Gifts of real and/or personal property may be used to achieve estate planning goals and minimize death taxes. However, in California, a married person cannot make a gift of community personal property, or dispose of such property for less than fair and reasonable value, without obtaining the written consent of the other spouse. Community real property, with the exception of short-term leases, cannot be transferred or encumbered by a spouse unless the other spouse joins in the deal. Written spousal consent should be obtained for gifts made to children and others under the California Uniform Transfer to Minors Act.
One exception to the spousal consent rule is that neither written consent nor joinder is necessary if both spouses make a mutual gift to a third party, or one spouse makes a gift of community personal property to the other.
January 26, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – The Obama administration is on track to deport over 2 million people, according to a new report from the University of California-Merced. That’s about the same number deported under the Bush administration, but more than the U.S. deported during over a century from the late 1890s to the late 1990s.
On average, those deported had lived in the U.S. for 14 years, leading to concerns that the Criminal Alien Program is tearing apart families. A quarter of all people deported since mid-2010 are parents with children in the U.S., including parents of American citizens, the report concludes.
Elected officials, school district urge student participation at college aid workshops
January 25, 2014 (San Diego)--High school seniors, local elected officials and San Diego Unified School District representatives announce plans to increase the number of San Diego-area high school students applying for free college financial aid. Students are urged to attend one of 13 upcoming “Cash for College” financial aid workshops.
In 2013, San Diego region workshop participants were offered more than $3 million in federal and Cal Grant aid.
Seniors who attend a workshop and apply for a Cal Grant by the March 2 deadline could also qualify for an extra $1,000 Cash for College scholarship offered at each workshop. The workshops, titled “Free Application for Federal Student Aid & Califiornia Dream Act Application Workshops, will be held between January 25 and March 1. Workshop information is available in a pdf document here and also at www.calgrants.org/workshops.
January 25, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)-- Motorists should expect short delays on portions of State Route 94 (SR-94) for about the next two weeks, weekdays only, starting Monday morning as work continues on a pavement rehabilitation project.
One-way traffic control will be in effect on eastbound SR-94 from Proctor Valley Road to Otay Lakes Road and in the westbound direction in the vicinity of Marron Valley Road starting Monday through Monday, Feb. 17, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to Caltrans. No work is expected to take place during the weekends.
January 17, 2013 (San Diego) – On January 25th at 7 p.m., George Mann will perform a concert at Church of the Bretrhen, 3850 Westgate Pl., San Diego. The concert will feature songs from the historic 1941 tour know as the “Almanac Singers” – activists who toured the nation bringing folk music back to the people and spreading a message of unionization.
Songs featured include music of Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and the Almanac Singers from these classic troubadours.
January 25, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – For the first time ever, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has ordered that supplies of water from the Colorado River and Glen Canyon Dam be slashed.
The Colorado River is the most important water source for the Southwest-- and it accounts for about 60 percent of San Diego County’s water supply. It’s under increasing pressure from a growing population in southwestern cities amid extended dry conditions.
January 27, 2014 (Boulevard)--Drive 60 miles east of San Diego out Interstate 8 and you’ll reach Boulevard, a sparsely populated rural community of about 1,750 people. Your view will encompass manzanita trees and granite boulders, but no shopping malls or gleaming high rises. In fact, you won’t see a lot of newer buildings at all, and you won’t be surprised to learn the town’s fire station is a converted court office.
That last part won’t be true for long though. On Thursday, County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Dianne Jacob joined County officials and community members to break ground on a new $3.5 million fire station, which will serve a 78-square-mile area.
January 24, 2014 (San Diego)—State Senator Marty Block (D-San Diego) has announced he will introduce Senate Bill 911 to provide oversight and reforms of residential elderly care facilities (RECF).
Investigative reports by the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) and newspapers around the state have highlighted lack of training standards, neglect, ineffective penalties and inadequate enforcement plaguing residential care facilities. According to an in-depth investigative report by the San Diego Union-Tribune, hundreds of seniors have suffered broken bones, deadly bedsores and sexual assaults in San Diego alone. More troubling, since 2008, 27 elderly residents have died from injuries and neglect suffered in San Diego County RCFEs.
Editor's note: A local clinic has disputed portions of this editorial . For details, click here.
By Sylvia Hampton
January 24, 2014 (San Diego)--Since the January 22, 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision striking down all state laws prohibiting doctors from performing abortions, the anti-abortion forces have done everything in their power to make abortion as difficult to obtain as possible. Hundreds of state laws have been passed and then struck down by the courts because they placed an undue burden on women or were simply medically unsound. So the crusaders resort to trickery and bearing false witness.
