Other items in today’s column include:
*Faulconer joins Gavin Newsom Recall Effort
*Active Political Calendar Jan. 3-Jan 6
[Names in Boldface type are of known members of the Jewish community]
SAN DIEGO — Pam Ferris, president and CEO of Seacrest Village Retirement Communities in suburban Encinitas, says the day that CVS Health administered the first round of Pfizer vaccine shots to staff and residents was also a day of music, deli sandwiches, lollipops and celebratory stickers given to those who were vaccinated.
The CVS team visited the senior residence which is administered under auspices of the Jewish community on December 30, 2020, and will return on January 20, 2021 to administer the second vaccination shot to a total of 270 employees and nursing home residents who were included in the first round.
Ferris, who was among staff members receiving the vaccination, reported that ‘no one had any serious adverse effects where an epi-pen was required. For me personally, I only had a sore arm.” By Saturday, Jen. 2, she said, the soreness was gone.
“It was a very historic time for Seacrest, despite it being a long and arduous day,” Ferris commented. “we provided music to lighten the mood, as well as sandwiches from Milton’s for our dedicated heroes. Many staff were working (that day) and many more came in on their day off. Our last staff person received the vaccine close to 7 p.m. We had stickers and lollipops to hand out to each resident after they received their vaccine.”
One surprise for Ferris was learning that the vaccine will not be administered to anyone who in the preceding two weeks has had either a tuberculosis test or a shingles vaccine. “I think our community should be aware of that, and the general public should be encouraged to check with their primary care physician if they have questions about whether getting the vaccine is advised for them.
“We encouraged all our staff to get it and I’m proud to say the majority of them did,” Ferris reported. “Others will plan to get it when they return to Seacrest or another upcoming date. We also had all but one nursing home resident agree to take it, although the information regarding the recent TB test or shingles vaccine meant four others couldn’t get it that day either, but they will get it when they return.”
Still pending, Ferris said, are vaccinations for residents in the Assisted Living and Katzin wings. “And lastly, we don’t know when or if they will return to vaccinate our Independent Living residents. We certainly hope they will return and set up another clinic for them.”
Kevin Faulconer Joins Effort to Recall Gov. Gavin Newsom
* Perhaps presaging his own run for governor, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a Republican, has announced his support for the recall effort against California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. On his Facebook page, Faulconer wrote: “It’s a new year. We need a new governor. I’m signing the petition to recall Gavin Newsom. Jobs are leaving, homelessness is skyrocketing, and the state can’t even do the basics like issue unemployment checks to people who at this very moment are struggling to get by. We know that California is better than this, and we have the power to make a change. Every Californian fed up with the governor’s hypocrisy and failures should sign the recall petition. Either through a recall or a regular election, it’s time to start holding the governor accountable.”
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An Active Political Calendar Jan 3-6
*Elections and ceremonials will dominate the rest of this first week in January.
–Tomorrow (Sunday) the new Congress will be sworn in at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Among those taking the oath to defend the Constitution will be Sara Jacobs (D-California), who replaces the now retired ten-term Congresswoman Susan Davis.
— On Monday, Jan, 4, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will swear in its three new members, among them Terra Lawson-Remer, a Democrat who defeated the previous Republican incumbent, Kristin Gaspar.
–On Tuesday, January 5, the Board of Supervisors will pick its new chairman and decide committee assignments for Lawson-Remer and the other four members of the board.
The nation’s attention, meanwhile, will be on Georgia, where two simultaneous runoff elections will determine whether Republicans or Democrats control the U.S. Senate. Currently, Republicans have a 52-48 edge, but two Republican incumbents from Georgia, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, are facing runoff challenges respectively from Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.
If Democrats can win both seats, it would result in a 50-50 tie between the two parties, with the right to cast tie-breaker votes going to the Vice President of the United States, who on January 20th, barring any surprises, will be Democrat Kamala Harris. In such an event, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York would be the leading contender to be the Majority Leader who controls the Senate’s agenda. On the other hand, if either Loeffler or Perdue or both should retain their seats, then the Senate would continue under the control of Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
— On Wednesday, January 6, Congress will go through what previously had been simply a ceremonial reporting and certifying state-by-state of the Electoral College votes by the outgoing vice president, who is Mike Pence. This year, however, some Republicans in both the Senate and the House of Representatives say they will challenge the authenticity of some states’ election results, notwithstanding rulings by courts throughout the nation that challenges by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump to the election results were without legal merit.
–And, of course, Joe Biden and Harris are scheduled to be inaugurated respectively as President and Vice President of the United States on Wednesday, January 20.
*
Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com