This is an independent opinion. Have one of your own? Email it to hoa@ivn.us

The COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing recession have forced Californians and San Diegans to grapple with a new reality. Daily ways of life – sending kids off to school, being able to safely go to work, and seeing and caring for aging family members – all looks very different these days.

The US is in the midst of multiple crises, including a political crisis created by the two major parties. For many Americans, the partisan rhetoric in the media and on the campaign trail has never been more toxic, while trust in the US government and its policymakers has sunk to all-time lows.

When the Iranian Revolution broke out in 1978, Sassan Rahimzadeh’s family made its way to the U.S., escaping the violence that killed thousands of people and toppled the regime of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Just a few years later, his family opened its first dry cleaning business in San Diego County.

“It was your typical mom and pop shop,” said Rahimzadeh, owner of Arya Cleaners. “Over the years we opened more locations from Horton Plaza to Del Mar.” 

This is an independent opinion. Have one of your own? Write it! Email it to hoa@ivn.us

When I moved to San Diego more than 50 years ago, the mayor and entire City Council were made up of very conservative Republican white men and you could probably have counted all the police officers of color or female on both hands. Yes, the late Rev. George Walker Smith often called San Diego "the Confederacy of the West Coast" as our city was very segregated.

First-time voter Fernando Villarreal is looking forward to participating in the upcoming presidential election.

“I think it’s a really important election for democracy and I think young people have a lot at stake when it comes to education, healthcare and a lot of other issues,” said the Palomar College freshman.