By Liz Alper

Photo by Jeffrey Beall, Wikipedia Commons

June 10, 2016 (San Diego) - Chargers receiver Keenan Allen has been inked to a four-year contract extension worth more than $11 million per season, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

By Miriam Raftery

June 10, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – A 5.2 earthquake that struck northwest of Borrego Springs in Anza Borrego Desert State Park at 1:03 this morning was felt widely, in part because it was at a shallow depth of just 1 kilometer.  Residents and at least one seismologist jolted by the quake and aftershocks quickly took to social media to report their experiences.

June 10, 2016 (Borrego)—If you felt the earth move under your feet, that’s because a series of earthquakes struck in the Borrego Spring area including a 5.2 quake at 1:03 a.m.at a shallow depth or less than 1 kilometer along theSan Jacinto Fault.  Aftershocks as strong as 3.5 also rattled the area according to the U.S.. Geological Survey.

(Note: The USGS originally reported two strong quakes, 5.1 and 5.2, a minute apart but have since corrected the data to indicate this was just one major quake.)

Rocks are reported blocking the roadway on Montezuma Valley Road, per the CHP site.  There are no reports of serious damage as yet, though items felloff store shelves in La Quinta, a Lakeside resident reported a laptop fell to the ground and the screen broke. As far away as Downey, books reportedly fell off shelves.

We have reports the quakes were felt strongly across the San Diego region and as far away as the San Fernando Valley.  The quakes struck at a shallow depths near major fault lines capable of producing a 7.0 quake or higher. 

If you know of damage, impacts to roadways or other effects of the quake or have photos, contact editor@eastcountymagzine.org. You can also post in our commentsbelow.

Below are details:

By Liz Alper

Photos in order:  Cal Quantrill, Hudson Sanchez, Eric Lauer and Buddy Reed, courtesy @MLBDraftTracker on Twitter

June 9, 2016 (Secaucus, Nj.) - The 2016 MLB draft began today and everyone waited with baited breath to see who the Padres would pick.  Voice of the Padres Dick Enberg was at the MLB studios in New Jersey to announce some second round picks.

East County News Service

June 9, 2016 (San Diego) -- Over the past six years, law enforcement agencies throughout the region have seen an 84 percent increase in the number of calls for service that stem from mental health issues, according to new data compiled by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Criminal Justice Research Division.

By Chisato Iversen

Miriam Raftery contributed to this report

Photos, left: Loretta Sanchez and Kamala Harris

June 9, 2016 (San Diego)--Three dozen candidates vied in the primary race to replace California’s U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, a long-serving Democratic who is stepping down.  The November run-off will be between two Democratic women, both minorities: the state’s Attorney General Kamala Harris, and and  10-term Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.

By Jonathan Goetz

Photo: Mara Elliott, City Attorney candidate

June 9,2016 (San Diego) --San Diego Mayor Kevin Falconer, a Republican,  won re-election handily Tuesday with 58% of the vote, avoiding a run-off with independent Lori Saldana, a former Assembly member who received 22%, and Democrat Ed Harris with 19%.

Republican Council members Mark Kersey and Scott Sherman also secured their seats with over 50% of the vote, as did Senate Chief of Staff Chris Ward in the race to succeed fellow Democrat Todd Gloria in District 3.The San Diego City Council Seats that continue into a November run-off are Districts 1 and 9. San Diego may also break one more glass ceiling in November, if Mara Elliott is elected as the first woman City Attorney.

June 9, 2016 (San Diego's East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL

• That judge attacked by Donald Trump? He’s faced a lot worse. (New York Times)
• Former Trump University workers call the school a”lie” and a “scheme” in testimony (New York Times)
• Transparency? SDPD rejects requests for body cam video of Trump protests aftermath (10 News)
• Group forms to fight San Onofre nuclear waste plan (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Tribune Renames Itself 'Tronc' While Gannett Weighs Its Bid (KPBS)
• Feds OK weapons for San Onofre (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Helix Charter High School Names New Leader(La Mesa Today)
• Poway Unified Paid a Financial Firm Double the Contract Amount in Half the Time (Voice of San Diego)
• Supervisor Bill Horn’s code additions still not up to code (CBS8)
• Signatures submitted on Lilac Hills vote (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• From useful to wasteful: How utility customers have born the brunt of failed projects (Los Angeles Times)
• Brush fires fueled by extreme heat hit Southern California; parts of Calabasas evacuated (LA Times)
• Californians Will Get Their Choice Between Coke, Diet Coke for the Senate (Reason)
• Congressional Candidate Deluged With Anti-Semitic Harassment (Buzzfeed)
• Watchdog Makes Emails From California Utility Officials Public (KPBS)
• Bill to overhaul CPUC passes Assembly (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Edison, regulators cooperated on subpoena (San Diego Union-Tribune)

