It was only six months ago that San Diego County’s economy was humming, its jobless rate — just 3.1 percent — was approaching an historic low, and many employers were struggling to find workers to fill vacant positions.
And then the unthinkable happened.
The global spread of the deadly novel coronavirus forced a countywide lockdown in late March, requiring the sudden shuttering of huge numbers of businesses.
Within less than a month, more than 290,000 workers had lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19, an analysis by the San Diego Association of Governments concluded. And by early May, an unprecedented one in four workers had become jobless — easily surpassing the Great Recession’s peak unemployment rate of 11.1 percent a decade ago.
“There is nothing comparable to this in the history of San Diego,” said Ray Major, chief economist for SANDAG, which took a deep dive into state and federal data in order to more accurately tally San Diego’s job losses. “In the Great Depression, it took years to end up with 25 percent unemployment, and with this particular pandemic, it took a matter of weeks.”
While the unemployment rate has eased in recent months — it’s now 14.2 percent, according to SANDAG — the pandemic’s economic toll continues to cut a wide swath through San Diego’s workforce, from restaurant cooks, hotel housekeepers and event planners to musicians, accountants, janitors and medical receptionists.
It’s also had an outsized impact on certain areas of the county where lower paid service sector workers tend to live — central San Diego neighborhoods like Logan Heights, Golden Hill and City Heights, as well as National City, San Ysidro and portions of Vista and Oceanside, SANDAG’s analysis found.
Similarly, workers in certain racial and ethnic groups have been hit harder than their White counterparts. Sixty-three percent of Latinos and 58 percent of Blacks live in county ZIP codes with higher than average unemployment, compared with 43 percent of Whites.
Even as parts of the San Diego economy reopen again and businesses welcome more customers this Labor Day weekend, the outlook for a return to full employment, believes Major, remains grim.
“When this pandemic first started, everyone thought it would be just a speed bump in the road,” he said. “But we’re now moving into a period of time with almost half a year of unemployment rates that are unprecedented, and there’s no end in sight to these numbers coming down.”
— LORI WEISBERG
Age: 71
Occupation: Hotel room attendant
Lives in: Logan Heights
Length of unemployment: Since March 23
“This has really affected me a lot because I feel like I was discriminated against for my age and because there are many co-workers who don’t do as good a job as me and they kept their jobs. I miss the job very much. For example, it is the first time I’ve been in my house 100 percent of my time. I’ve worked my whole life, and because I’m not getting enough exercise now, my legs are hurting and I really miss my co-workers. This was going to be my last year of work, and I wanted to be able to save money so that in the future, I would be able to support myself. My family makes do. We’re not behind on paying rent because we’re not buying anything extra or going out. We’re using everything to pay the bills.” (Answered through a translator)
— LORI WEISBERG
Occupation: Arts and corporate photographer
Age: 65
Lives in: Chula Vista
Length of unemployment: Since March 10
“Late February through the later part of March was very surreal for me. As the pandemic grew stronger, I knew this was like nothing that I and many others had ever experienced. All of my scheduled work being canceled as of March 15 and absolutely no sign of anything happening within a few months or longer was frightening. Going through the huge sense of loss and purpose of work was truly humbling. My creativity seemed squashed and lost. It wasn’t until late May or early June that new creative ideas were forming, new ideas that would capture the essence of our community. San Diego is truly an amazing community of diverse, talented actors, singers, dancers, painters and musicians. My new creative ideas were about embracing these times with this community, demonstrating that even in difficult times we can be creative. The wonderful positive out of the COVID pandemic has been that my wife and I have had more time together. We spend many evenings on the patio eating dinner and watching the birds finish their day. As twilight transitions to dark, the bats and owls come out to feed. They all put on quite a show. The fact that we have slowed down and can enjoy these simple pleasures has been rewarding. I do miss our brilliant community of artists, and know that we will be back and creating again once it is safe to do so.”
