What is making these current weather conditions so dangerous is the obvious “high fire danger” currently, however, these warm, dry gusty winds are stripping already drought prone vegetation complete of any fuel moisture content.  With no rain forecasted and heading into summer months, fuels are/will be bone dry of any fuel moisture early into the season.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

April 28, 2014 (San Diego)--Cinco de Mayo is upon us and it has become a celebration of food, friends and alcohol.  Unfortunately, too often the party ends with alcohol-related crashes, injuries and fatalities when people don’t use good judgment and drive after drinking reminds Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna.  Make sure you look after yourself and your compadres and have a designated driver or take a cab.

April 21, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) --There is a staggering estimated population of up to 1.4 billion House Finches across North America. If the birding scientific estimates are accurate, that would be about the same as the number of people in China today!  When you consider that the House Finch was originally only in the western United States and Mexico until 1940, its success in population growth is even more impressive.

Easter egg-stravaganza events and much more!

By Ariele Johannson

April 16, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)--This week’s Destination: East County begins with a Chamgane Brunch, glow-in-the-dark egg hunt and other Easter events--then ends with fishing and a Spring Harp Festival.

But that's not all. We have a fabulous preview of some great upcoming events all right here in East County and San Diego’s inland region.

By Stephen C. Ross, Esq.

April 11, 2014 (San Diego County) – “Funding” a trust is the process of taking assets titled in your individual name, or in joint names with others, and changing the title into the name of your revocable trust, or taking assets requiring a beneficiary designation and naming your revocable trust as the primary or secondary beneficiary of those assets. An asset not retitled into the name of your trust is not governed by the trust terms, the trustee has no power over the asset, the asset may be subject to probate and the asset may not transfer to your intended beneficiaries at your death. The following are trust funding suggestions to ensure assets are included in your trust.

E - The Environmental Magazine

April 5, 2014 (San Diego)--Dear EarthTalk: What’s going on with Earth Day this year and how can I get involved? -- Christine B., Boston, MA

This coming April 22 will mark the 44th annual celebration of Earth Day, and the focus this year will be green cities. “As the world’s population migrates to cities, and as the bleak reality of climate change becomes increasingly clear, the need to create sustainable communities is more important than ever,” reports Earth Day Network, the Seattle-based non-profit that helps coordinate Earth Day celebrations and serves as a clearinghouse for related information and resources. The group hopes to galvanize the support of more than a billion people across 192 countries this Earth Day for increasing the sustainability and reducing the carbon footprints of urban areas everywhere.

By Fire Chief San DiGiovanna

April 3, 2104 (San Diego's East County) - “Baseball season is now official and whether you’re going to a professional baseball game or to your local neighborhood field, keep your eye on the ball and make safety a priority so that your stadium experience is more like a home run than a strikeout says Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna.”

Ariele Johannsen hosts our popular “Destination East County”program on the East County Magazine Radio show. Our show airs  Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on KNSJ 89.1 FM.  Destination East County is heard on Wednesdays and Fridays each week.

April 1, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) –Spring is in the air this week, complete with spring festivals, baby animals, classical music, poetry and art, golf events, and more! Scroll down for details on many happenings in East County for you and your family.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

March 2, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - The way you Drive directly reflects the way you look says Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna.  The way you conduct yourself behind the wheel is how others view you.  Let’s take a look…

New column! 

(If you would like to sponsor the Baja Blog, or any column on ECM, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org)

By Susan A Mahalick

Photos by Sitara Monica Perez

March 19, 2014 (Baja)--You walk into a long space broken up by curves of white walls, stained glass windows and a large bar with lights behind the stained glass at the base at night. Both bistro type seating and regular dining tables are available in the main dining room. There is a second room for events or private parties. A very large window at the rear overlooking the Pacific opens to the fresh salt air. Ceiling fans circulate in key locations. The ceiling is made from plastic, clear tiles which provide plenty of natural light.

By Greg Dunne

March 15, 2014 (Cowles Mountain)--The Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher is a small songbird living here in our East County that reminds me of the Wrentit.  It mainly reminds me of the Wrentit because it is not easily seen.  It is always a thrill when you can get a glimpse of this beautiful, but tiny bird. It will be a great time to observe small songbirds now that the rains have cleared and the sun reappears.

Tips and tricks for business success and growth

By Rama Beerfas

April 1, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) –  Ever think that of a promotional product as just a "tchatchke," "swag," or "stuff"? Think that they can't possibly be useful marketing tools? Well, my friend, you would be wrong!

First of all, the dare: I dare you to look in your desk, pockets, purse/briefcase/backpack, or car and not find at least one promotional product.

OK, you've looked - how many were there? Two? Three? Five? More?

Dear EarthTalk: What are “dirty fuels” and why are they so called?    -- Bill Green, Seattle, WA

February 25, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - The term “dirty fuels” refers to fuels derived from tar sands, oil shale or liquid coal. Just like their more conventional fossil fuel counterparts such as petroleum and coal, they can be turned into gasoline, diesel and other energy sources that can generate extreme amounts of particulate pollution, carbon emissions and ecosystem destruction during their lifecycles from production to consumption.

By Mark Gabrish Conlan • for East County Magazine, www.eastcountymagazine.org

February 19, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - There’s an old saying, variously attributed to the Greek fabulist Aesop and the Roman poet Horace, that “the mountain labored and brought forth a mouse.” Last February 11, after a six-month campaign, the special election for Mayor of San Diego labored and brought forth Kevin Faulconer. Actually, it wasn’t the proverbial mountain; it was the Republican Party and the “independent” Lincoln Club of San Diego County, who essentially took the raw material of Kevin Faulconer and used him as a chassis on which to build a bionically perfect mayoral candidate for the San Diego electorate c. 2014: modishly liberal on the “social issues” and business-friendly, pro-developer and anti-labor without being as obstreperously obnoxious about it as the last Republican Mayoral candidate, Carl DeMaio.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

February 7, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)--It’s Valentine month and February is also American Heart Month.  Cardiovascular Disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Now is a good time to take preventive steps and beat it!