December 26, 2010 (Lakeside) – Shortly after reporting about an injured hiker air-lifted off El Capitan Mountain this afternoon, I was dismayed to learn that the victim is East County Magazine’s own videographer Billy Ortiz, creator of our “Video Adventures in East County” series. He was taken to the emergency room at Sharp Memorial Hospital, where he spoke with me by phone moments ago about his harrowing ordeal.
December 26, 2010 (Lakeside) – A teenage driver mistakenly stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake this afternoon, plunging his Nissan sports car into Lindo Lake.
December 26, 2010 (Lakeside) –The San Diego Sheriff’s Search and Rescue unit has rescued an injured hiker off El Cajon Mountain (known locally as El Capitan Mountain) early this afternoon. According to Incident Page Network, the hiker fell ten feet and had a rock fall on him, prompting a search to locate him by officials.
December 26, 2010 (El Cajon) – San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce has named veteran business leader Scott Alevy as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1st.
Alevy, Principal at Trilogy PR Group in La Mesa, brings over 30 years of business, non-profit and Chamber of Commerce leadership experience to the largest business organization in East County. His professional experience includes public relations, government relations, public affairs, community outreach and broadcast media.
“…The form of fluoride (silicofluorides) they plan to put in our water is classified as a toxic waste. As a toxic waste, it is costly to dispose. But as a sellable product, that expense is eliminated.” – Jim Bell
December 25, 2010 (San Diego)--When I was a child, the entire month of November was the prelude to Christmas. I'd start seeing Christmas cartoons and get more and more excited until the Big Day! I would try as best I could to get something my parents could afford and usually it worked, though sometimes gifts were years off in age-appropriateness.
December 25, 2010 (La Presa) – A family of five has been displaced from their home by an early morning fire in the La Presa neighborhood of Spring Valley. But the tragedy could have been far worse if not for the actions of San Diego Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Cruz. On patrol at 4:36 a.m., Cruz spotted smoke at the home in the 700 block of Safford Avenue and began pounding on the door to awaken the sleeping family.
December 25, 2010 (San Diego) - The San Diego State University Aztecs won a bowl game for the first time in 41 years with a 35-14 victory over the U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen Thursday night (12/23) at Qualcomm Stadium. Ronnie Hillman scored four touchdowns and rushed for 228 yards to lead the offense.
That the game even took place as scheduled was nothing short of a miracle. Flooding from recent storms submerged the field in water up to two feet deep in some places 24 hours before the game.
More rain likely to bring more flooding, debris slides, National Weather Service cautions
December 24, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – A light dusting of snow is forecast for San Diego County mountain peaks over 5500 feet on Christmas Day, the National Weather Service predicts. That includes Mt. Laguna and other high peaks in Rancho Cuyamaca State Park. If traveling in mountain areas, be prepared for winter storm conditions and carry tire chains in higher elevations.
Note: We have corrected the link to www.noradsanta.org. Merry Christmas!
December 24, 2010 (North Pole) -- NORAD , the North American Aerospace Defense Command, has confirmed that Santa and his fully-loaded, reindeer-powered sleigh took off from the North Pole and soared into the arctic sky at 6:00 a.m. EST (3:00 a.m. PST). NORAD radar is tracking Rudolph’s bright red nose, and satellite imagery is providing minute-by-minute coverage of Santa’s location.
Want to track Santa’s journey around the world? This year, NORAD’s Santa Tracker website lets you follow Santa’s journey utilizing the latest high-tech tools: the iGoogle gadget, social networking sites, and a Google map application for your mobile phone.
Update: The San Diego Medical Examiner has identified the driver as Mark Pasquale Gullaci, 18. The passenger was Malu Ako, 22. Both men were single and lived in San Diego. The Medical Examiner has also clarified that the accident occurred in Guatay.
