East County News Service

November 10, 2015 (El Cajon)--Parkway Plaza shopping mall in El Cajon will be hosting a Holiday Music Festival that’s free for the community from Saturday, November 28^th through Wednesday, December 23. 

These holiday concerts will include jazz, big bands, saxophone, fiddle, violin and vocal performances.

East County News Service

November 10, 2015 (Washington D.C.) – The Obama administration is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to protect immigrant families after a 5^th circuit appellate court decision blocked implementation of the President’s Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, or DACA.  The president’s executive order would grant work permits to up to 5 million immigrants and protect most from deportation.

November 10, 2015 (Flinn Springs)--You are invited to start your holiday season at Summers Past Farms, which is hosting a holiday open house on Thursday, Nov. 12 from 5 to 8 p.m. featuring fall and Christmas gifts plus home decor. The barn will be filled with lights and the trimmings of the season. The store will glisten with holiday sparkle and  scents of the season. The Soap Shoppe will also be open with special holiday soaps and gifts .

Making this an old fashion open house please bring a plate of your favorite homemade cookies for the cookie table. Summers Past will have Christmas music & hot wassail for you to enjoy at this most enjoyable event under the Christmas lights.

East County News Service

November 10, 2015 (Sacramento) – Governor Jerry Brown is under investigation for asking workers in the California’s Department of Conservation to prepare a state map of oil and gas resources on Brown’s family ranch. Associated Press obtained records proving that Brown last year directed top officials in the agency to assess and map the oil, gas and mineral history and potential of his 2,700 acre ranch including satellite-imaged mapping and  a drilling map.

The complaint was filed by Jennie Catalano, a mapping specialist who alleges she has also faced retaliation for filing the complaint.

November 9, 2015 (ElCajon)—The sign-up is now open for Jingle Paws, an annual holiday walk to benefit the El Cajon Animal Shelter through ACES, an organization that funds surgeries for shelter pets and helps meet other needs.  You can sign up online to walk with your pet at https://www.crowdrise.com/JINGLEPAWSWALKFORPETS2015 or arrive early and register at the event.

This year, Jingle Paws will be held at the beautiful Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College on December 5th.

November 9, 2015 (Alpine) -- Supervisor Dianne Jacob launched the ceremonial first pumpkin off a catapult at the 2nd annual Alpine Pumpkin Chunkin' contest in Alpine on Sunday, November 8th -- all for a good cause. This innovative event raised $4,500 to benefit the Alpine Education Association.

East County News Service

Photo: Lake Morena fire, by Claudia Millerbragg

November 9, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – A new study published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society  predicts that the number of extreme fire risk days in California will rise from 10 a year to 60 by the year 2100—a six-fold increase.  The study was conducted by  the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Utah State University scientists.

The scientists found that climate change is already underway and responsible for extreme fire conditions starting in the 1990s, which go beyond normal fluctuations in climate conditions. But there are things that can be done. Besides reducing greenhouse emissions to potentially slow or reverse climate change, investing in more brush clearing and firefighting capacity is critical.

November 9,2015 (San Diego's East County)--East County Magazine founded and operates the East County Alert Service, which provides wildfire and other emergency alerts free via e-mail and Twitter.  You can sign up for our alerts  here:  http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/wild-fire-alerts .  Major alerts are posted also on East County Magazine’s Facebook Page.

We’ve recently learned about additional sources of information during local emergencies and other incidents of interest. The East County Emergency Updates page on Facebook (no relation to East County Alerts) is run by Santee resident Tina Nunez as a resource for East County and surrounding areas to help protect safety and well being of those in our communities and our neighbors.  Her site can be a helpful adjunct to our own alerts during developing situations in our region. In addition, the Brush Fire Partyline on Facebook includes timely posts on emergencies in our region.

Source: CAL FIRE

November 9, 2015 (San Diego)--Members of CAL FIRE Firefighters, along with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, will celebrate their 61-year partnership and kick off the fire fighters' annual Fill the Boot fundraising campaign to benefit children and adults affected by muscle disease throughout the San Diego area.

More than 300 members of CAL FIRE will fan out across San Diego County with boots in hand for this year’s drive during the week of November 9 through 13^th at intersections throughout the San Diego region.