January 24, 2014 (Santee)--55 million babies have died in the U.S. since the infamous Supreme Court Roe v Wade ruling 41 years ago this month. It is beyond a national tragedy. It is a choice of descent into barbarism.
Because of the ghastly numbers of dead babies, it may be difficult to see that the pro-choice side is on a downward spiral. Clinics continue to close as state after state pass pro-life bills. Young people faced with the scientific reality of the humanity of pre born babies, are decidedly a more pro-life generation.
Photo by Frank D. Lospalluto/Flickr: Clark's Nuthatch on whitebark pine
Dear EarthTalk: How is it that climate change is responsible for killing whitebark pine trees and thus impacting mountain ecosystems? -- Dale Livingstone, Salem, OR
January 24, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)--Whitebark pine trees are a “keystone” species in high-altitude ecosystems across the American West, meaning they play an important role in maintaining the natural structure of many of our most iconic mountain regions. Wildlife from grizzly bears to songbirds are dependent on whitebark pine seeds for nourishment, while forest stands of the trees stabilize and shade the snowpack in winter, which helps reducing avalanches and helps extend snowmelt flows into the dry summer months.
January 25, 2014 (El Cajon)--Spring semester begins Monday at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges with more class offerings, instructors and students than last year as the college district continues an upward trend, thanks to a slow, but steady growth in the state economy.
January 24, 2014 (El Cajon)—Travis Scott Kelley, 23, of San Diego has been arrested for assaulting the 75-year-old owner of Hamlin Jewelers in El Cajon with the blunt end of a hatchet. He is charged with attempted homicide, armed robbery, elder abuse and more.
A La Mesa man, Ali Armeen Toombs, 21, is also in custody for driving the getaway car. Toombs faces charges of conspiracy to commit a felony and robbery.
Lakeside Community Presbyterian Church announces a series a free concerts in March, April and May. Performances include the Ugandan Children’s Choir, Mainly Mozart, the East County Youth Symphony, and the Benedetti/Svoboda Guitar Duo.
Below are details on dates and times; doors open 30 minutes before the event. All events will be held at the Lakeside Community Presbyterian Church, 9908 Channel Road in Lakeside.
Photos courtesy of Boeing, Brad Gibson and Jim Pelley
January 24, 2014 (San Diego)--A new website is dedicated to exploring how lifestyle choices and technologies impact the environment. Reviving Gaia (www.revivinggaia.com) has considerable San Diego content, including some of Miriam Raftery’s articles reprinted from East County Magazine on regional energy and environmental issues, news stories from Jo Communications and features by San Diego biologist Renee Owens.
The site’s owner/editor, Roy L Hales, was the editor of San Diego Loves Green last year and frequently wrote about net-metering, the biofuel industry and the industrialization of East County. (Some of these articles were reprinted by East County magazine.) He continues to cover these topics in Reviving Gaia.
January 23, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – SoiTec Solar is hosting a community workshop to provide information on its Goliath-scale solar projects proposed in Boulevard. The event will be held Wednesday, January 29, 2014 at the Manzanita Diner, 40080 Old Highway 80 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. To RSVP or for additional information, contact Karen.Hutchens@Soitec-ext.com or (619)236-0227.
According to SoiTec, project representatives and technical experts will be available to answer questions regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Report for Soitec’s solar power developments proposed for the Boulevard area. The projects would include thousands of solar panels, each approximately 30 feet tall.
January 23, 2014 (Santee)--Home to many special and endangered plants and animals, Mast Park, like many open spaces in California that are surrounded by urbanization, faces threats from invasive nonnative plant species and trash. The San Diego River Park Foundation, supported by SANDAG’s TransNet Environmental Mitigation Program and in partnership of the City of Santee, will holid a kick-off celebration of the $145,000 two-year restoration grant to help address those issues along the San Diego River Trail in Santee on Saturday, January 25, 2014 from 9 am to noon.
Ravneet Singh Allegedly Facilitated Nearly $300,000 in Illegal Foreign Contributions to Campaigns in San Diego, including D.A. Bonnie Dumanis, ex-Mayor Bob Filner and a federal candidate
As part of conspiracy, Former SDPD Detective Ernesto Encinas Allegedly Sought to Fire Sam Diego’s Chief of Police and Pick His Replacement
January 23, 2014 (San Diego)--Ravneet Singh, proprietor of Washington, D.C.-based ElectionMall, Inc., was arraigned January 21 on charges that he conspired to finance political campaigns using money from an illegal foreign source. Singh was arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents on Friday, January 17, pursuant to an arrest warrant.