December 24, 2010 (Descanso) – It will be a grim holiday season for families of two young men who died in a fiery single-car crash on Old Highway 80 last night. According to Brian Pennings with the California Highway Patrol, an 18-year-old man was driving a Volkswagon westbound on old Highway 80 east of State Route 79 near Descanso at a high rate of speed arou 10:15 p.m.. “He failed to maintain control of his vehicle and it overturned,” said Pennings.
San Diego Joins List of Counties Eligible for State Aid Because of Winter Storms
December 24, 2010 (San Diego)--Acting California Gov. Abel Maldonado proclaimed an official state of emergency in San Diego County Friday because of the recent winter storms, making the County eligible for state aid.
December 23, 2010 (El Cajon) – A massive sinkhole in the 1900 block of Verde Glenn in El Cajon has forced shut down of the street, putting a crimp in holiday entertaining plans for several households. Frustrated residents made numerous calls last night, only to encounter multiple agencies that claimed fixing the problem was not their responsibility.
December 23, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Howie Hawver, former soccer coach at Grossmont College and Patrick Henry High School, died December 5th following a two-year battle with Amyotrphic Lateral Schlerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, December 27th at St. Andrew’s, 8350 Lake Murray Blvd.
December 23, 2010 (San Diego) -- This holiday season American Medical Response (AMR) Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s) are extending helping hands by delivering meals and gifts to people in need. Recipients were identified by AMR caregivers in partnership with the YMCA, National City Spirit of the Holidays and the Forget Me Not Foundation.
December 23, 2010 (La Mesa) 8:25 p.m. - Missing teen Sara Rafou, 19, has been found, reports La Mesa Police Captain Ed Aceves. "Sara Rafou was located in San Diego County at 7:45 pm tonight. Sara is safe and as an adult she made a decision to separate herself from her family," a press release issued moments ago by La Mesa Police reveals. "It appears that evidence was staged in her vehicle to make it look like foul play was involved."
UPDATE: She's been found safe. See new story posted.
Evidence found in missing woman's beige Nissan Ultimata parked near Target store
December 23, 2010 (La Mesa)—La Mesa Police, with assistance from the San Diego Sheriff’s crime lab, have processed the vehicle of Sara Rafou, 19, whose vehicle was found in Grossmont Center’s parking lot after she disappeared last night. “Evidence in the vehicle leads us to believe that Sara is missing under suspicious circumstances,” a press release issued by Captain Ed Aceves with La Mesa Police late today states.
Co-workers from Bank America in Grossmont Center saw her exit the front doors at 6:30 last night at the end of her shift. Her unoccupied vehicle was found in the parking lot near the Target Store. A Facebook page has been set up to help find her.
December 23, 2010 (San Diego's East County)-- Videographer Billy Ortiz traveled to Flinn Springs Park yesterday, capturing storm-swelled headwaters of Los Coches Creek. He spliced yesterday's shots together with some October images of areas further downstream, including a spectacular waterfall at the long forgotten Los Coches dam in Lakeside. Then he added a soundtrack to create this one-of-a-kind music video. Enjoy!
December 23, 2010 (La Mesa) – Shortly after midnight at 12:07 a.m., La Mesa Police received a report of a missing 19-year-old woman, Sara Rafou of El Cajon. Her car was found abandoned in the parking lot at Grossmont Center, near the Bank of America where she works. According to La Mesa Patch.com, she left work at 6:30 p.m.last night and has not been seen since.
December 23, 2010 (Valley Center)--The 2.5-mile Heritage Trail alongside Valley Center Road officially opened earlier this month with a celebratory ceremony that included a trailhead plaque dedication to the late Brendan McNabb, a County Public Works project manager who played a key role in the trail’s development.
December 23, 2010 – So much for the “lame duck session” on Capitol Hill. The last winter session after an election, before the new Congress is sworn in, is often an uneventful time of farewells. The 111th Congress, though, seemed determined to end the year with a bang, bringing meaningful legislation to the forefront as exiting members of Congress strived to put their stamp on the future of our nation in a big way.
