April 7, 2023 (El Cajon) – An El Cajon man, 47, has died of injuries sustained in a two-vehicle crash on April 2 at 8:23 p.m. on Pepper Drive in El Cajon.
According to Officer Matthew Baranowski with the California Highway Patrol, a 64-year-old man from El Cajon was driving a 2015 Ford F-150 pickup truck northbound on a shared driveway near 1601 Pepper Drive, when he pulled into the roadway in the path of an oncoming motorcyclist driving a 2011 Ducati 848 motorcycle.
April 7, 2023 (Jamul) – By a unanimous vote, the Jamul-Dulzura Community Planning Group on March 28 approved a letter sent to Mark Slovick, deputy director of San Diego County’s Planning & Development Services. The letter asks County staff to take action on several concerns to mitigate impacts of Jamul Casino’s plans to build a hotel and event center.
The planners voice concerns that the tribe’s plans do not adequately address potential traffic, fire safety, environmental and noise concerns.
April 7, 2023 (San Diego) – A celebration to honor San Diego State University’s men’s basketball team after its historic run to the NCAA championship will be held Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley. The team made the final four for the first time in the university’s history.
April 7, 2023 (San Diego) -- It may not be your grandparent’s HIV. It may no longer be a death sentence, but it still poses a potent threat to public health. The good news is, there has been significant progress in the past 40 years in the treatment and management of this one-time deadly virus. When HIV/AIDS first appeared in our communities, it was most often a death sentence to those infected. But today people with HIV have effective medications that offer them satisfying and productive lives.
The number of new cases of HIV infection have fallen to half in the past decade. Those who are infected have learned how not to spread the virus, and they have access to life-saving medications. When people know the dangers, preventative measures, and availability of treatment, they can be better prepared to avoid infection, or to deal with a HIV diagnosis, and how to guide themselves or loved ones toward getting the treatment they need.
Today, 90 percent of HIV infections are among young men. There are roughly 15,000 local residents living with HIV, and another estimated 1400 people living with an undiagnosed infection. That is why testing is so important in reducing the spread of the virus. HIV testing is easy, it is available without cost, and your identity will remain confidential.
With or without a diagnosis, prevention can be as simple as using a condom. In addition, the use of “PrEP” (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a daily pill, is even more effective at lowering the risk of getting and spreading HIV from sex, and also from intravenous drug use. PrEP is readily available from a professional healthcare provider.
April 7, 2023 (San Diego) - San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister reminded property owners Thursday that they have twelve days left to pay the second installment of their 2022-2023 property taxes before they are charged a late penalty.
Taxpayers can quickly and easily pay their bills online at sdttc.com. They will not be charged a convenience fee if they pay by e-check, or electronic check.
“So far, 47.90% of taxpayers have paid $1.9 billion in second installment payments,” said McAllister. “Property tax bills are due on April 10. To avoid a 10% penalty plus $10 fee we encourage property owners to go online and pay their second installment before the deadline.”
April 7, 2023 (San Diego) -- Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D., has selected her mother, California Secretary of State, Dr. Shirley Weber, as the 79th Assembly district’s Woman of the Year. Dr. Weber previously served as Assemblymember for four terms before becoming Secretary of State.
By Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski, ProPublica
This story was originally published by ProPublica.
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April 6, 2023 (Washington, D.C.) - In late June 2019, right after the U.S. Supreme Court released its final opinion of the term, Justice Clarence Thomas boarded a large private jet headed to Indonesia. He and his wife were going on vacation: nine days of island-hopping in a volcanic archipelago on a superyacht staffed by a coterie of attendants and a private chef.
April 6, 2023 (La Mesa) – Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber has announced Thursday that she will run for the 39th State Senate seat held by termed-out Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, after Supervisor Nathan Fletcher dropped out of the race amid accusations of sexual misconduct.
Today, La Mesa City Councilman Colin Parent announced that he will run for Weber’s 79th State Assembly seat. Since Parent’s term on the Council ends in 2024, his announcement also means La Mesans can expect to have a new face on the City Council after the 2024 elections.
April 5, 2023 (San Diego's East County) - Disasters and wildfires threaten lives and businesses in San Diego County each year. Often, people are forced to gather up their most important possessions and evacuate to safety. But commercial livestock operations may be too large to evacuate all their animals immediately and need to return as quickly as possible to care for animals. Farmers also must abandon their operation, leaving crops and critical infrastructure unattended for extended periods. Now, operators can apply for an Agricultural and Livestock Pass (Ag Pass) program to return to an evacuated area to help when the threat diminishes.
Unsealed indictment alleges pay-offs to three people with negative claims about Trump were fraudulently covered up in order to protect his presidential campaign
April 5, 2023 (New York) – Former President Donald Trump was arrested yesterday in Manhattan and pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of a conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election.
If convicted, Trump could be sentenced to up to four years for each count, though the court could determine whether terms would be served concurrently or consecutively. Trump’s lawyers have until August to file motions, with the next court hearing scheduled for December 4. Barring further delays, a trial could be held early next year, just as the 2024 primaries get underway.
