Message from the Secretary-Treasurer

It’s welcome news that our nation’s unemployment dropped to 9.7%, but our country remains in a serious, deep, and long-term jobs crisis. San Diego’s Middle Class families need bigger and bolder actions – in the short, medium and long term – to create jobs or we risk permanent scarring of our economy and our workforce.

There are several actions Congress can take now:

• We must continue the vital safety net coverage for families that are struggling by extending unemployment benefits, food assistance, and COBRA health care benefits for another 12 months.
• We should put people to work fixing out nation’s broken-down infrastructure and other jobs that need to be done.
• We need to increase aid to state and local governments to maintain vital services that are in greater need during this recession and to prevent job cuts and avoid deep damage to education.
• And we need to put some of the billions of dollars in leftover Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds to work creating jobs by having community banks lend TARP money directly to small- and medium-size businesses.

Finally, we know that San Diego County’s leaders can do their part by supporting policies that protect and create Local Jobs in order to get our region back on track!