East County News Service

November 8, 2015 (Sacramento) – California’s Secretary of State has approved signature gathering for a ballot initiative that if approved by voters, would end private utility corporations such as San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric.

Under the measure, the state would buy out the companies and operate a publicly owned California Electrical Utility District that would set electricity rates, build infrastructure and provide power. Bonds or taxes could be levied to fund costs. The measure’s backer, Ben Davis Jr., contends the state can provide power at lower rates for California customers and notes that nationwide, public utilities have 15% lower rates on average than privately owned utilities.

By Tommy Tidrow

November 8, 2015 (Washington D. C.) – New House Speaker Paul Ryan and his friends in Congress (most of whom have signed the Republican operative Grover Norquist’s “No New Taxes” pledge) have come up with a plan to fund a highway bill by privatizing the part of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tasked with collecting back taxes from individuals who owe as little as $200 dollars in unpaid income tax. 

The measure would have private collection agencies act on behalf of the government to collect delinquent taxes.  These are the people who have been sued for predatory practices, harassment and misrepresentation for years.    

These debt collectors will not be going after billionaires and corporations who put $150,000,000,000 Billion dollars in off-shore tax havens like the Cayman Islands.  Nor will there be any reform to the tax code that allows giant corporations like General Electric to pay no taxes at all.

By Robert Gehr © 2015

November 6, 2015 (El Cajon ) -- The annual Mother Goose Parade is nearly upon us, still going strong after nearly 70 years. This very popular event began in 1947 and some changes this year should breathe new life into this fantastic family attraction. This year, the parade shifts to a Saturday,  Nov. 21^st starting at 10 a.m.

East County News Service

November 7, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – The 45-day review period for public comments on proposed changes to the County’s Tiered Winery Ordinance ends November 23^rd. 

In 2010, Supervisors established a Tiered Winery Ordinance. A key component of it was creation of a Boutique Winery tier, which allowed for tasting rooms in conjunction with ongoing agricultural vineyard operations. Since its adoption, a number of issues have arisen that affect implementation of the ordinance. Planning & Development Services (PDS) held workshops on January 17, 2014 and July 1, 2015  to gather information and comments to utilize in formulating the proposed amendments to the Tiered Winery Ordinance. See our prior coverage of the July hearing here, when some wineries voiced alarm over proposals they feared could put some wineries out of business, while others voiced support for suggestions such as limiting food offerings and sharply restricting entertaining at smaller wineries. 

One set of stakeholders whose voices have been largely ignored thus far have been consumers--the wine tasting public who may want to weigh in on whether they want to hear music at weekend wine tastings or be able to savor food along with wine when visiting local wineries. 

East County News Service

November 7, 2015 (Ramona) – One of East County’s most unique holiday traditions is Pomegranate Days at the Oasis Camel Dairy in Ramona. 

Instead of battling crowds at the mall on the post-Thanksgiving weekend, why not head up to the Pomegranate Festival to enjoy feeding pomegranates to camels, camel rides for kids 3-14 (just print the coupon below)  watching a turkey stampede  (as seen at the county fair),  tropical bird show, and this year, circus performers as the high-flying McCandles family brings their aerial show to the site.

You can also buy holiday gift items such as a new product this year, Camel Milk Bath Bombs. Owners claim, “Cleopatra herself never had such a luxurious milk bath!”

East County News Service

November 7, 2015 (La Mesa) – A man armed with a rifle similar to an assault weapon entered the AM/PM gas station at 3775 Massachusetts Avenue in La Mesa at 1:25 a.m. and demanded cash.  After the clerk turned over money, the suspect left on foot and was last seen running eastbound on Waite Drive, according to La Mesa Police.

Officers from La Mesa Police Department searched the surrounding areas with assistance from the San Diego Police Department helicopter ABLE and a San Diego Sheriff’s Department canine team, but were unable to locate the suspect.

The suspect is described as a light-skinned black male adult in his 20s, approximately 5’9” tall, with a thin build. He was wearing a blue and gray hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and a baseball cap. The suspect also wore dark sunglasses and had the hood of his sweatshirt up over his head.