By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor and Miriam Raftery, Editor

View video of complete town hall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj9ot7tcbXchttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj9ot7tcbXc

“We are one nation, under God, indivisible. But right now, I think that notion is being tested at our deepest core. I think it is time for us to lead with our values again as a nation." -- Ammar Campa-Najjar

September 17, 2019 (Alpine)—At a town hall meeting in Alpine on August 18, some 100 East County residents heard Congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar field questions on a wide range of issues. He offered thoughtful responses, many moderate positions and at times, maverick views on topics such as healthcare, gun violence, climate change, jobs, education, immigration and more.

The Jamul resident and Democratic contender has worked at the national level on both business and labor issues. Now he’s running for the 50^th Congressional district seat held by indicted Republican Congressman Duncan D. Hunter, whose federal corruption trial begins in January.

Dressed in a long-sleeved sports shirt and blue jeans, the 30 year-old hopeful emphasized that to win in 2020, he has to attract voters across party lines. The Republican party still holds a substantial registration advantage, but Campa-Najjar came within three percentage points of ousting Hunter in 2018 in what had long been considered a GOP stronghold.

First, Campa-Najjar gave an overview of his platform. Next he answered questions on 10 topics randomly pulled from questions submitted beforehand. Then came live questions posed by audience members at a microphone.

By Miriam Raftery

September 18, 2019 (Julian) – SDG&E has announced a planned power outage today from 12 noon to 4 p.m. to protect safety of workers repairing power poles.  An estimated 1,600 customers will be affected.

If you are enrolled in SDG&E’s Medical Baseline program and have devices that depend on electricity, the Planned Outage Coordinator to confirm you have received the outage notification and to make any necessary arrangements during the planned outage. The outage coordinator can be reached weekdays between 7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at 858-654-1785.

If you need assistance after hours or over the weekend, please call 1-800-211-7343.

East County News Service

September 15, 2019 (Santa Ysabel) – Fort Cross Old Timey Adventures in Santa Ysabel, just outside of Julian, will host an apple days event complete with cider pressing and a Johnny Appleseed celebration on Saturday, September 28th  and Sunday, Sept. 29th from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.  There are also regular weekend activities later on.

East County News Service

September 11, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – Alpine resident Kruize Alan Stockfelt, 18, died at the scene of a head-on crash Sunday morning in Ramona.

By Miriam Raftery

September 6, 2019 (Ramona) --- After Virulent Newcastle Disease (VND) was detected in Ramona last week and the area placed under a regional quarantine, the California Dept. of Food and Agriculture has announced that it will hold a town hall at the Ramona branch library on Monday, Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m. 

Bird owners are invited to come learn more about the disease, how to proptect your birds, methods to clean your property,  status of the outbreak, and what to expect in recovery.

By Miriam Raftery

September 8, 2019 (Julian) -- A long-vacant lot in the heart of downtown Julian may soon become a town square with an amphitheater and community park to serve as a hub for community gatherings, holiday events, a farmer’s market, art walk and more. Over $182,000 -- nearly a third of the $600,000 funds needed--have been pledged, according to the Julian Town Square website.

By Miriam Raftery

September 6, 2019 (Ramona) – The Oasis Camel Dairy in Ramona is opening its farm store on Sept. 7, 8, 14, 15, 28 and 29 as well as Oct. 5, 6, 12, 13, 20, 26 and 27. Besides shopping for products such as camel milk bath bombs and lotions, you can now relax with country views while sampling 11 varieties of camel milk chocolate by Al Nassma including dark, milk, orange, sweet-spice, date and white chocolate varieties, along with non-alcoholic beverages and snacks.

East County News Service

September 3, 2019 (Ramona) – The 2Create Gallery and Art Center (438 Main St., Ramona) is hosting two upcoming events.

September 2, 2019 (San Diego's East County) -- A flash flood watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for portions of  southern California include  San Diego County's mountain and desert areas today and tonight.

Additional thunderstorms are possible Monday and Tuesday. 

Runoff caused by very intense but brief rainfall can gather in  arroyos and small streams as well as urban surfaces. 

There is a  risk of mudslides and debris flows in steep terrain and in burn  areas.

East County News Service

August 28, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – Hot weather is here again. The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch from Friday morning through Saturday in San Diego’s desert areas. Temperatures could reach 115 in the low deserts and 105 in the low deserts.

East County News Service

August 23, 2019 (Descanso) -- Sunday, Sept. 1 will mark the 82^nd Our Lady of Light Catholic Parish Deep Pit BBQ and community event from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  The pit will be ignited, 1,500 pounds of local beef will be seasoned and prepared to be cooked in a special Deep Pit in the hills of Descanso.  This year’s theme:  “Holy Smoke!”

By Miriam Raftery

Listen to the full interview, originally aired on KNSJ radio: click the audio link.

Learn more about Ammar Campa-Najjar's town hall at the Alpine Community Center on August 18 from 1-4 p.m. by clicking here.

August 9, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – “We need an economy and a government that works for working people,” says Ammar Campa-Najjar, who is running for the 50^th Congressional district seat currently held by indicted Congressman Duncan Hunter. So we sat down with Campa-Najjar on our radio show to discuss those plans in detail.

Headlines tout a strong GDP as well as low unemployment. But  those numbers don’t tell the full story,  Campa-Najjar points out. “That’s great if you own stock.  But it’s not great if unemployment is low because one person is working three jobs, barely making a living and living paycheck to paycheck, having to choose whether to buy a gallon of gas or a gallon of milk.”  He says that in talking with people across the district, he’s hearing from people who are having to cut prescription pills in half or who can’t pay for insulin, choosing which bills to skip paying to cover basic survival needs. “These are real issues in the district, especially in rural areas."

Unlike most candidates who have run for this seat through the years, Campa-Najjar says he is uniquely positioned to bring good jobs to East County and elsewhere in the district because “I worked at the Department of Labor to create good-paying jobs, not just in San Diego County, but throughout the country.”

At the Department of Labor, he worked on creating apprenticeship jobs to train workers in high-paying fields, as well as setting up summer youth jobs and opportunities for veterans.  He later worked for the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as communications and marketing director, which included promoting opportunities for small businesses to secure contracts with the federal government and corporations. He’s also worked as an educator teaching at UCSD, USD and SDSU.

He’s also a small business owner and Jamul resident who was born in La Mesa and raised by a working class Catholic mother. His first job was as a janitor at his church, where he became a youth leader before graduating from San Diego State and later working in the White House and at the U.S. Department of Labor.

So what kinds of jobs would he bring to the district, including rural areas, small towns and Native American reservations?