EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

December 4, 2022 (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

• Poison pill: San Diego County’s battle against fentanyl (NBC San Diego)
• San Diego Has the Highest Rate of Whooping Cough in California  (NBC San Diego)
• East County Company Pleads Guilty To Selling Fake COVID Cleaner (Patch)
• Threatened coastal railroad is San Diego’s only link to national military rail network. What if it shuts down? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Construction begins in Poway on statewide high-speed internet project (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• The veteran who helped disarm the gunman at gay club says he followed his instincts (NPR)
• Data: no exact link between homeless voucher use, crime increase (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego to Release 250 Million Gallons of Water From Hodges Reservoir Into Nearby River (NBC 7)
• Musgrove Heads to Antarctica Not Just to Set World Record, But to Benefit Challenged Athletes (Times of San Diego)

STATE

• Drying California lake to get $250M in US drought funding (KPBS)
• The shadow race is on to succeed Feinstein (Politico)
• Big tobacco tries to stop California flavored tobacco ban (KPBS)

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

LOCAL

Poison pill: San Diego County’s battle against fentanyl (NBC San Diego)

San Diego County has become the national epicenter for fentanyl trafficking, with nearly 60% of all fentanyl seized around the country happening at the U.S.-Mexico border. As a result, fentanyl overdose deaths in the region have increased 2,375 percent since 2016, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. In fact, the office says this dangerous opioid is now the leading cause of death for young adults ages 18-45.

San Diego Has the Highest Rate of Whooping Cough in California  (NBC San Diego)

According to Sharp, in 2022 San Diego has the highest number of infections of this disease in the entire state of California. To be precise, in 2022, 183 cases have been reported throughout the state of California, according to Sharp.  Of those infections, 61 have been registered in San Diego.  San Diego even has more than Los Angeles, despite its population being much larger. In Los Angeles there are 50 confirmed cases.

East County Company Pleads Guilty To Selling Fake COVID Cleaner (Patch)

In its plea, the defendants admitted selling more than $800,000 worth of the products… According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Integral Hygienic Solutions, Inc. -- doing business as TruClean -- claimed its TruClean 365 product could eliminate the virus that causes COVID-19, as well as other viruses and bacteria for one year when applied on surfaces. However, prosecutors say that…defendants actually bought bottles of chemical products from a different company, then placed TruClean's labels onto the bottles. The company claimed in its marketing that TruClean 365 had undergone "rigorous testing" by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

Threatened coastal railroad is San Diego’s only link to national military rail network. What if it shuts down? (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Coastal erosion in Del Mar and a slow-moving landslide in San Clemente threaten the only rail connection to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and Naval Base San Diego, the principal home of the Pacific Fleet.

Construction begins in Poway on statewide high-speed internet project (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Construction began Thursday near Poway on the first leg of a 10,000-mile-long broadband network intended to provide high-speed Internet service options to everyone in the state. “California is now one step closer to making the digital divide a thing of the past,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “We’re starting construction today to get affordable high-speed internet in every California home because livelihoods depend on access to a reliable and fast internet connection.

The veteran who helped disarm the gunman at gay club says he followed his instincts (NPR)

"I have never encountered a person who had engaged in such heroic actions who was so humble about it," [Police Chief] Vasquez said. "He simply said to me, 'I was trying to protect my family.'"  When asked about being hailed a hero, Fierro demurred. "I'm just some dude from San Diego," he said, standing outside his home and alternating between English and a smattering of Spanish words.

Data: no exact link between homeless voucher use, crime increase (San Diego Union-Tribune)

When leaders of East County’s largest city tried to fine local hotels housing high numbers of homeless people, the core of their argument was that crime was increasing. An analysis of El Cajon police data provides some evidence to back up that claim. However, there is not an exact correlation between crime and the use of hotel vouchers, which are distributed to people living on the street.

San Diego to Release 250 Million Gallons of Water From Hodges Reservoir Into Nearby River (NBC 7)

…For safety reasons, the California Division of Safety of Dams requires that the water level at Hodges Reservoir be capped at 275 feet -- 40 feet below the spillway. 

Musgrove Heads to Antarctica Not Just to Set World Record, But to Benefit Challenged Athletes (Times of San Diego)

Padre All-Star Joe Musgrove’s vision for his 30th birthday isn’t just about his personal milestone – he’ll also try to set a world record to benefit one of his favorite charities. The El Cajon native departs Monday on a cruise to Antarctica where he will attempt to throw the fastest pitch on the continent while raising awareness for the San Diego-based Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF).

STATE

Drying California lake to get $250M in US drought funding (KPBS)

The federal government said Monday it will spend $250 million over four years on environmental cleanup and restoration work around a drying Southern California lake that's fed by the depleted Colorado River. The future of the Salton Sea, and who is financially responsible for it, has been a key issue in discussions over how to prevent a crisis in the Colorado River.

 Fall classes at most UC campuses end this week. Hundreds of faculty pledge to withhold grades while strike is ongoing.

The shadow race is on to succeed Feinstein (Politico)

Reps. Ro Khanna and Katie Porter are fielding entreaties to jump into the race, and Rep. Adam Schiff has publicly declared he is exploring a run. Rep. Barbara Lee is spending the holidays mulling her next move.

Big tobacco tries to stop California flavored tobacco ban (KPBS)

R.J. Reynolds and other tobacco companies filed a request Tuesday asking the U.S. Supreme Court to impose an emergency order to stop California from enforcing a ban on flavored tobacco products that was overwhelmingly approved by voters earlier this month.  The ban was first passed by the state legislature two years ago but it never took effect after tobacco companies gathered enough signatures to put it on the ballot. But after nearly two-thirds of voters approved of banning the sale of everything from cotton-candy vaping juice to methanol cigarettes, it is set to go into effect by Dec. 21.