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Youth Empowerment Center News

Ladies and gentlemen, Honorable colleagues. Good evening and welcome to the 57th annual State of the County address.
I am honored to speak with you this evening as Chairwoman of the County Board of Supervisors.

I want to thank the Board of Directors of the La Jolla Playhouse for allowing me the opportunity to conduct the 2005 State of the County address in their new theater. As you can see on the program, this is one of the very first events to be held at the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theater.

This facility is cutting edge, representing the imagination and the vision that is San Diego County. For each new production, the theater adapts. By its very design it encourages imagination.

It is that same imagination and vision that will help County government face the challenges ahead.

San Diego County used to be America's best kept secret. But more than 50,000 people move to San Diego each year. They bring cars and housing needs, putting pressure on our quality of life.

As the regional governing authority responsible for the health and welfare of close to 3.0 million residents, County government plays an important part in maintaining our quality of life. We are entrusted with the management of county assets - your assets - and the efficient delivery of services.

When I travel I read the local newspapers. If you do the same, you know that the headlines are amazingly similar. Other counties face the same challenges we do. We all need better roads, freeways and transportation choices. We all need more affordable housing, clean water and beaches. We must have Sheriff's protection, more open space and parks for our children. And of course, pocketbook issues like good jobs are critical to us all.

For some governments, balancing a budget means shifting dollars from one fund to another.

Good management by this Board of Supervisors has produced a different result.

Every year we adopt a balanced budget and a reserve fund.

According to Standard & Poors our financial outlook is bright. San Diego County, and I quote: "exhibits strong credit characteristics, moderate debt burden, and a track record of consistently strong financial management."

Although state cutbacks will make it difficult, let me assure you that I intend to preside over a fiscally sound county. This board will protect taxpayer dollars. We will provide the very best services possible. We represent you, the taxpayers, and we are here to work for you.

Here's what I pledge to do:

Despite tough times, the County will balance its budget.

We will maintain the most prudent reserve possible.

We will carry out the principles of the General Management System. That system details each Department's strategic objectives - and the resources required to achieve them. This Board holds every department strictly accountable to the plan.

To produce better service, we will continue to invest in our infrastructure, information technology and our employees. We will fight for more money for roads, freeways, libraries, open space and parks.

We will continue to provide the very best public protection.

I will do my part to keep our economy strong. I will defend our military bases to make certain that decision-makers in Washington D.C. do not attempt to close any of them.

Our bases mean jobs and have a $23 Billion impact on our economy. Our military is an asset to our region, and I am honored to have them as neighbors. I am not willing to give them up for any reason!

Additionally, I call upon the President to appoint a Californian to the Base Realignment & Closure Commission so that San Diego County's interests will be protected.

I will now outline my other goals and objectives for the future - initiatives in the areas of traffic relief, health, environmental protection, financial stability, and my personal passion, the arts.
To get things done in tough fiscal times, we must communicate better and adopt innovation, especially when we talk about transportation solutions.

Traffic in San Diego County is getting worse, not better.
I authored the Parkway Plan for North County, jump-started SR56 with $20 million in county funds, and voted to direct more than $110 million to make improvements to I-15 and I-5.

But until we get serious about employee ride sharing, staggered work hours, and rescheduling truck deliveries to avoid peak hour commutes, traffic will only get worse.

We have 180,000 businesses in San Diego County. Ninety-five percent employ less than 5 people each. The largest 25 companies employ almost 200,000. I am asking these 25-largest employers to join me in a televised summit in which we work together to alleviate traffic.

It's appropriate that the San Diego Association of Governments presents its TRANSNET Plan at this Summit. Perhaps with a first-hand look at the plan, business can help us with trouble spots by modifying their traffic patterns. The Summit will be held on April 27 at 9 a.m. at the Board of Supervisors' Chambers downtown.

