East County News Service

Photos courtesy National Weather Service

March 18, 2017 (San Diego's East County) - The National Weather Service has a new report and video out on the extreme winter weather. It’s official – October 2016 to February 2017 was the wettest winter in California since 1900, with a whopping 27.81 inches of precipitation.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Flooded roadway, courtesy National Weather Service

March 17, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts. The dry and warm weather pattern that has held for the last week will come to an end early next week as a series of storms arrive along the California Coast, the National Weather Service predicts.

By Miriam RafteryPhoto

Photo by Alex Tardy, National Weather Service:  San Diego River crested at 14.15 feet, third highest level ever recorded

March 16, 2017 (San Diego) — President Donald Trump has  granted a federal disaster declaration requested by California Governor Jerry Brown in 15 California counties, including San Diego, due to severe storms that caused flooding, mudslides, and other damage from January 18-23.

By Miriam Raftery

March 15, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – The majority of voters in San Diego County, including most in unincorporated areas, voted to legalize recreational marijuana.  But instead of heeding voters wishes for more access to pot, San Diego Supervisors voted 3-2 on Tuesday to outlaw all marijuana sales in unincorporated areas, including medical marijuana.   (Licensed dispensaries already open and those approved for construction will have five years to shut down.) Supervisors also voted to outlaw all farming of marijuana and hemp.

By Miriam Raftery

March 15, 2017 (Washington D.C.) - President Donald Trump’s budget contains a radical proposal to completely eliminate all funding for public broadcasting, including National Public Radio, or NPR, and PBS, the Public Broadcasting System which includes KPBS here in San Diego.

East County News Service

March 15, 2017 (Pine Valley) -- If you see smoke in East County this week, don’t panic. Cal Fire will be conducting prescribed burns over the next two weeks, starting with an area south Pine Valley today in cooperation with the Corte Madera Ranch.

By Miriam Raftery; Jonathan Goetz also contributed to this report

View full video of town hall:  https://www.facebook.com/RepSusanDavis/videos/1499056013470282/

March 12, 2017 (San Diego) -- Concerns over healthcare reforms, deportations, attacks on public education, troops in Syria, climate change, and Trump’s Russian ties were among the issues raised by constituents of Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) at a town hall forum yesterday.  More than 1,000 people filled Montezuma Hall at San Diego State University to capacity.

Source: Caltrans

March 13, 2017 (El Cajon/Lakeside) -- Caltrans construction crews will close one lane on northbound State Route 67 between Interstate 8 in El Cajon and Mapleview Street in Lakeside on Monday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The closure is needed to apply a fog seal – a protective pavement coating. The same closure will take place Tuesday if needed to complete the work.

East County News Service

March 10, 2017 (Washington D.C.) -- The Senate introduced a resolution today to overturn a Federal Communications Commission rule that requires internet service providers to get customers’ permission before they sell sensitive consumer data, such as browsing history.

By Miriam Raftery

AARP warns that seniors age 50-64 will pay $8,500 a year more for health insurance premiums each year, on average, under the GOP plan. Read the bill here. 

March 10, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) –Major organizations representing patients, doctors, nurses and senior citizens have come out against the “American Health Care Act” ( AHCA or “Trumpcare”), Congressional Republicans’ plan for replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA Obamacare) that’s being fast-tracked through Congress. 

The American Medical Association (AMA),  the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and others warn that the plan will weaken benefits and make healthcare much more expensive than many people are paying now, whether you’re on an ACA plan, private health insurance or Medicare/Medicare.   

“As drafted, the AHCA would result in millions of Americans losing coverage and benefits,”  Dr. Andrew Gurman, prseident of the AMA, the nation's largest organization of doctors, said Wednesday. "By replacing income-based premium subsidies with age-based tax credits,  AHCA will also make coverage more expensive—if not out of reach—for poor and sick Americans. For these reasons, the AMA cannot support the AHCA as it is currently written.”

Councilman speaks out against Mayor Wells' proposal to prevent any councilmember from placing items on the agenda without support of another member

By Miriam Raftery

March 9, 2017 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Councilman Ben Kalasho will hold his second town hall meeting tonight from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the El Cajon Police community room, 200 Civic Center Way in El Cajon. 

In a video posted on his Facebook page,  Kalasho asks public support to block a measure introduced by Mayor Bill Wells that would prevent any individual councilmember from adding an item to the agenda without support of another member.  The only Democrat on the Council, Kalasho contends that the proposal is targeting him. That measure is expected to be on the agenda for the March 14^th Council hearing at 3 p.m..

By Miriam Raftery

March 9, 2017 (San Diego) — On Wednesday, March 15,  San Diego County Supervisors will consider amending zoning regulations to outlaw all marijuana facilities,  medical and recreational.  At a recent meeting, Supervisors instructed staff to draw up language to ban all facilities including shutting down existing lawfully operating dispensaries. However staff is recommending that existing medical marijuana facilities be allowed to stay open.  County staff also recommended that  Supervisors consider possible zoning ordinance amendments to address regulations permitting cannabis farming in agricultural zones, though thus far Supervisors have voiced opposition to requests from farmers seeking to grow cannabis.

By Miriam Raftery

March 9, 2017 (San Diego) — Sunday, don’t forget to move your clock forward an hour for Daylight Savings time.  Fire officials encourage changing your smoke detector on this date.  In addition, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration encouraging you to also use the agency’s free VIN Look-Up tool to see if any of your family’s vehicles are under a recall order.

East County News Service

March 8, 2017 (El Cajon) -- The El Cajon Police Department Traffic Unit will be conducting a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint on March 11 at the 800 block of EL Cajon Blvd within the city limits from  7:00 pm to 2:00 am.

East County News Service

March 8, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- The state of California has established a new website called the Human Right to Water Portal, in compliance with a 2012 law that makes California the first state in the U.S. to recognize a right to safe, clean, affordable and accessible water for all state residents.  But a review of the new website shows that many East County communities, schools and public water systems are in violation of safe, clean drinking water standards.