By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Miriam Raftery: Rooftop solar on People's Market in Ocean Beach

May 29, 2023 (San Diego) – For years, residents in San Diego’s rural and desert areas have argued that it would make more sense to put solar on roofs and parking lots in urban areas where power is used, instead of building massive wind and solar projects in the backcountry that negatively impact communities and require miles of new power lines. On May 25, County Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a proposal by Supervisor Jim Desmond that will include studying capacity for renewable energy projects on infill lots, roofs and parking lots.

The study will be part of the proposed Regional Decarbonization Framework (RDF), which sets a goal of reducing carbon emissions to net-zero levels by 2045. The Chief Administrator has six months to complete the study and report back to the Board of  Supervisors, though the board cannot vote until the vacancy in District four has been filled by a special election.

As ECM reported in early March, the Protect Our Communities Foundation filed a lawsuit in late February against the County over its RDF, contending that the County hired a  biased utility industry consultant to direct the County’s RDF and that its conclusions are skewed toward utilities’ interests over consumers’ interests based on flawed data and that it would actually cost less for infill energy projects than for large-scale energy facilities in remote areas, if costs of transmission is factored in.

By Miriam Raftery

May 28, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Equestrian Foundation (USEF) will hold a webinar on May 31 at 1 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Vesicular Stomatis Virus (VSV), a contagious livestock disease that has spread to at least six different communities in San Diego County. Registration is required for the webinar, which will be held on Zoom. Register here.

Dr. Angela Pelzel McCluskey, USDA equine epidemiologist, will provide an overview of Vesicular Stomatitis and the current situation report also providing perspective based on her firsthand experience managing numerous VS outbreaks in her previous roles. Dr. Katie Flynn,USEF Equine Health and Biosecurity veterinarian, will cover prevention measures for horses and their premises, as well as the biosecurity requirements being implemented at those USEF events with horses competing from VS Affected States.

As of Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 23 properties are quarantined due to VSV, including 18 sites in San Diego County—seven more than in the last report five days earlier.  All but one case in the outbreak have occurred in equine species such as horses, but there is one suspected case  in a “backyard beef steer” at a local property with three cattle. The remaining cases are in Riverside County. 

The USDA has not responded to our media inquiry for specific locations impacted in our region, but the Ramona  Sentinel reports that the first six confirmed cases since the outbreak began May 17 were in Ramona, Lakeside, Campo, Jamul, Del Sur, and Descanso, according to local veterinarians. San Diego and Riverside counties are the only places in the nation with current cases.

By Alastair Bland, CalMatters

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

Photo: drought-stricken Lake Mead on the Colorado River in August 2022. Photo by Christopher Clark / U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

May 28, 2023 (San Diego) - After nearly a year of intense negotiations, California, Nevada and Arizona reached a historic agreement last Monday to use less water from the overdrafted Colorado River over the next three years.

East County News Service

May 27, 2023 (El Cajon) – The Biden-Harris administration has announced over $4.8 million in grants to Southern California to cleanup polluted brown field sites and provide technical assistance. That includes a $500,000 grant to the East County Economic Development Council Foundation to address contamination cleanup in the city of El Cajon.

According to the EPA site, the target area for this grant is the 1.4-square-mile El Cajon Opportunity Zone Corridor. Priority sites include a 1.1-acre former commercial and lumber operation; a 3.06-acre former ice house, lumber operation, and garage; and several sites formerly used for auto repair centers, a dry cleaner, a gas station, and a current restaurant and motel.

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) says, “Safely cleaning up and reinvesting in properties with potentially hazardous materials strengthens our local tax base, promotes job growth, and protects public health and the environment. That’s why I’m so glad East County Economic Development Council Foundation will receive a much-needed $500,000 from the EPA to invest in properties and frontline communities that have been ignored and neglected for far too long.”

Warnings issued for beaches from North County to South Bay, impacting beach safety for humans and dogs

East County News Service

File photo by Tony Webster,Friendship Park sewage warning sign in Imperial Beach cc 2.0

Update May 29, 2023: The closure is lifted for the Coronado Lifeguard Tower and North Beach Shorelines. Recent water quality samples meet State health standards.  Warnings at other beaches remain in effect.

May 27, 2023 (San Diego) – Sewage spills in Tijuana have contaminated many local beaches. Some South Bay beaches have been closed for months or more, including Imperial Beach and Tijuana Slough shoreline. Earlier this month, the Coronado shoreline was shutdown by county health officials, after earlier closing the Silver Strand.

This Memorial Day weekend, the county has also issued advisories warning consumers of pollution at the following beaches:

• San Diego River Outlet – Dog Beach, Ocean Beach
• North Cove, Vacation Isle
• Oceanside Pier at Surfrider Way
• Comfort Station at Leisure Lagoon
• Fanuel Park
• Fiesta Island Northwest Shoreline
• San Elijo Lagoon
• Childrens Pool
  

By Chuck Westerheide, County of San Diego Communications Office

Video by Alex Aguirre

May 25, 2023 (San Diego) - The San Diego County Fire Protection District is giving out more than 400 pool alarms to help prevent drownings as part of Health and Safe Swimming Week (May 22 through 28). The alarms can offer notification when a child or pet falls into a pool. The alarms will be available to households in the San Diego County or Deer Springs Fire Protection Districts.