At that summit we will receive a presentation about a rideshare program that businesses regionwide can download on their office computers. It is called CARS, Commuter Activated Ride Sharing. At their convenience, employees can sit at their desk, scan a zip code, then make contact to arrange a ride share. Even a few days a week, ride sharing alleviates traffic.

Implementing the CARS Program for the county's 17,000 employees is the best way to start.

Also, I will support Vice Chairman Bill Horn's efforts to expedite Highway 76, and Supervisor Dianne Jacob's work to complete Highway 52. Both supervisors have long championed completion of those freeways.

And we must build a northbound ramp from SR56 onto I-5. As the Board's representative on SANDAG I will work hard to complete much-needed transportation projects using TRANSNET funds. The voters have spoken and now we must spend their money wisely.

Additionally - and I'm not going to mince words - I will demand more federal money for local freeways, because we do not get our fair share.

Tonight I'd like to announce that with Vice Chairman Bill Horn I will co-host a meeting in which we pull together the Mayors in our districts for the express purpose of agreeing upon one or two funding priorities that we can all work hard for - for instance, freeway improvements in North County.

Let's call this the BRING HOME THE BACON Team - soy bacon, that is, because I'm a vegetarian.

As you know, to have a good quality of life, you must safeguard your health. With a budget of $1.4 billion, County government's Department of Health and Human Services manages 600 contracts, administers 300 health and social services programs serving 300,000 people - nearly 10 percent of the region's population. Of that number, more than 40,000 are children.
This year as part of my Health Initiative, I will look for ways to promote healthy children. Let's first talk about doing our part to end childhood obesity:

The sad truth is that teenagers in the United States have higher rates of obesity than in 14 other industrialized nations.

In San Diego County alone, there are an estimated 125,000 overweight children.

Obesity causes hypertension, is associated with Type II diabetes, and increases the risk of coronary heart disease and high blood pressure.

Supervisor Ron Roberts and I co-sponsored legislation to fight childhood obesity. We partnered with the Coalition on Children & Weight to create a Childhood Obesity Master Plan with our schools.

The master plan will come back to the Board of Supervisors for adoption sometime this summer. Supervisor Roberts and I will help to bring their recommendations to the forefront.

On March 9th in Rancho Bernardo we will promote healthy lifestyles by hosting a School Healthy Food Summit. The Coalition on Children and Weight, North County Health Link and Palomar-Pomerado Hospital will co-sponsor the event.

But our region's children face other critical health problems.

Seventy-nine percent of 17 years olds in America have suffered from tooth decay. It is the most common chronic disease in children ages 5 to 17. Nationwide fifty-one million school hours are lost each year due to dental illness.

Our most recent data on San Diego County children grades 2 through 5 is astounding. Thirty percent had untreated cavities and 74 percent had active gum disease.

To help reverse this trend, this year we will expand the county's dental health program called, "Something to Smile About." This program targets low-income children who can least afford dental services. The program will provide additional preventative education, dental check-ups and sealant clinics.

A stable home means a healthy family. Unfortunately, local law enforcement responded to 21,000 calls of domestic violence in 2004. On any given day in San Diego County 432 women and children are protected at shelters.
Law enforcement expenses related to domestic violence cost San Diego taxpayers more than $5.5 million last year. This does not include the cost of medical services, legal fees, incarceration, shelter and counseling. Nor does it include millions of dollars in private donations to local non-profits.

To fight this epidemic, last year Sheriff Bill Kolender, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and I opened the North County Family Violence Prevention Center in San Marcos.

The center handled about 500 cases in the first eight months of operation. Frightened and desperate women seeking counseling and shelter have found help at this center.

As we approach the center's April 1st one-year anniversary, District Attorney Dumanis, Sheriff Kolender and I pledge to actively pursue all available federal and state funds to expand these services because this center saves lives!

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women over the age of 25. Cardiovascular disease kills nearly 500,000 women each year.
When the last figures were compiled, an astounding 28,400 women in San Diego County were victims of heart disease or stroke.

This year, I am honored to have been named San Diego County Spokeswoman for the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Campaign. This national campaign will raise awareness concerning heart disease in women.

