News and notes from Supervisor Dianne Jacob

I recently started my 28th and final year on the Board of Super­visors. But I’m not about to slow down.

Last year, the board tackled a wide range of challenges with a new urgency and fresh ideas. I expect that to continue.

We have a big job ahead of us on many fronts, but here are some issues where we made se­rious headway in 2019:

Affordable housing. The board doubled the size of the county’s housing trust fund, from $25 million to $50 million. The fund has leveraged the con­struction of nearly 500 homes, with an additional 1,500 expect­ed. We also began offering free floor plans and waiving fees to encourage the construction of granny flats and other accesso­ry homes in the unincorporated area. Those measures cut an es­timated $30,000 off the cost of each unit.

Behavioral health. We initi­ated several improvements to help those dealing with mental health and substance abuse is­sues, including the creation of 24/7 crisis stabilization centers. If we can successfully manage those with mental illness and addiction issues, and provide af­fordable housing, this will also help ease our homeless crisis.

Energy. We voted to launch a community choice energy program in our unincorporated area to offer ratepayers an alter­native to SDG&E. It is expected to save 179,000 residential and business ratepayers about $12 million a year.

Wildfire protection. We con­tinued to beef up fire protection and emergency services in high-risk areas. The county and Cal Fire built more fire breaks and doubled the number of home safety inspections. The county is developing a grant program to help residents make their homes more fire-safe.

We also made significant strides in expanding our open space, securing money for road improvements and improving senior care in homes and hospi­tals.

It is an honor to serve the great folks of District 2. I will continue to give this job all I’ve got.

For more District 2 news, go to www.diannejacob.com or follow me on Facebook and Twitter. If I can assist with a county issue, please call my office at 619-531-5522 or email dianne.jacob@sd­county.ca.gov.