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

By Miriam Raftery

June 9, 2016 (San Diego)—Seven Assembly seats and one state Senate race in San Diego County were among those on the ballot Tuesday.   Under the rules for state legislative elections, the top two vote-getters in each race will advance to a run-off in November. 

In a startling turn of events, the run-off in the 71^st Assembly seat vacated by Brian Jones due to term limits will be between Santee Mayor Randy Voepel and jeweler Leo Hamel in November—despite Hamel announcing he was dropping out of the race shortly after the ballots were printed. 

"In a “top-two” primary, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the General Election. The only way a candidate can be removed from the ballot is by dying or via court order. This must occur no later than 68 days before the election (Per Elections Code 8810)," Sam Mahood, press secretary for Secretary of State Alex Padilla told East County Magazine.  San Diego Registrar Michael Vu confirmed that state election code provides that Hamel will be on the November ballot, once the results are officially certified.

The district spans two counties. In San Diego, Voepel got 61%, Hamel 27%, and businessman Tony Teora 12%.  In Riverside County, the placement order is the same, though Teora had 14% there.

Half of managers say employee attire is less formal than five years ago

East County News Service

June 9, 2016 (Menlo Park, CA) -- Dressing up for work continues to go out of style, new research from staffing firm OfficeTeam shows. Half (50 percent) of senior managers interviewed said employees wear less formal clothing than they did five years ago. In addition, nearly one-third (31 percent) of office workers stated they would prefer to be at a company with a business casual dress code; 27 percent favor a casual dress code or no dress code at all.

By Miriam Raftery

June 9,2016 (Alpine) –The Alpine Union School District’s board has voted unanimously to file an appeal of a decision by Superior Court Judge Joel Pressman, who ruled against the AUSD and Alpine Taxpayers for Bond Accountability in their case against the Grossmont Union High School District. The taxpayers group has previously announced that it will also appeal the ruling.

The groups argue that Grossmont should turn over Prop H bond money that voters approved with the intent to build a high school in Alpine. Judge Pressman sided with Grossmont, finding that the bond measure allowed but did not require construction of the school.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

June 8, 2016 (San Diego) -- Brush fires chewed through hillsides from San Diego to Ventura Counties and every county in between, challenging firefighters and making hillside homeowners very nervous this past weekend as a very hot and long brush fire season is now underway.

Story and photo by Miriam Raftery

June 8, 2016 (San Diego) – By a resounding 63% to 37% margin, voters in the city of San Diego approved raising the minimum wage.  The ballot initiative also mandates 40 hours of paid sick leave a year for full-time workers.

East County News Service

June 8, 2016 (La Mesa) – The Association of California Healthcare Districts (ACHD) has recognized the Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) with its “Best Practices in Governance” certification, indicating GHD’s commitment to open and transparent government.

Photos:  Kathleen Harmon, lifetime San Diego County Democratic Central Committee member, Miriam Plotkin, Democratic Central Committee member from La  Mesa, Asssemblywoman Shirley Weber,  former Secretary of State and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton

"It is an amazing experience to believe we will have the first opportunity to elect a woman president—to see what people used to say was the impossible happen.” – Assemblywoman Shirley Weber

By Miriam Raftery

June 8,2016 (San Diego)—For the first time in U.S. history, a woman is poised to be the nominee of a major political party on the presidential race in November. Hillary Clinton has taken nearly 56 percent of the vote in California over Senator Bernie Sanders at 43 percent, with 99% of precincts reporting, capturing enough pledged delegates to  have a majority nationwide.

Clinton, who also leads soundly in superdelegates,  is now the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, though Sanders has said he will remain in the race until the July convention.