EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

March 4, 2015 (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           

• Sexual harassment claim within El Cajon Police Department (ABC 10)
• San Diego schools seek relief (U-T) 
• Settlement Victory Over San Diego Sheriff's Facebook Page Censorship (Reason)
• Felony Arrests Up, Misdemeanor DUI Arrests Down  (SANDAG)
• Car dealer settles Lexus deaths lawsuit (U-T)
• Economist: Chargers Leaving San Diego Would Make Minimal Impact (KPBS)
• San Diego Attorney Briggs Responds To Questions About His Business Practices (KPBS)
• Graffiti at La Jolla High called hate crime (U-T) 
• SDG&E Gets $5M Grant To Expand Borrego Springs Microgrid (KPBS)
• Peevey rallied Pio Pico approval(UT San Diego)
• Today’s Debt Is Tomorrow’s Burden In Some School Districts (KPBS)
•  Sempra earnings rise, with help from overseas (U-T)

STATE

• Cal Fire scandal widens to prostitution, sexual advances (Sacramento Bee)
• California halts 12 injection wells over water concerns (Reuters)
• University of California to cap out-of-state enrollment at Berkeley, UCLA ,(Reuters)
• Sex photos on state cellphones surface in Cal Fire discipline cases (SacBee)
• Cal Fire scandal widens to prostitution, unwanted sexual advances (SacBee)
• Lawmakers question PUC lawyer costs (U-T)
• California Committee Explores Road Usage Charge In Place Of Gas Tax (KPBS)
• Lawsuit Could Change How Californians Pay For Water  (KPBS)
• Feds: Zero water for Central Valley farms (Sacramento Bee)
• UCLA student told she could not serve—because she is Jewish (The College Fix)
• Metrolink collision: Why was a pickup truck on the tracks? (CS Monitor)

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

LOCAL

Sexual harassment claim within El Cajon Police Department (ABC 10)

El Cajon Police insiders claim a sergeant sent lewd pictures and text messages to several women in the department. At least one of those women filed a sexual harassment claim.

San Diego schools seek relief (U-T)

Officials from all 42 school districts in the county met with San Diego Gas & Electric Co. executives last week to vent their frustration and reiterate their plan to fight the increases by appealing to state lawmakers and regulators.... A survey conducted by the districts showed that 22 of the county’s 42 districts saw electricity rates jump more than 43 percent — or $9.6 million — in the last six months of 2014 versus the same period in 2013.

Settlement Victory Over San Diego Sheriff's Facebook Page Censorship (Reason)

Dimitrios Kassas of Ares Armor Accepts a $20 Settlement Plus Legal Fees

Felony Arrests Up, Misdemeanor DUI Arrests Down  (SANDAG) 

Over the past five years, the adult felony arrest rate in San Diego County increased by 8 percent while misdemeanor DUI arrests declined by 31 percent, according to the latest report compiled by the SANDAG Criminal Justice Research Division. The report, titled Arrests 2013: Law Enforcement Response to Crime in the San Diego Region, found that San Diego County had the state’s second highest arrest rate for adults and the state’s highest arrest rate for juveniles.

Car dealer settles Lexus deaths lawsuit (U-T)

Trial was set to begin this week in the deaths of CHP Officer Mark Saylor and family (in Santee).

Economist: Chargers Leaving San Diego Would Make Minimal Impact (KPBS)

Economists seem to agree, sports stadiums have little impact on the economy

San Diego Attorney Briggs Responds To Questions About His Business Practices (KPBS)

San Diego attorney Cory Briggs published an open letter on his website Tuesday responding to inewsource stories investigating his business practices, including potential conflicts of interest.

Graffiti at La Jolla High called hate crime (U-T) 

A swastika, profanity and other graffiti was found spray painted on walls of La Jolla High School this weekend, and a school district official said the incident is being investigated as a hate crime

SDG&E Gets $5M Grant To Expand Borrego Springs Microgrid (KPBS)

The state grant will help the utility company provide electricity to all 2,800 customers in Borrego Springs.