January 24, 2014 (Mission Trails) -- Instead of being glued to the sofa and TV watching championship football games to see who will be going to the Super Bowl, I got a big pay-off with a photo of a cute little bird on Sunday. I passed a few hikers along the way to the top of Mt. Fortuna out at Mission Trails Regional Park on Sunday afternoon. How can you beat the great weather we have for hiking here in the East County, especially considering the hard winter the East Coast is getting right now?
The big pay-off for me was my first photo of this warm and fuzzy Wrentit.
January 20, 2014 (Spring Valley) -- Cierra Conwright, a junior at Mount Miguel High School in Spring Valley, has been nominated to attend the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Washington, DC on February 14-16.
The Congress is an honors-only program for high school students who want to become physicians or go into medical research fields. The purpose of this event is to honor, inspire, motivate and direct the top students in the country who aspire to be physicians or medical scientists to stay true to their dream and to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goal.
January 23, 2014 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police have released surveillance photos of a suspect who assaulted the owner of Hamlin Jewelers with the hammer end of a hatchet. The suspect is wanted for attempted murder and armed robbery.
The suspect apparently entered the business at 2234 Fletcher Parkway on a ruse to buy merchandise. After viciously assaulting the owner, the suspect fled to a waiting Toyota 4-Runner with possible partial license of 4XU245; it may have been silver or tan in color and was driven by an unidentified accomplice.
Gonzalez’s AB 1522 Would Require Workers Are Compensated For At Least Three Days Lost To Illness Annually
January 22, 2014 (San Diego) – California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) this week announced she has introduced legislation to guarantee workers in California at least three days of paid sick leave annually.
County Contends Amendments Will Clarify Existing Ordinance; Wineries See Restrictions with Major Impacts
January 23, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)--The County of San Diego held a Tiered Winery Ordinance Workshop on January 17 in an effort to discuss and solicit feedback from the public on its draft zoning ordinance amendments that will affect local wineries.
More than 100 people were in attendance, many representing a variety of boutique wineries in San Diego County.
There was a unanimous sentiment from local vintners that the proposed amendments would place burdensome restrictions on local wineries, leading to the destruction of the county’s burgeoning small business operations.
Photos (not local): Jaguarundi, black jaguar, and melanistic jaguar with spots visible
By Miriam Raftery
January 22, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)--A rash of sightings of large black wildcats have been reported in East County, most recently in Spring Valley. While thus far no one has captured photos of the animals, the growing number of sightings from seemingly credible sources—including an East County Magazine reporter, raises some intriguing questions.
Are these cats escaped exotic pets, or could one or more black jaguars, believed extinct in California, or smaller jaguarundis have found their way back into our region?
Both jaguars and jaguarundis are critically endangered in the U.S. If these rare cats are regaining a toehold in our region, is anything being done to protect them from being shot by ranchers, law enforcement, or wildlife officials who may be unaware of their protected status?
Most recently, on January 5, Southwestern College language and literature professor Dan Moody told ECM that his mother, Dee Moody saw a jet-black, large cat that weighted at least 60 pounds walk across an open field behind her Spring Valley house on January 4 -- in broad daylight.
January 23, 2014 (Sacramento) – In his 2014 State of the State address, Governor Jerry Brown emphasized the state’s improving economic outlook while also pledging to “pay down our debts and remember the lessons of history.” He also laid out a long-term water plan for the state, renewed calls for water conservation amid a drought declaration, and vowed to continue reforming school funding and battling climate change.
January 23, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news each week that could impact your health and our future.
January 23, 2014 (San Diego’s East County ) --ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:
January 23, 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:
January 21, 2014 (La Mesa) -- The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce’s sixth annual Salute to Local Heroes will be a Hollywood-themed night titled, “Lights, Camera, Action!” The celebration will be held on Wednesday, February 19 from 5:30. to 8:30 p.m. at the Town & Country Resort Hotel (Pacific Ballroom), 500 Hotel Circle North in Mission Valley.
January 23, 2014 (Carrizo Gorge) – Laurie Baker sent photos taken while hiking at the rugged Carrizo Gorge in McCain Valley, near the site of a planned industrial wind facility. Her images show the dramatic rock formations that make this area one of the most spectacular scenic vistas in San Diego's East County.
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