Tonight, you may have noticed women in bright red dresses scattered throughout the audience. I'd like to ask these women to stand.

Many of these women have survived heart disease. Some have a loved one with heart disease. Others are health professionals who have dedicated their lives to prevention.

They proudly wear red dresses to join me in kicking off a yearlong County partnership with the American Heart Association to fight heart disease. Let's give them a round of applause.

We will begin this fight with a televised forum. Cardiologists and other health professionals will educate the public on how to prevent heart disease.

To develop cutting-edge technology to stop the disease the Heart Association will create a web site for scientists and cardiologists to share information.

And the organization will raise money for the fight against heart disease by sponsoring a major Walk for Prevention.

As you can imagine, innovative partnerships help in the cause for good health. Here are some examples:

For good mental health in 2005, County libraries will provide literacy programs through Reach Out and Read, and Families for Literacy.

To help children grow, county libraries will expand youth mentoring and career development opportunities.

Our libraries partner with the parks department to provide environmental education.

The county recognizes that a healthy body and mind helps to ensure a good quality of life. And for those of you who watch the bottom line, remember this, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

In terms of tax dollars, this approach translates into more services for our money.

To be the best, we must innovate. So while we Go Red, this year, the County must also Go Green.
Environmental protection makes good dollars and good sense. Surveys by our Convention Bureaus indicate that our climate and 70 miles of beautiful coastline are among our top attractions.

Tourism results in a $5.4 Billion annual boost to our economy and supports 110,000 jobs.

Tourism produces taxes to fix our roads, keep our libraries open, and maintain our parks, among other services.

Therefore, maintaining our beaches is extremely important to our economy.

That's why as the first piece of my 2005 Environmental Initiative I have scheduled a Clean Beaches & Ocean Conference on June 22nd.

This event will bring together cities from throughout the region and experts from throughout the nation, to discuss state-of-the-art solutions to sand replenishment and beach pollution problems.

For far too long the east coast has received the lion's share of federal funds designated for sand replenishment. We are going to work hard to change that trend.

As a member of SANDAG's Shoreline Erosion Committee, I want to undertake an aggressive fight for beach sand. This effort can only work with a partnership of business, environmentalists and the county's 18 cities.

We must first develop a Comprehensive Shoreline Plan.

Then we must organize an aggressive lobbying effort, and partner with our congressional delegation to secure more federal funding for sand replenishment.

The county has two green buildings, the Cardiff Library and the new North County Animal Shelter which opens later this year.
The Cardiff Library was the County's first green building. It is designed to be energy efficient. The library is constructed with recyclable materials, such as cork-lined floors and cotton insulation.

Windows are positioned to keep the building cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Solar-voltaic panels lower our electricity bills.

Our new Animal Shelter will utilize a hydronic heating system whereby hot water is circulated throughout the kennel floors to keep the animals warm. Under the old method, heat collected high in the room and dissipated.

Additionally, all the electrical fixtures, heating units, appliances and insulation are designed for high-energy efficiency.

But we can do more. Therefore, the second of my goals this year in my Environmental Initiative is to expand the County's voluntary Green Building Program. This program provides incentives for developers and homeowners to build with recycled construction materials and energy efficiency.

In 2004 the county teamed with the City of San Diego, SDG&E and the San Diego Regional Energy Office to offer three green building incentive packages to fire victims. These packages encourage the use of energy-efficient windows, appliances and solar panels. Rebates can reach $3,700 for each home.

This effort has paid off. On January 18 the County received the San Diego Excellence in Energy award for energy efficiency and conservation. With just two installations of solar voltaic panels, we saved $250,000 in one year!

Tonight I'd like to offer an idea for a new County program, the All-Green Permit Program, to give developers throughout the county an opportunity to build the region's first all-green communities.

Build an all-green community and permits are fast-tracked to save the builder money.

