Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted BIPOC and low-income San Diegans, and food system workers. Seven of the top 10 neighborhoods for COVID-19 cases were majority Hispanic/Latinx, and all of these neighborhoods had lower median household incomes than the overall San Diego County median household income. Hispanic/Latinx San Diegans make up only 34% of the county’s population but 44% of COVID-19 deaths, and only 27% of Hispanic/Latinx San Diegans have been vaccinated. Food system workers accounted for the biggest portion of COVID-19 induced unemployment.
Source: County of San Diego, County of San Diego Coronavirus Disease Dashboards. California Employment Development Department, Unemployment Rate and Labor Force.
Last updated: 2021.
Note: COVID-19 data as of May 31, 2021.
Yes, estimates from Hunger Free San Diego show a substantial jump in food insecurity for adults and children as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Hunger Free San Diego
Last updated: 2020
Yes, there is sufficient evidence that California’s climate has changed significantly, will continue to do so, and has already impacted agricultural production. The greatest risk in San Diego County, as in much of the Western U.S., is very high water stress due to drought and water demand. The severity of wildfires and extended periods of drought have increased. Some regions of California have already surpassed warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius, a critical threshold for avoiding the worst consequences of climate change.
Drought: U.S. Drought Monitor; Wildfires: CalFire; Temperature change and top climate risk: the Washington Post, https://github.com/washingtonpost/data-2C-beyond-the-limit-usa.
Last updated: 2021
