By TR Robertson
The Shadowridge Golf Club main dining room was filled with local business leaders and guests on Thursday evening mixing and mingling with local elected officials then enjoying dinner as they heard presentations from each of the elected representatives. The Meet the Leaders event is put on by the Vista Chamber of Commerce and Tri-City Medical Center and sponsored by SDGE, EDCO and Scripps. A no-host cocktail reception began around 5:15 p.m. where those attending had the chance to network with a variety of members of the business community and the elected officials and their staff members. Dr. Gene Ma, Interim President and CEO of Tri-City Medical Center said, “This event is important as it gives everyone a chance to come together and meet people from a variety of fields.” Asking Congressman Mike Levin about the importance of evenings like this he said, “The Vista Chamber does a wonderful job in setting up this event and it is a fun time for everyone with a chance to meet other business leaders.” District 5 County Supervisor Jim Desmond responded, “This is a great opportunity for elected officials to be in touch with business leaders and to hear thoughts and ideas from them as well as enjoying a good dinner.”
Dave Baldwin of LS Investment Management and Chair of the Vista Chamber of Commerce began the evening, once everyone was seated, by welcoming those in attendance and introducing Rachel Beld. Rachel Beld, Vista Chamber CEO, also welcomed the guests stating the importance of the evening and introduced the Vista High School Jr. ROTC color guard and with the audience taking part in the Pledge of Allegiance.
The first speaker for the evening was introduced by SDGE Public Affairs Officer Joe Gabaldon who introduced Mike Levin, Congressman from the 49th District. Congressman Levin was elected in 2018 and is a member of a number of committees in Congress. The Congressman began by stating he has helped introduce 85 pieces of legislation in Congress and is proud to have worked with members of both parties on many of the bills. He stated he usually spends 130 days a year in Washington, D.C. and it is an honor to serve. The Congressman said he especially likes to work on legislation dealing with Veterans Affairs and Clean Energy. Veterans issues and assisting veterans, he feels, is one thing all in Congress agree on. Many of the bills introduced concern the home loan market for veterans, their life insurance program, and veterans starting businesses and obtaining scholarships. The Congressman said working on reforms in the Veterans Administration bureaucracy. Also key issues he is working on are Veterans homeless issues, Federal funding and affordable housing. As far as the environmental challenges he is concerned with, the Tijuana River Valley pollution and its effect on beaches as far north as Carlsbad are high on the list. He feels Mexico needs to do their part in cleaning up and financing what is needed. The clean-up of the San Onofre Nuclear Waste is also high on his list of needed projects. An agreement on what storage site is to be used and movement of the spent nuclear fuel is also a major concern. Locally, the rail corridor, the 2nd busiest in the United States, has a significant issue dealing with the bluffs and possible relocation of some of the rail lines. There is a possibility billions will be needed to assure the safety of the rail lines. The Congressman finished by emphasizing that no more offshore drilling for oil needs to be implemented. The safety of the beaches, businesses in the beach areas and the environmental impact are key reasons to stop the offshore drilling projects. Congressman Levin wanted everyone to know, “We’ve got your back” when it comes to the major issues the district deals with. He said he and his team welcomes suggestions and comments and they want ideas relating to community projects, veteran’s issues, and other concerns. Over $1.3 in federal grants have been awarded in District 49.
Rachel Beld introduced the next speaker, California State Senator Catherine Blakespear from the 38th District. The State Senator is a former Mayor and City Council Member of Encinitas and a former Chairperson of SANDAG. She thanked many of those in the audience that recently took part in the Vista Community clean-up she sponsored. The State Senator said dealing with the crumbling bluffs, rising sea level and the rail corridor is an urgent issue. She mentioned the Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose recently witnessed the dire situation much of the rail corridor is in, also recently traveling the corridor with Congressman Levin. The State Senator referred to the homeless issue, saying she feels the veterans homelessness is on the decline, but the Senior homeless rates are climbing. As a result, she feels the affordable housing problem is a significant issue for the district. She also mentioned the continued rise in drug and alcohol addiction and mental health issues with the homeless. She said the county does not have land use authority and there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on how to approach and stop the growing homeless problem. The State Senator also mentioned other concerns she would like to deal with in Sacramento, rising gun violence, climate change, and environmental issues. State Senator Blakespear finished by saying, “The business community is the backbone of our community.”
