By: Jared Hernandez, Program Manager

September 17, 2024 (San Diego) -- Sexual harassment by landlords or property managers is a form of discrimination that violates the Fair Housing Act. This law, designed to ensure equal access to housing, prohibits not only discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability but also includes protections against sexual harassment. For many tenants, particularly vulnerable groups like low-income single mothers, sexual harassment can be a devastating barrier to securing safe and stable housing.

In a significant development, CSA of San Diego County, San Diego’s fair housing agency, announced in August the precedent-setting settlement of CSA v. Neri (case 3:23-cv-01369), a case alleging sexual harassment of female tenants by San Diego landlord Ron Neri. Under the terms of the settlement, Neri will pay a global amount of $275,000 and is required to change his business practices pursuant to a consent decree.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in July 2023, alleges that Neri violated the Fair Housing Act by targeting low-income single mothers with housing vouchers for sexual harassment. The plaintiffs included former, current, and prospective tenants. CSA of San Diego County, also a plaintiff, investigated the tenants’ claims. Neri contested all claims in the complaint and denied any liability.

By MICHAEL HOWARD

Chart, right: La Mesa calls for fire and rescue services are projected to increase 168% by 2050, according to consulting firm Emergency Services Consulting International. 

September 15, 2024 (La Mesa, CA) - La Mesa’s Heartland Fire and Rescue will face a 168% increase in calls for service by 2050 according to a consulting company’s findings shared with the La Mesa City Council during its September 10 meeting.

“It’s a significant increase,” confirmed Jeff Stone, the Project Manager for Emergency Services Consulting International, the consulting agency that conducted the research.

The study was the first of its kind for La Mesa resulting in an 84-page risk assessment report that identified risks factors the city is likely to face and an evaluation of its ability to cope and address them. The report also benchmarks the risks into quantitative risk scores and provides 11 recommendations to mitigate them.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Accused gunman Ryan Routh, via Facebook

September 16, 2024 (Palm Beach, Florida) – While former President Donald Trump was playing golf at his golf courses in Palm Beach, Florida yesterday afternoon, Secret Service agents posted a few holes away spotted a man pointing a rifle through shrubbery at the perimeter of the course.  An agent opened fire and the man fled, dropping a semi-automatic rifle and backpack. He was later apprehended.

Trump, the Republican nominee in the November presidential election, is safe. On his media outlet, he praised the Secret Service and law enforcement, writing,”THE JOB WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING.”  In a later fundraising email, he pledged, “Nothing will slow me down.”

A witness took a photo of the would-be assassin’s vehicle, enabling authorities to arrest Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, a short time later. Routh was charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon and possessing a weapon without a serial number. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Routh was previously convicted of possessing a machine gun in 2022, among other prior offenses.  His social media posts indicate he voted for Trump in 2016 but came to regret that choice, criticizing Trump on foreign policy, particularly Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  Routh has stated that he intended to volunteer to fight for Ukraine.

East County News Service

September 13, 2024 (Ramona) –Yesterday morning before 9 a.m., the Ramona Sheriff's Substation was notified by Olive Pierce Middle School about a threat of a possible school shooting. After an investigation, authorities have concluded the threat was unfounded.

Deputies arrived at the school within minutes. For the safety of students and staff, school administrators made the decision to place the school on a limited lockdown while deputies investigated the incident.    

After a thorough search of the entire campus, deputies did not find anything suspicious at Olive Pierce Middle School. No one was hurt.

Out of an abundance of caution, deputies also conducted security sweeps at Ramona High School and Ramona Community Montessori School and provided extra patrols at all three campuses until the end of the school day.

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

September 12, 2024 (Sacramento) --Hundreds of thousands of older Californians will see huge savings on prescription drugs starting in January, according to a new report from AARP.

That's because the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act caps prescription drug costs at $2,000 per year for people on Medicare, starting in 2025.

