FUTURE STILL AN UNCERTAIN STRUGGLE
It is an honor to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. With unwavering commitment and courage, he shared his vision of a united country free of racism and violence. If we stay the course, stronger communities and a stronger nation will prevail.
In 1963, Dr. King said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” During 2020, the health and well-being of people, our communities and the United States of America became crystal clear. We witnessed the COVID-19 pandemic emerge, our economy shut down and systemic racism issues needlessly take the breath away from too many Black Americans. This forced many of us to have the uneasy conversations about the enormous negative impact of inequality and injustice on our country.
As the mayor of Lemon Grove, I can’t deny that we are living in extremely challenging times as we continue to struggle with the uncertainty of our future brought on by these complex issues. While the issues cannot be solved overnight, just like Dr. King, I have hope for progress and believe that if we stand united and strong, we can realize a better and brighter future for everyone.
Black Americans across the nation are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This stems from a long and rich history of mistrust and inequalities in health care.
In 1966, Dr. King said, “Of all forms of discrimination and inequalities, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman.” San Diego County data shows that 78.5 percent of all county residents are fully vaccinated, but according to Black Covid Facts San Diego, only 43 percent of the region’s Black residents are fully vaccinated.
During the height of the pandemic, the city of Lemon Grove worked in partnership with San Diego County Health and Human Services to provide a free local COVID-19 walk-up testing site in in Lemon Grove, and when vaccines became available, we immediately transitioned into a complete vaccination site. I am pleased to say that our vaccination rate is creditable, but we can do better. Getting vaccinated is one of the most important tools we have to keep our families healthy and safe, end the pandemic and reopen our economy.
In 1968, Dr. King said, “There is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we have the resources to get rid of it.” Prior to the pandemic, the city of Lemon Grove, which is one of the most diverse cities in the county of San Diego, was facing dire predictions of a budget shortfall of $1.8 million. The City Council made significant budget cuts, and monitored our finances quarterly.
When our businesses were required to shut down, we prioritized state and federal COVID-19 grants up to $10,000 per business to help small local businesses. Seventy-three small local businesses received a combined $650,000 in grants to help keep their doors open and help employees keep jobs. Many of those businesses are small and owned by Latino and Black owners.
Lemon Grove still delivers services at a lower per capita cost than any other city in the county. As the year progressed, our finances trended upward. We closed last year’s budget in the “positive,” and for the first time in many years, the city budget outlook beat our predictions.
Black Americans are more likely to be discriminated against, harassed, detained, arrested, shot and killed by police than White Americans. In 1963, Dr. King said, “Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.”
In recent years, technology has allowed people worldwide to watch Black Americans, in real time, breathe their last breaths while detained by law enforcement. In 2020, hundreds of thousands of people protested the murder of George Floyd worldwide and on a local level people protested the arrest of Amaurie Johnson in La Mesa two days later.
Floyd’s killer, a former Minnesota police officer, was convicted of murder in April. A former La Mesa officer was found not guilty of lying on a police report in December, the only charge he faced in connection with Johnson’s arrest.
In Lemon Grove, we emphasize diversity among the sheriff ’s deputies who work in the city. Our deputies actively seek opportunities to partner with the community to find long-lasting safety solutions. A proactive crime prevention model serves to inform the community about crime trends and community concerns.
Vasquez