Other items in today’s column include:
*Jewish community coronavirus news
*Jewish calendar
*Political bytes
*San Diego County Judaica
SAN DIEGO — City Councilwoman Barbara Bry, whose runoff status for mayor against Assemblyman Todd Gloria has now been confirmed by the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, said on Friday that the coronavirus pandemic likely will have both short-term and long-term impacts on the City of San Diego
In the short term, said Bry, who serves as chair of the City Council’s budget committee, the city probably will suffer in the fiscal year ending June 30 a decline in sales and hotel taxes amounting to $100 million in revenue, or a little more than 7 percent of its $1.4 billion budget. Those losses may also carry into the next fiscal year, Bry said.
She was not ready to say what cuts in services might be required as a result, but emphasized that she considers public safety (police, fire, and lifeguards) to be the city’s core responsibility, along with “dealing with the homeless; water; trash collection; libraries and recreation centers.”
The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the need to examine other questions in the longer term, the mayoral candidate told me. While some jobs will continue to be performed at regular work sites, she said, “more people could be working remotely. This has implications for what kind of technology tools do they need, and it also may alleviate our need for more office space.”
Concerning hi-tech tools, she commented that “everybody needs to have internet access at their homes. This is essential for everyone in our city — a family with school-age children; an older person, people who are going to work remotely, people who need it for tele-medicine, people who want to shop. I think our role (the city’s) is how we are going to get the providers — the telecom carriers–to provide it.”
Thinking through the answer to that question, she said, “The city can offer subsidized services to families that qualify under certain guidelines and my goal is to expand that.”
Moreover, she said “The carriers all want to install their 5G carriers; that gives us leverage with them.”
“I think the city is going to need better digital tool for government to interact with residents so they can participate in meetings without being physically present,” she said. “The La Jolla Planning Group met last night (Thursday) on Zoom, and I attended from the same place I am sitting right now, in my home office.”
Concerning office space, she said, “As I look down the road , we will have too many office buildings if more people will work remotely. We should be thinking about turning office buildings into housing” and “turning parking garages into housing.”
“I’m not thinking just about net year, or the next two years; I’m thinking long term,” she said.
In the meantime, a shorter term question is whether the city should terminate its lease on the former Sempra Energy Building at 101 Ash Street, on which it has been paying rent but has been unable to move into because of an asbestos problem. Bry said she has asked if the city can terminate its lease, but so far has not received an answer.
The mayoral candidate said she also believed San Diegans need access to child care 24 hours a day, and “I think the city has a role to play in making that happen.”
While attention focused on Bry finally being declared the official second place finisher over City Council colleague Scott Sherman by 1,189 votes, Bry’s mayoral opponent Todd Gloria sent out an email in which he said, “We beat the 2nd place finisher by more than 66,000 votes. The final tally is 41.48 percent to 22.91 percent.” Furthermore, Gloria said, “we won more than 85 percent of the precincts” and “we won 40 out of 43 communities. We were strong all over the city, from north to south.”
Asked how she could overcome such voting patterns, she responded “More than 50 percent of the electorate didn’t vote for him. And the electorate expands tremendously in November.”
The County Registrar of Voters totals showed Gloria receiving 147,654 votes; Bry 81,541; Sherman 80,352, Tasha Williamson 25,629, and three other candidates receiving smaller numbers. If Bry is elected in November, San Diego would become the largest city in the United States with a Jewish mayor.
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Jewish community coronavirus news
*We take notice of this news release urging nuclear family-only Passover seders. “With the Jewish holiday of Passover approaching, The Secure Community Network (SCN) issued a “Do Not Gather” bulletin in response to the recent coronavirus outbreak. The notice urges Jewish families to abide by social distancing advice from health experts and government officials. This means that only immediate families who have already been in close contact should gather to celebrate Passover, instead of the larger more traditional gatherings with extended family and/or guests present. According to SCN ‘…we should not gather as extended families next week, particularly to protect the elderly and our higher-risk community members. Just because you are healthy, does not mean you cannot pass COVID-19 to someone else.’ As the official security arm of The Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, SCN works to prepare the Jewish community for all hazards and threats. It is an extraordinary measure to advise communities to not celebrate Passover with family and friends, but safety and security is SCN`s number one priority. This unprecedented step will help stop the spread of the virus and save lives. The notice reassures the Jewish community that social distancing is mere physical distancing. It does not mean breaking contact with your friends and family during this time. SCN advises the use of Facetime or Zoom for seders ‘so your extended family can share the evening with you.’ These measures will protect communities and families from contracting and spreading the virus. ‘This is a wrenching bulletin to issue,’ said Michael Masters, the National Director of SCN. ‘Our tradition calls for gathering to celebrate Passover. But this year, Passover is different from all other years. To protect our community, especially for vulnerable and older members, we must follow the guidelines and stay home. May we gather next year in larger numbers.’
