EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

November 12, 2014 (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

• San Diego launches plan to get 1,500 homeless people off the streets (KPBS)
• World famous gambler convicted of marking cards at Barona gets 3 years probation (UT San Diego)
• Hall of Famer Bill Walton launches new business venture in La Mesa (EC Californian)
• Solar sale could revive Soitec (UT San Diego)
• It’s official: SDSU signs Hemley, Jones (UT San Diego)
• How San Diego Swapped One Government Moneymaker for Another (Voice of SD)
• Pension board wants in-house fund boss (UT San Diego)
• 10 water-guzzling public agencies (UT San Diego)

STATE

• Covered California works to insure more youths, Latinos (KPBS)
• California Nurses Say They'll Strike, Without Talking Wages (NPR)
• Getting a concealed weapons permit could get easier in California (KPBS)

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

LOCAL

San Diego launches plan to get 1,500 homeless people off the streets (KPBS)

The San Diego Housing Commission Wednesday announced a three-year plan to get 1,500 homeless people off the streets through a combination of property renovations and providing homes that include access to social services.

World famous gambler convicted of marking cards at Barona gets 3 years probation (UT San Diego)

A world-famous gambler who admitted marking cards at a Barona Casino blackjack table was sentenced Wednesday to three years probation and ordered to pay $6,860 in restitution.

Hall of Famer Bill Walton launches new business venture in La Mesa (EC Californian)

More than 20 years after retiring from a Hall of Fame career, Bill Walton is still making shots—tequila shots, that is. On Monday night, he was joined by friends and family as he showcased his latest investment, Azuñia Tequila, and signed autographs at the La Mesa Claim Jumper.

Solar sale could revive Soitec (UT San Diego)

Solar manufacturer Soitec said it is seeking to reignite production at its San Diego assembly line through the sale of power-purchase contracts for an unnamed solar project under development in California… The sales agreement under negotiation would leave four solar power plant projects in the Boulevard area without any commitment from a utility buyer. Soitec said it will continue to pursue the four projects…

It’s official: SDSU signs Hemley, Jones (UT San Diego)

Aztecs get letters of intent from two four-star basketball recruits.

How San Diego Swapped One Government Moneymaker for Another (Voice of SD)

 San Diego’s been on a decades-long mission to shed its sleepy Navy town reputation and reliance on government money to drive the economy. The plan worked – in part, anyway: San Diego has become one of the nation’s premier innovation hubs, particularly for life sciences, wireless technologies and defense tools. But the push to de-emphasize the Navy as an economic anchor ultimately just shifted the ways in which San Diego rakes in government money.

Pension board wants in-house fund boss (UT San Diego)

The county retirement board has made an informal decision to end its five-year experiment with a Texas portfolio strategist and return oversight of the $10 billion pension fund to an in-house expert.

10 water-guzzling public agencies (UT San Diego)

Many agencies increased their water usage as the drought worsened.

STATE

Covered California works to insure more youths, Latinos (KPBS)

Open enrollment in Covered California begins this Saturday. Officials with the online health insurance exchange say they're trying a variety of approaches to get the word out.

California Nurses Say They'll Strike, Without Talking Wages (NPR)

Wages and benefits are usually the big sticking points in labor negotiations. But so far both sides are focusing on things like Ebola preparedness, separating patient care from economics.

Getting a concealed weapons permit could get easier in California (KPBS)

Gun owners and advocates scored another big legal victory Wednesday in their quest to loosen restrictions on carrying concealed weapons in California. A divided federal appeals court kept in place a ruling requiring the San Diego County sheriff to issue concealed weapon permits to most law-abiding citizens who apply for one, a standard that all California sheriffs and police chiefs must also follow.