November 8, 2012 (Lemon Grove) – The election of Racquel Vasquez and reelection of George Gastil restores a Democratic majority to the Lemon Grove City Council. Vasquez won 29.30% of the votes cast, followed by Gastil with 23.01%.
“Racquel is a breath of fresh air,” said Gastil, who called the election of Vasquez, an African-American woman, “historic. She is the first person who is not white to be elected to the Council—and she comes in first place, which is a testament to her involvement in the community.”
November 7, 2012 (San Diego)—Congressman Brian Bilbray’s slim lead has evaporated in the 52nd Congressional District. With over 95% of the vote now counted, Democrat Scott Peters has edged into the lead--first by just 13 votes, and now by 311 votes.
Brian Bilbray addressed the press around 10:30 last night, thanking his supporters for knocking on doors, calling voters and walking precincts. This was a very hard campaign for the Congressman in the newly redrawn 52nd District, where the once-strong Republican majority is now razor-thin. Democrats have targeted this race nationally, hoping to unseat the incumbent Congressman who has been the brunt of ads critical of his ties to special interests.
Update Nov. 8: With 100% of precincts counted and a portion of the late absentee ballots, Schreiber and Stieringer have retained solid leads.
By Miriam Raftery
November 7, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – In one of the most bitterly contested races in East County, incumbent Priscillla Schreiber won reelection handily with 95% of votes counted with 28.17% of the vote in the Grossmont Union High School District. A Republican, Schreiber has been an outspoken champion for building a new high school in Alpine--and a vocal critic of the board majority on a range of issues.
That majority may shift, with challenger Jim Stieringer in second place at 19.04%--ahead of incumbent Gary Woods, who has 18.66%. Woods has taken heat for his opposition to the Alpine High School at a time when a Grand Jury investigation is probing possible misallocation of bond monies approved by voters for projects including the high school in Alpine.
November 7, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – For Shirley Weber, PhD, victory in the 79th Assembly District is particularly sweet. “This is the first time an African-American has served in theLegislature in San Diego or south of Los Angeles,” Dr. Weber told ECM. “The 79th district is only 10% African American, which says a lot about voters in this district.”
The daughter of a sharecropper, Weber found education to be the key to her future. She earned three degrees by age 26. “I’ve always been a strong voice for education,” said Weber, a Democrat. With over 88% of the votes counted, Weber leads her Republican challenger, Lemon Grove Councilwoman Mary England, by approximately a 60-40% margin.
November 7, 2012 (San Diego)-- As we left the Lincoln Club Party downtown late this evening, Carl DeMaio was in the lead and had just faced the press to note that “We do not have the final outcome.” This was about two hours ago, and as of now Congressman Bob Filner has gained a slim lead at 50.37% with Carl DeMaio trailing at 49.63% with 78% of precincts counted. This race is as tight as it can get.
November 6, 2012 (San Diego)--Congressional members Duncan Hunter and Susan Davis appear headed for easy victories, while Juan Vargas has won the seat vacated by Bob Filner. Rep. Brian Bilbray has a slim 3 point margin over Scott Peters in the hotly contested 52nd district.
In the Assembly races, Dr. Shirley Weber has a solid lead with 54.23% over business leader Mary England's 40.19%. Brian Jones has won reelection over Pat Hurley, while Brian Maienschein has a strong lead over RJ Hernandez. Marty Block appears headed for victory in his State Senate race over George Plescia, 51.38 to 42.39%.
November 6, 2012 (Alpine) -- On Friday, November 2, Junior Girl Scout Troop 6279 of Alpine collected over 375 pounds of nonperishable food items for the Alpine Food Bank thanks to the Alpine Albertsons and their generous customers.
Over a period of three hours, the Girl Scouts greeted Albertsons shoppers, asking them to give to the drive and handed them flyers listing shopping items that were needed at the food bank. The positive response was overwhelming. The girls especially wish to thank an anonymous patron who purchased over $200 worth of groceries and had Albertsons personnel deliver them to the Girl Scout collection site in front of the store.
Pictured from left to right, Back Row: Carlita Coleman, Claire Doucet, Kate Duffy, Carly Hodgson and Front Row (seated) Kenzie Wray & Carli Sheker (not pictured: Julia Tompkins, Rori McCarthy, Gracie Wyse, Karlee Dillon, Danika Dabbs, Brinleigh Aland)
November 5, 2012 (La Mesa)—A woman walking in the parking lot with her children near Fudrucker’s in Grossmont Center was robbed of her purse by two suspects in 1990s tan Saturn two-door car. The passenger leaned out the window and grabbed the victim’s purse, dragging her on the ground several feet before she was able to release her grasp. The victim was transported to a hospital with a wrist injury.
