By Miriam Raftery

File photo: Dead trees smoulder during controlled burn in San Diego’s East County

January 10, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – Putting all San Diego County residents at higher risk of a major wildfire, winter controlled burning of two to three thousand acres in Cleveland National Forest have been put on hold due to the federal shutdown, fire officials have advised ECM news partner 10 News.

Hear our interview with Bernard Mauricia, Vice President of Marketing at The Seany Foundation: click here to listen or download

Get Well Soon Retreat January 26 is latest program to help families of pediatric cancer patients

By Miriam Raftery

December 30, 2018 (San Diego) – “We have to be able to go out and advocate for kids with cancer to just be kids, and for families to be able to breathe…to have tools and resources to support them through their cancer journey,” says La Mesa resident Bernard Mauricia, vice president of marketing at The Seany Foundation.

The foundation runs Camp Reach for the Sky, funds cancer research and support programs for families of children with cancer. The organization also has several events coming up including a Get Well Soon Retreat in January.

The San Diego-based foundation has a mission to fund meaningful projects that enhance the lives of children and young adults affected by cancer.  The Seany Foundation is named for Sean Lewis Robins (1983-2006), who was diagnosed at age 16 with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. He spent seven years battling the disease, becoming an inspiration to others with his mantra, “When nothing is certain, everything is possible!”

December 28, 2018 (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:

LOCAL

• Village divided (La Mesa Courier )
• Civic Center housing takes a step forward in La Mesa (La Mesa Courier)
• San Diego County has highest number of veteran suicides in CA (KUSI)
• Public safety hub at Wells Park gets approval (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• New housing project in La Mesa concerns locals, intrigues others (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Shot hole beetle invades San Diego River (San Diego Reader)

STATE

• From plastic straws to pet CPR: How new California laws could change your life in 2019  (SF Chronicle)
• California Moves Up Primary, Wants Bigger Impact In 2020 Vote (Associated Press)
• Why ugly stock market is very bad news for California's finances  (CNBC)
• Fire-scarred Wine Country critical of planned PG&E blackouts  (SF Chronicle)
• Jerry Brown—most forgiving governor in modern California history (Calmatters)
• A grandmother lost everything in the Woolsey fire. Her granddaughter created art from the ruins (Los Angeles Times)

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

By Miriam Raftery

December 20,2018 (San Diego) – Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen today announced that Central American migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. must wait in Mexico until their hearing dates, except for unaccompanied minors. But the action is likely to be challenged in court—and thus far, federal courts have consistently ruled against the Trump administration efforts to restrict the rights of asylum seekers.

By Miriam Raftery, Editor

December 20, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – It’s been a turbulent year across East County.  Some of our top stories were purely local issues – a fire that ravaged Alpine, battles to stop sand mines in Lakeside and Rancho San Diego, debate over the future of Julian’s fire department, the controversies embroiling El Cajon Councilman Ben Kalasho, the indictment of Congressman Duncan Hunter, growing pains in Santee, and protests over a proposed parole office in La Mesa, to name a few. 

Other top stories reflect local impacts of national  and statewide actions, such as  impacts of marijuana legalization, concerns over a child migrant detention center in El Cajon, protests over gun violence in schools, the e-scooter craze, homelessness, and new faces swept into office during the election.

Here are the issues and events with the biggest impacts across East County that East County Magazine has covered in 2018, from January 1st through year's end.

County denies request for health impacts of turbines, even as more are proposed

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: New proposed turbines would be much taller and produce more energy than these older Kumeyaay Wind turbines, also broadening the areas that could be impacted by noise, vibrations, and electromagnetic interefence with devices such as cell phones

December 6, 2018 (Campo) –Tonight, the Bureau of Indian Affairs will hold a scoping meeting on a notice to prepare n environmental impact statement for a proposal to build 60 wind turbines up to 586 feet tall (taller than the highest skyscraper in San Diego) on the Campo Indian reservation. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Campo Tribal Hall, 36190 Church Road (BIA 10) at highway 94 in Campo.  Written comments can also be submitted by December 21^st. Find details at www.CampoWind.com.

