As we watch the recovery from Hurricane Ian and support our neighbors in the east, I'm reminded of another dangerous event where Florida was at the center...

When I was not even three months old, the world almost came to an end. How fair is that, I ask you? I hadn't even learned where my feet were yet, and now I'd have no place to ever use them.

In October 1962, my parents, like so many others, put their kids to bed at night not knowing if any of the family would still be there in the morning. Obviously I don't have any first-hand memories of the Cuban Missile Crisis 60 years ago this month, but I do see some threads from that dangerous series of events running through our current times.

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My parents worked incredibly hard their whole lives but still they were never able to buy a home of their own; instead, we bounced between sub-standard rentals. It's something that has fueled me my whole life and why, to this day, one of my proudest accomplishments was buying my first house in San Diego in 1993. That milestone has become out of reach for far too many, especially for people of color and lower-income families. I was excited to celebrate two new housing projects last month that, once completed, will help to make housing more affordable and homeownership possible for more people in our region.

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September marked the end of an era, as the Tierra Times published its final issue. Editor and co-publisher Deanna Spehn has been reporting on Tierrasanta community events and issues since she moved to the area fifty years ago. Deanna began writing stories for the Tierrasanta Bulletin, and then she and three of her neighbors – Regina Olson, Norma McNerney, and Celeste Weinsheim – launched the Tierra Times in 1977. The free community newspaper was mailed to over 10,000 households each month.

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Election Day (Nov. 8) is right around the corner, which means it's time to make sure your voter registration is up-to-date. You can register to vote until Oct. 24, but there's no need to wait—you can register online anytime, including right now.

County election officials will be sending out vote-by-mail ballots to all registered voters by Oct. 10, which can be returned anytime by Nov. 8. When you vote by mail, remember to seal the envelope, and sign and date it before mailing or turning it in at a ballot drop location.

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This summer, the Biden Administration announced a Student Debt Relief Plan that pauses all federal loan payments through the end of the year. The plan provides up to $20,000 in debt relief to Federal Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 in debt relief to non-Pell Grant recipients. Borrowers are eligible for this debt relief if their 2021 or 2020 income was below $125,000 for individual tax filers or married but filing separately, or $250,000 for married tax filers filing jointly. Please be aware that you do have to apply for the relief. An online application will be available this month at StudentAid.gov. You have until Dec. 31, 2023 to submit your application.

It was a pleasure to take part in the groundbreaking of UC San Diego's Pepper Canyon West Living & Learning Neighborhood. California provided $100 million in grant funding for this housing project, which will lower the cost of on-campus housing for 1,100 students and support their academic pursuits.

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