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May 5, 2011 (San Diego's East County) -- East County Roundup highlights stories of importance to East County, published by other media.
Recent Roundup headlines include:
• Terrorist group setting up operations near border: Hezbollah considered to be more advanced than Al-Qaida (10 News)
• California considers shorter school years as budgets wane (Sacramento Bee)
• East County school layoff notices confirmed (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Mike Lumpkin named to special ops post in Pentagon, ran for Congress (Santee Patch)
• California legislative lawyers say redevelopment plan illegal (Sacramento Bee)
• Ambulance company faced penalties elsewhere (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• University of California targets out of state students (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Lobbying builds up redrawing of Council districts (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Water agency ends mandatory restrictions (North County Times)
• Water agencies would be taxed under state bill (North County Times)
• La Mesa serious crime rate in 2010 was 2nd highest in County (La Mesa Patch)
• Personal income tax rate goes up as corporate’s falls (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• A tree, actually 900 new ones, grows in Lemon Grove (San Diego Union-Tribune)
TERRORIST GROUP SETTING UP OPERATIONS NEAR BORDER
Hezbollah Considered To Be More Advanced Than Al-Qaida
May 4, 2011 (10 News) -- A terrorist organization whose home base is in the Middle East has established another home base across the border in Mexico.
"They are recognized by many experts as the 'A' team of Muslim terrorist organizations," a former U.S. intelligence agent told 10News.
http://www.10news.com/news/27780427/detail.html
CALIFORNIA WEIGHS SHORTER SCHOOL YEAR AS BUDGETS WANE
May 4, 2011 (Sacramento Bee) -- Children in frigid areas have "snow day" school closures. Could students across sunny California face "budget days" in bad fiscal times?
Gov. Jerry Brown and school officials warn that shutting down school one month early – 20 instructional days – is a real possibility for the next school year without an extension of higher taxes. Some see Hawaii, which slashed 17 days in 2009-10, as an example that drastic measures are possible.
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/04/3599927/california-weighs-shorter-schoo...
EAST COUNTY SCHOOL LAYOFF NOTICES CONFIRMED
May 4, 2011 (San Diego Union-Tribune) — Elementary and middle schools in La Mesa and Spring Valley will have more than 100 fewer teachers, counselors and other certificated employees beginning next semester.
The governing board, acting to meet a May 15 notification deadline, voted 5-0 on Tuesday to lay off 104 teachers in the 2011-2012 school year, which begins July 1. The K-8 district has about 600 teachers.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/may/04/east-county-school-layoff...
MIKE LUMPKIN NAMED TO SPECIAL OPS POST IN PENTAGON; RAN FOR CONGRESS
Former Navy SEAL commander ran in East County's 52nd Congressional District against Duncan D. Hunter in November 2008; Lumpkin now assigned to oversee special operations.
May 4, 2011 (Santee Patch)-- Michael Lumpkin, the former Navy SEAL commander who made an East County bid for Congress in 2008, has been named to one of the top civilian posts in the Pentagon
http://santee.patch.com/articles/mike-lumpkin-named-to-special-ops-post-...
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATIVE LAWYERS SAY REDEVELOPMENT PLAN ILLEGAL
May. 4, 2011 (Sacramento Bee) -- The Legislature's lawyers believe Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to eliminate redevelopment agencies is unconstitutional because the state cannot reimburse itself with local property taxes.
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/04/3599811/legislative-lawyers-say-redevel...
AMBULANCE COMPANY FACED PENALTIES ELSEWHERE
Audit and whistle-blower now allege problems in San Diego
April 29, 2011 (San Diego Union-Tribune)--Rural/Metro Corp., the private firm that partners with the city of San Diego to provide ambulance service, has paid or offered to pay more than $6.5 million in settlements and fines over the past six years to resolve several allegations of improper billing and other wrongdoing around the country.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/29/ambulance-company-faced-p...
