By Miriam Raftery

April 23, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) – Thousands of residents signed petitions, sent letters and/or testified against placement of sexually violent predator Douglas Badger at 10957 Horizon Hills in unincorporated El Cajon. Public officials also spoke out to oppose the plan. While the community awaits the judge’s decision on the proposed release of Badger, which would be supervised by Liberty Healthcare, placement of a second SVP, Merle Wakefield, at the same address has triggered new outrage and a planned rally tomorrow to oppose the action.

The community plans a “Sexual Violent Predator Placement Protest” on Saturday, April 24 at 3 p.m. in the cul-de-sac at Horizon Hills Drive and Estates Way.  Comments on placement of Wakefield are due by April 26 and can be sent to sdsafe@sdsheriff.org or by calling (858)495-3619.  Residents may also contact Governor Gavin Newsom to ask that he issue an order requiring Wakefield and Badger be housed in a trailer at a state correctional facility instead of at the Horizon Hills site near Mt. Helix.

East County News Service

Photo:  sophomore Riley Shaw scores against Ramona. 

April 22, 2021 (El Cajon) - The Valhalla girls' lacrosse team is off to an impressive start to the 2021 season. The East County team has won five of their first six games, with their lone defeat coming in an overtime thriller at Mission Bay. 

Consumer Reports Investigation Found PFAS Contamination Widespread in U.S. Tap Water

East County News Service

April 21, 2021 (Washington D.C.) -- Consumer Reports (CR) is calling on Congress to pass legislation just introduced by Representatives Debbie Dingell and Fred Upton that aims to protect the public from the growing health threat posed by PFAS “forever chemicals.” PFAS are widely used by manufacturers to make products resistant to stains, grease, and water, and are so pervasive that 95 percent of all Americans have trace amounts of the chemicals in their blood.

The bill mirrors the PFAS Acton Act of 2019, which passed with a bipartisan vote in the House, but did not advance in the Senate before the end of the last session.

By Miriam Raftery

April 21, 2021 (Sacramento) – With California Governor Gavin Newsom facing a recall election, several measures have been introduced in the Legislature that would make it harder to recall state officials in the future. 

However yesterday, State Senator Josh Newman, a Democrat, announced that he has withdrawn his Senate Bill 663, which would have required all county elections officers to publicly release names and contact information of each voter who signs a petition to recall a state official or put an initiative on the ballot.

Carl DeMaio, a Republican and Chairman of Reform California, issued this statement. “In the light of the justified public outcry, SB 663 has been withdrawn for now, but we know that Sacramento politicians will not stop their assault on citizens initiatives and recalls in California.”  DeMaio accused the measure of being “designed to punish voters who dared to sign petitions on recalls and ballot measures that politicians oppose.”

Current law allows gives signers up to 30 days to change their minds; SB 663 would have extended that to 45 days.

Update: Hear our interview with Kathryn Cloward: The author of Father Joe: Life Stories of a Hustler Priest"  provided an interview aired in June on the East County Magazine Show on KNSJ:  https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

Father Joe: Life Stories of a Hustler Priest, as shared with and written by Kathryn Cloward (Kandon  Unlimited, Inc., San Diego, 2021, 277 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

April 21, 2021 (San Diego) - I consider it a privilege and an honor to write this review of Father Joe: Life Stories of a Hustler Priest, Father Joe Carroll’s Memoir, as shared with and written by Kathryn Cloward, for some very profound reasons. This book is replete with humorous anecdotes that will lift your spirits, as well as being motivational and inspirational.

The story of this man, Father Joe Carroll, needs to be told and shared with everyone, for it borders on Sainthood. His story told by the author reveals a man who has possibly done more for San Diego than anyone that I could imagine, and I actually had a bird’s eye view of his accomplishments as I once lived in the St. Vincent de Paul Villages homeless shelter for a short period of time after coming here to San Diego from Chicago about 15 years ago – not knowing a soul and with 2 bags of possessions in my hands!

By Dave Rosenfeld, special to CalMatters

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

Photo via iStock

April 20, 2021 (Sacramento) - Two years ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom described Pacific Gas & Electric and the events that led to the deadliest wildfire in state history saying, “It’s about corporate greed meeting climate change. It’s about decades of mismanagement.” 

By Miriam Raftery

Updated with reactions from the President and Vice President

By Angela Kurysh 

April 20, 2021 (Lemon Grove) – The City of Lemon Grove is one step closer to updating its General Plan. To date, it has hosted multiple virtual webinars, presented the Plan to the City Council and surveyed members of the community. 

East County News Service

April 19, 2021 (San Diego) -- The celebration is virtual, but the fun is real — San Diego County’s Virtual Earth Day Fair is back. Visit the County’s Land Use and Environment Group’s Earth Day webpage, which is filled with fun and education for kids and parents alike. You can play games, solve puzzles, take virtual hikes in our County parks, get hiking tips from a County park ranger, watch animated video stories about whales and watersheds, sing the Earth song, learn about beekeeping and invasive bugs, explore and travel around the world — even walk on Mars right in your living room.

By Kristin Rangel, La Mesa

Photo: U.S. Capitol; cc via Bing

April 18, 2021 (La Mesa) -- I am a U.S. citizen struggling to overcome immigration issues for my spouse, the highest priority for legal immigration. Both myself working as an RN on the Covid frontlines and my husband are essential workers as well.