Major bills passed include repeal of the military’s `don’t ask, don’t tell’ ban and a bill to improve food safety. Bills that fell short, without enough votes, include the Dream Act, which would have allowed children of undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship, and a bill that would have paid for healthcare costs of 911 first responders.
Do you know how your representatives voted? Find out here.
Satan’s Playground, By Paul J. Vanderwood (Duke University Press, Durham, NC, 2010, 392 pages.)
Book Review by Dennis Moore
December 23, 2010 (San Diego)--Paul J. Vanderwood’s Satan’s Playground chronicles the rise and fall of the tumultuous, lucrative gambling industry that developed just south of San Diego's border with Mexico in the early 20th century. As prohibitions against liquor, horse racing, gambling, and prostitution swept the United States, the vice industries flourished in and around Tijuana to the extent that reformers came to call the town “Satan’s Playground”-- unintentionally increasing its licentious allure to Hollywood stars and other celebrities of the era.
December 23, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – One bright spot resulting from the recent storm is the refilling of local reservoirs and aquifers.
“By the end of this current storm, we expect about 1600 acre feet of net local water for this water year,” said Helix Water General Manager Mark Weston. “We budgeted 2200 acre feet from the local watershed, so with this series of storms, we ahe accumulated a great start on the water year.”
December 22, 2010 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Police are seeking a suspect who attacked a woman, 30, this evening in Aztec Park at 5400 Aztec Drive. The attack was reported at 6:19 p.m. The woman was walking her dog in the southeast area of the park when she was grabbed from behind and hit on the right side of her head.
Story and photos by Miriam Raftery December 22, 2010 (San Diego’s East County)4:30 p.m.-- In Blossom Valley, one property owner found a creative place to shelter her horses during the storm.
“My horses were up to their knees this morning, so the net came down and the hay went in,” said Catherine Sacks in an e-mail sent to East County Magazine, along with the photo at left. “Tennis anyone?”
On Fletcher Parkway, a mud slide is currently blocking two lanes on the hill heading east down to El Cajon. Meanwhile in Alpine, Via Viejas Road is flooding as Viejas Creek has over-flowed a small dam at the Little Lake in Palo Verde Ranch, reports resident George Barnett.
December 26, 2010 (Lakeside) –The San Diego Sheriff’s Search and Rescue unit has rescued an injured hiker off El Cajon Mountain (known locally as El Capitan Mountain) early this afternoon. According to Incident Page Network, the hiker fell ten feet and had a rock fall on him, prompting a search to locate him by officials.
December 26, 2010 (El Cajon) – San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce has named veteran business leader Scott Alevy as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1st. 
By Will Power
Home damaged, pets lost in blaze
More rain likely to bring more flooding, debris slides, National Weather Service cautions
San Diego Joins List of Counties Eligible for State Aid Because of Winter Storms
By David Rosenberg
![](/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/resize/catesdogs-momma-sm-200x186.JPG ""Momma" is a dachshund/spaniel mix")
By Cate Sacks
Landscaped 2.5-mile Trail Welcomes Pedestrians, Cyclists, Equestrians
December 23, 2010 – So much for the “lame duck session” on Capitol Hill. The last winter session after an election, before the new Congress is sworn in, is often an uneventful time of farewells. The 111th Congress, though, seemed determined to end the year with a bang, bringing meaningful legislation to the forefront as exiting members of Congress strived to put their stamp on the future of our nation in a big way.
Satan’s Playground, By Paul J. Vanderwood (Duke University Press, Durham, NC, 2010, 392 pages.)
December 23, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – One bright spot resulting from the recent storm is the refilling of local reservoirs and aquifers.
December 22, 2010 (San Diego’s East County)4:30 p.m.-- In Blossom Valley, one property owner found a creative place to shelter her horses during the storm.
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