East County News Service

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.

March 21, 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:

LOCAL

• Biden Meets With UK, Australian PMs In San Diego; Submarine Deal OK'd (Patch)
• Son of scientist fatally shot by law enforcement during confrontation in Little Italy sues city, county  (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Former anchor claims victory in her discrimination lawsuit against KUSI (KPBS)
• San Diego County now has overdose reversal drug in vending machines  (KPBS)
• Man pleads guilty to murder for killing ex's twin daughters in Lemon Grove (10 News)
• Woman sentenced nearly 8 years for role in injuring El Cajon Police Officer (Times of San Diego)

STATE

• Newsom loosens rules to allow more floodwater to flow into underground reservoirs (Sacramento Bee)
• Storms end Southern California water restrictions for 7 Million (AP)
• More than 8,000 people in California were evacuated after a levee failed  (NPR)
• California Politics: State GOP starts convention with no prominent Senate candidate (Los Angeles Times)
• No California salmon: Fishery to be shut down this year (KPBS)
• California bill to protect doctors who mail abortion pills (KPBS)
• California will remake San Quentin prison, emphasizing rehab (AP)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

Hearing April 5 for County Supervisors to weigh the Regional Decarbonization Framework

Public urged to speak at meeting and submit comments by March 31 deadline at project website

By Miriam Raftery

Hear our interview with Bill Powers, Protect Our Communities Foundation, recorded four days before the nonprofit group filed a lawsuit against the County. 

View video of  interview.

March 8, 2023 (San Diego) – The Protect Our Communities Foundation (POCF) has filed a lawsuit against the County of San Diego contending that the County hired a  biased utility industry consultant direct the County’s Regional Decarbonization Framework (RDF) and that the RDF’s conclusions are skewed toward utilities’ interests over consumers’ interests based on flawed data. The suit also names the University of California as a defendant, contending that UCSD concealed researcher David Victor’s financial ties to the utility industry when it won a no-bid contract from the County to prepare the report that Victor co-authored.  

In an exclusive interview with East County Magazine aired on KNSJ radio four days before the suit was filed in late February, Bill Powers, an engineer and board member on the Protect Our Communities Foundation, discussed why the organization is taking a stand against the RDF. He contends that if approved by Supervisors as written, it could result in fast-tracking industrial-scale wind and solar projects in our backcountry, even waiving environmental impact reviews, when it would be more economical to build rooftop and parking lot solar in urban areas – without harm to local communities and environmental habitats.

East County News Service

February 24, 2023 (San Diego) --  The City of San Diego today announced that due to weather conditions and “an abundance of caution,” it has closed Mission Trails Regional Park, as well as Los Penasquitos Preserve, Chollas Lake and Maple Canyon parks.

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo: Migrants wait in line while California border activists organize  group to enter  U.S. and seek asylum through  Chaparral entryway in Tijuana. Photo by Carlos A. Moreno for CalMatters

February 24, 2023 (San Diego) -- The San Diego Rapid Response Network issued a condemnation Wednesday of the Biden Administration’s proposed new restrictions on refugees seeking asylum in the United States.

The coalition of human-rights organizations, led by Jewish Family Service of San Diego, operates local migrant shelters funded by state government and private donors.

Federal government releases breakdown by Congressional district as Supreme Court readies to hear cases challenging program

By Miriam Raftery

February 17,2023 (San Diego)—The U.S. Department of Education has released a chart showing federal student loan forgiveness applications and approvals broken down by Congressional district.  The data shows that “In every single congressional district, at least half of eligible borrowers either applied or were deemed auto-eligible for debt relief, and that was only in the one month that the application was available before the program got blocked because of lawsuits.”

Nationally, about 40 million student borrowers were eligible for the program and around 26 million applications were received, of which 16 million were approved before a court blocked the program pending review by the U.S. Supreme Court, leaving borrowers in limbo for now.

In San Diego County, over 400,000 borrowers would be eligible for the loan forgiveness, if the high court allows it to move forward.  Over 240,000 of those have applied and around 154,000 local borrowers have been approved.

Here is the breakdown by district:

East County News Service

February 4, 2023 (San Diego) -- San Diego County jails have in recent years had the highest number of jail deaths of any major county in California. Many of those deaths have been due to drug overdoses, including Fentanyl. That’s prompted an investigation by the state auditor and calls for reforms from politicians.

Now, newly elected Sheriff Kelly Martinez (photo) has announced numerous changes aimed at improvement the health and safety of people in custody.  Those changes include:

December 21, 2022 (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:

LOCAL

• Covid Year Two: Deaths More than Doubled in Lakeside, and Went Down Virtually Everywhere Else (Voice of San Diego)
• Nathan Fletcher Stepping Down as Supervisor Chair (Voice of San Diego)
• Is SANDAG’s majority changing? Not so fast. (SD Rostra)
• Upgrade costs for Carlsbad desalination plant will be passed along to San Diego ratepayers  (KPBS)
• Blood bank puts out urgent call for donations; supplies 'dangerously' low  (KPBS)
• Russians find asylum lifeline to US, but at a high price (KPBS)
• Balboa Park needs nearly half a billion dollars to be brought up to modern standards (KPBS)
• Mail-in ballots constitute 90% of San Diego County's certified election results  (KPBS)
• San Diego City launches Regional Cyber Lab to bolster local cybersecurity  (KPBS)

STATE

• Southern California home prices dip in November (Los Angeles Times)
• $24 billion projected budget deficit may test California’s resolve to grow safety net amid recession (KPBS)
• Magnitude 6.4 earthquake shakes parts of northern California  (AP)
• Newsom slams Republicans for blocking immigration reform on visit to Mexican border (Los Angeles Times)
• So long, California: Major county votes to study secession (KPBS)

