EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP

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April 12, 2016 (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

STATE

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

LOCAL

Trial starts in Alpine vs. Grossmont (San Diego Union-Tribune)

The civil trial between two groups from Alpine that want a high school in the mountain town and the Grossmont Union High School District started Monday in downtown San Diego.

Met’s Fiscal Practices Underscore the Importance of Local Water Projects (Voice of San Diego)

On Tuesday, the board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is expected to approve more rate hikes and more illegal rates. The illegal rates alone will overcharge San Diego County water ratepayers more than $135 million over the next two years – not counting the additional and disproportionate costs imposed by MWD’s new scheme for water treatment charges. In addition, MWD will not reduce the property tax rate as prescribed by state law.

San Diego Emergency Rooms Feeling Strain From Overuse (KPBS)

Health officials say more than half of the visits to San Diego emergency departments have been for non-emergencies.

How SANDAG Worked the Media On Transportation Plan (KPBS)

The San Diego Association of Governments spent a half million dollars on outside consultants to craft a media strategy to help win support last year for its controversial transportation blueprint.

Are those government spy planes overhead? (Union Tribune)

The skies over San Diego are crowded most every day with commercial airliners, military planes, private aircraft and helicopters crisscrossing over scores of separate flight paths. / Among the airborne traffic: aircraft belonging to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, outfitted with sophisticated video cameras and — in some instances — cell-phone tracking devices.

Congressman Presses Agency For Hearing On Nuke Waste Storage  (KPBS)

In a letter to the department, Republican Rep. Darrell Issa said his district should be added to a list of communities where the agency is holding hearings this year to discuss the storage of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste.

Car that rolled into girl had safety features disabled (San Diego Union-Tribune)

 Investigators determined two safety features were disabled in the car that fatally struck a 10-year-old girl as she pushed a toddler to safety in February.

Schwarzenegger Ally's Son To Be Freed From California Prison (KPBS)

The son of former California State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez will be freed from prison within days. "Two politicians were basically able to get one of their sons off the hook for murder? How is that even allowed?" Kathy Santos said Friday…Esteban Nunez will be paroled within a week…Nunez, now 27, entered prison in June 2010 to serve a 16-year sentence in the stabbing death of college student Luis Santos in San Diego.

San Diego Brewers Continue To Cook Up Profits (KPBS)

San Diego's 114 breweries and brewpubs had combined sales of $851 million last year and collectively employed more than 4,500 workers, according to a new report. The figures show strong growth from the year before — $125 million more in revenue and about 750 additional employees.

Despite Loss in Court, Water Supplier Still Sticking San Diego With Big Bills (Voice of SD)

Even though San Diego water customers may be owed hundreds of millions of dollars by the region’s largest water supplier, it will be a long time before anyone sees a dime.

STATE

Sanders gaining on Clinton in new California poll (Sacramento Bee)

Rallying a crush of young people and independent voters to his campaign, Bernie Sanders has cut deeply into Hillary Clinton’s lead in California two months before the state’s Democratic presidential primary, according to a new Field Poll. Sanders, who trailed Clinton by double digits in January, now lags just 6 percentage points behind.

Saudi Land Purchases Fuel Debate Over US Water Rights (KPBS)

Saudi Arabia's largest dairy company will soon be unable to farm alfalfa in its own parched country to feed its 170,000 cows. So it's turning to an unlikely place to grow the water-chugging crop — the drought-stricken American Southwest.

Judicial commission concludes 1,231 complaints (San Diego Union-Tribune)

The Commission on Judicial Performance, the state’s judicial watchdog agency, concluded reviews of 1,231 complaints over how judges conducted themselves in 2015 and dismissed 90 percent of them after an initial check concluded they were unfounded.

Southern California Water District Buys Delta Land (KPBS)

The deal worth $175 million will put the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in ownership of 20,000 acres in the delta, a source of water for millions of residents throughout the state and some of the nation's most valuable farmland.

Feds To Review If Funds Mishandled For California Tunnels (KPBS)



The federal government will investigate allegations that the state and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation improperly used federal funds for a $15.7 billion tunnel project that would bring water from Northern to Southern California. / The inspector general of the U.S. Interior Department will look into accusations that California took $60 million meant for fish habitat to spend on preliminary work for Gov. Jerry Brown's project and otherwise mishandled federal funds.

California schools, communities not immune to lead in water (San Jose Mercury News)

Since the beginning of the school year, the drinking fountains have been off limits for students at Foothill Intermediate School. Lead in the drinking water frequently rises to unhealthy levels at the school an hour's drive north of Sacramento, forcing officials to haul in bottled water until they find the source of the contamination and remove it.

California Wants To Delay Toxic Chemical Labeling On Canned Foods (KPBS)

Environmental health advocates are upset California wants to put off requiring toxic chemical warning labels on certain canned and bottled foods. The concern is linked to linings inside those containers.

These 50 California Republicans are endorsing Ted Cruz (Sacramento Bee)

On a day he campaigned across Southern California, a sight few predicted just a few months ago, Republican Ted Cruz blasted out a list of 50 GOP elected officials now supporting his candidacy. The list includes several dignitaries and party elders from across San Diego and Orange County, GOP-rich regions Cruz hopes will be crucial in his June 7 effort to keep Republican rival Donald Trump from reaching the requisite number of delegates for the party nomination.


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