A search of the area by La Mesa PD and San Diego Sheriff’s ASTREA did not locate the suspects, who remain outstanding.
Update: February 13, 2013: Councilman Wells indicates that three months after this story ran, he has not been contacted by a Grand Jury and believes that he is not a target of the investigation.
By Miriam Raftery
November 5, 2012 (El Cajon ) – Updated November 6, 2012 -- Three people, including two members of the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) board, have confirmed that a Grand Jury is investigating why money from Prop H and Prop U was not used to fund a new high school in Alpine as mandated by the bond language.
El Cajon Councilman Bill Wells chaired the Prop H Citizens Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) and according to multiple witnesses, played a lead role in killing plans to build the district’s 12th high school in Alpine.
November 6, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--CAL FIRE/San Diego County Fire Authority in cooperation with State Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service resources will conduct a prescribed burn in the area of the Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve in East county near the community of Jamul. This burn is scheduled to take place during daylight hours on November 6.
November 5, 2012 (La Mesa) -- ECM reviewed the October 25 final financial reports before the election, and discovered that special interest money from out of town and out of state has poured into the La Mesa City Council race.
The California Real Estate Committee PAC located in Los Angeles filed an Independent Expenditure Report that showed they spent $30,000 on mailers for Laura Lothian, and had received a $7,716 contribution for a poll from the National Association of Realtors Fund located in Chicago.
Update November 8: This missing person has been found.
November 5, 2012 (Spring Valley) -- The San Diego Sheriff's Department is asking the public's assistance to locate a missing Spring Valley resident, Lisa Perrault. On October 28, 2012, Perrault was reported missing from her daughter's home in Spring Valley. Perrault has a medical condition that requires daily medication.
Dear EarthTalk: What is currently being done in the U.S. to ensure the wise use and safety of our nation’s groundwater? --Kevin Orr, Baton Rouge, LA
November 5, 2012 (San Diego) -- Keeping fresh water safe and abundant is a challenge for all societies. In the U.S., about half of the country’s drinking water comes from groundwater sources. Many rural areas derive all of their drinking water from groundwater, which also provides 40 percent of the irrigation needs of American farmers.
November 5, 2012 (El Cajon) -- An anonymous Facebook ad attacking three El Cajon councilmembers and another candidate has been taken down--but not before hurling blatant falsehoods and misrepresentations into cyberspace.
The ad included an unauthorized use of the City's official seal with a message claiming that the E l Cajon City Council has been involved in "lies, cheats, scandals and much more." A letter from the city attorney indicates such misuse for purposes of distortion is a felony.
November 5, 2012 (Alpine) – The Alpine Branch of the San Diego County Library will celebrate Veterans Day with a special Power Point presentation by author, editor and book publisher Diana Saenger on Thursday, November 8. She will begin her talk with stories from her Media-Award-Winning mid-grade book, The Vietnam War: Life As A POW.
November 5, 2012 (San Diego's East County) - IPN reports at 12:25 p.m. a major accident on Highway 84 at Barrett Lake Road has blocked lanes in both directions. A motorcyclist is down with serious injuries. According to the CHP website, the injured rider will be airlifted from Barrett Cafe.
November 4, 2012 (El Cajon) – “Doesn't the "spirit" of those kids/young adults shine thru in the photo beautifully?” says Rebecca J. Williamson, who captured the moment at last month’s 3rd annual Chaldean Festival at Prescott Promenade in El Cajon.
By Lynne Jennings, Board President, San Diego Guild of Puppetry
November 5, 2012 (San Diego)--To our dismay, we discovered last week that our small, hard working, non-profit has been unjustly portrayed for months in Steve Danon's campaign for SD County Board of Supervisors Seat #3. Although it is clear that he does not feel the arts are worthy of funding(as is his right), he has for some reason made our small arts organization a prime target on his website and in the media. A refrain he has repeated over and over again has been: "No more $10,000 taxpayer paid funds to the San Diego Guild of Puppetry”. Since we were mentioned specifically in E.A.Barrera's May 23, 2012 article, “Danon Seeks to Shake Up a Stagnant Board of Supervisors” We hope you will help us set the record straight and let your readers know who we really are, what we actually do, why we were worthy of the one time $10,000 grant we received from the Board of Supervisors in 2004, and why we are worthy of continued funding.
SDG&E now offers an “outage ap” for Smart Phone users
November 5, 2012 (Santee) – An “underground cable failure” caused a power outage November 1 that left 1,285 temporarily in the dark, SDG&E spokesperson Amber Albrecht has informed ECM.
November 5, 2012 (Spring Valley) -- Spring Valley – San Miguel Firefighters responded to fire in a detached garage at 2501 Bancroft Drive yesterday shortly after 4:30 p.m. When crews arrived on scene the garage was spewing flames and thick black smoke and had already set a three-bedroom home next door on fire at 2505 Bancroft, about 12 feet from the garage where the fire reportedly started.
