EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

May 7, 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

• Anza-Borrego Park faces claims of neglecting rain ‘guzzlers,’ leading to bighorn sheep deaths (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego received virtually no rain in April, pushing region closer to ‘severe drought’ ranking (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Sempra to give record profits to investors on heels of SDG&E customer bill spikes (inewssource)
• What military equipment do La Mesa Police have? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Housing Subsidies Can’t Keep Pace with Surging Rents (Voice of San Diego)
• El Cajon will try sending some 911 calls to nurses, not hospitals. Here’s how it’s gone elsewhere (Los Angeles Times)
• Former tribal chairman accused of embezzling nearly $400K in federal funds in indictment (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Local residents open homes to Ukrainian refugees (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Orbeez shooters invade El Cajon (San Diego Reader)
• El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells doesn’t think Hasan Ikhrata should resign for wasting taxpayer money on steaks (KUSI)
• Supreme Court Sides With La Mesa Resident in Nazi-Looted Painting Suit (Patch)

STATE

• California energy officials warn of potential summer blackouts (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• California voters agreed to give prisoners shorter sentences. Did they mean violent ones, too? (Sacramento Bee)
• Here we go again: California coronavirus cases rising. Is a new wave coming soon? (Los Angeles Times)
• California Investigating Oil Companies for Alleged Plastic Recycling Deception (NPR)
• California lifts five-day quarantine rule for people exposed to COVID-19 but show no symptoms (Los Angeles Times)

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

LOCAL

Anza-Borrego Park faces claims of neglecting rain ‘guzzlers,’ leading to bighorn sheep deaths (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Debate heats up over boosting sheep population as drought and climate change ravage eastern San Diego County.

San Diego received virtually no rain in April, pushing region closer to ‘severe drought’ ranking (San Diego Union-Tribune)

The city’s temperature also was higher than average, allowing vegetation to wither.

Sempra to give record profits to investors on heels of SDG&E customer bill spikes (inewssource)

Sempra Energy, the parent company of San Diego Gas & Electric, is paying out its highest profits ever to its investors this month. The upcoming payout to investors on Friday comes on the heels of a massive spike in bills for many SDG&E customers, who already shoulder the highest per-unit electric prices in the country.

What military equipment do La Mesa Police have? (San Diego Union-Tribune)

The La Mesa City Council has unanimously approved new rules for when local police can use automatic rifles, tear gas and drones, after a state law demanded more transparency for military equipment. The policy allows only specially trained officers to use more than a dozen Colt M-4 rifles, capable of automatic fire, seven submachine guns and more than 320 non-lethal chemical grenades “to disperse any unlawful assembly, protest, or demonstration,” among other gear.

Housing Subsidies Can’t Keep Pace with Surging Rents (Voice of San Diego)

Despite state policy changes meant to shield low-income renters from massive rent hikes, many San Diegans remain vulnerable as rents skyrocket – and even San Diegans who receive Section 8 assistance or live in affordable housing are feeling the pinch.

El Cajon will try sending some 911 calls to nurses, not hospitals. Here’s how it’s gone elsewhere (Los Angeles Times)

Several years ago in the nation’s capital, a few hundred people who dialed 911 were not taken to a hospital.…Since 2018, more than 16,000 calls that once might have resulted in trips to the hospital were instead transferred to nurses, who could still help people find doctors or schedule rides to urgent cares. Washington is one of a handful of places nationwide rethinking how to respond to emergency calls…The El Cajon City Council voted unanimously last month to set aside hundreds of thousands of dollars for a first-in-the-region pilot program.

Former tribal chairman accused of embezzling nearly $400K in federal funds in indictment (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Shane Chapparosa of the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla & Cupeño Indians is wanted on the charges.

Local residents open homes to Ukrainian refugees (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Some fleeing the war in Ukraine have found open arms in North County San Diego. Rancho Santa Fe resident Susann Fishman has been making connections, finding spare rooms and full hearts to help make a welcoming home for Ukrainian refugees who have been forced to leave their own.

Orbeez shooters invade El Cajon (San Diego Reader)

… El Cajon Police Department posted photos on their Instagram of an orange-colored toy gun lying on the hood of their vehicle. The caption read, "You've probably heard of them or seen them trending on TikTok, but you may not have thought about the dangers associated with them. In these viral TikTok challenges, juveniles are encouraged to shoot water beads at unsuspecting victims, such as joggers, people in stores, and vehicles on the roadway, using these splat guns. This is an incredibly dangerous prank."

El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells doesn’t think Hasan Ikhrata should resign for wasting taxpayer money on steaks (KUSI)

According to a report on iNewSource, an internal audit of the San Diego Association of Governments revealed some shocking information about spending. The audit shows taxpayers footed the bill for meals and other extras for SANDAG staff and leaders on non-workdays. This audit shows $70,000 at local restaurants and $25,000 on non-working days and they couldn’t provide receipts. KUSI did reach out to the CEO of SANDAG – Hasan Ikrata for comment on the audit but he “respectfully declined”.

Supreme Court Sides With La Mesa Resident in Nazi-Looted Painting Suit (Patch)

The high court ruled that the case should return to a lower court and state law should be applied to determine the painting's ownership.

STATE

California energy officials warn of potential summer blackouts (San Diego Union-Tribune)

A shortfall of 1,700 megawatts — enough to power 1.3 million homes — is projected if conditions get bad.

California voters agreed to give prisoners shorter sentences. Did they mean violent ones, too? (Sacramento Bee)

 California voters in 2016 wholeheartedly approved Proposition 57, a measure that promised to help prison overcrowding by letting nonviolent inmates seek parole sooner and shave down their sentences with credits for good behavior and rehabilitation programs. At the time, the California District Attorneys Association warned it could cause trouble. 

Here we go again: California coronavirus cases rising. Is a new wave coming soon? (Los Angeles Times)

After months of declining numbers, California has recorded a nearly 30% increase in coronavirus cases over the last week along with smaller rises in hospitalizations, causing some health officials to suspect that the state is headed into a new pandemic wave. The increase coincides with a loosening of COVID-19 restrictions such as mask mandates and vaccine verification rules as well as the rise of new subvariants of the highly transmissible Omicron strain.

California Investigating Oil Companies for Alleged Plastic Recycling Deception (NPR)

"For more than half a century, the plastics industry has engaged in an aggressive campaign to deceive the public, perpetuating a myth that recycling can solve the plastics crisis," Bonta said. "The truth is: The vast majority of plastic cannot be recycled."

California lifts five-day quarantine rule for people exposed to COVID-19 but show no symptoms (Los Angeles Times)

 People exposed to others infected with COVID-19 no longer have to quarantine as long as they show no coronavirus symptoms, according to an updated quarantine guidance released by California public health officials.