Here are five things that caught my attention!
State of the County: This coming Tuesday (March 29th) at 6:10p, I’ll be delivering my second State of the County address. I’ll be talking about the progress we’ve made and the work we’ll do this year on homelessness, housing, economic growth, mental health, and more. You can watch the address live in its entirety on CW San Diego, in Spanish on Azteca (channel 33), on the County’s Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and Univision will carry the speech (in Spanish) on their Facebook page. For all the ways to watch, follow this link. Tune in and use the hashtag #SOSDC2022 to be part of the conversation. See you then!
Book you must read: The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt is a book you have to read. It will change how you think about people, issues, and our society. If you are like me, you suffer from the “rationalist delusion”, but a better understanding of how most people make decisions, join movements, and process priorities will transform how you look at the world. Out of all the books I have recommended recently, this one is without a doubt at the top of the list.
Series you should watch: Dopesick on Hulu tells the story of greed, corruption and countless lives lost to the opioid crisis. It is the tobacco industry, but feels worse. I have previously recommended a few books on this topic, but just watch the show. It will leave you angry, shocked, and motivated. Then tune in to the State of the County – I’ll be talking about this problem.
Middle Class: As inflation continues to squeeze working families and those on fixed incomes, even death exacerbates economic inequality. While the rich pass their wealth onto their heirs tax-free through various loopholes, the working poor are saddled with end-of-life expenses and thousands of dollars in debts that leave surviving family members further back economically. After a death, working families have to raise money from friends, work extra shifts, and sell their belongings to come up with enough money to afford a basic cremation. I highly recommend this powerful and tragic profile on how one family dealt with death and what it means for our middle class.
Refugees: There is a lot of talk of Ukrainian refugees this week. It is good our nation is accepting them and I made clear San Diego will step up as always to help. I do wish the same widespread support for these refugees extended to those from other countries, but that is a topic for another day. But check out this Washington Post profile on an Afghan refugee who went from being the Finance Minister of the entire country to an uber driver.