“There were three people in the home when it caught fire. All evacuated safely, however one resident was treated on the scene for smoke inhalation and released,” San Miguel spokesman Leonard Villareal said.
Despite the fact that we have been a nation at war for more than a decade, sadly, and surprisingly, the plight of America's veterans has not by any measure been a front-burner issue in this presidential election. But it's not too late for you to make it one.
November 4, 2012 (Lemon Grove)-- How can Lemon Grove find the money to repair its pot-holed streets, revive its downtown and restore its shuttered Recreation Department?
At a candidate forum Monday night, incumbents and challengers offered a wide range of proposed solutions. Read full coverage at Lemon Grove Patch.
November 5, 2012 (San Diego's East County) -- There are many important issues on your ballot, from president to local school boards, council races and initiatives. Early voting is underway at the Registrar's office, or vote at your polls on Tuesday. If you have questions, contact the Registrar of Voters.
November 3, 2012 (San Diego) -- The East Coast has been battered by Hurricane Sandy, which caused dramatic damage. Many of us in sunny San Diego may believe our only major risks are earthquakes and wildfires. But our region is not immune to hurricanes. The first recorded major hurricane to hit San Diego County was 1858. Then in 1976, Hurricane Kathleen reduced I-8 to rubble, washed out a railway and destroyed a bridge in San Diego’s East County, causing major flooding as far east as Ocotillo in Imperial County. View photos of Hurricane Kathleen's damage from a book written by a CalTrans engineer.
Wikipedia lists several tropical storms and hurricanes that damaged Southern California and Arizona. Moreover, with climate change,storm tracks are slowly moving north from Mexico, so we are at increased risk. Regardless, you should be ready for a disaster. Government authorities have warned for years that people need to be ready to be on their own for 72 hours. This is a general civil defense recommendation not limited to the United States.
November 3, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Four years after winning election to replace his father in the House of Representatives, what sort of record has Congressman Duncan D. Hunter amassed in Washington? To help voters assess Rep. Hunter’s two terms, ECM has taken a look at his voting record, legislation, campaign finances, campaign promises, and ratings from a variety of interest groups ranging from senior citizens, women and immigrant groups to business groups, educators, labor, gun rights, environmental, and veterans organizations.
Hunter refused to participate in any debates against his opponent, David Secor since the primary election. Secor interviewed with ECM and asserts that Hunter has ignored the needs of middle class voters and those who struggling in his district, also taking extreme stances on women's and senior's issues.
Hunter, a combat veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, failed to respond to interview requests from ECM and other prominent East County media. He also failed to provide information to the League of Women Voters for its nonpartisan SmartVoter site. He has not held a single live town hall meeting in his district . Locally, his appearances have been largely restricted to Chamber of Commerce and Tea Party events, as well as Republican fundraisers.
Below is the information on his record that we’ve compiled based on nonpartisan independent sources and his own legislative office.
November 3, 2012 (Alpine) – The Alpine Mountain Empire Chamber hosts a lunch with State Senator Joel Anderson on November 15, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Paparazzi’s Restaurant, 1347 Tavern Road, Alpine. The topic for discussion is “An Update from Sacramento”. Anderson, State Senator from the thirty-sixth Senate District, represents over 1,000,000 constituents. He was named the “California State Senate Legislator of the Year” by the California Small Business Association and California Small Business Roundtable.
November 3, 2012 (San Diego) – The League of Women Voters’ Lunch with League will feature Controller John Chiang as guest of honor on November 15 at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse Restaurant, 2150 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Chiang, California’s chief fiscal officer, has fought to make finances more transparent and accountable to the public and to weed out waste, fraud and abuse of public money. He has also led efforts to reform the state’s public pension systems, helped local governments navigate difficult economic times, protected precious natural resources and launched financial and tax assistance seminars.
November 3, 2012 (El Cajon) – Brotherhood Lions Club is holding a free e-waste recycling event at the El Cajon Home Depot that ends Nov. 4. The event is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 298 Fletcher Parkway, El Cajon. Unwanted, obsolete or broken televisions, computer monitors, LCD’s or laptops turned in to e-waste collection are eligible for a chance to win prizes. The prizes include 10 $25 Home Depot gift cards, 10 $25 VISA gift cards and 20 $10 VISA gift cards.
November 3, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for high fire risk in San Diego's mountains and a less severe fire watch in inland valley areas. The alerts start at 7 p.m. Sunday night through 4 p.m. Monday. The red flag warning is issued due to low humidity and gusty winds forecast up to 30 mph.
