1 in 5 San Diegans Without Medical Insurance

With the rancorous debate on a nationalized health care system dragging on in Washington, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that more than 500,000 adults in San Diego County, or one in five residents, are without medical coverage. And that’s based on data from 2008. The situation’s bound to be worse since the jobless rate in the state just hit an eye-popping 12.2 percent and is headed higher. The situation is “disheartening for San Diego County,” says a news release on the topic. And other bureaucrats have even more bad news for the economy, as workers took a 3.5 percent pay cut in 2008, according to disappointing numbers from the bureau … And file this under the heading “Tell me some bad news I don’t already know.” South Dakota has the most “business-friendly” tax system and New Jersey the least, according to the Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index released Sept. 22. California is ranked among the bottom 10, says the foundation … How ’bout a bit of good news? The very active Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary Club has been awarded a presidential citation as a distinguished club, one of the highest honors that can be bestowed by the home office’s top guy back in Illinois. What’s more, the club increased its size 7 percent despite the horrid economy, so the Rotarians along the Interstate 15 corridor are on a roll … A triple crown in the awards department. Scripps Health has been named one of the 50 Best Employers for Workers Over 50 by AARP, while Working Mother magazine put Scripps on its 2009 list of America’s 100 Best Companies for its family-friendly policies. Oh, almost forgot, Scripps CEO Chris Van Gorder made Modern Healthcare magazine’s list of the top 100 executives in the industry … Need a new roof over your head? Local entrepreneur Brian Yui of HouseRebate.com says he’s launched software at his site that lets house-hunters research properties from their cell phones using GPS. Yui says the new software downloadable at his Web site enables customers to find homes, access listings and even connect to a broker for more information ... It’s showtime, folks! City Ballet of San Diego will hold all of its upcoming performances in the Spreckels Theatre downtown on Broadway, the company just announced. The season gets under way with “Giselle” in November, and will feature the annual “Nutcracker” extravaganza this year with a full orchestra. Browse on over to cityballet.org. Meanwhile, the ever-popular Lyric Opera San Diego in bustling North Park opens its season Oct. 2, when the curtain opens with Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes.” It’s one of the most requested pieces in the repertoire of American musicals, says Leon Natker. Details at lyricoperasandiego.org. Not to be overlooked, the San Diego Repertory Theatre at Horton Plaza opens “Long Story Short” on Oct. 3, and runs through Nov. 1. Ducats and other data at sdrep.org.