By JOEL ANDERSON

Hello friends. As you may know, I was recently sworn in on Jan. 4 to represent you on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors after the retirement of former Supervisor Dianne Jacob who served our community well. I wanted to take a moment and let you know of the ways that my office can be of assistance to you.

Many of you may know me from my service as an Assemblyman and State Senator in the California Legislature. I have been a longtime grassroots advocate for issues that I, and many East County San Diegans, care about. In every position I’ve held, I promised my constituents that I was not in office to become a potted plant and, regardless of the political environment I am in, my goal is to make government work for East County residents. With dozens of bills passed, landmark legislation authored, and thousands of constituent issues resolved, I am proud of the service my team provided and I will continue this same approach serving you now as Supervisor.

In the first three months since being sworn-in, I have built out a wonderful staff and they are ready to serve you. Many are not aware how our office may be of assistance, so I’d like to share an example.

Just days after coming into office, it was brought to my attention that residents of Alpine were being assessed and billed for fire services provided by both the County of San Diego Fire Authority and the Alpine Fire District. I immediately contacted the County Assessor’s office to investigate and act on the issue. I also sent letters to all the affected constituents, informing them of this situation. As a result, the problem was resolved, and Alpine residents are no longer being taxed twice for the same services.

Since January, my office has been able to assist constituents with several issues and no task is too small, we want to do what we can to help as quickly as possible. Not only do I represent your concerns at the Supervisors’ board meetings, but my job and priority is to serve as a resource to you. If you have any County issues with which you need assistance, please contact my office as we are here to help. You can contact me using the form on my website at www.supervisorjoelanderson.com, which I will also keep updated with important information and helpful community resources.

Again, it’s an honor to serve and I look forward to hearing from you.

— Joel Anderson represents District 2 on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.