EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

July 10, 2021 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include:

LOCAL

• County Nixed Spending $1.5 million for Fire Retrofits in Backcountry (iNewsSource)
• Number of Delta variants in San Diego County more than doubles in a week (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Search on for trio who broke into popular San Diego restaurant DZ Akins (10 News)
•  State auditor to investigate deaths in San Diego County jails (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• La Mesa’s new police chief didn’t let tough childhood drag him down (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• U.C. San Diego forced to cut out of state admissions (KPBS)

STATE

• Delta variant now California’s dominant coronavirus strain (Los Angeles Times)
• Gov. Newsom files lawsuit against his secretary of state over recall filing 'mistake' (KCRA)
• Gavin Newsom recall election date officially set: California voters to cast ballots in September
• FEMA Rejected 95% Of Aid Applicants During California's Last Wildfire Disaster. Why? (NPR)

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

LOCAL

County Nixed Spending $1.5 million for Fire Retrofits in Backcountry (iNewsSource)

… he San Diego County Board of Supervisors acknowledged the value of vents in fire prevention in June 2019, when the board unanimously approved a $1.5 million grant project to help backcountry households buy and install ember-resistant vents. At least 66,200 households would have been eligible… But before any money could be spent, the reimbursement program was abandoned. Last November, county fire officials told the supervisors that they wanted to spend the money on other fire prevention strategies, blaming an inability to find someone to run the program and predicting homeowners’ lack of interest in partial reimbursements for vents.

Number of Delta variants in San Diego County more than doubles in a week (San Diego Union-Tribune)

While the overall total remains small, the pace of growth provides fresh fuel for vaccination pleas

Search on for trio who broke into popular San Diego restaurant DZ Akins (10 News)

 The public is being asked to help identify three people who broke into DZ Akins, a popular restaurant/deli in the College Area…police said: “Once inside, the suspects stole a safe and used a dolly to move the safe to their vehicle. The safe contained an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspects were last seen driving eastbound on 6900 Alvarado Road.” The getaway vehicle was described as a light gray or silver SUV, possibly a 2009-2012 Ford Escape with “chrome six spokes style wheels,” police noted.

State auditor to investigate deaths in San Diego County jails (San Diego Union-Tribune)

The California state auditor will investigate inmate deaths in San Diego County jails over the past 15 years after a proposal from local lawmakers was approved Wednesday. A San Diego Union-Tribune investigation in 2019 found that the county’s jail mortality rate was highest by far among large counties in the state. Starting in 2009 when Bill Gore became sheriff, at least 140 people died in county custody over a 10-year span.

La Mesa’s new police chief didn’t let tough childhood drag him down (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Ray Sweeney uses personal experience with domestic violence to understand others

U.C. San Diego forced to cut out of state admissions (KPBS)

With the passing of the state budget on June 28, UC San Diego, UCLA and UC Berkeley are going to have to cut back on out-of-state student admissions. The change was made to get more Californians into UC schools.

STATE

Delta variant now California’s dominant coronavirus strain (Los Angeles Times)

The variant might be twice as contagious as the initial variants of the coronavirus that spread rapidly around the globe last year.

Gov. Newsom files lawsuit against his secretary of state over recall filing 'mistake' (KCRA)

Gov. Gavin Newsom has filed a lawsuit against his hand-picked secretary of state, asking a judge to order California's top elections official to include his party preference on a recall ballot later this year. Newsom, who appointed Shirley Weber as secretary of state a few months ago, filed the lawsuit Monday.

Gavin Newsom recall election date officially set: California voters to cast ballots in September

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will face a recall election on Sept. 14, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis announced on Thursday.

FEMA Rejected 95% Of Aid Applicants During California's Last Wildfire Disaster. Why? (NPR)

California's 2020 wildfires set a record: the most acres burned in a single year. Thousands of people lost their homes, and the smoke from the fires up and down the West Coast stretched all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. But another record was set that hardly anyone talked about: The disaster declared for the wildfires in the fall had the lowest eligibility rate for FEMA aid of any U.S. wildfire disaster on record. Just 5% of those who applied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help received any financial assistance, according to an NPR analysis.