By Andy Tolley, County of San Diego Communications Office

February 22, 2019 (Mt. Laguna) - A big snow day at Mt. Laguna means County Public Works crews are busy clearing the roads. But if they determine that chains are required, the CHP gets involved.

Be sure to check the road conditions before embarking on a trip to the snow.

Chain controls, road condition updates and other safety advisories about County-maintained roads are posted on the Department of Public Work’s Facebook and Twitter sites.

East County News Service

February 22, 2019 (Lemon Grove) -- Passion for the Arts will present Cinderella at the First Baptist Church of Lemon Grove (2910 Main St., Lemon Grove) May 3-5.  The retelling of the fantasy tale will be more closely based on the novel than the Disney version.

By Miriam Raftery

February 22, 2019 (San Diego) – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has announced it will roll out new time of use rates, as an alternative to tiered rates. The rollout will be done in stages starting in March, with nearly all residential customers slated to be on the new plan by the middle of next year.

A community coming together to fight an invisible disease

East County News Service

February 22, 2019 (San Diego) -- March is Endometriosis Awareness Month.  Bloomin’ Uterus, an El Cajon-based organization, will be hosting two free events in San Diego March 16 and 30 to raise awareness of this disease. Registration is required for both events.

East County News Service

February 22, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – The state of California is proposing to release Alan Earl James, a sexually violent predator and pedophile, at 4512 Old Highway 80 in Jacumba Hot Springs. He has multiple convictions including child rape and child molestation.

Update Feb. 22, 2019 10:26 a.m.  This morning the Julian Times posted a photo on its Facebook page showing Cal Fire/CFA engines purportedly stuck in snow. Scroll down for the image. 

In addition, Times of San Diego forwarded this aerial video provided by a Julian resident showing Cal Fire engines in heavy snow at the station this morning:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C6U3pTQIY3W7UJd2Jd6EC-wHghTwzEqp/view?fbclid=IwAR2CcW9R9b5rPvicADyqPXU_XtYJ4DhBe87yicG5lihg12g-g7VLkoMti44

 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Rachel Goddard,, JCFPD volunteers clear a tree blocking a snowy road.

February 22, 2019 (Julian) -- With up to two feet of snow blanketing the mountains of East County last night, a post circulating on social media and sent to ECM last night contained a screenshot that appeared to be a screen shot from a County Fire Authority social media page. The post stated that  its Cal Fire Station 51 in Julian and a fire engine "is unable to respond to calls and is out of service due to the growing snow conditions." (See screenshot below.)

But this morning, Cal Fire Deputy Chief Nick Schuler told ECM that the image and its message was "false" and not an official Cal Fire page. He said Cal Fire engines were in operation responding to calls at the time. Schuler blamed advocates of a contentious ballot initiative to keep the Julian-Cuyamaca Fire Protection District independent for circulating what he states was a hoax. ECM has requested call logs for the evening from both agencies.

Volunteer firefighters with the Julian-Cuyamaca Fire Protection District sent ECM a photo last night demonstrating a can-do spirit as they continued to serve their community during the emergency conditions, responding to calls for medical assistance and removing a downed tree. (Photo, left, courtey of the JCFPD.)

JCFPD Chief Mike Van Bibber told ECM today that he is confident the post did not originate with his firefighters. He added that one of his team owns a backhoe that was used to keep the JCFPD station clear for engines' access.

After we received Schuler's statement, this morning the Julian Times posted this photo on their Facebook page which appears to show two CFA engines temporarily blocked in by snow:

By Miriam Raftery

February 21, 2019 (Ranchita) – For years, residents of Ranchita, a small town between Borrego Springs and Julian, have complained about prolonged periods of time when their fire station was unstaffed, leaving their community without rapid response to medical emergencies and fires. 

But now, just as area residents prepare to go to the polls in March to vote on a ballot initiative to determine the fate of the Julian-Cuyamaca Fire Department, the County Fire Authority and Cal Fire have announced that they have upgraded staffing at the Ranchita Fire Station to permanent full-time staffing and are in the process of boosting paramedic services.  

February 21, 2019 (San Diego's East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL

• Why is the San Diego Sheriff’s department charging $350,000 for records? (New York Times)
• As agents in federal gun probe keep quiet, ties emerge between Hamel, Garmo (SD Union-Tribune)
• Riot at Donovan state prison sends 10 inmates to hospitals (Times of San Diego)
• SDSO releases documents in deputy misconduct investigation (NBC)

STATE

• Should California buy disaster insurance? (Cal Matters)
• California's Supreme Court has thrown cities—and citizens—into chaos over local taxes Cal Matters)
• California lawmakers propose phasing out plastic products that aren’t recyclable Los Angeles Times)
• 45 and counting — Trump lawsuits put California at ‘Hall of Fame’ status, Newsom says (Sacramento Bee)
• Newsom claims ‘retribution’ after Trump administration demands high-speed rail funds back (Sacramento Bee)

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

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, what could be finer than an evening at Hooley’s Irish Pub and Grill with East County Dining Club--featuring great food and drinks, plus prize drawings?

Hooleys will donate a portion of every food and drink item purchased to benefit East County Magazine nonprofit news in the public interest and East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts.

Hooley’s was voted best Irish pub in the world (outside of Ireland) by an organization of international Irish pub owners.  Founder Craig McDonald has added authentic ambience along with traditional Irish foods, brews and bar offerings. 

Date:  Thursday, Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m.

Location;  Hooley’s Irish Pub and Grill

Grossmont Center (5500 Grossmont Center Dr.), La Mesa

Please RSVP by Feb. 25 to be entered in an early bird prize drawing!

619-698-7617 or editor@eastcountymagazine.org

*We’ve priced this event for affordability!  You can order just an entrée, or as many other items as you wish off a special menu just for our dining club event!  Here are the delicious details:

The San Diego River Park Foundation is seeking feedback about future improvement on Forester Creek

Source: San Diego River Park Foundation

February 20, 2019 (El Cajon) -- Ever heard of Forester Creek?  For many in El Cajon, the answer is no!  But Forester Creek, which feeds into the San Diego River, was once a major natural feature of El Cajon.  Today, much of it is channelized, lined with concrete, and hidden.  Community input is needed to help plan for future improvements and connections to the Creek. The public is invited to a community parks workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 26 from 4 to 7 p.m at the Ronald Reagan Community Center (195 E. Douglas St.) in El Cajon.

Local nonprofit The San Diego River Park Foundation believes the Creek has potential to provide opportunities for recreation, nature, and environmental education in El Cajon.  The organization has partnered with the City of El Cajon and received a $320,000 grant from the State of California to complete planning to develop a Recreation Access Plan for Forester Creek, as part of a larger effort to improve the health of Forester Creek.  They have hired Cal Poly Pomona’s Studio 606 Landscape Architecture program to facilitate the planning.