By Michelle Rains

September 29, 2023 (Ramona)-- As the owner of a bar and restaurant in Ramona, I can personally attest to how difficult California’s business environment can be. Starting a business involves balancing budgets, building customer relationships, hiring and training quality employees, creating a welcoming environment; these are the challenges I signed up for. However, in California, there is an added level of difficulty complying with the many different laws and regulations that can dictate a business’s everyday operations.

By Cheri Ippolito, El Cajon

August 26, 2023 (El Cajon) -- PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E are trying to pull a fast one on us, and there hasn’t been nearly enough media coverage about what they’re up to. They are trying to impose a utility tax of between $400-$1,000 per year on us. This will raise electricity bills for millions of hard working Californians like myself, who are just trying to make ends meet. I’m appalled that the legislature and Governor Newsom voted in favor of this proposal.

By Alicia A. Degracia

August 22, 2023 (San Diego) --  With what happened in Maui,  I wonder if San Diego can reinstate the alarm system they had back in the’40s,‘50s, ‘60s into the early ‘70s or so. That was an alarm that was installed on top of telephone poles. They were installed during World War II in case of an attack. These alarms would be tested once a month on the first Monday of the month at noon.  It was just testing and people  knew it.  These could be solar-powered.

This could save a lot of lives, especially when people don’t have their phones on, or the power is off during an emergency, or worse yet, in the middle of the night. We can’t rely on power 100%.

By Don Woods, La Mesa

Image: Rendering of a proposed digital billboard created by Clear Channel, via City of La Mesa documents

July 22, 2023 (La Mesa) -- The La Mesa City Council will discuss a digital billboards proposal this Tuesday evening.

At a prior meeting, the City Council appointed Council members Pat Dillard and Jack Shu to form an “ad hoc” committee to consider a proposal by Clear Channel Outdoor Advertising company to erect a huge new, two-sided digital billboard along the north side of the I-8 freeway as it runs past the Grossmont Center shopping center. The committee has met and has now made a recommendation, which the Council will take up at its 6 p.m. meeting on Tuesday.

Item 14.2 on the Council’s Tuesday agenda says “The Digital Billboard Negotiating Ad-hoc Subcommittee recommends the Council direct staff to develop and circulate, within 30 days, a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the placement and installation of digital billboards in the City, to include: (1) a statement of facts identifying the process to authorize digital billboards; and (2) a listing of questions and concerns (for response) raised by the Digital Billboard Negotiating Ad-hoc Subcommittee”.

So instead of just discussing the proposal with Clear Channel, the ad hoc committee now wants to open up a bidding competition to see who is willing to pay the most to be allowed to erect a digital billboard. In effect, they are interested in selling the safety of La Mesa residents to the highest bidder!  

The committee’s recommendation shows a surprising lack of due diligence. It also seems to ignore a number of facts, and tries to put the cart before several horses.

By Rose Volstorf,  El Cajon

June 13, 2023 (El Cajon) -- “This is secret information. Look, look at this.”

Those are the words of former president Donald Trump, captured on tape, while he was showing stolen classified documents to others in a meeting at his private club, Mar-a-Lago. This is one of the many disturbing details in the recent indictment against Trump, where he is charged with 37 federal crimes, including obstruction of justice and violations of the Espionage Act.

The classified documents included information about U.S. and foreign defense and weapons capabilities, U.S. nuclear secrets, potential military vulnerabilities, and response plans for a possible foreign attack against the U.S. That’s just plain terrifying.

By Carolyn McGavock

April 11, 2023 (Alpine) -- The closure of the Loveland Fishing Access in Alpine has the public at odds with the Sweetwater Authority. Recently, SWA drained Loveland Reservoir to deadpool, killing the fish population and the fishing program which was established jointly with the national forest service. Hiking and bird watching along the shoreline are also enjoyed there. When the reservoir was empty, Sweetwater claimed the resulting erosion had created a hazard. Since then, rain has refilled the reservoir and covered the erosion leaving the public area as safe for hiking and bird watching as it had been during the 25-year history of the recreational program. However, SWA’s public relations officer, Gwyneth Shoecraft, recently reported, “At this point we do not know the timeframe for restoring access.”

Some advocates suspect that the lake is closed to hide the fact that the fish population was killed and the publicly purchased fishing pier is in pieces. Advocates fear that SWA plans to exclude them permanently and are appealing to public officials in the forest service for representation.

By Assemblymember Marie Waldron

February 19, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) -- San Diego County has more tribal governments than any other county in the nation. Since these communities are all located within the 75^th Assembly District, tribal issues are very important to me, especially regarding their safety and prosperity.

Sweetwater Water Authority has drained Loveland Reservoir to dead pool status despite community objections loss of recreational resources, wildlife habitat and firefighting impacts, as ECM reported.  Activist and fisherman Russell Walsh sent in photos and this message in response. 

Photos:  left, Loveland Reservoir after being drained to dead pool level; right, before the draining, maintained at 75 year minimum pool level.

By Russell Walsh

Source:  San Diego Humane Society

November 5, 2022 (San Diego) — San Diego Humane Society has joined animal welfare organizations across California to oppose Proposition 26 — the only ballot measure that legalizes sports wagering at horse racetracks, including Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. Prop 26 has drawn considerable opposition from leading animal welfare advocates because it gives a special interest bailout to California’s horse racing industry — providing the industry millions of dollars in new revenue despite its declining popularity and troubling safety record.

By Yes on El Cajon Measure P (FPPC: 1453166)

October 22, 2022 (El Cajon) -- Measure P is an investment in El Cajon. It is an investment in decreasing homelessness, reducing 911 response times, increasing firefighter staffing, and beautifying parks and streets.

By John Meitz

July 4, 2022 (El Cajon) --  I have been a voter in El Cajon for over 30 years. I used to be a lifelong Republican.just like my father before me.

That all changed when I saw Trump turn my Republican Party into a Trump Cult. If you are a Trump supporter it may be hard to hear this. It may be hard to accept that former President Trump betrayed your trust and deceived you. But those are the facts.

Stop the big lie! Like former Attorney General Bill Barr said, “There was no widespread voter fraud."

By Donna Forte, Spring Valley

June 24, 2022 (Spring Valley) -- When Donald Trump was in office, he and Mitch McConnell made three lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court. McConnell went so far as to defy Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish—that the next president appoint her replacement—by packing the Court with Amy Coney Barrett just eight days before the 2020 election.

The result? Today’s Supreme Court has been taken over by a hyperpartisan supermajority that just dismantled abortion care in America.

By Sohel Bahjat

June 16, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- My name is Sohel Bahjat, a former Republican and an active voter in East County, San Diego, CA. Please support the efforts to bring Trump and his enablers to trial --  because the Big Lie and the attack on our democracy on January 6 was a real menace and a threat that was going to end in bloodshed and possible chaos.

By John Teevan

May 24, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- Every two years, we elect lawmakers to represent us in Washington. We put our trust in them and expect them to fight for what’s best for our communities.