43 COUNTIES IN CA HAVE VOTED TO OPPOSE SMART METERS --

AND 10 HAVE BANNED THE DEVICES

July 12, 2011 (La Mesa) – The Center for Electrosmog Prevention in La Mesa along with Californians for Renweable Energy, Inc. filed a protest July 6 with the California Public Utilities commission (CPUC) against San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E).

Hunter representative defends vote on cost, transparency issues

August 3, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Ray Lutz, Democratic candidate for the 52nd Congressional district, slammed incumbent Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (R-El Cajon) for voting against the Tribal Law and Order Act HR 725), calling it a “vote protecting rapists.” President Barack Obama signed the bill into law on July 30, as ECM previously reported.

The measure allows tribal councils to prosecute criminals including rape victims when the defendant is an outsider and the U.S. Department of Justice has declined to prosecute.  A study by Amnesty International found that one in three Native American women is raped during her lifetime; 86% of those rapes are committed by non-native men, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

WITNESS RECOUNTS HARROWING NEAR-MISS

By Miriam Raftery

August 2, 2010 (Tierrasanta) – A pilot who reported a door falling off in flight crashed onto the 11th hole at Admiral Baker Golf Course in Tierrasanta this afternoon, killing a woman passenger and injuring four others.  The plane was a single-engine Velocity Super XLRG5.
 

“Whoever was at the helm of that plane was a hero in my mind.  It could have been much worse,” Arrit McPherson told East County Magazine, before news of the fatality was known. “There are a lot of houses around here, as well as power lines.”  McPherson was working on his boat, Treasure Seeker, at San Diego Boat Movers, when he saw the pilot make an evasive move to avoid striking his boat, then head for an opening between trees at the golf course.

August 3, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) America's Night Out Against Crime is in its 26th year. The national event provides opportunities for Neighborhood Watch participants, communities, and law enforcement agencies to celebrate effective crime prevention practices and partnerships. San Diego Sheriff's Department supports Neighborhood Watch, Crime-Free Multi-Housing, Start Smart, and other programs targeting crime and safety, and has crime prevention specialists at all patrol stations dedicated to community education and support.

Sheriff's Department National Night Out events in East County will take place at Lakeside, Santee, and San Diego near La Mesa/Lemon Grove Details:

By Miriam Raftery

July 31, 2010 (Rancho San Diego) – San Diego Sheriff deputies along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials conducted sweeps of homeless camps in wooded areas of Rancho San Diego in the grey light of early morning.

East County Magazine accompanied officers on the first sweep, behind Savanna Grill. More sweeps were held near Cuyamaca College, the YMCA, Target, and the old Steele Canyon bridge off Highway 94. No homeless people were present or arrested, though many left behind trash and/or treasures that could not be toted away in a backpack or shopping cart. Makeshift tents, lean-tos and mattresses were found, along with more poignant items: a large stuffed monkey, a cracked mirror with ornate frame, a pushcart, cooking utensils, nail polish, and a chipped china pitcher.

All lay forgotten in the mud, symbols of shattered lives and broken dreams.

Eloy Bazan suspected in Lakeside blazes

July 30, 2010 (Lakeside)--An arrest has been made in connection with a series of recent vegetation fires in the Lakeside area. The most recent fire occurred last night  near I-8 and Los Coches Road at approximately 10:45 pm. Fire crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire; there was no damage to structures and no one was injured.

July 31, 2010 (Escondido)– Eleven  San Diego County agriculture students have been awarded scholarships from the San Diego County Farm Bureau Scholarship Program. This year, the San  Bureau's Scholarship Committee awarded $16,000 in varying amounts to the students.

By Miriam Raftery
 

July 31, 2010 (San Diego) – “Countywide, there are approximately 240 firefighters from San Diego at fires in the north,” Cal-Fire battalion chief Nick Schuler told East County Magazine today. That includes the Crown Fire southwest of Palmdale in Los Angeles County, which has scorched 13,918 acres and is 62% contained. In Kern County, another large blaze has charred 1,658 acres and is 85% contained.
 

About 220 of the 240 local firefighters deployed in northern regions are Cal Fire personnel, including 128 inmate firefighters. Cal-Fire employees a total of 500 people in San Diego County, Schuler said.

July 30, 2010 (Washington D.C.) – Congressman Duncan D. Hunter (R-El Cajon), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, today highlighted a report by the bipartisan Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) Independent Panel, which calls for increasing the Navy to a 346-ship fleet and expanding America’s focus to prepare for threats in the Western Pacific.

Bill enables tribal police to enforce federal laws, protects Native American rape victims

4 San Diego legislators support law; Rep. Hunter votes “no”
 

By Miriam Raftery
July 30, 2010 (Washington D.C.) - “If the Tribal Law and Order Act had existed 16 years ago, my story would be very different,” Lisa Marie Lyotte said, choking back tears in a White House press conference today. In 1994, Lyotte was raped and beaten on the Sioux Indian reservation where she lived; her children witnessed the attack.  Tribal police had a suspect, but federal authorities refused to prosecute.

Native American women suffer violent crime at a rate more than triple the national average; one in three Indian women is raped during her lifetime, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Calling the situation “an assault on our national conscience,” President Barack Obama today fulfilled a campaign promise made to tribal leaders by signing the Tribal Law and Order Act into law.

Leaders propose options to address serious public safety crisis in City and County

By Miriam Raftery

July 28, 2010 (San Diego) – San Diego has the fewest firefighters per capita of any major city in the nation, a shocking new report by Center for Policy Initiatives revealed yesterday.

“Service quality has dropped below acceptable standards, most tragically in the fire-rescue department,” a CPI press release warned. “Without increased revenue, the city could face the closure of almost half of our fire stations and the firing of several hundred police officers, as the chief operating officer described to the Council yesterday.”

By Brian Lafferty

July 30, 2010 (San Diego)--Intelligently dumb may sound like an oxymoron but it is the best phrase I could use to accurately describe Dinner for Schmucks. It is at times goofy and stupid but there is always a certain astuteness that permeates throughout the material without coming off as pretentious. The “dinner” doesn’t arrive until the second to last reel and it is a little bit of a letdown but that doesn’t mean the lead-up isn’t hilarious at times.

East County Roundup highlights stories of interest to East County residents, published in other media

July 29, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- This week’s Roundup stories include:

•Fetal position: County Supervisor Bill Horn uses your money to promote pro-life education
• Schwarzenegger orders furloughs for state workers
• Judge blocks part of Arizona immigration law
• Q&A with Ralf Swenson, new superintendent of Grossmont Union High School District
• Fallbrook: Mountain lion believed shot
• San Diego’s refugee brain drain
• Governor orders National Guard to border
• Powerlink booster may have powered up too soon
• Economy threatens parks
 

By Alan Ball, Chair
Sustainability Alliance of Southern California

July 28, 2010 (San Diego) -- I urge a NO vote on PROPOSITION 23.

As Chair of the Sustainability Alliance of Southern California, a community based non-profit committed to a sustainable future, I am convinced that we must not abandon the course that has been agreed to protect our health as well as those who will be following us.