By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

(Photo courtesy of Biden Inauguration committe)

Update from San Diego's Mayor Todd Gloria:  "San Diego will participate in the National Memorial to Lives Lost to #COVID19 as organized by @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris "Tonight, the Convention Center and buildings in #BalboaPark will be illuminated in amber and red, white, and blue to honor those we have lost to the virus."

Jan. 18, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) Part of the inaugural events for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris include a service tomorrow afternoon, Jan. 19, at 5:30 p.m. eastern standard time. The service will be held at 2:30 p.m. pacific standard time. They encourage all to light a candle in memory of those lost to COVID19 and place it is a window.

On the official Facebook page for the inauguration, the event is described as such:

“On January 19 at 5:30pm (local time- E.S.T.- 2:30 p.m. P.S.T. in California) we invite Americans across the country to come together for a national moment of unity and remembrance to honor the lives lost to COVID-19.

In Washington, D.C., we will host a ceremony with President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Harris, featuring the first-ever lighting of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to honor and remember those who have died. You can watch live on Biden Inaugural social media channels.

East County News Service

January 18, 2021 (Washington D.C.) – The inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris is slated to take place this Wednesday, January 19 in front of the Capitol. Washington D.C.is under heavy security following last week’s capitol insurrection, with 25,000 National Guard troops stationed there—five time more than the number of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq combined.

Due to threats of violence and the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of guests will be limited to mainly members of Congress and guests. The Capitol mall is closed to the public for security reasons. The event will be live streamed by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.  You can also watch the inauguration on C-span, CNN and other major networks. Throughout the day and evening, a variety of inaugural events will be held that the public can watch or paticipate in virtually.

January 17, 2021 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Post-COVID lungs worse than the worst smokers' lungs, surgeon says (CBS)
• Federal COVID-19 reserve is now empty, prompting angry reponses (The Hill)
• Trump tries to claw back billions from COVID-19 distributor (Ars Technica)
• Adequate Levels of Vitamin D Reduces Complications, Death Among COVID-19 Patients (Boston University School of Medicine)
• 240 Israelis found with COVID after vaccination, underscoring need for vigilance (Times of Israel)
• Brazil researchers report disappointing 50.4% efficacy for China's CoronaVac vaccine (Reuters)
• South Africa COVID strain: what you need to know (CNBC)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Look, up in the sky - it's a flying Cadillac! GM unveils futuristic vehicle (Reuters)
  
  
  
  Amazon Is Booting Parler Off Of Its Web Hosting Service (Buzzfeed)
• Google Play suspends Parler for failure to moderate posts that incite violence  (CBS)
• PayPal and Shopify remove Trump-related accounts, citing policies against supporting violence (CNet)
•  Facebook bans Trump from posting for remainder of his term in office (CNN)
• Twitter permanently bans Trump (CBS)
• Parler CEO says social media app, favored by Trump supporters, may not return  Reuters)

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

By Juliette Nash, Community Training Coordinator, San Diego Humane Society

Photos courtesy San Diego Humane Society

January 16, 2021 (San Diego) -- Whether you’ve just adopted a puppy during the pandemic or you’re a longtime pet owner, positive reinforcement-based behavioral training is key to a happy, healthy human-animal relationship, especially while everyone is spending more time at home. But with most traditional in-person training classes on hold in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, you may feel your options are limited. That is not the case, though — and trainers at San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) have moved many of their training classes online. They have found online training classes, conducted via Zoom or other video chat platforms, can bring tremendous results to pets and families alike.

The Importance of Training Your Pet

By Mike Allen

January 15, 2021 (Santee) -- Santee residents will get a chance to vote on the Fanita Ranch project, but will have to wait until November 2022 to do so.

At its Jan. 13 meeting, the Santee City Council voted 4-0, with Mayor John Minto absent, to place the controversial 3,000-unit residential development on the next regularly scheduled city election rather than rescinding its earlier approval vote for the project or setting a special election. According to the county Registrar of Voters, a special election would cost the city about $850,000.

This wasn’t what the Council originally intended. In September the board approved a slew of amendments to the Fanita Ranch Specific Plan and approved the project in a 4-1 vote, with former Councilman Stephen Houlahan opposed.

