EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

September 12, 2019 (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

• A divided County Board of Supervisors moves ahead on community choice energy (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Plea deal reached in San Diego County sheriff's deputy sexual misconduct case (10 News)
• More deaths associated with mysterious vaping illness; 11 cases reported in San Diego County (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Getting hooked on vaping (Ramona Sentinel)
• SANDAG Board OKs Formula For New Homebuilding (KPBS)

STATE

• California rewrites the laws of employment (Los Angeles Times)
• Coast guard issues warning after California boat fire: limit cell phone charging (USA Today)
• Trump pushing for major crackdown on homeless camps in California, with aides discussing moving residents to government-backed facilities (Washington Post)
• California would allow college athletes to profit under bill headed to Newsom (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Uber: We’ll fight in court to keep drivers as independent contractors (San Francisco Chronicle)
•  California is first state to ban fur trapping (HuffPost)
• Lions, tigers and bears no more: California lawmakers ban exotic animals at circuses (Los Angeles Times)
• Boat where 34 died was a ‘fire trap’ despite passing inspections, experts say. It’s far from alone (Los Angeles Times)

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

LOCAL

A divided County Board of Supervisors moves ahead on community choice energy (San Diego Union-Tribune)

A divided San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 Tuesday to pursue a community choice energy program that would offer an alternative to San Diego Gas & Electric when it comes to purchasing power contracts — but the board also voted to come back on Oct. 15 to determine what kind of governance model it should operate under.

Plea deal reached in San Diego County sheriff's deputy sexual misconduct case (10 News)

A former San Diego County sheriff’s deputy accused by multiple women of sexual assault pleaded guilty Monday as part of an agreement that was reached on the day his trial was scheduled to begin.

More deaths associated with mysterious vaping illness; 11 cases reported in San Diego County (San Diego Union-Tribune)

All local cases involved inhaling water vapor mixed with cannabis or CBD oils from cartridges purchased from unlicensed “pop-up” shops or through the Internet.

Getting hooked on vaping (Ramona Sentinel)

Administrators at Ramona High School and Olive Peirce Middle School are continuing efforts to stop students from vaping on their campuses, including prevention, education and disciplinary actions for those caught with the popular devices at school … The trend has become increasingly popular among teenagers, many who believe vaping or “juuling” is harmless.

SANDAG Board OKs Formula For New Homebuilding (KPBS)

Board members of the regional planning agency approved a long-term housing plan that prioritizes areas rich with public transit and jobs.

STATE

California rewrites the laws of employment (Los Angeles Times)

A 6,700-word bill that kindled fierce controversy and existential discussions about the very nature of an employee is now almost California law. Assembly Bill 5 (also known by many as the gig worker bill) passed the state Legislature on Wednesday. It still needs an official signature from Gov. Gavin Newsom, but he has already pledged his support. The sweeping legislation, which curbs businesses’ use of independent contractors, will rewrite the rules of employment across a wide swath of industries. It could grant hundreds of thousands of workers new job benefits and pay guarantees by reclassifying them as employees.

Coast guard issues warning after California boat fire: limit cell phone charging (USA Today)

The Coast Guard has issued a safety bulletin following the California boat fire that killed 34 people, recommending commercial boat operators limit unsupervised charging of cellphones and other electronic devices. 

Trump pushing for major crackdown on homeless camps in California, with aides discussing moving residents to government-backed facilities (Washington Post)

 But it is unclear how they could accomplish this and what legal authority they would use. It is also unclear whether the state’s Democratic politicians would cooperate with Trump, who has sought to embarrass them over the homelessness crisis with repeated attacks on their competency.

California would allow college athletes to profit under bill headed to Newsom (San Francisco Chronicle)

A bill that would make California the first state to let college athletes profit from their name and images, as Olympians do, is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

Uber: We’ll fight in court to keep drivers as independent contractors (San Francisco Chronicle)

 Uber’s top lawyer pledged that its drivers will remain independent contractors, despite California’s passage of a bill that hinders companies from claiming that workers are not employees.

California is first state to ban fur trapping (HuffPost)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill Wednesday that makes it illegal to trap animals or sell their fur, making California the first state in the U.S. to impose a fur trapping ban.

Lions, tigers and bears no more: California lawmakers ban exotic animals at circuses (Los Angeles Times)

Should Newsom sign Senate Bill 313, circuses in the state will no longer be allowed to use bears, tigers, elephants, monkeys or other wild animals in their acts. State Sen. Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) said circus animals are often chained and confined to trailers or cramped cages and physically punished with whips and muzzles if they don’t perform.

Boat where 34 died was a ‘fire trap’ despite passing inspections, experts say. It’s far from alone (Los Angeles Times)

A day of diving off Santa Cruz Island ended like countless others aboard the Conception, with dozens of divers asleep in tightly arranged bunks that all but filled the belly of the 75-foot boat. As always, there were two ways out in case of emergency — up a curved stairway at the front of the cabin, or through an escape hatch in the ceiling over bunks at the rear.