EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

November 28, 2018 (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

•  If Trump closes the border, regional economy could suffer 'catastrophic losses' (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• SDG&E Is Looking to Leave the Power-Buying Business (Voice of San Diego) 
•  City of San Diego seeking public input on drone use in the region (KUSI)  
•  San Diego County's coastal communities struggle with sea-level rise (San Diego Union-Tribune) 
• El Cajon looks to regulate street vendors (San Diego Union-Tribune) 
• Trio charged with conspiracy to kidnap cannabis investment partner, trying to have him killed in Mexico (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego may require property owners to fix damaged sidewalk before they can sell (San Diego Union-Tribune) 
• San Diego’s Regional Transit Board To Have Bi-Partisan Leadership In 2019 (KPBS) 
• In wake of community choice, SDG&E seeks new contract with Otay Mesa power plant (San Diego Union-Tribune)  

STATE

• Authorities issued only limited evacuation alerts in Paradise as monster fire moved in (Los Angeles Times)
• After trading barbs all year, Newsom and Trump meet at California fire zone (Politico)
• Brown says Trump's promise not to cut funding to California is a "big, big win" (CBS news) 
• The Blue Wave Swept Him in. Dems Might Want to Toss Him Back. (Voice of San Diego)  

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

LOCAL

If Trump closes the border, regional economy could suffer 'catastrophic losses' (San Diego Union-Tribune) 

The migrant caravan crisis that led to a five-hour closure in both directions of the busy San Ysidro Port of Entry on Sunday highlighted the far-reaching economic impact such disruptions can have on the San Diego region — from potential labor shortages to substantial business losses among border-area...

SDG&E Is Looking to Leave the Power-Buying Business (Voice of San Diego) 

The company has asked lawmakers to introduce legislation that would let SDG&E reduce its role in buying and selling electricity – while also pushing the state to enter the energy market in a big way.

City of San Diego seeking public input on drone use in the region (KUSI)  

The city of San Diego is asking for your feedback on drone testing and use around the city.This comes after the FAA and the Department of Transportation selected San Diego to test drones over the next two years as part of a pilot program.

San Diego County's coastal communities struggle with sea-level rise (San Diego Union-Tribune) 

Climate change is still an abstract concept to many. Sea-level rise is something more relatable. That tends to be the case when water starts lapping at the front door.

El Cajon looks to regulate street vendors (San Diego Union-Tribune) 

Ice cream vendors roaming the streets of El Cajon with their clanging bells and salesmen hawking fresh fruit cups from wagons on city sidewalks are going to be looking at some different regulations come January.

Trio charged with conspiracy to kidnap cannabis investment partner, trying to have him killed in Mexico(San Diego Union-Tribune) 

Three people involved in cannabis and real estate investments in the San Diego area were charged Monday in a murder-for-hire plot foiled by an FBI informant they allegedly paid to kidnap and kill a business associate, prosecutors said this week. Salam Razuki, Sylvia Gonzales and Elizabeth Juarez were arrested last week and charged Monday in U.S. District Court in San Diego with felony counts of conspiracy to kill, kidnap or maim an individual.

San Diego may require property owners to fix damaged sidewalk before they can sell (San Diego Union-Tribune) 

Crumbling sidewalks and millions of dollars in injury lawsuit payouts are prompting San Diego to explore drastic action, potentially including a requirement that property owners fix nearby damaged sidewalks before they can sell. / Other proposals include property liens, waiving permit fees to encourage sidewalk repairs and educating property owners about their responsibilities and that the city is willing to split the cost of most repairs with them.

San Diego’s Regional Transit Board To Have Bi-Partisan Leadership In 2019  (KPBS) 

Two North County mayors will serve as chair and vice chair of SANDAG's Board of Directors: Poway Mayor Steve Vaus, a Republican, and Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear, a Democrat. 

In wake of community choice, SDG&E seeks new contract with Otay Mesa power plant (San Diego Union-Tribune) 

The day after Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced a landmark public power-buying program for the city, San Diego Gas & Electric backed away from its long-standing position that it was legally obligated to purchase a natural gas-fired plant in Otay Mesa for $280 million. 

STATE

Authorities issued only limited evacuation alerts in Paradise as monster fire moved in (Los Angeles Times) 

 When the Camp fire barreled toward this Sierra foothill town last Thursday morning, officials had a crucial choice to make right away: How much of Paradise should be evacuated? ….During its last major fire in 2008, authorities evacuated so many people that roads became dangerously clogged. So this time, they decided not to immediately undergo a full-scale evacuation, hoping to get residents out of neighborhoods closest to the fires first before the roads became gridlocked.... A full-scale evacuation order was issued at 9:17 a.m., but by then the fire was already consuming the town.

After trading barbs all year, Newsom and Trump meet at California fire zone (Politico) 

Two weeks after decisively winning an election framed as a referendum on President Donald Trump, California Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom met his foil for the first time on a smoke-stifled tarmac as the state burned. Newsom and Gov. Jerry Brown were on hand when Air Force One touched down at Beale Air Force Base north of Sacramento on Saturday, Trump's second visit to California since assuming the presidency.

Brown says Trump's promise not to cut funding to California is a "big, big win" (CBS news) 

"The president not only has signed a presidential declaration giving California substantial funding, but he said and pledged very specifically to continue to help us, that he's got our back," Brown said on "Face the Nation" Sunday. "And I thought that was a very positive thing. "…The governor also said he did not press the issue ofclimate change during Mr. Trump's visit. The president on Saturday declined to say whether climate change directly impacted the fires, saying there were "a lot of factors" and that seeing the devastation had not changed his opinion on climate change.

The Blue Wave Swept Him in. Dems Might Want to Toss Him Back. (Voice of San Diego) 

Our Jesse Marx profiles Schaefer, an 80-year perennial candidate who has run for offices in multiple states, mostly as a Democrat, sometimes as a Republican. Now, he looks likely to be a member of the Board of Equalization… Marx first met Schaefer in 2015 ….He would go on to become…“one of California’s most notorious slumlords.” In 1993, he was convicted of misdemeanor spousal abuse …He was later disbarred…Schaefer didn’t have the Democratic Party’s support, but he did have the “Dem” label…he went up against state Sen. Joel Anderson, a Republican who hurt his own chances of winning after he threatened to “bitch slap” a female lobbyist.