By Miriam Raftery

January 15, 2021 (San Diego) – Santa Ana winds are forecast to roar into our region, bringing high fire danger Friday and Saturday along with soaring temperatures up to 20 degrees above  normal.

SDG&E has announced possible public safety power shutoffs to more than 11,000 customers across San Diego County’s mountain and rural communities. For updates, see the outage page at www.SDGE.com.

The National Weather Service warns that “strong, damaging Santa Ana winds” are expected to again be likely Monday through Wednesday—along with likely high fire danger if humidity remains low.

By Miriam Raftery

January 14, 2021 (Jamul) – A deadly collision on Otay Lakes Road in Jamul on January 10th shortly before 10 a.m. claimed the lives of a motorcyclist and a bicyclist.

The victims are identified as Jonathan Michael Charbonnet, 43, and Julias Kim G. Cunanan, 40, both of Chula Vista.  Charbonnet was riding a motorcycle eastbound when for unknown reasons, he struck Cunanan, who was riding with a group of bicyclists

By Miriam Raftery

January 14, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) --Under the authority of the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County, the Rancho Helix De Oro is a newly formed fire safe council dedicated to educating and preparing our community in order to avoid devastating fires. The group has created an educational fire-safe flyer  (click link to view flyer) with information including tips for fire safety, an evacuation map, who to call during an emergency, and how to get emergency notification for the communities of Rancho San Diego, Mt. Helix and Casa de Oro.

The new group was formed with support from then-County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, the Grossmont-Mt. Helix Improvement Association, Valle de Oro Planning Group, Casa De Oro Alliance, and community members in collaboration with San Miguel Fire and Rescue, Cal Fire, San Diego County Sheriff, San Diego Gas & Electric, and the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo via a recent "Tea Time" video for the Tea Party on Assemblyman Voepel's Facebook page

January 13, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) --  Days after insurrectionists violently took over the nation’s capitol, threatening lives of legislators and resulting in five deaths including a police officer, statements made by East County Assemblyman Randy Voepel are drawing sharp criticisms, including calls for his resignation or expulsion from the Legislature.

Voepel, also a former Santee Mayor, said of the insurrection, “This is Lexington and Concord. First shots fired against tyranny. Tyranny will follow in the aftermath of the Biden swear-in on January 20," the San Diego Union-Tribune reported on January 10.

That prompted numerous posts on the Republican Assemblyman’s Facebook page overwhelmingly condemning his statements, including several calls for him to resign and an organization that promotes national security after 9/11 urging the Legislature to expel Voepel.

View Schwarzenegger’s video: https://youtu.be/x_P-0I6sAck

By Miriam Raftery

Rebecca Jefferis Williamson contributed to this story.

January 13, 2021 – California’s former Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, an Austrian immigrant, delivered a powerful video message  in response to the insurrection at out nation’s capitol this week.  He likened it to Kristallnact, a night of rampage in his native Austria carried out against Jews by the “Nazi equivalent of the Proud Boys.” 

In an emotional tone, Schwarzenegger warned of where such actions can lead if left unchecked. He recalled growing up “in the ruins of a country that suffered the loss of its democracy,” adding, “Growing up, I was surrounded by broken men, drinking away their guilt over their participation in the most evil regime in history.”  That included his own father and neighbors.

He recalled that it all started with “lies and intolerance” and warned that this could happen here. He blamed President Donald Trump for spreading lies to try and overturn “a fair election” adding. “He sought a coup by misleading people with lies.”

By Miriam Raftery

Photo,left: Counterprotester sprays a pro-Trump demonstrator; screenshot via ECM news partner 10 News

January 12, 2021 (San Diego) --  A clash between self-described pro-Trump “patriots” and counter-protesters who claimed to be part of the antifascist “Antifa” movement on Saturday in Pacific Beach turned violent, 10 News, the Los Angeles Times and Fox 5 report.

The demonstration occurred days after pro-Trump demonstrators seeking to block election certification stormed the U.S. Capitol in a violent rampage that left a police officer and four insurrectionists dead, the Capitol ransacked and legislators terrorized.

But this time, multiple media outlets on scene report that the violence was instigated by anti-fascist counter-protesters. On social media, some counter-protesters have claimed the protesters included white supremacists and fascists.