EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

December 4, 2019 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include:  

LOCAL

• Yadira Altamirano chosen as new Lemon Grove council member (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• State: Poway’s water woes due to out-of-compliance infrastructure  (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Gov. Newsom Appoints Mark Arabo to California’s Workforce Development Board (Times of San Diego)
• Lemon Grove sales tax measure headed for March 2020 ballot faces legal challenge (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Immigrant bond fund helped free migrants from ICE detention this year (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Judge tosses out lawsuit against San Onofre operator, regulator and contractor  San Diego Union-Tribune)
• City manager to be tasked with approving certain special events in La Mesa (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• California to send millions of dollars to cities to combat homelessness (San Jose Mercury News)
• California could lose housing leverage over cities under court ruling (San Francisco Chronicle)
• ICE Tries To Extend Private Detention Contracts Before State Law Ban  (KPBS)
• California should take over PG&E and possibly other utilities, former top regulator says (Los Angeles Times)
• This theater has attracted movie stars and Catalina Island residents for 90 years. Now, it may call it a night (Los Angeles Times) 

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

LOCAL

Yadira Altamirano chosen as new Lemon Grove council member (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Resident beats out seven other candidates for seat held by Matt Mendoza

State: Poway’s water woes due to out-of-compliance infrastructure  (San Diego Union-Tribune)

City to be cited for violation; restoration of water use could extend into weekend… City officials Wednesday were caught off guard …and said they had never been notified of any compliance problem, despite yearly inspections.

Gov. Newsom Appoints Mark Arabo to California’s Workforce Development Board (Times of San Diego)

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the appointment Wednesday of former Neighborhood Market Association President and CEO Mark Arabo to the California Workforce Development Board.

Lemon Grove sales tax measure headed for March 2020 ballot faces legal challenge (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Published notice of intention did not include names behind initiative, a violation of state election code, complaint says.

Immigrant bond fund helped free migrants from ICE detention this year (San Diego Union-Tribune)

 An immigrant bond fund has helped free 34 people from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Centers this year. The Borderlands Get Free fund was conceived by The San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium, a project of Alliance San Diego about two years ago, driven by the idea of providing financial aid to families who had relatives in ICE custody. 

Judge tosses out lawsuit against San Onofre operator, regulator and contractor  San Diego Union-Tribune)

Local advocacy group wanted to halt nuclear waste transfers at the plant

City manager to be tasked with approving certain special events in La Mesa (San Diego Union-Tribune)

La Mesa residents who want to host a special event with an expected 1,000 attendees or more that involves closing a city street will now need to get permission from the city manager instead of the City Council.

STATE

California to send millions of dollars to cities to combat homelessness (San Jose Mercury News)

Cities across California will soon have access to millions of dollars in emergency aid to fight homelessness despite what Gov. Gavin Newsom called “bureaucratic roadblocks” by the Trump administration. 

California could lose housing leverage over cities under court ruling (San Francisco Chronicle)

The judge said the city of San Mateo was not obligated to follow a state law on housing approvals because it is a charter city — a system that gives local governments greater control over their own affairs. There are more than 120 charter cities in California and housing is tight in many of them, including San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. 

ICE Tries To Extend Private Detention Contracts Before State Law Ban  (KPBS)

Earlier this year, California legislators banned the use of private detention facilities in the state. But Immigration and Customs Enforcement is trying to extend contracts for four facilities, including one in Otay Mesa, before the law takes effect.

California should take over PG&E and possibly other utilities, former top regulator says (Los Angeles Times)

Following a string of utility-sparked wildfires that have killed scores of Californians and destroyed billions in property, the former top regulator of California’s electric grid says it’s time for sweeping change — a public takeover of Pacific Gas & Electric and possibly other private utilities, which would be transformed into a state power company. Loretta M. Lynch, former president of the California Public Utilities Commission, said she was fed up with a system that failed to hold giant investor-owned utilities accountable for massive wildfires and sprawling blackouts.

This theater has attracted movie stars and Catalina Island residents for 90 years. Now, it may call it a night (Los Angeles Times) 

Lifelong friends Melinda Benson and Wendy Hernandez wept as the closing credits rolled for “Frozen 2” at the Avalon Theater in Catalina Island. … the first cinema in the world designed for talkies…At the end of this year, the Avalon will stop showing first-run films for good, ending a 90-year tradition.