577 Million Robocalls made to CA phones on National Do Not Call Registry, including Medicare and Social Security scams

May 23, 2023 (Sacramento)-- California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, as part of a bipartisan coalition of 49 attorneys general, announced a lawsuit against Avid Telecom for allegedly making billions of unlawful robocalls in California and across the nation.. Those robocalls included Social Security Administration scams, Medicare scams, and employment scams; two robocall examples can be found here and here. 

Today’s complaint is the result of efforts by the nationwide Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force, which Attorney General Bonta helped launch last year and is charged with taking legal action against telecommunications companies that perpetuate robocall traffic.

By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  Enzo, our campaign poster dog, is available for adoption at the County's Carlsbad animal shelter

May 23, 2023 (San Diego) - Sometimes someone rescues an animal and later realizes the animal rescued them right back.

Source: City of El Cajon

Image: CC by SA

May 22, 2023 (El Cajon) - New basketball courts at Wells Park (1153 E Madison Ave, El Cajon) will open on May 25 with a ribbon-cutting at 4 p.m. The 18-acre park was built in 1953 and is in the middle of the City’s most population-dense residential housing area.

Update May 23, 2023:  Quarantines have been imposed by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture on 15 properties in San Diego County and 4 in Riverside,  Locally, 6 cases have been confirmed and 9 more are suspected. 

Read more:  https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/quarantines-imposed-vsv-livestock-dis...

By Miriam Raftery

May 20, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) –  A case of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV), a viral disease which causes severe blister-like lesions on the mouths and hooves of horses, cattle, pigs, goats, llamas, and other hooved livestock, has been confirmed in San Diego County, according to Dr. Craig Chandler, DVM, at the East County Large and Small Animal Practice. According to Dr. Chandler, testing is underway on samples from several other horses in East County with suspected VSV.

According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners, VSV is contagious and debilitating, but rarely life threatening.  It can also spread to humans, so safe handling procedures should be followed.

The disease is reportable; livestock should be isolated for 14 days after the last case.  The disease takes 2 to 8 days from exposure to appear and usually runs it course in about 2 weeks, though sores can take up to months to resolve.  Testing is required to confirm  presence of the disease.

Dr. Chandler posted the following information on Facebook and gave permission for ECM to reprint it, along with a photo:

East County News Service

May 21, 2023  (Santee) – Jose  Lawrence Ruvalcaba, 29, is in custody for allegedly groping a 12-year-old girl on May 18.

A 12-year-old student from Chett F. Harritt School was walking towards  Big Rock Park on Arlette Street on May 18 shortly before 4 p.m. when a man approached her and inappropriately touched her chest, says Lieutenant Anthony O’Boyle with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

According to O’Boyle, a friend who was with the victim tried to intervene by pushing away the suspect. He took off on an electric black and gray scooter. 

An employee at the Santee Teen Center, which is also located at Big Rock Park, called the Sheriff's Department on Friday, May 19 just before 6:30 p.m. when he saw a man who matched the all-black clothing description of the suspect and his scooter.

East County News Service

May 20, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – The I-8 pavement replacement and road improvement project from Viejas Creek in Alpine to Pine Valley Creek is 40 percent completed after the first 160 days of work, with completion of the entire project expected in spring 2024.

Source: San Diego Sheriff

May 20, 2023 (Santee) -- Detectives with the Sheriff's Child Abuse Unit and the Santee Sheriff's Station want the public's help in identifying and locating a man wanted for groping a child in Santee. The alleged incident occurred  on Thursday, May 18 just before 4:00 p.m. near Big Rock Park in the 8100 block of Arlette Street.

“A 12-year-old student from Chett F. Harritt School was walking towards the park when a man approached her,” says Lieutenant Anthony O’Boyle. “The man inappropriately touched her chest. A friend who was with the victim tried to intervene by pushing away the suspect. He took off on an electric black and gray scooter. He was last seen going eastbound towards Mesa Road.”

Update May 27: Sweetwater has announced on its website that it will reopen the reservoir to hiking and birdwatching on May 30, but the district has not yet committed to when or if fish will be restocked.

By Miriam Raftery

May 18, 2023 (Alpine) – Loveland Reservoir in Alpine has been closed since January,  after heavy storms caused major erosion to trails left exposed by Sweetwater Water Authority's decision to drain the lake to dead pool status. Though rains have replenished water levels to above the heavily eroded banks, public access has not been restored--much to the consternation of area residents.

Last night, East County residents in support of reopening Loveland packed the hearing room at the Sweetwater Water Authority headquarters in Chula Vista to voice their views.