EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

October 16, 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

• East County School Coach Investigated For Alleged Sexual Misconduct (Patch.com)
• Fate of more Than 100 pet pigs abandoned in Santa Ysabel still unclear  (KPBS)
• 'Invisible' crime of extortion takes a heavy toll on Tijuana, according to new study(KPBS)
• Buonasera Cucina To Replace Trattoria Tiramisu In San Diego's La Mesa (San Diegoville
• Metrolink, Amtrak suspend train service to Oceanside because of unstable slope (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• New California housing laws let builders convert commercial property more easily  (NPR)
• California could ban gas furnaces and gas water heaters  (KPBS)
• California agencies float Colorado river water cuts proposal (AP)
• A California project would store solar energy to use when the sun goes down  (NPR)
• San Diego researchers probe underwater chemical dump (KPBS)
• Did Incumbent Democrat Schaefer give $30K to buy Republican support? (Sacto Politico)
• California governor approves farmworker unionization law (AP)
• Ex-PG&E execs to pay $117M to settle lawsuit over wildfires (AP)
•  New California abortion laws set up clash with other states(KPBS)

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

LOCAL

East County School Coach Investigated For Alleged Sexual Misconduct (Patch.com)

A coach at El Cajon Valley High School is being investigated for alleged sexual misconduct, Grossmont Union High School District said…the district said the unidentified coach has been placed on leave while investigations are under way by both the district and law enforcement.

Fate of more Than 100 pet pigs abandoned in Santa Ysabel still unclear  (KPBS)

The fate of more than 100 pigs left by the side of Mesa Grande Road in Santa Ysabel last week remained up in the air today, even as locals work to keep some of them healthy and fed. The pigs, which a county spokesman said were designer pet pigs and could be sold from anywhere between $800 and $3,000 , were abandoned by the side of the busy road. Several were killed by passing motorists, while some others have been taken in by local residents.

'Invisible' crime of extortion takes a heavy toll on Tijuana, according to new study(KPBS)

Extortion in Tijuana is more rampant than originally thought and contributes to the city’s high rate of violent crime, according to a new study by researchers from UC San Diego and Mexico. / The report, which is due to be published on the UCSD Center for U.S-Mexican Studies’ website Monday, notes that less than 1% of all extortion cases are reported to the authorities. It goes on to say extortion often leads to more violent crimes and Tijuana authorities lack the political will to tackle the problem.

Buonasera Cucina To Replace Trattoria Tiramisu In San Diego's La Mesa (San Diegoville

The experienced San Diego restaurateur behind such concepts as Farmer's Table and Farmer's Bottega is gearing up to launch a new Italian bar & restaurant dubbed Buonasera Cucina in the La Mesa space that housed Tiramisu Trattoria for nearly two decades. 

Metrolink, Amtrak suspend train service to Oceanside because of unstable slope (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Metrolink and Amtrak train service between Orange County and San Diego County has been suspended until further notice because of slope movement beneath the seaside tracks at San Clemente.  The tracks are San Diego’s only viable rail link with Los Angeles and the rest of the United States….

STATE

New California housing laws let builders convert commercial property more easily  (NPR)

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws Wednesday that would open up much of the state's commercial land for residential development. Local government officials say the laws undermine their authority and upend years of careful planning that reflect community preferences. But there's also a financial consequence, they say, because stores generate more property taxes for local governments than homes do…. "It's a concern when state law is going to override these local decisions, particularly when these local decisions are made in a public process with the community as part of a larger housing plan," said Jason Rhine, assistant director of legislative affairs for the League of California Cities.

California could ban gas furnaces and gas water heaters  (KPBS)

California regulators are poised to outlaw the sale of natural gas-powered furnaces and gas-powered water heaters in the state by 2030.

California agencies float Colorado river water cuts proposal (AP)

California water agencies that rely on the parched Colorado River said Wednesday they can reduce their use by one-tenth starting in 2023 in response to calls for cuts from the federal government.

A California project would store solar energy to use when the sun goes down  (NPR)

The San Diego County Water Authority has an unusual plan to use the city's scenic San Vicente Reservoir to store solar power so it's available after sunset. Perhaps a decade from now, if all goes smoothly, large underground pipes will connect this lake to a new reservoir, a much smaller one, built in a nearby canyon about 1100 feet higher in elevation. …When the sun goes down and solar power disappears, operators would open a valve and the force of 8 million tons of water, falling back downhill through those same pipes, would drive turbines capable of generating 500 megawatts of electricity for up to eight hours. That's enough to power 130,000 typical homes….

San Diego researchers probe underwater chemical dump (KPBS)

San Diego scientists are among researchers who will take a closer look at a massive underwater dump site in the deep ocean waters between Catalina Island and Los Angeles…. Underwater scans show more than 27,000 decaying barrels on the ocean floor.  Shipping records from one chemical disposal company that worked with DDT producing Montrose Chemical Corporation of California, show 2,000 barrels of DDT laced sludge were dumped at the underwater site every month for 15 years.

Did Incumbent Democrat Schaefer give $30K to buy Republican support? (Sacto Politico)

… the California Democrat Party (CADEM) is now straddling its own hazy line in the case of scandal-plagued California Board of Equalization incumbent Mike Schaefer (D-District 4). Four years ago, the party did not endorse him amid a checkered history featuring a domestic abuse conviction, being a heavily fined “slumlord,” and disbarment in two states. Yet this past March, he shocked many by winning the state party endorsement…Now SactoPolitico has newly revealed Schaefer last month gave $30,000 to a San Diego-area GOP-aligned group in an apparent move to assist in his re-election over a fellow Democrat.

California governor approves farmworker unionization law (AP)

A broadly smiling California Gov. Gavin Newsom joined about two dozen jubilant, cheering farmworkers camped outside the state Capitol Wednesday to sign one of the most contentious bills before him this year, reversing course on a measure to help farmworkers unionize after President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris supported it. 

Ex-PG&E execs to pay $117M to settle lawsuit over wildfires (AP)

(AP) Former executives and directors of Pacific Gas & Electric have agreed to pay $117 million to settle a lawsuit over devastating 2017 and 2018 California wildfires sparked by the utility's equipment, it was announced Thursday…. / The settlement money won't go to fire victims. Instead, under a bankruptcy court order, the money will be used to satisfy “the vast majority" of claims made by federal agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service, that helped fight the blazes and assist the victims, said a statement from Frank M. Pitre, lead attorney for the trust.

 New California abortion laws set up clash with other states(KPBS)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed more than a dozen new abortion laws Tuesday, including some that deliberately clash with restrictions in other states — a sign of the coming conflicts that must be sorted out as lawmakers rush to set their own rules now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned.