March 25, 2015 (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:
March 25, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - It's a situation no one ever wants to go through. A loved one suffering from Alzheimer's Disease or another physical or mental disability gets lost or wanders away from home.
March 24, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--Our state’s drought really is a state of emergency, says Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna. The state is now around 40 million, and growing. What happens when America’s most populous state runs low on its most precious resource for the fourth year in a row?
March 25, 2015 (Washington D.C.)– Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) has introduced legislation in the House to establish an independent advocate on campus for sexual assault survivors. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the Senate bill last week.
March 25, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - A bill introduced this week by San Diego Congressional members Juan Vargas, a Democrat, and Duncan Hunter, a Republican, would provide expedited processing for religious minorities in Iraq/Syria.
March 25, 2015 (San Diego)—The Cocos Fire charred nearly 2,000 acres and burned down dozens of homes in San Marcos and Harmony Grove in May 2014. On Wednesday, Judge Howard Shore ruled that a 13-year-old girl was responsible for intentionally and maliciously starting the devastating blaze.
March 25, 2015 (Sacramento)--What if every California citizen could be eligible to vote?
California’s Secretary of State Alex Padilla, wants to register citizens automatically, using Department of Motor Vehicle records and potentially info from other state agencies.
March 24, 2015 (El Cajon) – Get ready to rev up – Cajon Classic Cruises is rolling out its 2015 season starting Wednesday, April 22nd with a full street closure for opening night. The cruises will continue all summer long on Wednesday nights from 5 to 8 p.m.
The second week, April 29th will celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Other highlights include Jimmie Johnson night on July 22nd , a Military Tribute June 17th, Thunder on Main on September 30th, and Trunk or Treat on October 28th at season’s end.
March 24, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--The National Weather Service predicts potentially record-breaking heat this weekend, as a ridge of high pressure builds up along the West Coast and offshore winds return.Inland valleys will see temperatures above 90 degrees and some low desert areas could see their first triple-digit temperature readings of the year by Saturday afternoon. On the coast, temperatures of 85 to 90 are expected.
March 24, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--This week’s Destination East County includes the Ramona Music Festival and Vallecito Days, recreating frontier life, plus our very own Party with the Press. We’ll also have a preview of coming attractions including egg hunts, April Pool’s Day in La Mesa, and readings of baseball’s most famous stories! Stay tuned for all of these events and much more, from East County Magazine.
March 24, 2015 (San Diego) –San Diego State University has issued a community safety alert warning that a man armed with a black handgun tried to kidnap a female student Monday night at 10:50 p.m. and force her into a vehicle.
March 24, 2015 (Ramona) - An application for a medical marijuana collective in Ramona has been submitted to the County of San Diego. If approved, it would be the county’s second legally licensed medical marijuana facility, situated in an industrial-zoned building at 1210 Olive Street.
March 24, 2015 (El Cajon)--An East County Magazine special investigation reveals a long string of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct claims involving the El Cajon Police Department, dating back over the past two decades. Following a recent sexual harassment lawsuit filed against the ECPD, victims and witnesses to past sexual crimes and alleged sexual misconduct have come forward to speak with ECM about other cases.
Bonnie Price, who is organizing a protest rally Tuesday at 2:15 outside El Cajon's City Council, contends that the Police Department has a "culture of sexual harassment" that may be overly conducive to such actions.
The story, however, is not about the sexual harassment suit just filed against Sergeant Richard Gonsalves of the El Cajon PD. (That suit is described in Miriam Raftery's ECM posting of March 10, 2015.) The U-T story was published on March 6, 2004, about a suit filed against El Cajon Sergeant Gary Ryno for sexual harassment by four current or former women employees of the Department. The suit also claimed that "Ryno conspicuously wore female undergarments to work . . ." As of today, I have been unable to determine the outcome of the suit, but will keep searching.
In another incident reported in the Los Angeles Times on May 22, 2007, former El Cajon police officer William Taylor was sentenced to five years in prison "for demanding sexual favors from women he had arrested."
March 23, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - The lives of more than 8 million Californians may have been put at risk, when the steam generators at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) malfunctioned. The subsequent California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) investigation failed to probe into the extent to which Southern California Edison (SCE) was responsible for the facilities “design errors.” Now the California Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce is calling on the CPUC to investigate the SONGS settlement.