To qualify, a community must exceed 25 residential units and must meet the requirements of LEED, which includes all structures in the community.

LEED is a national standard for developing state-of-the-art energy efficient buildings. I will personally stand at the county's land use counter to award the very first permit for this project!

Rainfall in San Diego County last year totaled a little over five inches, or approximately 53 percent of normal.
As a result, our reservoirs are dangerously low, dropping to just over 52 percent of capacity.

Despite heavy rain in January, it is clear we must conserve more water. So the third recommendation of my Environmental Initiative is to expand the County's Water Wise Gardens Program.

A Water Wise Garden can result in a 35 to 70 percent water savings! By encouraging builders and homeowners to use drought-tolerant plants, efficient irrigation design, and careful water management, we can dramatically reduce water consumption.

More than 90 county parks provide 35,000 acres of public park land. But for our 3 million residents that's only 508 square-feet of parkland per person. More must be done and this is what I propose:
The county has set aside land for species protection.

Under the Multiple Species Conservation Protection program, 85,000 acres of open space have been kept from development.

This year Supervisor Jacob and I plan to get us closer to our goal of 98,000 acres.

At the same time, I will lead an effort to raise money for an endowment fund to buy land to expand the San Dieguito River Park.

This 55-mile park starts at the beach in Del Mar and extends to the mountains in Julian. This year alone, the River Park JPA acquired almost 1,000 acres for the park.

To do the best job for the public, partnering with others and sharing successful ideas is important:
As I mentioned earlier, from my travels it's clear that other counties face similar challenges. When I learn of new ideas other governments or private businesses are using, I bring those solutions back to my office to share. However, there is a better high-tech way to do this.

The County of San Diego should open an 'Innovations' web site to exchange ideas with counties, cities and private industry across the country.

County funding will be needed to get this project up and running, and I will find the funds to do just that.

A County Innovations web site will provide many great ideas, especially in the areas of good fiscal management, traffic solutions and public protection.

Partnering and sharing innovative ideas can only assist the county to continue to live within its means, maintain a balanced budget and provide top-notch service.

Here's one partnership I'm proud of: This past Saturday District Attorney Dumanis and I sponsored a daylong conference on consumer protection. Experts on identity theft, fraud and technology crimes came together to help county residents protect themselves from this growing epidemic. Over 1,500 people were in attendance.

In the District Attorney's first 18 months in office, she has filed over 1,100 economic crime cases.

This year, Supervisor Greg Cox will lead the California Association of Counties as its new President. By partnering with other counties Supervisor Cox will help fight for budget stability in Sacramento.

Vice-Chairman Bill Horn will continue his tremendous efforts with community advocates and schools to stop gang violence in North County. He is also working to create the San Luis Rey River Park. Vice-Chairman Horn is to be commended for making this new park a community asset for the residents of North County.

These may seem like lofty goals. But when this Board of Supervisors makes promises we keep them.

In 1999 when I was last Chairwoman, this Board was determined to maintain a reserve fund for a rainy day. I am happy to report that this fund is presently at $590 million.

In 1999 I voiced the consensus of the Board to prioritize improving our Bond rating to create investment stability and borrowing capacity at lower rates. Today we have the highest bond rating of any county in the State of California. That's something to be proud of!

We promised to keep costs down by demonstrating fiscal discipline, while expanding services to the highest level in the county's history - and we have done just that!

As your Board of Supervisors we promised to upgrade the county's antiquated computer and phone network to equal that of the private sector. Because of new technology innovations, our employees who help you with county business can now provide service faster and cheaper.

The county has recently been rated by the Center for Digital Government, an independent technology center, as the number one Digital County in the nation!

This award is based on how county governments apply information technology to effectively deliver services to the public. To me, that is an accurate yardstick of good government.

Assessor Greg Smith and Treasurer Tax Collector Dan McAllister will soon process your real estate transactions so that they record faster. The seller, buyer and escrow officer will receive earlier notification to save you time.

These two systems – Property Tax Processing and Electronic Recording – replace a process that was 30 years old.

