EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

April 8, 2015 --  (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

• No viewing before writing: Bill challenges body camera policies (Fox 5 News)
•  Judge: you will stand trial for those threats (10 News) 
• My next step (SD Rostra, posted by Assemblyman Brian Jones) 
• San Diego gets $143,000 settlement in Briggs-Cacciatore conflict (KPBS) 
• Commissioner taken off San Onofre case (U-T) 
• Regulators Plan To Drop Case At Closed San Onofre Nuclear Plant (KPBS) 

STATE

• Hardship on Mexico’s farms, a bounty for U.S. tables (Los Angeles Times) 
• California Housing Restrictions Relaxed For Some Sex Offenders (KPBS) 
• California's death row faces no-vacancy situation (Reuters) 
• Beneath California Crops, Groundwater Crisis Grows (NY Times) 
• Kamala Harris Raises $2.5M For California Senate Bid (AP) 
• Millions At Stake In California Tribe Membership Dispute (NPR) 
• CPUC law firm deal questioned (U-T) 

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

LOCAL

No viewing before writing: Bill challenges body camera policies (Fox 5 News)

San Diego Assemblymember Shirley Weber says officers should never be allowed to watch the footage before writing reports.  She’s crafted California State Bill AB66, which would set policies for police departments using body worn cameras

Judge: you will stand trial for those threats (10 News)

A La Mesa man accused of leaving a threatening voice message at the San Diego office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and sending a threatening email to the organization's Washington, D.C., office was ordered Tuesday to stand trial on felony charges. John David Weissinger, 53, faces a maximum of eight years in prison if convicted..

My next step (SD Rostra, posted by Assemblyman Brian Jones)

 … In 2018, the current State Senator representing the 38th District, Joel Anderson, will also be termed out. It’s my intention to run for that open Senate seat at that time – or sooner, if it becomes available before then.

San Diego gets $143,000 settlement in Briggs-Cacciatore conflict (KPBS)

An environmental consulting company will pay the city of San Diego $143,382 to resolve a claim of potential conflict of interest between one of its former employees and well-known attorney Cory Briggs.

Commissioner taken off San Onofre case (U-T)

Michel Florio, the longtime consumer advocate who was appointed to the California Public Utilities Commission in 2011, has been removed as the commissioner in charge of the San Onofre nuclear power plant investigation.

Regulators Plan To Drop Case At Closed San Onofre Nuclear Plant (KPBS)

Environmental group Friends of the Earth wanted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to review whether operator Southern California Edison sidestepped rules when it replaced steam generators in a $670 million overhaul in 2009 and 2010.... A proposed decision released Monday from the RC's Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation said the issue is no longer relevant because the plant closed in 2013....

STATE

Hardship on Mexico’s farms, a bounty for U.S. tables (Los Angeles Times)

A Times reporter and photographer find that thousands of laborers at Mexico's mega-farms endure harsh conditions and exploitation while supplying produce for American consumers.

California Housing Restrictions Relaxed For Some Sex Offenders (KPBS)

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation moved last week to ease statewide restrictions on where registered sex offenders can live.

California's death row faces no-vacancy situation (Reuters)

California's death row, the largest in the nation with newly condemned inmates added to the system every month but no one executed in almost a decade, has filled virtually to capacity as the state seeks money to build more cells for them.

Beneath California Crops, Groundwater Crisis Grows (NY Times)

California has pushed harder than any other state to adapt to a changing climate, but scientists warn that improving its management of precious groundwater supplies will shape whether it can continue to supply more than half the nation’s fruits and vegetables on a hotter planet

Kamala Harris Raises $2.5M For California Senate Bid (AP)

Competitive races are costly, and analysts predict the state attorney general could need $30 million or more by Election Day next year.

Millions At Stake In California Tribe Membership Dispute (NPR)

A dispute over membership is riling a Native American tribe near Yosemite. The Chukchansi tribe has been disenrolling members for decades, meaning the tribe's casino profits are going to fewer people.

CPUC law firm deal questioned (U-T)

 The hiring of big name law firm Sheppard Mullin to respond to multiple criminal investigations of the California Public Utilities Commission has raised myriad questions, even beyond those about spending up to $5.2 million for the services. For one thing, Sheppard Mullin also works for utility companies — the same ones whose relationships with regulators at the commission have come under scrutiny.