Ambulance responses in our region raise alarms: Part II in a series
By Miriam Raftery
March 23, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)—Earlier we reported on a new contract for ambulance service that the County has signed, effective April 1st. That contract required only four ambulances for an entire district stretching from the border north to Mount Laguna, and from Jamul east to the Imperial County line.
March 23, 2015 (Otay) –The City of San Diego’s first legal marijuana dispensary is now open for business. A Green Alternative is located in an Otay Mesa strip mall near the Brown Field airport.
March 23, 2015 (Sacramento) – A shocking California ballot initiative proposal calls for legalized murder of gay and lesbian people by “bullets to the head” or “any other convenient measure.” If the state does not act on the measure within a year, the measure would further empower the public to take the law into their own hands—effectively sanctioning murder.
March 23,2015 (San Diego) – The Islamic State terrorist group known as ISIS or ISIL has issued a hit list of 100 American military men and women, including three San Diego-based service members, 10 News reports.
March 23, 2015 (Potrero) – The Sheriff’s homicide unit are investigating the shooting death of a man at 23531 Coyote Holler Road in Potrero.
Deputies responded to a call at 6:47 p.m. from Mike Walliser, who stated that he shot another man due to threats the victim had made against Walliser. When a deputy arrived, he was flagged down by Walliser, who surrendered without incident.
Ambulance responses in our region raise alarms: Part I in a series
By Miriam Raftery
March 22, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – What if you had a medical emergency and the nearest ambulance had to come from Imperial County or other distant places up to an hour away? That’s the very real prospect facing rural East County residents under a stealth change in ambulance service approved by a county bureaucrat with no public notice, no hearing, and no vote by the Supervisors.
While some aspects of coverage stand to improve under the contract, adding more in-district ambulances and newer equipment, there are some major concerns raised by local safety advocates with regard to mutual aid and staffing.
March 22, 2015 (Sacramento)—More than 17,000 mentally ill people continue to illegally possess over 36,000 firearms despite passage of SB 140, which authorized the California Attorney General to hire 36 new agents to reduce a backlog.
The bill was passed after the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in 2013. At the time, 20,000 prohibited people in California had about 40,000 firearms, an audit found.
March 21, 2015 (El Cajon) –Heartland Fire & Rescue doused a structure fire in a vacant commercial building at 581 South Marshall Avenue in El Cajon at 1:22 a.m.
March 20, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--A class action lawsuit has been filed by four individuals on behalf of California consumers who purchased certain wines in the past four years. The suit was filed against 28 California wineries, claiming that their wines have high levels of arsenic—in some cases, 500 times higher than what is considered safe, plaintiffs contend. However, a California wine industry association insists that its wines are safe.
March 26, 2015 (Ramona) -- This Saturday, March 28th,te Ramona Music Fest will feature emerging talent and popular San Diego musicians playing everything from rock to reggae and from country to Americana.
This all-day outdoor event benefits the Ramona Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs. It will be held at the Ramona Outdoor Community Center, 421 Aqua Lane in Ramona.
Update March 21: Linda Adene Snow-Biggers has been found safe and unhramed, the Sheriff reports.
East County News Service
March 20, 2015 (Spring Valley) – The Sheriff seeks public help to locate a missing Spring Valley woman. On Wednesday, March 18th, Linda Adene Snow-Biggers walked away from her home at 2601 Sweetwater Road, where she lives with her husband. She was last seen walking barefoot by a neighbor, wearing a white sun dress. She is 53 years old, six feet tall, weighs 160 pounds, and has brown hair and green eyes.
March 20, 2015 (Alpine) – Lou Russo, an outspoken former member of the Alpine Community Planning Group, may soon be back on the board, the Registrar of Voters office has confirmed.
James Roe defeated Russo on the November ballot, but moved out of the area for a job prior to the election and is thus ineligible to take the seat.
March 20, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--Get your Tangerine on! Here’s a beauty of a Tangerine: the Golden Nugget Tangerine. If you are not familiar with these tangerines you must give them a try, you will have found a “Golden Nugget” in the produce department. This variety is not found everywhere, but plenty of locally grown Golden Nugget Tangerines from Valley Center are on sale at Barons Market in Alpine.
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