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First and foremost, thank you for your continued support, advocacy and feedback on items of importance to you and your family – I appreciate the opportunity you’ve given me to serve as your Fourth District Supervisor. The Fourth District is both a dynamic economic powerhouse and a great place for our children, families, organizations and businesses to thrive. Faithfully serving our community continues to be my top priority and I’m excited to share that my team has been working on to make it even easier for you to connect with us.
On Friday, April 9th, our office will be transitioning to a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. This means that if you wish to continue to hear from me and receive up-to-date information about the County of San Bernardino and the Fourth District, please make sure to complete our survey here. By completing the survey above, your information will be then transferred to the new CRM system. If it is not completed, you will no longer receive valuable updates and other relevant communications.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any concerns, feedback, or questions. Thank you for making the County of San Bernardino a great place to live, work and play.
 “All commissions and boards are important, and I value the input of our residents in making them work towards improving the quality of life in our County. The Community Commission is especially important because they will discuss the District Attorney's caseload, their role in the administration of criminal cases in San Bernardino County, and their role in helping in educating the community members regarding all the laws that impact us" noted Hagman. “I’m personally very grateful to all those who take the time to apply and to serve, and I will review every application carefully.”
If you would like to apply, please submit the following to my Field Representative, Suzette Dang at Suzette.Dang@bos.sbcounty.gov :
* Resume – must include name, address, and email
* Letter of Interest – answering why you would like to serve/are qualified to serve
* 3 References – contact information only
** The applicants must be residents of the Fourth District which includes the cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Montclair, Ontario, and Upland south of Foothill Boulevard as well as the immediately surrounding unincorporated areas.
Please apply prior to March 26, 2021, so that the openings can be filled and the commissioners can carry on with providing services to the residents of the County.
“Eliminating Bias: Addressing Mental Health in the Justice System” will be the subject of the San Bernardino Superior Court’s third public town hall meeting on Thursday, March 25, from noon to 1:15 p.m.
During this 75-minute virtual online town hall, leaders within the county justice system will continue an ongoing conversation on bias and community impacts by answering questions and providing information about programs and services available to the public for individuals who suffer from mental illness, their families, and the organizations that serve them.
“We hope that you join the conversation on March 25 and hear about the important mental health programs and services available through our justice partners,” said Presiding Judge Michael A. Sachs.
Opening remarks will be provided by Sachs, with moderation by Judge John M. Pacheco and Judge Winston Keh. Panelists will include Judge Tara Reilly, Judge Michael Knish, Judge Denise Trager Dvorak, and Commissioner Ronald Gilbert.
The panel will also include Dr. Veronica Kelley, director of the County Department of Behavioral Health; Deputy District Attorney Katherine Norman, Deputy Public Defender IV Lisa Slade, Supervising Probation Officer Diana Waitschies, and Probation Officer III Todd Holmes.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us a great deal about gaps in our society, including the lack of priority placed upon behavioral health,” said Dr. Kelley. “The Department of Behavioral Health is pleased to join our partners in the Superior Court in acknowledging the importance of attending to mental health and addiction and identifying the stigma and bias that exists related to both. We can’t change it if we don’t address it.”
Members of the public must register in advance of the event and are encouraged to submit their questions and/or comments to townhall@sb-court.org.
This video shares an overview of Red Tier openings in the county.
County residents can now enjoy indoor dining, a visit to the San Bernardino County Museum (when it reopens on Thursday) or even taking in a movie since San Bernardino County moved into the State’s Red Tier this past Sunday.
In addition to restaurants, museums and theaters, county residents can also enjoy gyms, all with limited capacity and enforced safety protocol. Retailers can also increase indoor capacity, and effective April 1, outdoor live events can resume at 20% capacity. Further details on activity and business tiers can be found here.
“It is a great feeling, and a sign of hope, for all of us to see our restaurants and others reopening their doors,” said Board of Supervisor’s Chairman Curt Hagman. “But as we’re seeing in Europe right now, this can all change in an instant if we let down our diligence following public health protocols. Still, with more and more people getting the vaccine, an end to this pandemic is finally in sight.”
Doses Distributed to Hospitals as well as Mobile Clinics for Homeless Population
With the arrival of more than 12,000 doses of the recently approved Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine, San Bernardino County continues our efforts to vaccinate those who are eligible, including launching a concentrated effort to inoculate the county’s homeless population.
The County’s first vaccination event specifically focused on unsheltered individuals was held today at Mary’s Mercy Center in the city of San Bernardino. Doses of J&J have also gone to Loma Linda University Medical Center, Colorado River Medical Center in Needles, and Mountains Community Hospital in Lake Arrowhead.
“Preventing transmission of the virus in congregate care facilities such as homeless shelters is extremely challenging, so vaccinating this population is a high priority for us,” said County Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “Fortunately, the new J&J vaccine offers us enormous advantages in this effort: it only requires a single dose, making it an ideal solution for inoculating hard-to-reach groups.”
The J&J vaccine differs from the other two approved vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) in that it only requires a single dose. Colorado River and Mountain Communities were selected because the single-dose nature of the J&J vaccine make it ideal for more-remote locations where ensuring timely second doses can be a challenge.
Hagman noted that County agencies and nonprofit organizations are collaborating to establish additional vaccination clinics specifically for homeless individuals.
New vaccine shown to be highly effective
Extensive studies have found the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be highly efficacious. An analysis by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found it to be 100 percent effective at preventing death from the disease, 85% effective at preventing severe COVID-19 and 72% effective at preventing moderate to severe disease. (By comparison, an annual flu shot is typically 50% to 60% effective.)
The new vaccine was developed using a different technological approach than that employed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which used what is called “mRNA” technology. Essentially, mRNA is a little piece of genetic code the vaccines deliver to a patient’s cells. The code serves as an instruction manual for the individual’s immune system, teaching it to recognize the virus that causes COVID-19 and attack it, should it ever encounter the real thing.
The J&J vaccine, on the other hand, employs a more traditional virus-based technology that uses a disabled adenovirus to deliver the instructions. The adenovirus — which is not related to the coronavirus and will not give one a viral infection— can deliver instructions to the cells on how to defeat the coronavirus.
A tremendous advantage of the J&J vaccine is, unlike the first two vaccines, it can be stored at normal refrigerator temperature and does not spoil quickly.
“The new vaccine is not only effective, but also can be quickly and easily administered to County residents — including those living in widely dispersed rural communities,” said Hagman. “It will play an invaluable role in helping us reduce illness and getting our lives back to normal.”
Follow Chairman Hagman on social media to stay informed and connected. You can follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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