By Miriam Raftery

July 3, 2021(El Cajon) – A San Diego resident, 57, died at a hospital where he was transported after a solo-vehicle crash at 4:08 a.m., July 1, in unincorporated El Cajon.

The motorist was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Trailblaze westbound on Dehesa Road, east of Cunningham Lane, when he missed a curve. The vehicle rolled over and struck a utility pole.  The driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle and sustained fatal injuries.

By Miriam Raftery

July 3, 2021 (Washington D.C.) – If you’re planning to travel internationally, be aware that many nations are requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination and/or other vaccines to enter. The internationally recognized proof of your vaccination status is the Yellow Card, also known as the CDC 731 form or PHS-731 form. 

How to get a Yellow Card?

Approved by the World Health Organization, the Yellow Card can be purchased for $25 through the U.S. Government publishing office bookstore at this link.

Need to find required vaccinations for each country/region you plan to visit? 

Visit the CDC Vaccinations page at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/vaccinations.htm. To avoid being quarantined or denied entry, a traveler can also check the entry requirements for the country in question by contacting its embassy or consulate.

East County Wildfire and Emergency Alerts

Photo by Jonna Waite, viewed from west Pine Hills

Update July 5, 2021: The #YsabelFire is 90% contained; firefighters have held it to 173 acres.

Update 7:05 p.m. Fire remains 173 acres and is now 17% contained. All Evacuation Orders and Warnings have been lifted. Road closures lifted; Highway 79 remains open for one-way traffic.

Update 4:45 p.m. -- The fire is now 173 acres and 0% contained, but the spread has slowed, per Cal Fire.  A temporary evacuation point has been established at Lake Henshaw.

July 3, 2021 (San Diego's East County) – The CHP website reports that a county trash truck rear-ended a motorhome, sparking a fire that ignited vegetation on Highway 79 north of Highway 78 in Santa Ysabel. (screenshot, right).

The brush fire is over 10 acres and is now threatening homes.

Photo, left: Burned RV, via Cal Fire

East County News Service

July 2, 2021 (San Diego) -- The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Veterans Affairs today jointly announced an interagency initiative to bring home the untold numbers of veterans who, over the past 25 years, were unjustly deported and banished from the United States despite being promised citizenship opportunities in exchange for military service as noncitizens. The Biden administration further pledged to ensure that soldiers serving our nation can obtain their promised naturalization. 

Since 2015, the ACLU of Southern California and the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties have partnered with the Deported Veterans Support House in Tijuana to urge the return to the U.S. of deported veterans, an end to the deportation of veterans, and improved access to military naturalization.  

Source: California Attorney General

July 1, 2021 (Sacramento) --  California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released statewide 2020 gun sales data showing a record increase in the number of hand guns legally sold in the state, and the number of long guns sold last year was second only to 2016.

With the increase in firearms across the state, Attorney General Bonta partnered with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence to call on Californians to utilize the state’s red flag laws-- Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs) and Domestic Violence Restraining Orders (DVROs).  These can help local law enforcement temporarily recover firearms or prevent purchase of firearms by individuals who have shown a probability to commit violence.

J S Plastering of Jamul also assessed $25,000 in penalties for willful violations

 By Miriam Raftery

June 30, 2021 (Jamul) – Failing to pay overtime wages has cost JS Plastering of Jamul nearly $125,000 in back wages and penalties.

An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that the company paid overtime hours at straight-time rates in unrecorded cash, instead of paying time and a half as required by law when employees work more than 40 hours in a week.  

The investigation led to the recovery of $98,720 in overtime back wages owed to 39 employees and assessment of $25,380 in penalties for the employer’s willful violation of the law.

Source: City of El Cajon 

June 30, 2021 (El Cajon) -- The City of El Cajon City Council will host a series of public hearings to gather input as part of its redistricting process. Cities with district-based elections must evaluate and adjust City Council voting districts every ten-years following the US Census to ensure that each district has roughly the same number of residents. 

East County News Service

Photo: County Administration Building, courtesy of San Diego County News Service

June 29, 2021 (San Diego) – San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously today to adopt a $7.23 billion revised budget for fiscal year 2021-22. The adopted budget responds to voices in the community and follows a Framework for the Future that will fundamentally change County operations, with significant funding to address justice system reform, racial justice, health and environmental equity, homelessness, and economic opportunity.

“This is a budget that meets the needs of all our residents,” County Chief Administrative Officer Helen Robbins-Meyer said,  adding that the budget is “stretching, but maintaining a prudent and responsible fiscal position.” 

The budget reflects new priorities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that caused hardships for many San Diegans and also reflects the board’s shift to a 3-2 Democratic majority after decades of Republican control, though all five Supervisors backed the revised budget.

"Our work is not yet done," said one ACLU attorney, who noted that the organization is "continuing to fight against anti-trans laws targeting trans youth in states around the country."

By Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams, published under a Creative Commons license

Photo: Plaintiff and trans-rights activist Gavin Grimm at 2019 trans rights rally in San Francisco, creative commons image by Pax Ahimsa Gethen

June 28, 2021 (Washington D.C.) -- In what civil rights advocates hailed as "an incredible victory," the United States Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the case of Gavin Grimm, a former Virginia high school student who in 2015 sued his county board of education over its policy of denying transgender pupils use of restrooms corresponding with their gender identity.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

Photo via CA Governor's office

June 28, 2021 (Sacramento) - California lawmakers voted tonight to approve a record-busting state budget that reflects new agreements with Gov. Gavin Newsom to expand health care for undocumented immigrants, spend billions to alleviate homelessness and help Californians still struggling through the pandemic. 

By Manuela Tobias, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

Photo:  Oakland resident Alex Acuña holds up a sign decrying a rent relief plan during a vigil at the Elihu M. Harris, State of California office building in Oakland on Jan. 29, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff. CalMatters

June 28, 2021 (San Diego) - California renters, who are still struggling to pay the rent even as the pandemic wanes, will be shielded from eviction through Sept. 30, under a last-minute deal announced June 25 by Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders.

By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  Stock Photo. ivabalk / Pixabay

June 27, 2021 (San Diego) - The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency is looking for anybody that may have come into contact with a live bat that tested positive for rabies and was found at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on June 25, 2021.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos: Person of interest and suspect vehicle sought by deputies

June 25, 2021 (Spring Valley) – Kenneth Love II was shot and killed June 2, 2020 while working as a security guard at a marijuana dispensary in the 8700 block of Troy Street in Spring Valley.  A year later, Sheriff’s deputies are still actively working on solving the case and they are asking public help to identify the killer.

His family is offering a $3,000 reward in addition to a $1,000 reward offered by Crimestoppers for information leading to the arrest of a suspect.