Peevey rallied Pio Pico approval(UT San Diego)

CPUC boss took over process after plant was first rejected.

Today’s Debt Is Tomorrow’s Burden In Some School Districts (KPBS)

School districts in San Diego County and across California that use capital appreciation bonds saddle future generations with debt, sometimes at double-digit debt ratios. 

Sempra earnings rise, with help from overseas (U-T)

Soaring overseas profits stoke Sempra Energy earnings

STATE

Cal Fire scandal widens to prostitution, sexual advances (Sacramento Bee)

A Cal Fire assistant chief is accused of hooking up with prostitutes on his state cellphone and then taking a state vehicle to meet them, according to new records released to The Sacramento Bee. Another firefighter was fired after claims of making graphic, unwanted sexual advances toward a woman at a bar and lying about it, according to the documents. A third employee is alleged to have condoned drinking on the job, the documents say.

Those events and others … add new chapters to a tale of claimed boozing and sexual misbehavior among employees at the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Ione academy.

California halts 12 injection wells over water concerns (Reuters)

California oil drilling regulators on Tuesday ordered operators of 12 underground injection wells in Kern County to halt injections out of fear that they could contaminate drinking water supplies.

University of California to cap out-of-state enrollment at Berkeley, UCLA (Reuters)

The University of California will cap enrollment of out-of-state students at its most popular campuses next year amid criticism of the paucity of spots available for California residents, UC President Janet Napolitano said on Tuesday

Sex photos on state cellphones surface in Cal Fire discipline cases (SacBee)

One Cal Fire captain supposedly received an Internet link from a colleague for a private sex club on his state cellphone. An assistant chief allegedly thought nothing of a supervisor slapping the rear end of a female cadet. Investigators said another captain put hundreds of sexually explicit pictures of his wife on his state cellphone. And, according to Cal Fire employee discipline records released Friday, there was drinking on the job. Sometimes a lot of it.  

Cal Fire scandal widens to prostitution, unwanted sexual advances (SacBee)

A Cal Fire assistant chief is accused of hooking up with prostitutes on his state cellphone and then taking a state vehicle to meet them, according to new records released to The Sacramento Bee. / Another firefighter was fired after claims of making graphic, unwanted sexual advances toward a woman at a bar and lying about it, according to the documents. A third employee is alleged to have condoned drinking on the job, the documents say.

Lawmakers question PUC lawyer costs (U-T)

The utilities commission is asked why criminal defense is required.

California Committee Explores Road Usage Charge In Place Of Gas Tax (KPBS)

The state has mandated cars have high-fuel efficiencies, and encouraged drivers to buy hybrid and electric vehicles, all in an effort to reduce gas consumption. And it's been working - so well, that we now have to find a new way to finance road maintenance

Lawsuit Could Change How Californians Pay For Water  (KPBS)

The lawsuit alleges that tiered water rates — which are used by two-thirds of California water providers, including the city of San Diego — violates state law. 

Feds: Zero water for Central Valley farms (Sacramento Bee)

Hundreds of farmers in the Central Valley were told Friday they can expect zero water deliveries this year from the federal government, the latest fallout from what is likely to be a fourth straight drought year in California.

UCLA student told she could not serve—because she is Jewish (The College Fix)

At the Feb. 10 hearing, several members did not want to confirm Rachel Beyda to the association’s judicial board, the committee that determines if the student government’s actions comply with its bylaws. Council members argued Beyda’s Jewish heritage is not compatible with the interests of the UCLA student government. 

Metrolink collision: Why was a pickup truck on the tracks? (CS Monitor)

A Metrolink commuter train was derailed by a Ford F-450 pickup on the tracks in Oxnard, Calif. Eight people were admitted to the hospital of the 30 people originally examined, officials said. Four were in critical condition, including the train's engineer.