We also improved our service to you by opening five new libraries, a new Central Animal Shelter, and with Sheriff Bill Kolender, we hired more than 225 new deputies and built a nationally recognized, state-of-the-art Crime Lab.

The county's San Pasqual Academy for foster children just won a top award for innovation by pairing seniors and foster children in a new mentoring program.

On February 10th we will break ground on the new Edgemoor Hospital in Santee to help the severely disabled.

This year we unanimously approved a new County Trails Program to expand our network of hiking and riding trails from 300 miles to more than 1,000!

We are proud of the fact that we made promises and we kept our promises!

As you may know, I have long been a strong supporter of the arts.
The economic value of the arts has always been underestimated. More San Diego residents purchase tickets to arts events than to all San Diego sports events combined.

Tourists attend performances, rent hotel rooms and buy meals. In other words, they spend a lot of money.

The San Diego Opera and the San Diego Symphony recognize this; that's why the symphony will now be the official orchestra for San Diego Opera.

In this, the 40th Anniversary Season of the Opera, we have a wonderful example of a partnership of the arts. It is an investment in quality, and will attract even more exceptional talent to San Diego County.

We celebrate this historic accomplishment knowing it will ensure the next 40 years of the highest artistic standards.

Theaters such as the La Jolla Playhouse, the Old Globe and the San Diego Repertory Theater produce the finest plays that debut here in San Diego County, then become hits on Broadway.

Despite this, and despite our potential for greatly expanded cultural tourism, only modest government support has been forthcoming. This must change.

The value of the arts to our soul and our well being in this fast-paced world cannot be measured. It is the beauty of dance, music and theater that reminds us that we are human.

When I was first elected Supervisor I said I'd like our region to sponsor its own Salzburg Festival. A region-wide arts celebration like the festival in Austria would bring our city and our arts, international recognition.

I am extremely proud to announce that this year I am helping Mainly Mozart partner with our region's arts and educational organizations to produce a Year 2006 Mozart Festival, a celebration of Mozart's 250th birthday.

This will be the largest multi-disciplinary arts celebration in the history of the County!

Featured will be the San Diego Opera, the San Diego Symphony, the San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego Dance Theater, the Carlsbad Arts Council, San Diego State University and the Westgate Hotel, among others.

Region-wide, we will hold free community concerts, street fairs, and an extensive month-long June Festival.

Mozart authors and lecturers, symposia, collaborative dance programs, and majestic seaside concerts will encourage a love of the arts - and tourism from around the world.

And Maestro David Atherton will conduct the all-star Mainly Mozart Festival orchestra!

This arts and tourism industry partnership will turn our County into a world-renowned cultural destination.

Let me close with this:
I believe the elected officials on this stage represent a county team like no other. We are all here to serve you.

You can be proud of this team.

We know that to provide the best county services at the lowest cost we must continue to be innovative, imaginative and creative.

To compete, to succeed as a county, to find solutions and promote a prosperous future, to preserve and protect our quality of life, we must continue on the path of technology innovation and forge ahead with new ideas. We must be at the forefront of information sharing in the Information Age - we must partner with our citizens to do the public good.

The style of this theater is known as a Black Box. As I said earlier, it must be adapted for each production. It requires imagination. It is the perfect setting for the arts.

It is also the perfect metaphor for the future of San Diego County. We must think outside the box to achieve our goals.

The vibrancy, the vision, the imagination, the innovation that is the art of this theater, is what is needed for the future of this county and we are committed to this vision.

I want to thank our county employees for their dedicated service and I want to thank my hard-working staff for all they do for me. I especially want to thank my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors for their strong leadership on behalf of the residents of San Diego County.

I am honored that you are here this evening and thank you for supporting my term as Chairwoman of the County Board of the Supervisors.

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Youth Empowerment
Lorraine Bowman, President
4249 Manzanita Drive
San Diego, California 92105
info@empowering-youth.org