Greetings fellow La Mesa Democrats, friends and family: We hope you’re healthy, doing well in these troubling times, and have plenty of toilet paper. (But don’t hoard. Save some squares for the rest of us.)
April 1 meeting cancelled: It’ll come as no surprise to you that we’ve canceled the regular general monthly meeting, which had been scheduled for April 1. We’re looking forward to seeing you again when the crisis abates.
Looking ahead: Democracy continues in the face of the pandemic. Our March 4 general meeting was great — we were joined by San Diego County Democratic Party chair Will Rodriguez-Kennedy and former chairs Jessica Hayes and Jess Durfee, to break down the outcome of the California primary, which was the day before the meeting.
The host was Matt Strabone, local attorney and pundit and friend of the club. Matt’s doughty producer recorded the audio of the meeting, and you can listen to it on Matt’s podcast, Show in Progress With Matt Strabone. Good listening during this time of social distancing!
Was that meeting only two weeks ago? Amazing! Another era.
Good thing Matt and his producer got that recording, too — our own efforts to stream video of the event failed completely. We were not even able to get a video recording for posting later, which we have been doing recently on our YouTube channel (which you should absolutely subscribe to if you have not already; we have three videos up of our past great meetings, with more to come!)
Coronavirus news you can use: We’ve begun using the club’s Internet channels to get out news and information for members and their friends and family. These include:
Facebook: @lamesafoothillsdemocraticclub
Less frequent updates to the website, particularly the blog (which you’re looking at now)
And of course our email newsletter this mailblast, which will be more frequent than it has been (possibly several times a week, but maybe less than that, and certainly no more than 1x/day — we’ll see what seems appropriate.)
The focus will be on local news and news and information you can use and might have missed.
And anyone is welcome to subscribe and follow us; you don’t need to be a Democrat.
Coronavirus Self-Quarantine Will Likely Exacerbate Elderly Isolation – KPBS: If you’re not elderly and isolated yourself, check in with your neighbors who might be, if you can. But maintain that social distance!
San Diego Food Banks Prioritize Meals For Seniors As Coronavirus Increases Demand – KPBS
These restaurants in East County are offering take-out and/or delivery – East County Magazine
Looking for a way to pass the time during social isolation? You can get an e-book from the San Diego Public Library, notes San Diego Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, Democrat.
Prefer your books in paper form? The San Diego County libraries offer curbside book pickup during the pandemic – Times of San Diego
Mr. Fletcher also collaborated to launch the San Diego COVID-19 Community Response fund, “administered by the San Diego Foundation … and seeded with $1 million from SDG&E…. Grant funding will focus on three critical areas: food security, rental and utility assistance, and income replacement or gap funding. One hundred percent of donations will go to organizations helping San Diegans impacted by the health crisis.”
The City of La Mesa is opening up a limited number of five-minute parking spaces in the downtown village area for restaurants offering take-out service.
Mr. Fletcher says San Diego County has procured 1,472 motel rooms for people who have tested positive for Covid-19 or are exhibiting symptoms but don’t have a safe place to stay, including homeless San Diegans, seniors or people who live in group settings.
California Coastal Commission Chairman Steve Padilla, who’s also a member of the Chula Vista City Council, has been diagnosed with Covid-19 – he says it’s like the worst flu he ever had. If you’re sick, your experience may not be the same as Mr. Padilla’s — some people report mild symptoms and 18% have no symptoms at all.
The La Mesa Police Department lobby may be closed, but the police are still hard at work. Police may wear gloves, masks and other protective equipment when appropriate.
Neighbors helping neighbors:
Acts of kindness in San Diego amid coronavirus – CBS8: San Diegans offering to run errands through social media site Nextdoor
San Diego Community Volunteers for Coronavirus Response: A Facebook group where you can volunteer or ask for help. From the group: 5 Major Resources
Another community volunteer group: We All We Got SD Twitter: @weallwegotsd
Sara Jacobs, Democratic US Congressional candidate in local CA-53, provides tips on what you can do. And three more
`Information resources:
California’s Covid-19 site. (Via Sen. Toni Atkins)
How to Clean and Disinfect Yourself, Your Home, and Your stuff
Take the census online. The deadline is coming up. The Census makes sure we get our share of federal services and representation.
And finally:
Officers from the La Mesa Police Department stopped by the long line of shoppers waiting to enter the La Mesa CostCo and brought Starbucks coffee.
Let’s roll: San Marcos Couple Hopes to Wipe Away Stress With Toilet Paper – Times of San Diego: Claire and Parsegh Oksayan of San Marcos, owners of The Rush Coffee, a coffee truck, scored 96 extra rolls of toilet paper through their connections in the hospitality industry.
The duo, along with their children, took to the streets of San Marcos on Tuesday evening and left a roll of toilet paper at each doorstep. The toilet paper was packaged inside a gift bag with a note attached stating, “Hello Neighbor. We just wanted to say that we are thinking about you and are here to help if you need anything.”
The note ends with the couple’s contact information and a Bible verse.
Thats it for today people. Stay healthy, be brave, and look out for each other.
La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club 