Friend,
Here are five things that caught my attention!
Joe Biden in San Diego: It was a great honor to join President Joe Biden while he was in San Diego! If you have never talked to President Biden in person, he is one of the most engaging and caring people you can meet! And he made my day by presenting me with his official Presidential military challenge coin!
Fighting the Opioid Epidemic: Our Board recently passed a comprehensive plan to invest the $100 million dollars our County expects to receive in the coming years from opioid-related lawsuits. The Opioid Framework will serve as a blueprint for how best to use the settlement money to provide:
➡️More access to Medically Assisted Treatment
➡️“Wellness Advocates” in hospitals
➡️Wrap-around services & housing
➡️Drug disposal strategies
➡️Harm reduction programs
The urgency of this epidemic requires us to act early and forcefully. If you didn’t get a chance to see it, please check out our Opioid special that aired on ABC10 -- it provides an in-depth look at the toll opioids have taken on San Diego’s families and why we need to address it head-on.
#LoveWhereYouWorked: The rollercoaster ride saga of Elon Musk’s $44 billion purchase of Twitter continues with the immediate layoff of thousands of the platform’s employees. The company's "love where you work" motto has been replaced by a new hashtag #LoveWhereYouWorked -- where former Twitter employees bid a fond farewell to the social media platform that will never be the same. Their stories are powerful and tragic–strong irony in them using this platform so effectively.
Disinformation: It’s horrifying to see elected public servants and their families being targeted and having their lives endangered for doing the jobs they were elected to do -- my family and I unfortunately know a little something about what this is like. But the lies and conspiracy theories surrounding the aftermath of these incidents might be the more disheartening, insidious part. The new owner of Twitter and some of the highest profile figures in today’s Republican Party have been actively spreading a discredited and debunked version of the attack on Speaker Pelosi’s husband. As a people, we, unfortunately, have to be more vigilant and do a better job recognizing disinformation.
The Greatest Gift: This week, I joined our county’s annual celebration of National Adoption Month. It was such a touching event meeting families who had just completed their adoption–providing children with their forever home. I am reminded daily of how wonderful adoption truly is:
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Have a great weekend!
Best,
Nathan
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