Trump, also a candidate running in the 2024 presidential race, was booked and fingerprinted, but not handcuffed nor was a mugshot taken. After the arraignment, he was released pending trial and returned to his home in Florida, where he gave a blistering speech railing against the prosecutor and judge despite a judicial warning to refrain from rhetoric that could incite violence.
April 5, 2023 (Alpine) -- Buddy Wilkerson shot this video of a deer in a life-or-death struggle with a mountain lion. It was taken earlier this month along Tavern Road in Alpine, near Dehesa Road in San Diego's East County.
It's rare to spot a mountain lion in broad daylight, let alone hunting along a well-traveled thoroughfare.
April 5, 2023 (La Mesa) - The City of La Mesa is developing a Recreation and Parks Master Plan (Plan). The Plan will be a comprehensive effort dedicated to improving parks, recreation programs, and services for La Mesa residents. This year-long effort will help set the framework for future planning, maintenance, development and rehabilitation of City parks and facilities.
Photo: Councilmember Jennifer Mendoza looks on as attorneys Cory Briggs and Melinda Vasquez participate remotely in Monday's court hearing at the El Cajon courthouse. Councilmember Liana LeBaron was not present.
April 4, 2023 (Lemon Grove) – Attorney Cory Briggs has filed a motion on behalf of Lemon Grove Councilmember Liana LeBaron asking Superior Court Judge Peter Lynch to dismiss a civil harassment temporary restraining order issued on behalf of Councilmember Jennifer Mendoza. He cites California’s anti-SLAPP statute as the reason to dismiss the matter.
Briggs contends that the restraining order constitutes a SLAPP suit, or Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. SLAPP suits are actions filed to discourage a person from speaking out on issues of public importance.
“The purpose of the anti-SLAPP statute is to encourage participation in matters of public significance and to prevent meritless litigation designed to chill the exercise of First Amendment rights,” states LeBaron's brief filed in support of the anti-SLAPP motion.
Photo: it’s sinking in for Adam Seiko as UConn ends the Aztecs’ NCAA Tournament title hopes. Photo credit: Screen shot, CBS
April 3, 2023 (Houston) - San Diego State’s remarkable run in the NCAA Tournament ended Monday as Connecticut prevailed 76-59 to take the title in Houston.
Webinars will be held every Wednesday on a variety of topics to improve financial health
Source: SDCCU
April 3, 2023 (San Diego) - San Diego County Credit Union® (SDCCU®), one of Southern California’s largest locally-owned financial institutions, is proud to host weekly financial wellness webinars throughout the month of April in celebration of National Financial Literacy Month. Webinars are open to the public and free to attend.
April 2, 2023 (La Mesa) -- Clear Channel Outdoor Vice President of Public Affairs Layne Lawson gave the La Mesa City Council a presentation on a proposed digital billboard plan during the March 28 Council meeting. The company is proposing that the City enter a development agreement with Clear Channel for two digital billboards that would display advertisements generating an annual development fee payment of $125,000 per new advertising structure for the City, plus a 3% annual increase, starting in the second year.
April 2, 2023 (Lakeside) – Born in an era when Native American children were sent off to Indian schools and career opportunities were limited due to prejudice, Josephine "Sister" Beatrice Romero overcame those obstacles to become a Tribal Chair and leader who helped usher in Indian gaming in California and establish a museum to teach tribal history and cultural heritage to future generations.
On March 26, 2023, she passed away at age 94, but her enduring legacy lives on.
Major San Diego nonprofit recognizes longtime philanthropic supporters
April 2, 2023 (San Diego) -- Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) will host its annual Heart & Soul Gala at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park on Saturday, April 15 at 6 p.m. This year’s annual gala, “Planting for the Future,” will celebrate JFS’s efforts to provide resources and support to San Diegans of all ages and backgrounds, and share stories of success from throughout the year.
This year’s Gala Honorees are Joan and Irwin Jacobs, along with Marie Raftery and Dr. Bob Rubenstein – recognized for their tremendous support and contributions to JFS throughout the years.
March 31, 2023 (San Diego) – A Manhattan grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump on criminal charges related to alleged pay-offs made to porn star Stormy Daniels, the New York Times and other media outlets confirm. The indictment remains sealed until the arraignment, though sources have told media outlet including CNBC that Trump could face around 30 criminal charges.
Trump is the first former president to be indicted. He is also a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, so his arrest casts unprecedented uncertainties into the campaign.
He is expected to turn himself in for an arraignment on Tuesday,, PBS reports. His attorneys have indicated that he will plead not guilty. It is anticipated that he will be fingerprinted, have a mugshot and DNA sample taken,but as is customary with New York defendants in white collar crimes, he will likely be released until the trial.
March 30, 2023 (San Diego) – Last night, San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher announced that he will resign his District 4 seat at the end of his medical leave for treatment of PTSD and alcohol abuse.
The announcement comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed March 28 against Fletcher and the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) by an MTS worker who claims Fletcher harassed and sexually assaulted her on MTS property, and that she was fired by MTS as a result.
