July 22, 2015 (San Diego's East County) -- Stay safe and informed! East County Magazine's free wildfire and emergency alert service has been busy lately warning people here about flash floods, wildfires, roadway hazards and severe weather.
Our regional emergency alerts come via email, so you can get them even if phone lines burn down. You can also get alerts on your cell phone. Plus you can receive our free weekly newsletter with top news stories in our region.
Test Result Shows Total Coliform Bacteria Present in Drinking Water Supply
July 22, 2015 (Jamul)--The County of San Diego, Department of Environmental Health (DEH) has issued a Boil Water Order and Public Notification for the Indian Hills Camp located at 15763 Lyons Valley Road, Jamul, CA 91935, effective immediately. The water system serves 9 mobile homes, 15 recreational vehicle spaces, 2 dorms, 15 camp sites, 4 public restrooms with showers, 2 swimming pools, a kitchen and office building.
Participants include Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Helix Water District, the San Diego County Water Authority, Building Industry Association of San Diego, and the Water Reliability Coalition
July 21, 2015 (El Cajon) -- On Thursday, August 13th, 2015 Assemblyman Brian Jones (R-Santee) will be hosting a Drought Town Hall to educate constituents about the ongoing California drought, legislative solutions, and efforts to provide relief to the community.
July 20, 2015 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- Gary Gene Snavely, a sexually violent predator, has violated the terms of his release and has been removed from Jacumba Hot Springs. He is now in the Sheriff’s Department custody and may be returned to a state hospital.
Supervisor Dianne Jacob issued this strong statement at the news. “This monster never belonged in the community in the first place,” Jacob says. “Word that he violated the terms of his release comes as no surprise and is the latest proof that sexually violent predators have no place in Jacumba Hot Springs or any other community. What makes this even more outrageous is that it’s not the first time Snavely has broken the rules of his placement,” adds Jacob, who calls for Snavely to be “locked up for good.”
Update July 21: Supervisors voted unanimously to ask the Obama administration to take action and allow USFS air tankers to land in Ramona.
July 20, 2015 (Ramona)—The U.S. Forest Service is refusing to fly its newest air tankers in and out of Ramona Air Attack Base – and the Board of Supervisors may turn to the White House for help.
On Tuesday, July 21 at 9 a.m. Supervisors will consider a proposal from Chairman Bill Horn and Supervisor Dianne Jacob to appeal the decision to the Obama Administration. With the high-risk fall fire season approaching, they say flying the next-gen tankers in and out of Ramona could help save lives and protect property.
July 20, 2015 (Julian) – From a film festival to guided hikes to a dinner in the meadow benefit and more, the Volcan Mountain Foundation is hosting an array of fascinating events coming up in August and September. Below are details on these activities, which all benefit conservation efforts to preserve Volcan Mountain in the scenic and historic Julian area.
Photo: County crews work to clean up mud flow on Rutherford Road in Ramona, where over 3 inches of rain fell on Sunday.
July 20, 2015 (San Diego) -- The remnants of Hurricane Dolores created record rainfall in San Diego County, taking residents by surprise over the weekend. If your property or small business sustained damage from the weekend’s heavy rains and flooding, the County would like your help to estimate rain damages in our region.
The County Office of Emergency Services is asking storm-affected residents to complete a short damage survey form that will assist the County in collecting damage information and associated costs from the weekend’s heavy rains and flooding.
The information gathered from the surveys will be used to estimate total damages countywide and will determine if enough damages occurred to qualify the region for federal disaster assistance, such as low interest disaster loans from the Small Business Administration for those who are uninsured or underinsured.
July 21, 2015 (El Cajon)--The City of El Cajon has been stalling for many years on two major projects: the reopening of the East County Performing Arts Center, and the building of a new animal shelter. Major developments regarding the animal shelter were revealed at the July 14 Council Meeting, but in a bizarre, stunning manner.
July 19, 2015 (La Mesa)—Hospitals must release their rates of readmission and serioscomplications, due to a new Medicare requirement in the Affordable Care Act—and pay penalties for poor results. That’s producing positive results, pushing hospitals to work to improve those numbers and patient wellbeing.
For example, a study by BetterDoctors.com found that from mid-2010 to mid-2013, Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa ranked fourth worst in the nation for readmissions and complications. The good news is that since then, Grossmont's numbers have improved dramatically, according to Better Doctors and Grossmont, and penalty fees have dropped sharply as a result. Th hospital has also won several awards and honors for its patient care.
July 19, 2015 (Borrego Springs) – October 23-25, the Borrego Days Desert Festival will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. Organizers are seeking vintage images from the early days of the event for use in marketing materials and posters.
July 18, 2015 (El Cajon ) – A vehicle theft suspect is under arrest after a chase that led El Cajon Police officers on a wild chase that ended after the suspect crashed into three parked cars.
July 18, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - The San Diego County Library continues its series of programs at the Alpine Library on Thursday, July 23rd with a program titled “Author Talk – Mastering Success.” Join Dr. Dorothy Kegler as she discusses her journey to becoming a local author. Dorothy is a longtime resident of San Diego. She has been featured in two books and authored her journal, My Journey: Butterfly Wings, based on her journey to get an education. See attached.
July 18, 2015 (La Mesa) - The Grossmont Healthcare District’s Dr. William C. Herrick Community Health Care Library, 9001 Wakarusa St. in La Mesa, will host a free program on “Getting REAL About Alzheimer’s,” from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22. The program is part of the library’s Wellness Wednesday series, normally held on the fourth Wednesday of the month.
July 18, 2015 (El Cajon)--Two new solar powered pedestrian safety lights were recently installed near Johnson Elementary School and should create a safer walk zone for the many children who attend this Cajon Valley school on west Madison Ave. in El Cajon.