— MICHAEL JAMES ROCHA
Occupation: Events manager
Age: 37
Lives in: City Heights
Length of unemployment: Since March 19
“If you listen to the news, the jobs that they are talking about I think are kind of the jobs in my field that are not going to be returning anytime soon. So another thing that this has done is really forced me to focus on a new career path, which isn’t something I planned on doing anytime soon. It’s been my career path for as long as I’ve been an adult, so the idea of having to switch to something new is a little jarring, but you pivot and you move on. That has been the part that has been so crazy for me just because it’s been something that I’ve always wanted to do and done, and the idea of changing that so drastically ... the mental toll it’s taking and the unknowns of what work looks like after COVID has been tricky for me to maneuver.”
— ANDREA LOPEZ-VILLAFAÑA
Occupation: Director of Marketing & Communications
Age: 38
Lives in: Bankers Hill
Length of unemployment: Since March 22
“Like so many others, I was furloughed, and then laid off from a job I loved. I also went through a breakup. That’s a lot of change. I hoped my 20-plus years of marketing experience would help me get back to work fast, but was quickly humbled by the hundreds of applicants for nearly every job. I decided to put my strategic planning mindset to work with job hunting and now spend 80 percent of my “work day” seeking ideal opportunities and 20 percent on contingencies. I take time to learn. I feed my creative soul by sketching, cooking, sewing and listening to music. My newly adopted pup blesses me with love, companionship and lots of walks in nature. Though it’s not easy, and I feel discouraged at times, I stay grounded knowing I have more than I need in life, including the loving support of family and friends. Quarantine has given me the gift of time to reflect, gain clarity without distractions, regenerate and grow. During this global crisis, time of civil unrest, and season of change, I am reminded to be kind to myself and others, give more than I take, practice empathy, remain grateful, continue to learn, and do my part. Though I don’t know what’s next, I’m hopeful for the future.”
— MICHAEL JAMES ROCHA
Occupations: Resident DJ / event coordinator (Thomas) and massage therapist and owner of SimplySpaSantee.com (Caroline)
Ages: 51 (Thomas) and 47 (Caroline)
Live in: Santee
Length of unemployment: Since March 15
“Not having an income has been difficult to say the least. That is truly the hardest part. But a close second to that is not being able to plan anything. We are planners. Finances, business, vacations — we plan everything far in advance. You have to when you work for yourself. To not be able to plan is extremely difficult. The more questions we ask — and don’t get answered — more questions come forward. For instance: What will the face of our businesses look like? Can we continue at all? Should we move to another state that’s more business-friendly? How will distance-learning affect my child? What are the real numbers? Do the people making decisions truly know about how to run a business successfully, cleanly, safely, but continue to operate? We’ve asked all these questions, and there are still no answers. For Caroline, being able to open for three weeks, there seemed to be a little hope that everything would work itself out. Then we had to close again and her hope was shattered. Even if she could open up again, I’m in the event business. And there’s no telling when I can start to operate again ... it looks like sometime in 2021. Every DJ, emcee, party planner, event coordinator, venue operator — we’re all still not working and probably won’t be any time soon. For now, we’ll continue to go running every morning, eat right, and stay healthy. And figure out how to take back control of our lives.”
— KAREN PEARLMAN
Occupation: Conservation education specialist
Age: 26
Lives in: Normal Heights
Length of unemployment: Initially in March, went back to work briefly in July and went back on unemployment
Priest was also laid off in 2019, before the pandemic, because of grant-funding issues. She compares being laid off during the pandemic to being laid off before the pandemic. “When I initially was on unemployment last year, any question I had throughout the process, I could call the assistance line. I would wait five minutes, but I could talk to a real person who would listen to my issue and resolve it right away. When this happened, I thought, ‘Oh, it’s OK I’ll just call.’ I had this previous experience of it being so easy and so swift that when it didn’t happen this time, it made things even more frustrating because I know how the process should work. That last time I was unemployed last year, I could fill my days with a lot more things. Besides looking for a job, I could go to the beach, I could go hiking, I could visit my brother in Arizona, I could take trips to visit my friends in Northern California if I wanted to. Not only do you not have work to keep you busy, but you also couldn’t do those things things time.”