Fletcher has called the relationship “consensual’ and a “mistake” but denies harassing or assaulting the plaintiff, Grecia Figueroa, a former TV journalist and MTS spokesperson. Fletcher’s attorney, Danielle Hultenius Moore, alleges that Figueroa tried to extort Fletcher before filing a suit and that Fletcher’s team will be “pursuing our own legal response.
April 1, 2023 (San Diego) - Teralta Neighborhood Park is remarkable in several ways: 1) It is built right over the Interstate 15 freeway between Orange and Polk Avenues in the City Heights neighborhood. 2) It now boasts a 270-foot long, 7 ½-foot high mural titled “Unity in the Community,” which features faces, activities, and landmarks of the diverse City Heights neighborhood. 3) It serves a largely immigrant community in which over 30 languages are spoken, with the mural title in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Somali.
April 1, 2023 (San Diego) – In an interview with ECM aired on KNSJ, GRID Alternatives senior outreach coordinator Clovis Honore discussed the importance of signing up for solar now, before a mid-April statewide rate change kicks in. He also discussed options for free solar available to low-income homeowners in some communities.
Honore has spent much time speaking before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which gives him an informed view on the new net energy metering 3.0 rates for solar that take effect April 14, although applications submitted by that date will be grandfathered in.
GRID Alternatives provides free solar on low-income homes. The government determines where they can locate free solar and their San Diego office serves a small area around Gillespie Field in El Cajon, an area around the freeway in Lemon Grove, a coastal area around National City and Chula Vista.
When asked if solar installations are going to make sense to add after the new rates, he responds, “Absolutely. Absolutely… For our clients it’s always going to be good, because it’s free. For folks who have to invest in solar it’s going to take them longer to recoup their investment.”
April 1, 2023 (Boulevard) – The Boulevard Community Planning Group will hold a public scoping hearing Wednesday, April 12 at 6 p.m. on the proposed 565-acre Starlight Solar project. County staff will present information and public comments will be accepted at the hearing at the Backcountry Resource Center,39919 Ribbonwood Rd., Boulevard (in the old fire station equipment bay).
It would be located south of I-8 and Old Highway 80 and east of Tierra Del Sol Road. The project has proposed eight solar array areas with approximately 300,000 PV modules on support structures. It would connect to the Boulevard Substation.
The proposed 100 megawatt industrial-scale solar facility would include a battery energy storage system (BESS), collector substation, transformers, inverters, gen-tie line, and 24’ internal roads, water tanks for fire protection, security fencing, lighting, and signage.
April 1, 2023 (Spring Valley) – With Aztecs men’s basketball advancing to the “final four” for the first time in the team’s history, Aztec players Nate Mensah (left) and Matt Bradley (right) stopped by Valley Farms Market in Spring Valley earlier this week to meet shoppers and pose for pictures with fans, as well as with the store’s owner, Derek Marso (center).
April 1, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:
April 1, 2023 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media. This week's round-up stories include:
March 29, 2023 (Lemon Grove) – Community members have asked why the lower half of Lemon Grove’s historic murals are missing, near the intersection of Main and Pacific on the side of the former Lemon Grove Bakery building. So ECM reached out to Helen Ofield, historian to the board of the Lemon Grove Historical Society.
April 1, 2023 (San Diego) – A quartet of former elected officials who left office amid scandals held a press conference today to announce formation of their new “Reboot & Rehab” foundation for recovering politicians. The organization was founded by former Congressmen Duncan D. Hunter and Randy “Duke” Cunningham, who both left office after being convicted on criminal charges, in partnership with ex-Mayor Bob Filner and Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, who both faced sex scandals that drove them from office.
“We believe everyone deserves a second chance, including politicians,” said Fletcher, speaking remotely from an undisclosed rehab facility after announcing his resignation following a lawsuit filed by an MTS employee alleging sexual misconduct. “There are programs to help recovering drug addicts and prisoners with reentry, but no programs tailored specifically to the needs of recovering former officials.”
April 1, 2023 (Alpine) – Loveland Reservoir in Alpine will be restored and transformed into a recreational paradise – thanks to a deal hammered out between Sweetwater Water Authority and the winner of California’s billion-dollar Super-Lotto, Russell Walsh.
Walsh had been the district’s most vocal critic, faulting Sweetwater for draining the reservoir down to dead pool status. Besides killing off fish, the extreme draining preceded destruction of a fishing dock and erosion so severe that the district shut down all recreational access since January.
April 1, 2023 (Lemon Grove) – A new reality show called “Harmony” has announced plans to feature Lemon Grove’s City Councilmembers in its debut episode.
Producer Kanya Diggit said, “The concept of our show is to take dysfunctional groups and take them to a deserted island to vie for prizes. Unlike “Survivor” and other shows, ours will be based not on competitors vying against each other, but on rewarding them for working together under extreme circumstances to achieve key goals.”
By Miriam Raftery
By Chris Ernest Nelson 
Paying by e-check is free, quick and secure
Four “women of distinction” also honored
By Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski, ProPublica
By 
Source: City of La Mesa
By Editor, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association
Webinars will be held every Wednesday on a variety of topics to improve financial health
By Jessyka Heredia
Major San Diego nonprofit recognizes longtime philanthropic supporters 
By Jonathan Goetz and Miriam Raftery
April 1, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:
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