UNIVERSITY OF CALIF. TARGETS OUT-OF-STATE STUDENTS
April 30, 2011 (San Diego Union-Tribune) —The University of California is looking for out-of-state solutions to its money problems.
Faced with sharp cuts in state funding, the 10-campus system is ramping up its campaign to recruit high-paying students from other states and countries, even as record numbers of California students seek a UC education.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/30/university-of-calif-targe...
LOBBYING BUILDS UP IN REDRAWING OF SAN DIEGO COUNCIL DISTRICTS
April 30, 2011 (San Diego Union-Tribune)--It happens once every 10 years and influences local politics for at least a decade. This year, though, the intrigue of redrawing San Diego’s City Council districts involves something not seen since the 1960s — the creation of a new council district.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/30/lobbying-builds-redrawing...
WATER AGENCY ENDS MANDATORY RESTRICTIONS
Poll says residents will continue to conserve
April 28, 2011 (North County Times)--The San Diego County Water Authority voted Thursday to end mandatory water cutbacks imposed during the recent drought. The change is effective Friday.
The authority also said a poll indicates urban water users will continue saving water, even after the end of mandatory restrictions.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/article_e6f8e4e2-e88d-5f7a-ae...
WATER AGENCIES WOULD BE TAXED UNDER STATE BILL
Money would go for projects, but agencies doubt results
April 27, 2011 (North County Times) -- Retail water districts would pay a new tax under proposed state legislation to fund water-related supply, environmental and recreation projects. The size of the tax has yet to be calculated, but it would be significant.
A hearing is scheduled May 4 for the bill, Senate Bill 34, in the California Senate's Governance and Finance committee. Since the bill would impose a tax, it requires two-thirds approval by the Legislature.
http://www.nctimes.com/business/article_add6e402-5018-5d18-890e-72d1fd75...
LA MESA SERIOUS CRIME RATE IN 2010 WAS SECOND-HIGHEST IN COUNTY
But SANDAG report also depicts major declines in local crime, part of a countywide drop to lowest levels in 30 years.
April 29, 2011 (La Mesa Patch)--La Mesa’s crime rate for serious offenses was the second-highest in San Diego County in 2010, according to SANDAG and its annual report. But the city’s violent crime rate fell by 19 percent between 2009 and 2010. And since 2006, that rate is down 24 percent.
http://lamesa.patch.com/articles/la-mesa-serious-crime-rate-in-2010-was-...
PERSONAL INCOME TAX GOES UP AS CORPRATE’S FALLS
April 26, 2011 (San Diego Union-Tribune) – As the economy has expanded and contracted over the past three decades, Californians have slowly,, but steadily, paid more in personal income taxes to support state government. Corporations, however, are another story.
While individuals have watched their tax burdens rise, corporations have seen their effective tx rates plummet even as California-based companies like Chevron, Google and Apple have posted record profits. This disparity has reinforced the state’s reliance on personal income tax and contributed to California’s chronic budget deficit.
In 2008, the last year for which numbers are available, Californians paid a little more than 4 cents in taxes on every dollar earned, up from about 3 cents in 1981. Over that same period, taxes on corporate income dropped from almost 10 cents of every dollar in 1981 to about 5 cents in 2008. The corporate tax burden fell by half while the individual taxpayers’s burden rose by a third.
Assuming the effective corporate tax rate didn’t drop and businesses wouldn’t have taken action to reduce their tax liability, Californian’s government would have received an additional $13 billion in revenue in 2008—half of the $26 billion deficit the state faced at the beginning of this year.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/26/personal-income-tax-goes-...
A TREE, ACTUALLY 900 NEW ONES, GROWS IN LEMON GROVE
Urban Corps is preparing to plant 900 trees by the freeway
April 28, 2011 (Lemon Grove) — The city named in the early 1900s for its large citrus groves — most of which were lost around World War II when suburbanization started — will soon get 900 new trees.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/28/lemon-grove-upgrade/
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