— GUSTAVO SOLIS
Occupation: Hair salon owner/wig entrepreneur
Age: 59
Lives in: San Diego
Length of unemployment: On and off since mid-March
Miller owned Hairitage Salon on University Avenue in Rolando for more than 20 years. Six stylists worked in the shop before the pandemic. “It was a staple in the Black community. Three generations almost were coming in, from grandmothers to grandchildren. When COVID happened, the hair salon part, I had to close because my stylists couldn’t come to work and therefore couldn’t pay me the booth rental. I couldn’t afford to pay the lease because I was waiting on loans, unemployment and all that.” For the past two years, Miller has operated a second venture, Glorious Strands. She makes high-quality medical wigs for women with hair loss and recently leased a small studio in La Mesa. The studio isn’t open to customers yet. In the meantime, Miller is making custom wigs at home. “That is what I’m doing to survive right now.”
— MIKE FREEMAN
Occupation: ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher
Age: 46
Lives in: Escondido
Length of unemployment: Since late March
“I’ve been working all my life, and I never had such a long period of my life of not doing anything, so when this happened, I would compare it with a train running very fast, and then it was a full stop. So unexpected. At first, I thought it won’t last that long. Maybe just two weeks, but then it was four months. Summer came, and no students came. I felt quite frustrated and started thinking, ‘What can I do now? Should I go back to school? Look for a new job?’ I found a dental assistant program that I joined. I’m glad to have my husband and family who totally support me, and I’m getting unemployment benefits, so that has helped.”
— LORI WEISBERG
Occupation: Self-employed hairstylist
Age: 47
Lives in: Carlsbad
Length of unemployment: On and off about five and a half months so far
“I am a daughter of a Mexican immigrant father and Chicana mother. I am married to my wife Cori Schumacher of 12 years who is a City Council member in Carlsbad. This is my first time being on unemployment, and almost every individual has paid into it at one point of their lives. I could never live with myself if I didn’t try all that I could to keep my high-risk family and any person safe. Most likely, they will not survive COVID-19, so when I talk to them, I try to love and appreciate them. Masks are an inconvenience, but if it can help save lives and our economy, I will continue to inconvenience myself for the greater good. Being unemployed has allowed me to slow down and go more inward with my thoughts. ... I have been thinking about how our conveniences and privileges have led to much pain and suffering ... especially for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) that are affected ... during this pandemic. No. 45’s rhetoric is not helping and has failed in leadership with racism and greed. My self-care had always been about 35 years of surfing, but since COVID, I have found new ways to be out in nature, like in my tiny garden, and disconnecting from toxic social media as much as possible. It’s really hard for me to be around anyone that feels a sense of entitlement and selfishly doesn’t want to wear a mask. The extra $600 a week has saved me with paying rent, lost wages, expensive grocery bills and cleaning supplies during the first quarantine, but the future will be a different story.”
— PHILIP DIEHL
Occupation: Art teacher
Age: 34
Lives in: Mira Mesa
Length of unemployment: Since mid-March
“Usually people like to take art classes in person, so I was working six days a week before the pandemic hit, and I was pretty happy and tired all the time. Then this COVID stuff happened, and I saw all my students start dropping out one by one, and my group classes shrunk. I had these gigs lined up for the whole month, and those started disappearing. ... My saving grace was that I transitioned some part of my teaching business to an online format, but my business is still at 10 percent of what it was. It’s a bit depressing. I’m starting to get a lot of inquiries of doing virtual classes or social-distanced versions of my classes, but I’m still trying to work out the kinks. I would love to see my students again, but I don’t want anything to happen to them.”
— ANDREA LOPEZ-VILLAFAÑA
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