EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

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May 18, 2017 (San Diego's East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL

STATE

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

LOCAL

Santee ok’s start of special district for Castlerock residents (San Diego Union-Tribune)

The developer of the Castlerock housing development under construction in Santee has gotten city approval to begin the process of forming a special tax district for the homebuyers.

Should UCSD and other hospitals pay millions of dollars to sports teams? ( San Diego Union-Tribune)

UC San Diego Health is paying about $1 million per year for the right to call itself the “official health care provider of the San Diego Padres,” according to a sponsorship contract between the baseball team and the university…. UC San Diego is not the only school in the University of California system that has a contract with a professional sports team. The Los Angeles Lakers work with doctors from UC Los Angeles, for example. The UC Board of Regents office said it does not keep a master list of all  such relationships and does not get involved with approving those marketing deals. It did not elaborate on why it takes this hands-off approach.

Local Experts Explain Recent Uptick in Shark Sightings (NBC)

"In the 1990's, California banned all near-shore nets and that dramatically reduced the mortality of juvenile white sharks," said Heidi Dewar, Ph.D., a fisheries research biologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Dewar said we are just now beginning to see the results of that legislation. 

Ramona High School listed for sale in funny senior prank (Fox 5)

Ramona High School is for sale for the price of $2017 — at least that’s what a post on the online advertising website Craigslist claimed.

Gaming gone bust, tribe turns to marijuana farming (San Diego Union-Tribune)

A small Indian tribe in a remote stretch of San Diego County has traded in its failed dream of casino riches for what could be the next big payout — marijuana cultivation.The Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel — which shuttered its 35,000-square-foot gaming hall in February 2014, buried under $50 million in debt — has transformed the vacant space into a high-tech medical marijuana operation, and is leasing part of the property to growers who cultivate and distribute the drug to legal dispensaries throughout the state.

A day in the life of Rep. Duncan Hunter (Fox News)

Pete Hegseth spends a day with veteran who continued to serve by going to Congress

Drugs, graffiti found at La Mesa little league field (10 News)

Drugs and other drug paraphernalia have been found on the grounds and taggers have repeatedly spray painted on the snack bar, the fences and even all over the parking lot. 

San Diego using loophole to hand out large raises during pay freeze (San Diego Union-Tribune)

The city of San Diego has given nearly 150 high-level managers more than $4 million in pay raises since 2012 despite a voter-imposed salary freeze, saddling the city and its taxpayers with many millions in additional pension debt. 

 

STATE

Bill would expand property tax portability for older CA homeowners (San Francisco Chronicle)

Chris and Carol Leister are selling their home of 33 years in Castro Valley and moving to a new 55-plus community in El Dorado Hills to be closer to their children and grandchildren in Sacramento. The Leisters are taking advantage of a state law that gives homeowners who are least 55 a once-in-a-lifetime chance to transfer the property tax base from their primary residence to one of equal or lesser value

Gov. Brown defends gas tax, local legislator (OC Register)

A day after signature gathering began to recall a Fullerton legislator for supporting new transportation taxes, Gov. Jerry Brown offered an impassioned defense of the road-improvement plan and of the Democratic state senator under attack….  “The freeloaders — I’ve had enough of them,” Brown said, adding that the approved tax and fee hikes bring those charges to the level they were 30 years ago if adjusted for inflation.

DMV issues hundreds of disabled placard citations (San Diego Union-Tribune)

The California Department of Motor Vehicles is cracking down on drivers who fraudulently use parking placards for people with disabilities. A recent state audit said the department “does not sufficiently ensure that applications for placards or plates are legitimate.”

Army Training In California Desert To Take On Cyber Threats (KPBS)

US Army Cyber Command wants to know if it can insert experts onto the battlefield to help troops on the front line combat cyber threats.

California courts look to modernize with chatbots, video tech (SF Chronicle)

The modernization proposals, which include expanding the use of video technology and developing chatbots that can help answer routine questions for people called for jury duty, were developed over nine months by a team spearheaded by San Diego Superior Court Judge Robert Trentacosta.

 

 

 


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