Brian W. Jones

Senator, District 38

Jones is Chair of the Senate Republican Caucus and was elected to the California State Senate in 2018 representing the 38th Senate District which includes Alpine, Escondido, Lemon Grove, El Cajon, La Mesa, Santee, Poway, San Marcos, Lakeside, Valley Center, Rancho Santa Fe, Julian, Ramona, Rancho San Diego, Bonsall, Fallbrook, Borrego Springs, and parts of the City of San Diego.