February 17, 2013 (La Mesa) – The La Mesa Centennial Committee will hold its next meeting on Monday, February 18 from 4-5:30 p.m. at the La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Drive.  A reception honoring committee members will take place immediately after the meeting.  Read more for the full agenda:

February 14, 2013 (San Diego) – In a letter sent to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on February 8, San Diego Mayor Bob Filner urged denial of Southern California Edison’s request to restart Unit 2 at the San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station for five months at 70% as a test to see if similar problems that caused failure of a steam generator at Unit 3 would occur.

Mayor Filner stated bluntly, “The NRC has previously determined that both Unit 2 and Unit 3 steam generators had similar serious design flaws and errors in the computer models used for design. The restart of Unit 2, even at reduced power, is a dangerous experiment that threatens the safety of the 8.2 million Southern California residents living within a 50-mile radius, including much of San Diego.”

February 13, 2013  (San Diego)--Mylar balloons can make great Valentine’s Day gifts, if they’re kept indoors or securely tied down, but they can also pose a safety hazard.  San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) today urged customers to be aware of the dangers that can arise when Mylar balloons touch power lines. 

The metallic coating on Mylar balloons is an excellent conductor of electricity. If a Mylar balloon touches a power line, it could cause a power outage in your neighborhood, and even an electrical fire.

February 12, 2013 (San Diego)--This morning, ratepayer advocate and former San Diego City Attorney Michael J. Aguirre revealed details behind a new legal action against Southern California Edison (SCE) with what he terms “smoking gun documents showing how SCE executives have unlawfully levied multiple rate hikes on San Diego and Southern California ratepayers without formal approval from regulators.”

Aguirre is demanding refunds from Southern California Edison and SDG&E for ratepayers in our region, which is home to the highest electric rates in the USA.

Update February 13:  The CPUC has postponed its decisions until February 28.  This is the fourth delay on the controversial projects.

February 12, 2013 (San Diego)—The California Public Utilities Commission is expected to decide this Wednesday, February 13 on whether or not to approve three gas-powered “peaker” plants in San Diego County, including Quail Brush near Mission Trails, as well as facilities in Otay and Escondido. The meeting will be held in San Francisco at 9 a.m. 

If you wish to send a letter to the CPUC, Save Mission Trails has information posted here.

By Janis Mork

February 11, 2013 (El Cajon)- Tomorrow’s El Cajon Council will consider an agenda introduced by Pro Tem Mayor Bill Wells regarding the city’s red light camera program, which has been in effect since 1996 (see http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051216/news_1m16red1.html).

The agenda item, if approved, would direct the city manager to bring back information on the program, including information on possibly ending it. It’s also been recommended that the city council set an advisory meeting for 2 p.m. on March 12 and an information session at 7 p.m. the same day to hear public opinions.

February 10, 2013 (Lakeside) -- Wildcat Canyon Road in Lakeside remains closed tonight between Willows Road and Muth Valley Road.  The route has been shut down since a vehicle accident downed power lines around 1:58 a.m.  According to the California Highway Patrol website, Wildcat Canyon, the main access route to Barona Casino, could remain closed all night.

By Miriam Raftery

February 9, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) ---Heavy snowfall has transformed our local mountains into winter wonderlands.  Mount Laguna received 10 inches of snowfall in the past 24 hours, followed by Palomar Mountain with 7 to 8 inches.  Cuyamaca also received significant snowfall, as this image sent in by reader Grace Schlesier shows. Frost and freezing temperatures are expected through Monday in inland valleys.

Other areas dusted in white include Julian (3-6 inches), Ranchita (5 inches), Santa  Ysabel (2 inches) and Pine Valley (2 inches) .  Snow even dipped down to Descanso and Campo, which received less than a half inch each.

February 9, 2013 (San Diego's East County)--In the spirit of Valentine's Day, the San Miguel District Fire Stations will be offering free blood pressure screenings, February 14th from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at any San Miguel District Fire Station. Come get your blood pressure checked. Take the first step towards heart health.  Read more for locations.

Update February 8, 2013:  The court in Imperial Valley has issued a restraining order requiring Graham to stay away from Park Ewing, the photographer he reportedly attacked.

By Miriam Raftery

Jim Pelley and Parke Ewing contributed to this report.

February 7, 2013 (Ocotillo) –Russell Scott Graham, 48, a representative  at Pattern Energy’s Ocotillo Wind Express Facility, has been arrested after allegedly attempting to wrestle a camera away from an East County Magazine photographer and making violent threats, including one documented on  video during the attack. (Warning, coarse language.) According to the Imperial Valley Press and photographers documenting the project's daily progress for many months,  Graham is the construction manager at Pattern's site.

Freelance photographers Parke Ewing and Jim Pelley have spent months extensively documenting construction activities at the Ocotillo wind project.  Many of their videos and photos have been published by East County Magazine, including  photographic evidence that raised serious questions on whether the project is producing wind speeds claimed, as ECM previously reported in a story titled Where is the wind?

Editor’s Note:  If you have any information on wildlife killed by tax-funded trappers in East County, please send your tips to editor@eastcountymagazine.org.

 

Reprinted with permission from Voice of San Diego.

By Rob Davis, for voiceofsandiego.org

A country club near Chula Vista’s Eastlake had a gnawing problem.

Coots. Lots and lots of coots.

The small, black bird that looks like a duck was chewing greens and fairways on the club’s golf course, pooping so much near the snack bar that it occasionally closed for cleanups. Birds are attracted to golf courses’ open space, a common problem in heavily developed Southern California. The private country club — records aren’t specific about which one — suspected the coots were hurting their bottom line.

By Nadin Abbott

Photos by Tom Abbott

February 4, 2013 (San Diego)-- In a public hearing Friday, Public Utilities Commission Representative Denise Tyrrell listened to the concerns of over 500 San Diego citizens regarding three proposed peaker gas-fired power plants, including the Cogentrix and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) plan to develop Quail Brush,near Mission Trails Regional Park. Other proposed plants were Pio Pico in the Otay area and the Wellhead Escondido Energy Center.

By Janis Mork

February 1, 2013 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon’s City Council voted 5-0 on January 22 to ask staff to draft options for an ordinance with tougher licensing regulations for off-site sales of liquor at markets and liquor stores.

“El Cajon has changed a lot since I was a kid in the 1960’s,” said Councilman Gary Kendrick, who introduced the proposal. “Unfortunately, as we grew, we acquired problems big cities had. One is alcohol abuse. We’ve struggled with it for 30 years now,” he said, adding that his proposal is modeled after ‘deemed approved’ ordinances that have, “...become very popular in cities that have it.” 

January 30, 2013 (San Diego) – The CPUC is holding a Public Forum on the Quail Brush Power Plan along with two other proposed power plants in San Diego County on Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. at Al Bahr Temple/Shriner’s Auditorium, 5440 Kearny Mesa Rd., San Diego. The CPUC’s proposed decision will prevent the emission of over 900,000 annual tons of greenhouse gases by denying purchase power tolling agreements.