June 13, 2011 (Sacramento) – Starting July 1, 2011 new legislation will go into effect requiring homeowners to install carbon monoxide detectors in every California home; a move CAL FIRE officials say will save lives. “Carbon monoxide is a silent killer, each year claiming the lives of an average of 480 people,” said Acting State Fire Marshal Tonya Hoover. “And sending more than 20,000 people to emergency rooms across the nation.” Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced from heaters, fireplaces, furnaces and many types of appliances and cooking devices.  

 Miriam Raftery

June 12, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Last week, as ECM reported, FEMA retracted its demand for Harris Fire survivor Veronica Lytle of Potrero to pay back disaster funds that FEMA had claimed were paid in error. Now FEMA informs ECM that 40 survivors of the 2007 California firestorms have been sent recoupment letters.

“FEMA received four appeals from applicants who were affected by disasters which occurred in San Diego County,” said a FEMA spokesperson who asked not to be named. “FEMA either rescinded or adjusted the amount identified for recoupment on three of the four appeals.”

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une 11, 2011 (Julian) -- Disaster Service Volunteers from across San Diego County will converge on the town of Julian Saturday morning to sharpen their skills during a “very realistic” 12-hour emergency response exercise. 

By Miriam Raftery

June 10, 2011 (San Diego) – A coalition of organizations serving people in need hosted a forum on June 2 at the City Heights Center to voice sharp criticism of San Diego County Supervisors. The criticism stemmed from two new reports by the Center on Policy Initiatives titled San Diego County Revenues and Reserves and County Employees: Overworked and Undermined.

The first report compared California’s 12 largest counties and found that San Diego takes in less revenue and has amassed reserves of $2.2 billion while restricting safety net services amid a recession. The County has left millions of dollars in state and federal aid funds unclaimed even though there are many eligible local residents for programs such as food stamps, CalWorks and Medi-Cal.

June 9, 2011 (Alpine) - Alpine Community Network reports that an Alpine resident has informed ACN of a mountain lion siting in broad daylight.  According to ACN director Angela Brookshire, ""I received an email this morning from an Alpine Resident who told me that on their way to work at Sycuan Casino at approximately 6:50 a.m. they spotted a Mountain Lion at the corner of Tavern Rd. and Dehesa Rd. in Alpine."

Photos by Monica Zech

June 8, 2011 (El Cajon)--A driver traveling eastbound on Rea Avenue shortly before 3 p.m. today hit the gas instead of the brake. Her vehicle plowed through a round center median, launched through a temporary ramp and fence, then over a deep trench before landing in a construction site near El Cajon’s City Hall.

June 7, 2011 (San Diego) -- San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has announced that its air crane helicopter was involved in an accident today during construction activities for Sunrise Powerlink in the Imperial Valley.  The Powerlink high-voltage transmission line is also under construction through several communities in East County.  

“This morning a section of a transmission tower carried by the helicopter fell approximately 200- feet to the ground outside SDG&E’s Plaster City Construction Yard near the shoulder of the Evan Hewes Highway,” a media statement released by the company indicated.  View a photo of the crash.

June 6, 2011 (San Diego) –A woman who died after being struck at a City Heights bus stop yesterday has been identified as Vanessa Mae Shane, 25, of El Cajon.  She was seated at a bus stop in the 4800 block of University Avenue near Euclid when the driver of the PT cruiser lost control and drove onto the sidewalk.

Shane resided with her parents in El Cajon.  Her 4-year-old son, Elijah, and boyfriend David Abilez, were also transported to area hospitals with serious injuries.

June 6, 2011 (San Diego) –  San Diego City Council has voted 7-1 to approve a budget that will eliminate brown-outs at city fire stations starting July 1, also restoring funds for libraries and city parks.

After staff projected that reserve accounts will have more money than estimated earlier, several proposals were made to utilize the new-found surplus. Council adopted an amendment proposed by Councilmember Marti Emerald to restore eight fire engines that have been shut down for over a year. Brownouts have been blamed for at least one death, a toddler who choked to death waiting on a fire engine with paramedics to arrive from a distant location while a station a block away was closed.

June 6, 2011 (El Cajon) -- Just before 10:00 a.m. this morning Heartland Fire & Rescue, serving the City of El Cajon, responded to reports of an apartment fire at 525 East Camden Avenue in El Cajon. As crews arrived smoke was coming from a second floor apartment. El Cajon fire crews, assisted by firefighters from the San Miguel Fire District, had the fire knocked down in about ten minutes. Quick action kept the fire from reaching neighboring apartment units. The exact cause of the fire is still being investigated, but it appears to have started in or around the clothes dryer area located in the middle of the apartment.

Damage has been estimated at $15,000 to the apartment and its contents. There was some smoke damage to an adjoining apartment. The family was at home at the time of the fire and were able to escape safely. The family will be staying with relatives. There were no injuries reported. 

June 4, 2011 (Otay) – One person is dead and two others injured following a collision on Otay Lakes Road today, the Deerhorn Valley Antler reports. A blue Ford F-150 truck struck a motorcycle near the glider port, causing a shut down of Otay Lakes Road at Highway 94.

June 3, 2011 (El Cajon) – A child has been run over and remains trapped beneath a car at eastbound Main Street near Madison; Heartland Fire Department has been dispatched. In addition, an ambulance has been dispatched for a second accident on I-8 at Severin, according to the CHP website.

Watch for updates at www.EastCountyMagazine.org.

June 2, 2011 (San Diego) – A sports utility vehicle struck two bicyclists Tuesday in a rollover crash on Highway 56 in Rancho Penasquitos, killing one cyclist and seriously injuring the other. The deceased has been identified as Nick Venuto of Poway, corporate controller of Sapphire Energy, a biotech company in Torrey Pines. Baron Herdelin-Doherty, president and CEO of the San Diego County YMCA, suffered broken bones in his hips, ribs and arms.

June 1, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Three new cases of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) were reported in the U.S. and Canada over the holiday weekend, including one new case confirmed in California with neurological signs of equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM), a potentially lethal condition.

New police station, fire station rehab, University Ave. revitalization, Alison Ave. upgrades, storm drain and wastewater collection projects named

May 29, 2011 (La Mesa) - The City of La Mesa has received eight awards for capital improvement projects.

Honors include four merit awards from American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), three project of the year awards from American Public Works Association (APWA), and one special recognition award from American Planning Association (APA).