July 18, 2015 (El Cajon) --Representatives from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign spoke at the East County Democratic Club last Thursday at MJ’s Family Restaurant in El Cajon, seeking to fire up local support.
A former Secretary of State, First Lady and Senator, Clinton is focusing her campaign vision on four goals: building an economy for tomorrow, strengthening America’s families, defending America and our core values, and revitalizing our democracy.
Patrick Alexander, JD, added that one of the most important issues in the campaign will be the appointment of up to four Supreme Court Justices that the next president could make – appointments that could shape the high court for the next half century and impact rulings significant for women's rights, voting rights, minority rights, labor, the environment, the enviroment and more.
July 18, 2015 (El Cajon)--Saturday morning July 18th began with an early morning wake up call by Mother Nature herself . The sound of lightning - THUNDER!
Update: Hear a podcast of our radio story on this (originally aired on KNSJ) with audio clips from the Pine Valley Mutual Water Co. Shareholders meeting here:
Photos by Bob Ames Smith: Pine Valley Creek, several years ago and now, after 4 years of drought
July 15, 2015 (Pine Valley) –With water running short across the state, tensions are building where local water districts are being asked to share precious water supplies with neighboring districts and developers.
Directors of the Pine Valley Mutual Water Company found themselves in hot water with shareholders, who staged a revolt over their board’s decision to sell up to 5 million gallons of water to the newly formed Rough Acres Water Company in Boulevard. Rough Acres Ranch wants to build an industrial scale solar facility on its property that needs massive amounts of water—and Boulevard doesn’t have enough.
But when Pine Valley shareholders—the residents who rely on water from Pine Valley wells – found out about the secret sale, tempers at the latest shareholder meeting reached the boiling point, as a tape provided to East County Magazine by Charlene Ayers, leader of the Ranter’s Roost online discussion group on land use issues locally, makes clear.
July 16, 2015 (El Cajon) – El Cajon currently holds at-large elections where everyone in the city votes for all five Council races. But on Tuesday, the City Council voted 5-0 to have staff move forward with implementing a shift to individual districts each electing its own representative. The concept of districts aspires to provide greater representation for minorities to elect representatives reflective of their neighborhoods' concerns.
July 13, 2015 (Alpine)—A live tropical bird show, “The Music of Birds” will be presented on July 25th at 11 a.m. in the Alpine branch of the San Diego County Library (2130 Arnold Way, Alpine).
July 16, 2015 (El Cajon ) – El Cajon’s City Council voted Tuesday to move forward on plans to build a Hampton Inn with upscale restaurants on the site of the former police station on Fletcher Parkway near North Magnolia Avenue. The action comes after last month’s approval to bring a Marriott Hotel to town.
“Revitalization of El Cajon has a snowball effect,” Councilman Gary Kendrick told East County Magazine. Since approval of the Marriott deal, he says, “our phone has been ringing off the hook from investors because they know that Marriott does their homework.”
July 16, 2015 (Campo) – Infigen Energy, owner of the Kumeyaay Wind facility in Campo, announced last week that it has agreed to sell its entire U.S. wind business to Primary Wind Power, LLC, a new private equity firm.
July 16, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Join the La Mesa Police Department and Heartland Fire and Rescue in celebrating the 4th annual “National Night Out against Crime” and Emergency Preparedness Fair Event, Tuesday, August 4th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the La Mesa Police Station Parking lot (8085 University Avenue - same location as the La Mesa Farmers Market).
July 16, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - If you're looking for a reason for a weekend road trip, hop on up to Julian for Hikes & Hops with Volcan Mountain Foundation and Anza Borrego Desert Foundation on July 25th.Participants will receive a voucher for beer at Nickel Beer Company and a taste of Anza-Borrego Brew (a vanilla oatmeal stout ) after the hike, which will cover six miles with scenic views and cool, shaded groves.
July 16, 2015 (La Mesa) -- There will be a planned power outage at the Public Works Maintenance Yard on Friday, July 17. The phones will be down through Sunday, July 19.
For a public works related emergency, including a sewer backup, please call 619.667.1400.
For other non-emergency service requests, please use Request Tracker.
July 16, 2015 (Ramona)—The winemakers at Grant James Vineyard in Ramona say the best way to experience wine is dining in the vineyard. So they’re serving up Friday night dinners all summer long with a host of creative chefs. Below are the delicious details on upcoming culinary events in the vineyard.
July 16, 2015 (La Mesa) – Helix Water District’s Board on Wednesday voted down a staff/legal recommendation for a tough new emergency drought action plan resolution that would have imposed a “civil volumetric penalty” for every unit of water over 30 used by residential customers.
July 16, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Congressman Duncan Hunter, who represents the 50th District, will be the keynote speaker at the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce breakfast, Tuesday, August 25, 2015 from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at Marie Callender's (6950 Alvarado Road, San Diego, CA 92120). The public is welcome to attend and have the opportunity to hear from our energetic and knowledgeable Congressman.
July 18, 2014 (La Mesa) -- There are numerous power outages right now around the county, including San Carlos, El Cajon City Heights and Poway.
July 16, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Join the La Mesa Police Department and Heartland Fire and Rescue in celebrating the 4th annual “National Night Out against Crime” and Emergency Preparedness Fair Event, Tuesday, August 4th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the La Mesa Police Station Parking lot (8085 University Avenue - same location as the La Mesa Farmers Market).
July 16, 2015 (La Mesa) -- There will be a planned power outage at the Public Works Maintenance Yard on Friday, July 17. The phones will be down through Sunday, July 19. 
Food Bank Distribution July 18
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