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

COVID-19 has presented our society with a public health crisis, but a larger problem exists if we don’t act now. Childhood domestic violence is on the rise as a result of the stresses caused by the pandemic.

Bankers Hill resident Rebecca Mitsingas lives just 5 miles away from her mother, Suzanne Papp, yet she misses her. She went from seeing her 77-year-old mother daily to rarely now because of the coronavirus. 

“Typically, I would see her almost every day,” Mitsingas said. “We would do dinner together at least once a week. Since COVID, it’s been hard because I miss her even though she lives close by.”

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

We have all had to make significant adjustments this year. And like most of you, my life has been dramatically impacted by this pandemic. Although I cannot advise on every subject, there is one thing I am fiercely aware of and that is the importance of good oral care.

Lori Thiel and Jennifer Avina join host T.J. O’Hara on Deconstructed to discuss how the League of Women Voters is trying to make a non-partisan difference in the 2020 elections.

Ms. Thiel is president of the League of Women Voters of San Diego. Ms. Avina is an attorney and a member of the League, who currently coordinates the San Diego chapter’s Youth Internship program and the "101 Days of Action" campaign that provides daily activities related to the upcoming election.

Some San Diegans are asking why there aren’t Republican candidates in the citywide campaigns for city attorney, mayor, and City Council. The quick answer is that local elections have always been nonpartisan, meaning that the top two vote getters advance to November regardless of party affiliation. In fact, decades ago, these races were truly nonpartisan. Political parties had little or no role.

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

On the sidewalks throughout San Diego, you may have noticed that booths have set up shop and started selling goods. Sometimes it takes the form of t-shirts. Often it’s a sizzling grill. Maybe you will see crystals or someone’s art. But there is no mistaking that commerce now exists where once only public use was allowed.