An estimated 271,000 people in the Golden State will hit the out-of-pocket maximum next year, Nina Weiler-Harwell, associate director of advocacy and community engagement for AARP California, said.

"Medicare drug plan enrollees nationwide who reach the new out-of-pocket cap will see an average savings of roughly $1,500," said Weiler-Harwell, "or 56% in 2025 for new prescription drugs."

On average, 40% of people on Medicare who reach the cap will save at $1,000 a year. And 12% will see savings of more than $3,000.

East County News Service

September 12, 2024 (El Cajon) – The 12^th annual Chaldean-American Festival takes place Saturday, Sept. 14 from 3-10 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 15 from 3 to 9 p.m.  Celebrating the rich culture of the 50,000 Chaldeans who call San Diego County home, the festival includes authentic food, live music, carnival rides, a petting zoo, raffle, vendors and more.

This year’s festival will be held at Hillsdale Middle School, 1301 Brabham St. in El Cajon.

East County New Service

September 11, 2024 (Valley Center) – This morning,  State Senator Brian Jones (40-SD) joined with the Valley Center Fire Protection District for a September 11 remembrance ceremony commemorating the worst terrorism attack on U.S. soil.

“We gather 23 years later to remember the events that occurred on September 11, 2001 and to pay tribute to Firefighters, EMS, Police Officers, Military Personnel, and civilians who paid the ultimate sacrifice to save those who were trapped in the Twin Towers, and in the Pentagon after a cowardly act of terrorism against the United States of America,” says Jones.

We also remember the American and United Airlines Flight Crew Members and the passengers who perished on the hijacked flights that crashed into the Pentagon and into a rural field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.”

By Miriam Raftery

Photo,left via UCSD Wren Camera: Hellscape atop Santiago Peak in Orange County, where the Airport Fire destroyed communications towers.

September 10, 2024 (San Diego) – Several major wildfires have burned tens of thousand of acres, collectively threatening thousands of homes across southern California including San Bernadino, Riverside, Orange and Los Angeles Counties.

Although the Roblar Fire on Camp Pendleton has charred  1,000 acres on Camp Pendleton and an unnamed fire is burning two miles south of the international border near Boulevard, none of these fires currently pose threats to lives or property in San Diego County, according to Cal Fire. However, drifting smoke from fires to the north has resulted in ash on vehicles and air quality concerns in North County.

By Miriam Raftery

September 10, 2024 (Boulevard, CA) –Former Manzanita Tribal Police Chief Anthony Reyes Vasquez, 52, was sentenced Monday in federal court in San Diego for selling hundreds of badges and stealing $300,000 from the Manzanita Band of the Kumeyaay Nation. Vasquez pleaded guilty to the charges in 2021.  

Though he could have faced up to 10 years in prison, he was sentenced to only 10 months of home confinement, 12 consecutive weekends in custody ,and three years of probation. He has also agreed to pay restitution to the tribe for the $300,000 in stolen funds—nearly half of the $700,000 in “donations” obtained for the bogus police badges.

Prosecutors have said that tribal leaders did not know that Vazquez was selling police badges and police department “memberships” to unqualified people, granting them police privileges including the right to concealed carry weapons permits.

By Miriam Raftery

September 9, 2024 (San Diego) – At least 14,000 SDG&E customers across San Diego had power outages yesterday afternoon, left sweltering in triple-digit heat.

The majority of those outages were due to a problem at a substation in Rancho San Diego, which was likely caused by the extreme weather conditions, according to SDG&E communications manager Alex Welling,Times of San Diego reports.

Extreme heat causes wear and tear on infrastructure equipment and the power grid.  A key issue yesterday may have been numerous households running air conditioning overnight, since low temperatures remained uncomfortably hot in many areas.

Fortunately, power to most customers was restored within a few hours, as SDG&E crews toiled through the heat to make repairs.

How can you prepare for future outages during high heat?  Here are some tips.