For excerpts and full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

December 4, 2022 (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:

LOCAL

• Poison pill: San Diego County’s battle against fentanyl (NBC San Diego)
• San Diego Has the Highest Rate of Whooping Cough in California  (NBC San Diego)
• East County Company Pleads Guilty To Selling Fake COVID Cleaner (Patch)
• Threatened coastal railroad is San Diego’s only link to national military rail network. What if it shuts down? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Construction begins in Poway on statewide high-speed internet project (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• The veteran who helped disarm the gunman at gay club says he followed his instincts (NPR)
• Data: no exact link between homeless voucher use, crime increase (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego to Release 250 Million Gallons of Water From Hodges Reservoir Into Nearby River (NBC 7)
• Musgrove Heads to Antarctica Not Just to Set World Record, But to Benefit Challenged Athletes (Times of San Diego)

STATE

• Drying California lake to get $250M in US drought funding (KPBS)
• The shadow race is on to succeed Feinstein (Politico)
• Big tobacco tries to stop California flavored tobacco ban (KPBS)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Robert Gehr: A homeless person sleeps in a tent on Main Street in downtown El Cajon.

November 24, 2022 (El Cajon) –  El Cajon’s grant application to purchase property to build a homeless shelter has been rejected by the County. According to El Cajon City Manager Graham Mitchell, County staff informed him that  the grant was rejected because “the City did not own the property that was being proposed for the shelter – in other words, the City did not own the property that the grant was intended to purchase.”

Mitchell, in an email sent to El Cajon’s Mayor and City Council, said he told County staff in a pre-grant question and answer session that the city intended to apply for a grant to buy land for a shelter.  “The response was that the city should still apply and explain how the site will be obtained,” he wrote.  “During their follow-p questions of the City’s grant application, they asked for an update and we indicated that an appraisal was on its way and that the formal offer was about to be made.”

The application was made through the County’s Capital Emergency Housing Solutions Grant Program, for which Supervisor Joel Anderson had urged East County cities including El Cajon to apply.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo  left:  water drains from Loveland Reservoir in Alpine to Sweetwater Reservoir in Otay;

Photo, right: bare mudflat at Loveland, once  400 surface acres, now doomed to be dropped to just 10.

November 23, 2022 (Alpine) – Without any regard to impacts on wildlife, fire danger, rural residents or recreational users at Loveland Reservoir near Alpine in San Diego's East County, the Sweetwater Water Authority (SWA) on November 16 began draining down the lake with an intent to reduce it to “dead pool” level – less than one-half of one percent of the reservoir’s capacity, once draining is completed over the next couple of weeks or so.

The water is being transferred to Sweetwater Reservoir in Spring Valley. From there, it will be used to provide drinking water and other water needs to residents in the South Bay communities of Chula Vista, National City and Bonita.

But critics say  the action is destroying habitat for wildlife, perhaps forever, also eliminating fishing at the area's only reservoir with free fishing access, and threatening firefighters' ability to combat fast-moving wildfires .  Critics also contend that draining the reservoir so low is unnecssary at current drought levels. Yet the people most negatively impacted have no representation on the SWA board, which doesn't include East County.

By Miriam Raftery

Image: Rendering of proposed Jamul Casino Hotel and Event Center

October 10, 2022 (Jamul) – The Jamul Indian Village is proposing to expand its Jamul Casino to include a new event center, multi-purpose/bingo hall, a 225-room, 16-story hotel, and a six-story parking structure, with associated infrastructure.

The Jamul-Dulzura Community Planning Group will discuss the Tribal Environmental Impact Report on the proposed project this Tuesday, October 11 at 7:30 p.m.

The meeting, held virtually, can be accessed online starting at 7:20 p.m. at  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82400516671?pwd=b2ZJM3pzdmtRZ1p3WkdVZHZ5TFMzQT09 .  To participate by phone use either 669-900-6833 or 346-248-7799. When directed, enter the meeting ID: 824 0051 6671, Password: 156353.

September 20, 2022 (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:

LOCAL

• Supervisors OK fee waivers for those affected by Border Fire (KPBS)
• The Group Seeking to Educate Conservatives to Influence Local Politics(Voice of San Diego)
• Homicide puts further scrutiny on troubled El Cajon nursing home (KPBS)
• The Navy arson trial for the burning of USS Bonhomme Richard will soon start (NPR)
• ‘Fat Leonard’ escapes weeks before sentencing in Navy bribery scandal(Washington Post)
• San Diego Fire Department sees wave of heat-related injuries at Snapdragon Stadium(10 News)
• Five sex offenders being housed in a single Lakeside home (KUSI)
• Spring Valley Kids, 2 and 6, Found Safe After Mom Fatally Shot in Tijuana: SDSO (NBC San Diego)

STATE

• Gov. Newsom OKs mental health courts for homeless (KPBS)  
• California school district is asking families to rent rooms to teachers (NPR)
• Bill to track and report toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in California heads to Gov. Newsom (Environmental Working Group)
• The impact of California's environmental regulations ripples across the U.S. (NPR)
• California becomes first state with a law to protect children's online privacy (KPBS)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo via Twitter: Rockslide on I-8

September 9, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) --  Dangerously high winds and heavy rains from Tropical Storm have promoted the National Weather Service to issue a high wind warning in effect through midnight tonight. Flash flood warnings are also in effect in mountain and desert areas.

Gusts of 109 miles per hour were recorded on Cuyamaca peak today and Mount Laguna has received 2.94 inches of rain as of 1:15 p.m. Flash flooding is reported in Ocotillo.

Videos posted online show a rockslide on I-8 in East County, trees down near the Julian Post Office and at Lake Cuyamaca, trees or large limbs fallen in Pine Valley, Alpine and Boulevard.