*Are you wondering whether you have the coronavirus, or perhaps a flu, cold, or maybe just allergies? Jenny Abelowitz Josephson passed along the chart below to help you self-diagnose.
*Seacrest Village Retirement Community, which is run under Jewish community auspices, held its first Zoom meetings on Thursday for residents, families, and employees. It covered procedures to be followed during the coronavirus pandemic. There are no known cases of coronavirus at Seacrest Village, according to Pam Ferris, the executive director, but if any should develop, procedures have been put in place with the Health Department. Subsequently put up on Seacrest Village’s YouTube channel, you can watch that video at the top of this page.
*Today being the first day San Diegans were advised to wear masks whenever they went out, Sandi Masori , as a gag, garbed her dog Buddy en route the veterinarian for a toenail clipping. No doubt the photo will be a great memento of this historic period in years to come.
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Jewish calendar
Our thanks to Eddie Rosenberg of Young Israel of San Diego who compiled the chart below showing the busy season of holidays coming up, as well as the days for the counting of the omer.
*Over the Internet, Rabbi Joshua Dorsch of Tifereth Israel Synagogue read Dinosaur on Shabbat by Diane Levin Rauchwerger (illustrated by Jason Wolff) for his son Nadav and other young viewers on Friday, April 3.
*Cantor Cheri Weiss of the San Diego Outreach Synagogue will conduct a free second night community seder at 6 p.m., Thursday, April 9. To register, contact her via this email.
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Political bytes
*San Diego City Council President Georgette Gomez, a candidate for Congress in the 53rd District, is circulating a petition calling on Congress “to ensure nurses have the essential protective equipment theey so desperately need to reduce their exposure to COVID-19.” She adds: “there are more than 30,000 registered nurses in San Diego, which means there’s a good chance you know someone — a friend, neighbor, family members — who is still working and saving lives during this crisis.”
*Chula Vista City Councilman Steve Padilla, who chairs the state Coastal Commission, messaged: “I’m off the ventilator, out of the ICU, and will be home soon. After an intense 3-week battle with coronavirus, the relief and gratitude I’m feeling right now are overwhelming. I’m so grateful to the doctors, nurses and staff at UCSD Medical Center who saved my life, and who are working tirelessly every day to save more. America’s healthcare professionals are true heroes showing undaunted courage on the frontlines of this fight. Take it from me: the threat of coronavirus is as serious as it is real. We all need to stay home, and follow County Public Health guidelines to stop the spread and save lives that are at risk.”
*Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, chair of the San Diego County Democratic party, had similar good news about himself to report: “About two weeks ago, after experiencing severe symptoms, I was admitted to the VA Medical Center and tested positive for COVID-19. I experienced high fevers, chills, sweats, excruciating body aches, chest pains, and terrifying periods where I struggled to breathe. It is no exaggeration to say that I was fighting for my life. Thanks to the excellent care I received at the hospital, my condition stabilized, and last week I was discharged to self-quarantine. While I still experience fatigue and some other issues, I’m profoundly grateful to report that I’m on track to recovery.”
*The Jewish Democratic Council of America created a bingo card of political activism. With a few word changes, it could work for any political party or candidate.
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San Diego County Judaica
In the montage above, Carla and Jeremy Berg pair a photo of themselves about to board a private plane with words from the biblical Song of Songs, “Ani l’dodi v’ dodi li” meaning “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” At left, semi-retired pharmacist Ben Dishman holds a ceramic of three rabbis which “was inherited from my parents. it was designed in 1970 by Kaplan R. Wright and is in a series of 500.” At right, public relations consultant David Ogul, the current president of Tifereth Israel Synagogue, displays a siddur that was presented to him by his Torah school teacher at Knesset Israel Synagogue in Hollywood nearly a half century ago. “Mr Sherman was such a sweet man, and this gift is a daily reminder of his kindness and dedication to Judaism,” Ogul writes.
Mazal tov! Mazal tov!
Irv & Jacqueline Jacobs celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary on Friday, April 3. No chance, of course, to go out for a big celebratory dinner.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com