Protecting Animals SANDAG’s New Future

Ensuring the well-being of all animals is one of my big priorities. Over the years I have introduced and supported bills that provide funding to care for native wildlife, protect wild horses and burros, limit unnecessary animal testing, and many more.

This session, I introduced AB 829, which is currently pending in the Legislature. AB 829 expands counseling requirements for those on probation for animal cruelty, and gives judges discretion to order mental health evaluations based on trial evidence. Given established correlations between animal abuse, child abuse, domestic violence and other crimes, this bill will go a long way toward reducing crimes and recidivism, as well as cruelty to animals. AB 829 passed the Assembly unanimously and is progressing in the Senate.

I’m also supporting AB 1399 that expands authority of veterinarians to provide animal care via online telehealth. Given the shortage of veterinary doctors and staff, telehealth is an effective way to provide veterinary care, though it cannot replace the need for office visits in many situations. AB 1399, also pending in the Senate, is supported by the San Diego Humane Society and the ASPCA.

While these measures will help protect animals going forward, we have a new problem that only im- mediate action by the public can solve. Nationwide and locally, animal shelters have record numbers of pets on-hand that need forever homes.

The San Diego Human Society has been over capacity for months, and as of early August is at 175% capacity for dogs, and 176% for cats. They’ve also been forced to send hundreds of small pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters to less crowded shelters in Arizona. To help alleviate the crisis, adoption fees have been reduced 50%. If you’d like to volunteer, or to adopt or foster a pet, please visit: https://www.sdhumane.org/support-us/volunteer/

Shelters run by San Diego County Animal Services are also overcrowded. To “Clear the Shelters,” the County is waiving their usual adoption fees during August at shelters in Bonita and Carlsbad.

If you’re interested, please visit: https://www.sddac.com/

Animal welfare is everyone’s business. We can all get involved in ways that will protect animals and enhance our own lives.

Assemblymember Marie Waldron, R- Valley Center, represents the 75th Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes the cities of Poway, Santee, portions of the City of San Diego, and most of rural eastern and northern San Diego County.

A Word from San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones

San Marcos celebrates the Alora affordable housing grand opening

The city, in addition to the County of San Diego, WNC and Chase Bank, were able to allocate sufficient funding for the new affordable housing. One of our core values in the city underlines the importance of providing housing opportunities to all income groups and the addition of the Alora affordable housing unit demonstrates our commitment to one of the many values we hold.

I am encouraged to hear about Hasan Ikhrata’s departure from SANDAG.

This development opens the door to changes and progress within the organization. SANDAG’s primary focus must be on finding a new leader who embodies the qualities of a consensus builder who can collaborate effectively with all cities and unincorporated area communities in San Diego County.

SANDAG should prioritize taxpayers’ needs and use San Diegan’s hard-earned money efficiently and responsibly. I am committed to supporting a new SANDAG executive who will diligently work toward designing a comprehensive regional transportation plan that addresses the needs of the entire region, including freeways and roads.

The new candidate must promise to fulfill the projects promised to voters in the 2004 ballot measure.

In selecting this crucial position, we encourage SANDAG to seek input from stakeholders, community leaders, and experts with diverse opinions for the good of the entire region. By involving a wide range of perspectives, we can find a leader who will steer SANDAG towards a brighter future, fostering transportation solutions that benefit all residents and contribute to the overall growth and success of San Diego County.

I am hopeful for a new day at SANDAG and one that represents all San Diegans.

San Diego County District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond, 1600 Pacific Highway, #335, San Diego, CA 92101, United States http:// www.supervisorjimdesmond.com/

It is such a pleasure to share with you all the completion of Alora, another affordable housing development in San Marcos. A huge thank you to Affirmed Housing for helping the city provide a new 83,775 square-foot complex with 100 apartment units for low-income households.

Alora will not only provide housing space, but will also offer residents the following opportunities: on-site computer training, resources for resume development and educational programs for health, wellness, financial literacy and parenting. The city understands the urgent need to resolve the affordable housing crisis and developments like Alora in San Marcos show our efforts to combat this national issue.

Problem Solved by

Christopher Elliott

Why won’t Jiffy Lube pay for my engine repair? Isn’t it responsible?

After getting an oil change at Jiffy Lube, the engine on Ian Culhane’s Subaru stops working. The likely culprit is a botched oil change, he says. Why won’t Jiffy repair his car?

Q: I recently got an oil change done at Jiffy Lube in Seattle. Afterward, I noticed that the oil indicator light was on. The next time I turned on my car, my engine rattled, and several warning lights appears on my dashboard.

I immediately checked the oil level, and the dipstick was dry. I have strong reason to believe that Jiffy Lube forgot to add any oil back into my engine.

The next day I had my car towed to the nearest Subaru dealership. They confirmed that no oil had been added. They disassembled the engine and found significant damage as a result of the lack of oil. They are estimating that the total cost of disassembly and repair will be over $9,000.

I have been gathering any evidence that might be useful in proving they forgot to add oil, including the oil change and towing receipts, photos and videos of me checking the oil, checking that the oil drain plug and oil filter had been installed, photos of the damage from my Subaru dealership, and recorded phone calls and conversations with both with the dealership, Jiffy Lube’s customer support line, and an employee at the Jiffy Lube.

Over the course of three weeks, I spoke with Jiffy Lube customer support, two separate general managers, a district manager, and a claims specialist. None of these individuals gave a clear explanation of the process for getting a claim approved. Several times they directly contradicted one another about their process. Each time they promised to follow up by a set date, they never did.

I’m not confident that Jiffy Lube plans to take any responsibility. I am wondering what course of action would be most likely to get a prompt refund for the damage they did.

~ Ian Culhane, Seattle

A: I’m sorry to hear about your engine trouble. Jiffy Lube should take this matter seriously since it happened right after your oil

Problem Solved

By Tom Morrow

This is the first of a two-part column about the construction and importance of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San FranciscoOakland Bay Bridge, their planners, and builders.

Californians, especially Bay area residents and businesses depend on the expansive Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge for their economic livelihood. Some 260,000 cars and trucks traverse the four-mile-long suspension and trestle connection joining the city of San Francisco and the nearby “Silicon Valley” with Oakland and surrounding cities in the East Bay area.

Surprisingly, the Bay Bridge was first advocated in the days of the 1850s Gold Rush. Serious planning and future financing began in 1929 with the leadership and encouragement of then-President Herbert Hoover. After its completion some three years later Presi-