The new Campo Wind project is proposed for most Campo reservation ridgelines from north of I-8 to the U.S./Mexico border, each 4 megawatts.  Neighbors and the Boulevard Planning Group have raised concerns over the large turbines including noise, sleep disruption, health impacts and lost property values.   View flyer.

Minutes of the Boulevard Planning Group meeting from November 1, 2018 reveal numerous residents’ complaints about problems reportedly associated with similarly large-scale wind turbines recently installed at the Tule Wind project in McCain  Valley as well as turbines at the Kumeyaay Wind facility in Campo. Those complaints range from noise and vibrations to interference with cell phone service, a vital concern in an area prone to wildfires where communication is critical.

November 1, 2018 (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:

LOCAL

• Republican Duncan Hunter facing new fraud charges as election looms (RawStory)
• What happens if Duncan Hunter wins reelection and is convicted? It could depend on who's in charge (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Your Biggest Questions About San Diego’s Decision to Start a CCA, Answered (Voice of San Diego)
• Rent control could be coming to California. Do old arguments apply? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Trapped In Tijuana: US Asks Asylum-Seekers To Wait Amid Record Homicides (KPBS)
• Most Major Donors to San Diego Unified Bond Campaigns Win Big Contracts  (Voice of San Diego)

STATE

• What you need to know before the midterm election (Los Angeles Times)
• How California has become a national battleground for rent control as money flows in from landlords Los Angeles Times)
• Democratic state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and Republican challenger Steven Bailey discuss the issues facing California  (Los Angeles Times)

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

October 11, 2018 (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:

LOCAL

• Here's what customers might pay if they leave SDG&E for a community choice alternative (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Unfinished cross-border tunnel found at Jacumba (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Therefore Be It Resolved: San Diego must accept public comments before issuing proclamations, judge rules (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Superior Ready Mix dusts Allied Gardens (San Diego Reader)
• For third time, San Diego County is accused of accessing private records to defend lawsuit San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• With bill signings, Gov. Brown makes his final mark on California education (EdSource)
• The invisible children of California (Capitol Weekly)
• How Kavanaugh’s addition to the Supreme Court could affect California –(San Francisco Chronicle)

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

September 20, 2018 (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:

LOCAL

• Group aims to change school board (La Mesa Courier)
• Farewell to a professional love: Don Bauder retires (San Diego Reader)
• San Diego's Catholic diocese adds eight priests to list of sexual predators (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Grossmont School District Paid Worker Who Made Lewd Comments $80K to Leave (Voice of San Diego)
• Our Immigrant Story (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• SR-52 Coalition Discusses Traffic Relief at Inaugural Meeting (NBC 7)
• Independent voters overtake Republicans in San Diego County (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Planner’s warned about contact with developer’s agent (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• The County's Climate Plan Promises a New Land Use Battle (Voice of San Diego)

STATE

• By announcing California's first satellite launch, Gov. Jerry Brown ends climate summit with a cosmic boom (Los Angeles Times)
• California voters will be able to fix sloppy signatures and track their ballots under new election laws (Los Angeles Times)
• California’s gender-wage gap is now the narrowest in the country (SCPR)
• Firefighter’s death caused by retardant drop from 747 (Sacramento Bee)
• Anger in California's carpool lanes as more than 200,000 drivers are set to lose decals (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• The Number of Youth in Juvenile Detention in California Has Quietly Plummeted (Voice of San Diego)

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

By Miriam Raftery

September 5, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – Indicted Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (R-Alpine) could lose his Congressional pension if convicted of felony corruption charges under federal reform laws. Those include the “Honest Leadership and Open Government Act” that his father, Duncan Hunter Sr., voted for in 2007.

 
By Miriam Raftery

August 11, 2018 (Boulevard) -- Terra-Gen's proposed Torrey Wind project (with up to 30 giant turbines each up to 586 tall and 4.2 megawatts) in Boulevard is moving through the planning process quickly. Boulevard Planning Group Chair Donna Tisdale is asking all who have concerns or information to share on impacts of wind turbines to come to a public scoping meeting  August 23 at 6 p.m. in the new Cal-Fire/County Fire Station at 40080 Ribbonwood Road, Boulevard.

