EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

February 3, 2022 (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

• California to pay for wildfire retrofits up to $40,000 per home, starting with rural San Diego (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Federal agency confirms San Diego has the highest electricity rates in the country (CBS 8)
• San Diego unemployment rate sinks. Here are the industries that are hiring (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• SDG&E Rates Have Gone Up — a LOT — and Here's Why (NBC 7)
• San Diego representatives prepare for primary challenges in new districts (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Taylor Guitars: A San Diego Success Story – Owners Leave Legacy in the Hands of Employees (San Diego Business Journal)
• Arson Suspected In Fire That Damaged Supervisor Fletcher's Home (Patch)
• From the Inside: San Diego County jail inmates describe filthy conditions, few COVID-19 protections (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego-born fundraising firms unite: GoFundMe Buying Nonprofit Fundraising Platform Classy (San Diego Business Journal)

STATE

• Don’t have a 401(k) through work? Californians have CalSavers and other options (Los Angeles Times)
• Teens could get vaccinated against parents’ wishes under proposed California law (Sacramento Bee)
• Kamala Harris announces wildfire money in California visit  (Los Angeles Times)
• December storms allow for ‘modest increase’ in state water deliveries  (Los Angeles Times)
• California judge delays enforcement of part of new bacon law (San Diego Union-Tribune)

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

LOCAL

California to pay for wildfire retrofits up to $40,000 per home, starting with rural San Diego (San Diego Union-Tribune)

…California recently launched a novel $100 million pilot program in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to pay for home retrofits in high-fire areas.  San Diego County has been chosen by state officials to spearhead the new initiative — doling out up to $40,000 per home across 500 backcountry residences from Dulzura to Campo.… Cal Fire has started taking applications at wildfiremititgation.caloes.ca.gov.

Federal agency confirms San Diego has the highest electricity rates in the country (CBS 8)

SDG&E's rate increases starting in 2013 are expected to outpace inflation by almost 70% by 2030 in a CA Public Utilities Commission chart. San Diegans have been shocked by their recent power bills, and now CBS 8 has confirmed that we are paying higher rates than any other city in the country.  According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, San Diegans paid an average of 36.5 cents per kilowatt-hour last December. Los Angeles residents paid 34% less (24 cents) and Riverside County paid even less, 23.8 cents per kWh.

San Diego unemployment rate sinks. Here are the industries that are hiring (San Diego Union-Tribune)

The unemployment rate hit its lowest rate of the pandemic to end the year.

SDG&E Rates Have Gone Up — a LOT — and Here's Why (NBC 7)

NBC 7 Responds looked at how rates are going up and what that means for consumers.

San Diego representatives prepare for primary challenges in new districts (San Diego Union-Tribune)

As San Diego representatives look toward the upcoming elections, they’re also getting the lay of the land on new voting areas drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. The commission finalized new voting maps for state and federal offices last month, setting boundaries for the next decade.  

Taylor Guitars: A San Diego Success Story – Owners Leave Legacy in the Hands of Employees (San Diego Business Journal)

   By most every measure, Taylor Guitars is a great American success story…. the brand has grown to be a highly respected name in the music industry, and their guitars are played by prominent professional musicians as well as recreational players worldwide.. For thousands of business owners in America, including Taylor and Listug, the path they chose after making the decision to sell the company was to create an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, or ESOP.  Simply put, an ESOP allows shares of a company to be sold to the employees of the business.

Arson Suspected In Fire That Damaged Supervisor Fletcher's Home (Patch)

Leads are being sought following the blaze at the home of Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and his wife, former Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez…Investigators believe that the fire was intentionally set.

From the Inside: San Diego County jail inmates describe filthy conditions, few COVID-19 protections (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Some of San Diego’s highest-profile civil rights attorneys sued Sheriff Bill Gore last year over his handling of COVID-19 inside county jails. Now, as infections and deaths continue to climb among inmates and staff, the lawyers are asking a judge to grant an immediate injunction to force the sheriff to follow federal public health guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus. They also want the judge to certify their claim as a class-action lawsuit, meaning any remedy would apply to all San Diego County jail inmates.

San Diego-born fundraising firms unite: GoFundMe Buying Nonprofit Fundraising Platform Classy (San Diego Business Journal)

Two San Diego-born and bred companies will be joining forces later this year to become the go-to spot for people looking to donate to causes that matter to them. GoFundMe announced earlier this month that it is acquiring Classy, a nonprofit fundraising software company.

STATE

Don’t have a 401(k) through work? Californians have CalSavers and other options (Los Angeles Times)

Years in the making, California’s CalSavers retirement savings program is available now to hundreds of thousands of workers whose employers don’t offer pensions or 401(k) plans. 

Teens could get vaccinated against parents’ wishes under proposed California law (Sacramento Bee)

California teens could get vaccinated against parents’ wishes under a proposed law introduced Thursday. State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said his proposal, Senate Bill 866, was spurred by parents who won’t let their kids get the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Kamala Harris announces wildfire money in California visit  (Los Angeles Times)

With large, damaging wildfires becoming more common due to the effects of climate change, the federal government is redoubling its efforts to mitigate them. 

December storms allow for ‘modest increase’ in state water deliveries  (Los Angeles Times)

December’s surprising but welcome surge of record-breaking rain and snow — including more than 17 feet of powder at Donner Pass — provided enough moisture to boost planned allocations from 0% to 15%, the Department of Water Resources said Thursday. 

California judge delays enforcement of part of new bacon law (San Diego Union-Tribune)

A California judge decided this week to delay enforcement of part of a new farm animal welfare law that critics said would cause price hikes and supply shortages for bacon and other fresh pork products in the state.