EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: JULY 14, 2011

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July 14, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and our region, published in other media. Latest Roundup headlines include:
 
 
 
  • County may enact tiered ordinance for small horse operations (Santee Patch)
  • El Cajon reaches agreement with police (San Diego Union-Tribune)
  • Quiet council settles with Firefighters (La Mesa Today)
  • Schools’ financial watchdog stripped of powers (Voice of San Diego)
  • Legislators to introduce Caylee’s Law in wake of murder case (Sacramento)
  • Local openly gay troops begin reenlisting (10 News)
  • Fact check: Bill Horn’s bogus civil rights story (Voice of San Diego)
  • Bid filed to end collective bargaining for state employees (Sacramento Bee)
  • A Sweetwater resource, but there’s some salt in the mix (Groksurf San Diego)
  • UC cashing in with out of state tuitions (San Diego Union-Tribune)
  • Powerlink plagued by eagle issues, tower drops (San Diego Union-Tribune)
  • A sculpture garden grows in the desert (San Diego Union-Tribune)
 
 
COUNTY MAY ENACT TIERED ORDINANCE FOR SMALL HORSE OPERATIONS
 
July 13, 2011 (Santee Patch) -- Owners of small horse-related businesses may have less red tape to go through to get permits in the future.
 
The County Board of Supervisors has begun the process of creating tiered zoning regulations for commercial equine operations, such as horse stables and riding academies, in unincorporated areas.
 
 
EL CAJON REACHES AGREEMENT WITH POLICE
 
July 13, 2011 (San Diego Union-Tribune)-- The City Council on Tuesday approved a tentative agreement with the city's police labor unions that will have officers paying their full share of their retirement starting in 2013.
 
 
QUIET COUNCIL SETTLES WITH FIREFIGHTERS
 
July 13, 2011 (La Mesa Today)-- A MESA -- Summer has clearly set in on La Mesa City government. Mayor Art Madrid and City Manager Dave Witt are on vacation and Tuesday's agenda was mercifully thin and fast.
The council did pass a memorandum of understanding with its firefighters, approving the same bonus-over-pay raise that had been given to the police and municipal employee unions at the last meeting.
The firefighters also agreed to implementing a two-tier pension system that will reduce benefits for all new hires to the Fire Department. That change will save the city money in future years.
 
 
SCHOOLS’ FINANCIAL WATCHDOG STRIPPED OF POWERS
 
July 6, 2011 (Voice of San Diego)-- When parents and teachers plead and protest to save beloved programs and people, strapped school districts have had to think twice about whether it is prudent, knowing a higher power is watching.
 
County offices of education can refuse to sign off on unsound budgets and force school districts to rewrite them if financial projections are flimsy. They can even stop districts from cutting checks. And they have forced school districts to plan two years into the future, explaining publicly how their budgets will be balanced.
Now those powers are on hold.
 
 
LEGISLATORS TO INTRODUCE CAYLEE’S LAW IN WAKE OF MURDER CASE
 
July 13, 2011 (Sacramento Bee)-- California legislators are seeking to increase the penalty for parents who fail to report their children missing in the wake of the controversial verdict handed down in the death of a young Florida girl.
 
 
LOCAL OPENLY GAY TROOPS BEGIN REENLISTING
 
July 11, 2011 (10 News) El Cajon--Across the country and in San Diego County, military recruiters have begun accepting applications from openly gay recruits after a court ruling several days ago and the Pentagon's decision to open up applications.
 
 
FACT CHECK: BILL HORN’S BOGUS CIVIL RIGHTS STORY
 
July 13, 2011 (Voice of San Diego)-- Statement: "During the civil rights movement I worked for Ralph Abernathy and went to jail over the rights of the minority," County Supervisor Bill Horn said June 28 at a public board meeting.
 
Determination: Huckster Propaganda
 
 
BID FILED TO END COLLECTIVE BARGAINING FOR STATE EMPLOYEES
 
July 13, 2011 (Sacramento Bee) -- A group looking to abolish collective bargaining rights for all of California's public sector employees filed three proposed ballot initiatives this week that would hit the pocketbooks of state and local government workers.
 
 
A SWEET WATER RESOURCE, BUT THERE’S SOME SALT IN THE MIX
 
 July 8, 2011 (Groksurf San Diego)-- On average, San Diego County imports a sobering 80% of its water supply from hundreds of miles away in Northern California and the Colorado River. That figure varies though, depending on which of the 24 member agencies of the San Diego County Water Authority you’re looking at.
Take the Sweetwater Authority.
 
If you look at a map of the Sweetwater service area sandwiched as it is between the City of San Diego on the north and the Otay Water District to the south, you might be surprised it can make do with only 41% imports. What’s the secret?
 
 
UC CASHING IN WITH OUT OF STATE TUITIONS
 
July 7, 2011 (San Diego Union-Tribune)--The University of California’s initiative to recruit nonresident students – specifically to capture their higher tuition – is paying off.
Recently released figures show the system’s nine undergraduate campuses expect out-of-state and international students to make up 12.3 percent of this fall’s freshman class, a sharp increase from 2010, when 8 percent of freshmen were nonresidents.
 
 
POWERLINK PLAGUED BY EAGLE ISSUES, TOWER DROP
 
Supervisor says regulatory response has been “inadequate and appalling”
June 22, 2011 (San Diego Union-Tribune)--Two slip-ups involving helicopters hauling massive steel towers, and two reports about the safety of golden eagles, have raised questions about management of the Sunrise Powerlink construction project in East County.
 
 
A SCULPTURE GARDEN GROWS IN THE DESERT
 
July 9, 2011 (San Diego Union-Tribune) A 350-foot serpent straight out of a fantasy novel emerges from the sand along Borrego Springs Road.
Saturday morning, artist Ricardo Breceda, the Perris, Calif., man who has built 129 metal sculptures all over Borrego Springs, was putting the final touches on his biggest and absolutely coolest creation yet.
 

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