“These turbines could be twice as powerful and about 100 feet taller than the Tule Wind turbines installed on public recreation land next door,” says Tisdale. “Bigger turbines can churn out much more noise and low frequency vibrations and potential electrical pollution over greater distances that can trigger psychical and emotional stress and the body's fight or flight instinct in people and animals. Turbines have reportedly been deemed nuisances in some legal and administrative proceedings around the world, with some families abandoning their homes and other homes bought out by developers over noise impacts and related litigation.”

By Miriam Raftery

Photos:  Brush fire sparked by exploding wind turbine in Campo  in 2013.  Proposed new turbines would dwarf these older, smaller models.

July 26, 2018 (Boulevard) – The Boulevard Community Planning Group has sent a 26-page letter to the County opposing Terra-Gen’s proposed Torrey Wind project.  If approved, the project would erect 30 wind turbines each 586 feet tall—that’s 90 feet higher than the tallest skyscraper in downtown San Diego—on 2,,000 acres of absentee-owned ranchland formerly known as Big Country Ranch property at the north end of Ribbonwood Road.

The proposed major use permit for Torrey Wind (formerly known as San Diego Wind) will be on the Boulevard Planning Group’s agenda at its August 2^nd meeting at 7 p.m.  (View agenda)

Our guide to unique lodging and adventures in San Diego’s beautiful backcountry and inland areas

Story by Jonathan Ronald Goetz

Photos by Jonathan Ronald Goetz, Ronald Goetz, Miriam Raftery, and County of San Diego, Department of Parks and Recreation

June 18, 2018 (Campo) – People have been hiking, fishing and camping in the area today known as Lake Morena as well as the surrounding creeks and mountains for over 12,000 years, starting with the Kumeyaay, Luiseño, Cupeño and Cahuilla Native American tribes.

Today, much of this area in southeast San Diego County is preserved for the public to enjoy.  At an elevation of 3,000 feet, the park has mountain, desert and coastal habitats including over 3,250 acres of dense chaparral, ancient oaks and open grasslands surrounding the lake, the most remote reservoir in San Diego County, according to ranger Jessica Geiszler..

Lake Morena County Park remains one of the most affordable and inclusive places around, with boating from $12-$50, nightly tent-site for $22, RV for $31 or cabins starting at $50.

Our guide to unique lodging and adventures in San Diego’s beautiful backcountry

By Miriam Raftery

June 13, 2018 (Santee and Lakeside) – The Lakeside and Santee areas in San Diego’s East County encompass portions of the San Diego River Park as well as multiple lakes and reservoirs idyllic for fishing, boating, hiking, and birdwatching. Lodging options range from camping and cabins to a casino and spa resort on tribal land.  You’ll also find museums, a rodeo, racetrack speedway, breweries, nature preserves, parks, live theatre, modern shopping and quaint downtown district to explore.

There are wonderful getaway adventures to be found along local trails, ranging from easy hikes to mountain climbing, as well as fishing,  kayaking, canoeing, pedal boats, inner tube floats, rowboats and even places to bring jet skis and water skis.

June 6, 2018 (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:

LOCAL

• Fletcher leads Dumanis for Supervisor; Desmond holds wide margin (Times of San Diego)
• San Diego City Council: Incumbents fare well, staffer led way for open seat (Times of San Diego)
• SDG&E losing ground to public-energy proposal with vote looming in San Diego (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Police arrest reported active shooter in downtown San Diego near Rock 'n' Roll marathon (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Lemon Grove school district, teachers reach contract agreement (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Ranger Steve’s “egg salad” learning center dedication (Borrego Sun)
• SDG&E to add five new battery storage facilities  (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego home prices up 7.7 percent in a year (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• Gavin Newsom’s top issues for California: affordability and homelessness (San Francisco Chronicle)
• In race for governor, Newsom and Cox offer competing views on California education (Ed Source)
• Marshall Tuck and Tony Thurmond to square off in runoff for California schools chief (Ed Source)
• L.A. County officials demand answers after more than 118,000 people were left off voter rosters  (Los Angeles Times)
• California’s net neutrality bill could set a national standard (The Verge)
• Cannabis companies now have access to property, liability insurance in California (San Bernadino Sun)

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