Yesterday, Rafael and I had the honor of joining the Tierrasanta Kiwanis for their sponsor awards – and getting to chat with so many dedicated and kind folks reminded me once again just how incredible and important groups like the Kiwanis are. For those who may not be familiar, the Kiwanis are “a global community of clubs, members and partners dedicated to improving the lives of children one community at a time.” 

On the one hand, the service aspect of groups like the Kiwanis alone is enough to warrant plenty of gratitude. In District 7, for example, the Kiwanis put on events like Oktoberfest and Tierrafest, which so many residents cherish year after year. 

This week, I had the honor of joining Father Joe’s Villages to cut the ribbon on their brand-new detox facility and recovery center.

For years, organizations like Father Joe’s faced months or even years of red tape just to open doors and help people in need. That’s why I fought to reform our permitting rules—and this week, because of those changes, San Diego has gone from just two Medi-Cal eligible detox beds to forty-six. That’s 23x as many low-income folks that will be able to get the help they need to take the courageous step of getting sober.

Thanks to Father Joe’s CEO Deacon Jim Vargas, Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, and Councilmember Stephen Whitburn for their partnership and heart on this endeavor. Read more about it here, and hear my conversations on this topic with Councilmember Whitburn and Father Joe's Chief Strategy Officer Josh Bohannan in a video I posted to my social media channels. 

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of joining Erik Fowler from Good Pressure Brewing for a small business visit! While Good Pressure has not quite opened up yet, Erik and I had a thoughtful conversation about the challenges and opportunities that he sees in getting his small business off the ground. 

Can’t wait for Good Pressure to open up for District 7 families to be able to enjoy. If you’re curious to know more, San Diego Magazine wrote an interesting article about Good Pressure:  
“Despite National Beer Declines, Good Pressure Brewing Remains Hopeful.” Erik also serves as the Executive Director of the San Diego Brewers Guild, so he has interesting perspective on the craft beer scene in San Diego in general. 

At tense moments in the world, sometimes looking to the stars can provide needed clarity and a breath of fresh air. Read this excerpt from a New York Times article about NASA’s new Artemis II moon mission, which is set to send astronauts to the moon as early as February 2026 – the first time in 50 years.

Four astronauts took the stage on Wednesday at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and spoke of nations working together and of inspiring everyone everywhere. 

“Collaboration needs to be the ultimate goal if eight billion of us are going to have a bright future on this planet,” said Jeremy Hansen, an astronaut from the Canadian Space Agency, during a NASA news conference. 

… 

The remarks of Mr. Hansen as well as Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch of NASA seemed at times out of step with today’s polarized nation and world. 

Indeed, this sort of collaboration is inspiring at a time of plenty of division. We don’t have to spend our time and energy bickering – there is another way. And perhaps that way is to work together on great feats of humanity, like sending astronauts to the moon.

Food for thought.