Shot down before, this time advocates have momentum as bill heads to a vote

By J.W. August

Photo:  Isolation of patients in nursing homes during COVID era increases need for state oversight; image CC-by-NC via Bing

Update August 11, 2022:  AB 1502 has passed the State Senate Judiciary and Appropriations Committees, and now heads to the Senate floor.

Update 5 p.m. --AB 1502  passed the Assembly this afternoon by a 47-12 vote and now heads to the State Senate.

January 31, 2022 (San Diego) -- If you want to drive a car in California you need a driver's license. In San Diego County all dogs must be licensed.  But if you own a nursing home, you can buy another home or chain of facilities, and no license is required. 

Unlike a driver who is in multiple accidents or an animal that's attacked someone, there are no rules when it comes to the takeover or sale of nursing homes, no matter how ugly the track record of the firm buying or selling a nursing home.

Even if a chain operator has a history of poorly managed homes, it can add to its portfolio and can do so without first obtaining a license, as long as it submits a license application. The trouble is, such applications can take years to process.

The California Department of Public Health, which is charged with providing oversight of the nursing home industry, says it has no authority to disqualify owners and operators who are already in operation in the state. The agency says this is allowed to happen under what they call a Management Operations Transfer Agreement.

This is what Tony Chicotel, attorney for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR), calls “zombie licenses.”. He explains it’s  “the essence of license-evasion.” 

By Elijah McKee

January 30, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – In the past, getting zoning approval for shelter space in San Diego County could take up to two years and require costly payments. 

Now, after the Board of Supervisors unanimously amended a zoning ordinance on Wednesday, there will be fewer obstacles for multiple kinds of safe shelter and housing options, which could especially serve East County.

By Elijah McKee

Photo, left by Rebecca Jefferis Williamson:  Voter casts ballot at San Diego Register of Voters

January 26, 2022 (San Diego) — With year one of the Biden Administration completed and the 2022 midterm elections on the horizon, Congress’s pivotal tug-of-war over federal voting rights legislation continues to escalate.

In January 19 in the Senate, Republicans blocked the Democrats’ attempt at passing both the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The legislation — which was also blocked several times in 2021 — sought to strengthen the protections of voters in light of many recent state laws that suppress voting rights. 

Such laws have been levied across the nation in the wake of the 2020 Presidential election and the January 6 attack on the Capitol. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently warned, “Our voting rights – and our democracy – are on the line.”

By Miriam Raftery

January 30, 2022 (Palomar) -- A 4.0 earthquake at 9:46 this morning struck approximately 5 kilometers west-southwest of Palomar Observatory in north San Diego County, the U.S. Geological Service reports.  That's about 18 miles northeast of Escondido.

The shaking was felt as far away as Mexico to the south, Santa Maria to the north, and Yuma, Arizona to the east.

East County News Service

January 29, 2022 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- Jacumba Hikers recently trekked to the rugged, rock-strewn Valley of the Moon in the Jacumba Mountains. Angela Somera sent these photos from the hike, which was led by Mike Rood and Bill Paper.

“I was the `sweep,' the last person on the hike to make sure no one gets off trail,” she says.

By Jesse Bedayn, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

Photo:  Bradley Fisher, 62, in the Antioch home he eventually moved into after spending 14 years in a Bay Area nursing home. Sept. 2, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

January 29, 2022 (San Diego) - Bradley Fisher, a 62-year-old retired mechanic, lived in a Bay Area nursing home for 14 years. 

East County News Service

January 29, 2022  (San Diego) – This week, 10 House and Senate committee chairs sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting an investigation into the involvement of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s Critical Incident Teams (CITs) along the southern border region. 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: CC by SA-NC

January 29, 2022 (La Mesa) – A homeless man accused of robbing the Wells Fargo Bank in Grossmont Center on Thursday was arrested soon after in a nearby restaurant.

East County News Service

Photo via San Diego Sheriff Dept. 

January 29, 2022 (Lakeside) – Shawn Orr, 26, a wanted felon and gang member with a felony arrest warrant, has been captured in Lakeside.

According to Sergeant Aaron Meleen, “Orr was in possession of approximately 1 ounce of methamphetamine, two "ghost" guns, and various burglary tools” when Patrol and Crime Suppression Team deputies form the lakeside Substation contacted him on January 27 in the 12500 block of Lakeshore Drive.

By Miriam Raftery

January 28, 2022 (San Diego) – The former chief deputy for information systems in the San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/ Clerk’s office has been charged with steering county contracts to his wife’s company from 2017-2020.

East County News Service

Photo: CC-NC-ND via Bing

January 28, 2022 (Spring Valley) – Shortly before midnight last night, Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a woman calling for help at an apartment complex in the 1600 block of Canyon Drive.  They found the victim unresponsive in the parking lot with traumatic injuries.

East County News Service

January 27, 2022 (El Cajon) – Downtown El Cajon Business Partners invite you to join them on  Friday, February 11 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for a walking tour of the arts on Main Street in Downtown El Cajon. There will be art demos, murals, art exhibitions and studio tours, all in a family-friendly environment.

Don’t miss this opportunity to see the latest artworks and more.