SUPERVISOR DIANNE JACOB

SAN DIEGO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

Contact: Steve Schmidt, 619-206-9108
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NEWS RELEASE
1/6/2015
IMPROVED PUBLIC SAFETY, ALZHEIMERS INITIATIVE
AMONG COUNTYS 2014 HIGHLIGHTS
Improved fire protection. Beefed-up law enforcement. Expanded business opportunities. New
initiatives to help the elderly.
Those were among the highlights of Supervisor Dianne Jacobs tenure in 2014 as chairwoman
of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. Her one-year term concluded today.
In my State of the County address last January, I pointed out our work on a wide range of
critical issues, said the District 2 supervisor. I laid out an ambitious agenda for 2014. Some
wondered if it was too ambitious. Im proud to say our county government rose to the
challenge.
Among the highlights of 2014:
County officials bolstered fire protection. The county moved to add a third helicopter to its
firefighting fleet and struck an agreement that allows the city of San Diegos night-flying
helicopters to serve the entire region.
Construction continued on a new fire station in the rural community of Boulevard. Since 2003,
the county has invested nearly $320 million on firefighting improvements.
Our efforts to bolster fire protection across the region were put to the test during a series of
massive wildfires in May, Jacob said. Im glad to say that all levels of government local, state
and federal displayed an extraordinary level of cooperation, both on the ground and in the air.
New Sheriffs Department facilities opened in Rancho San Diego and Pine Valley, while work
continued on a station planned for Lakeside. The county also added jail beds and stepped up its
fight against human trafficking.

I want to salute the men and women in our Sheriffs Department -- and all our first responders,
said the supervisor. You do us proud. Please know that public safety is, and will continue to be,
my top priority.
The county continued to look for ways to help the economy and business owners, including
farmers and backcountry entrepreneurs. It moved to relax rules on beekeeping to boost honey
production and agriculture and is looking at cutting regulations to encourage micro-breweries.
We took similar steps a few years back with wine growers and weve seen huge growth in the
boutique wine industry, Jacob said. Small, family-run businesses are the backbone of our
communities.
At Jacobs urging, the county launched several initiatives to assist the elderly as the region
braced for a sharp upswing in the 75-and-older population. It moved to improve the level of care
and oversight at residential care facilities, including beefing up its patient advocate program and
creating a rating system to help consumers find quality care.
It also started The Alzheimers Project, an unprecedented regional initiative to find a cure for the
deadly disease and to help Alzheimers patients and their caregivers.
When I raised the issue of Alzheimers in my State of the County address early last year, some
wondered if I was taking on too much. But the public put us here to meet big challenges head
on, not duck from them, said the supervisor. Im proud we aimed high and The Alzheimers
Project is already showing great promise.
Other highlights of 2014 included the upgrading of the countys credit rating by Moodys and the
creation of a loan program to help homeowners pay for energy improvements. Companies
providing the loans, known as PACE, say the effort has created hundreds of local jobs.
During a Board of Supervisors meeting today, Supervisor Jacob spoke about the countys 2014
accomplishments. Her prepared remarks are here.
She has represented District 2 since 1993.
The district includes the cities of El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Poway and Santee, along
with the communities of Alpine, Campo, Jamul, Julian, Lakeside, Ramona, Spring Valley and
many others.
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