The next speaker Rachel Beld introduced was District 74 California State Assemblymember Laurie Davies. Assemblymember Davies is a former mayor and in her first term co-authored over 400 bills working with other party members on most of them. She discussed what she looks at when considering what bills to co-author or support. The Assemblymember considers the importance of the bill and what would be needed to make the bill viable. She feels there has to be a common sense development for communities when housing is being built. Schools, transportation, roads, public safety, funding also must be considered as well as the type of housing. Dealing with public safety the Assemblymember is very concerned with the rise in fentanyl deaths and distribution. She said Narcan needs to be available in more places as well as the coasters that can easily test for “date rape” drugs. She mentioned a better control at the border is needed where fentanyl illegally passes through. The Assemblymember mentioned accountability for the money being spent trying to deal with all these issues. She said she is the Vice Chair for the Military Veterans Committee, is working with a bill to rate beaches due to erosion and working on bills to try and remove illegal guns from the streets. Like the other speakers, the Assemblymember introduced members of her staff and said her new office in North County welcomes any questions they can help with.
Before introducing the next speaker, Vista Chamber CEO Rachel Beld gave a pitch for the Chambers Internship program and encouraged any business that wants to take part in the program to contact the Chamber.
The next speaker was County Supervisor of District 5, Jim Desmond. Supervisor Desmond has been the North County Supervisor since 2018 and he is the former Mayor of San Marcos. He began his presentation with a comment that received a laugh and reaction from the crowd, “How about Highway 78 and the road tax dollars?”, referring to the recent closures of first the west bound then the east bound lanes of Highway 78 between Emerald and El Camino Real turnoffs. These closures are due to aging piping and road issues and have caused a major headache for drivers getting to and from work using this busy highway. He said he will continue to fight for HOV lanes on Highway 78. He briefly mentioned they will be dealing with replacing one of the Supervisors on May 15 and hoping they can appoint a replacement rather than hold a special election that would cost $4 million to run. The Supervisor said he will continue to fight for not allowing sexually violent predator placement in our neighborhoods and he feels these people have “Lost their rights.” He said the homeless issue is still a major problem with no significant progress being made. The Supervisor said “housing first is not the only tool in the toolbox” in dealing with this issue. Solutions for Change was given as an example of a program that works in dealing with homelessness. Mental health services need to be used to get people the help they need in first dealing with getting off the streets. Supervisor Desmond mentioned the Psychiatric Care Center being built at Tri-City Medical Center as one step needed and the Vista Crisis Stabilization Unit as another example of the type of programs that need to be utilized. He also mentioned One Safe Place in San Marcos as another example of programs that work. The Supervisor introduced Kristal Jabara, staff member, and said they welcome comments and questions, and he will continue to try and get the resources North County needs. He also said businesses should contact his office about grants that are available.
The final speaker for the evening was introduced by Rachel Beld, Vista Mayor John Franklin. Mayor Franklin moved to Vista in 2009, was elected as a Council member in 2014 and Mayor in 2022. He began by saying Vista has a $2 million budget surplus. He began by speaking about the homeless issues in Vista, saying we have 12 Homeless Outreach Team members that are constantly monitoring and speaking with homeless individuals, trying to get them off of the streets and into facilities. Mayor Franklin said 94% of the time the homeless individuals they speak with refuse the services they are offered. He said mental health issues are the key problem in dealing with the homeless. The Mayor said he supports affordable and middle housing projects, but that is not always the answer to dealing with this issue. He also mentioned fentanyl as a serious issue among the homeless. California is home to 30% of the homeless in the United States. One success story in Vista is the new park on Civic Center Drive, across from Mama’s and Papa’s Restaurant, that was once the home of 3 homes used in the drug trade, now torn down. Other issues are the need for the addition of new firefighters and ambulances to help with our growing population. We also have the busiest sheriffs station in the County. He said repeat offenders the sheriff’s department has to deal with are a major problem, especially since the decriminalization of laws like reducing shoplifting of less than $950, which has actually driven some businesses out due to loss of revenue. He gave the former Vons in the large shopping center off of Civic Center as an example. Mayor Franklin said sometime bringing these shoplifters before a judge with a choice of jail or treatment is needed to curb some of these crimes. He gave the example of one gentleman in Vista that is constantly arrested and released and continues to commit crimes as he lives on the streets. Mayor Franklin also encourages people and business to contact him and his staff when they need assistance.