Temperatures should begin cooling later in the week, with partially cloudy weather and a chance of rain Thursday through Saturday.
vember 8, 2012 (Lemon Grove) – The election of Racquel Vasquez and reelection of George Gastil restores a Democratic majority to the Lemon Grove City Council. Vasquez won 29.30% of the votes cast, followed by Gastil with 23.01%.
By Nadin Abbott
Update Nov. 8: With 100% of precincts counted and a portion of the late absentee ballots, Schreiber and Stieringer have retained solid leads. 
By Miriam Raftery
y Nadin Abbott
November 6, 2012 (San Diego)--Congressional members Duncan Hunter and Susan Davis appear headed for easy victories, while Juan Vargas has won the seat vacated by Bob Filner. Rep. Brian Bilbray has a slim 3 point margin over Scott Peters in the hotly contested 52nd district.
November 6, 2012 (Alpine) -- On Friday, November 2, Junior Girl Scout Troop 6279 of Alpine collected over 375 pounds of nonperishable food items for the Alpine Food Bank thanks to the Alpine Albertsons and their generous customers.
November 5, 2012 (La Mesa)—A woman walking in the parking lot with her children near Fudrucker’s in Grossmont Center was robbed of her purse by two suspects in 1990s tan Saturn two-door car. The passenger leaned out the window and grabbed the victim’s purse, dragging her on the ground several feet before she was able to release her grasp. The victim was transported to a hospital with a wrist injury.
Update: February 13, 2013: Councilman Wells indicates that three months after this story ran, he has not been contacted by a Grand Jury and believes that he is not a target of the investigation. 
November 6, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--CAL FIRE/San Diego County Fire Authority in cooperation with State Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service resources will conduct a prescribed burn in the area of the Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve in East county near the community of Jamul. This burn is scheduled to take place during daylight hours on November 6. 
Update November 8: This missing person has been found.
E - The Environmental Magazine
November 5, 2012 (El Cajon) -- An anonymous Facebook ad attacking three El Cajon councilmembers and another candidate has been taken down--but not before hurling blatant falsehoods and misrepresentations into cyberspace.
November 5, 2012 (Alpine) – The Alpine Branch of the San Diego County Library will celebrate Veterans Day with a special Power Point presentation by author, editor and book publisher Diana Saenger on Thursday, November 8. She will begin her talk with stories from her Media-Award-Winning mid-grade book, The Vietnam War: Life As A POW. 
November 4, 2012 (El Cajon) – “Doesn't the "spirit" of those kids/young adults shine thru in the photo beautifully?” says Rebecca J. Williamson, who captured the moment at last month’s 3
By Lynne Jennings, Board President, San Diego Guild of Puppetry
November 5, 2012 (Santee) – An “underground cable failure” caused a power outage November 1 that left 1,285 temporarily in the dark, SDG&E spokesperson Amber Albrecht has informed ECM.
November 5, 2012 (Spring Valley) -- Spring Valley – San Miguel Firefighters responded to fire in a detached garage at 2501 Bancroft Drive yesterday shortly after 4:30 p.m. When crews arrived on scene the garage was spewing flames and thick black smoke and had already set a three-bedroom home next door on fire at 2505 Bancroft, about 12 feet from the garage where the fire reportedly started.
By Jamie Reno
November 4, 2012 (Lemon Grove)-- How can Lemon Grove find the money to repair its pot-holed streets, revive its downtown and restore its shuttered Recreation Department?
By Nadin Abbott
November 3, 2012 (Alpine) – The Alpine Mountain Empire Chamber hosts a lunch with State Senator Joel Anderson on November 15, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Paparazzi’s Restaurant, 1347 Tavern Road, Alpine. The topic for discussion is “An Update from Sacramento”. Anderson, State Senator from the thirty-sixth Senate District, represents over 1,000,000 constituents. He was named the “California State Senate Legislator of the Year” by the California Small Business Association and California Small Business Roundtable.
November 3, 2012 (San Diego) – The League of Women Voters’ Lunch with League will feature Controller John Chiang as guest of honor on November 15 at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse Restaurant, 2150 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Chiang, California’s chief fiscal officer, has fought to make finances more transparent and accountable to the public and to weed out waste, fraud and abuse of public money. He has also led efforts to reform the state’s public pension systems, helped local governments navigate difficult economic times, protected precious natural resources and launched financial and tax assistance seminars.
November 3, 2012 (El Cajon) – Brotherhood Lions Club is holding a free e-waste recycling event at the El Cajon Home Depot that ends Nov. 4. The event is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 298 Fletcher Parkway, El Cajon. Unwanted, obsolete or broken televisions, computer monitors, LCD’s or laptops turned in to e-waste collection are eligible for a chance to win prizes. The prizes include 10 $25 Home Depot gift cards, 10 $25 VISA gift cards and 20 $10 VISA gift cards.
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