October 8, 2015 (San Diego)--Do you or a loved one have a mental health challenge? Do you have ideas about what behavioral health programs and services are needed in your community?

Source: Cleveland National Forest Foundation

October 8, 2015 (San Diego)--The Cleveland National Forest Foundation (CNFF) today announced that its attorneys submitted a critical letter to the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) on its behalf over SANDAG’s proposed 2015 update to its Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy. The letter, which is posted to the CNFF website, makes a strong argument that SANDAG’s 2015 plan is not meaningfully closer to meeting state-mandated greenhouse gas reduction goals than the deeply flawed 2011 plan.

Listen to Destination East County, also aired on KNSJ radio, by clicking the audio link.

East County News Service

October 8, 2015 (San Diego's East County)--This week’s Destination East County includes a production of Stage Fright, a craft and harvest festival, Oktoberfest, Fall Fest at Grossmont Center, and a  Fair Trade Gift Fair.  Plus we’ll have a preview of coming attractions including the Enchanted Garden Gala, Tournament of the Phoenix and Festival of History, Haunt Fest on Main Street, and a Trick or Treat dog show.

East County News Service

October 7, 2015 (Lakeside)-- The first in a series of community meetings will be held Wednesday, October 14, 2015, regarding the planned restoration of the west basin of Lindo Lake.

From 6:30 to 8:30  p.m. a consultant  from County Parks and Recreation will be requesting community input on how to proceed with the restoration under the Lindo Lake Basin Improvement Project.  The meeting will be held at the Lakeside Community Center, 9841 Vine Street in Lakeside.

East County News Service

September 9, 2015 - The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce has announced the entertainment lineup of its new “FallFest” event being held October 16th and October 17th at Grossmont Center (5500 Grossmont Center Drive, in the Macy’s parking lot.)

The entertainment lineup will combine the best in music with “a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.”

East County News Service

October 7, 2015 (Sacramento) – Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed Assembly Bill 305, a measure that sought to eliminate gender bias against female employees in the awarding of workers’ compensation benefits in California.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), author of the bill, issued a statement voicing disappointment in the Governor’s action.  “I have said time and time again how much I admire and believe in this governor, but on this issue, he is dead wrong. With all due respect, a woman’s breasts are worth as much as the prostate of a male coworker and they should be valued as such if they were lost in a workplace injury,” said Gonzalez, a former labor leader and the Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Women in the Workplace.

She added, “Women should not be penalized for being pregnant or going through menopause, or be told the loss of a breast due to cancer acquired in the workplace has no value in California’s workers compensation system. I remain more committed than ever to continuing this fight for true equality in the workplace.”

By Miriam Raftery

October 7, 2015 (La Mesa)—La Mesa’s annual Oktoberfest took place last weekend, on a smaller sale than in the past but with a renewed emphasis on the festival’s roots: German food, beer and music.

October 7, 2015 (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

• Commission Expands Nuclear Waste Storage At San Onofre (KPBS)
• San Diego Floats a Surprising Question: Do We Really Need to Keep Saving Water? (Voice of SD)
• 54K San Diego County Residents Live In 100-Year Flood Zones (KPBS)
• Scholarships to help East County students on the way (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Lawsuit claims Chaldean leader took improper payments (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Slum conditions in San Diego (Reporting San Diego)
• Scaled-back Oktoberfest still rolls out fun (CBS 8)
• Should police body cam footage be public? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• SANDAG Asks State to Loosen the Purse Strings for Transit-Focused Housing (Voice of San Diego)
• Report: More San Diego County Female Inmates Using Meth (KPBS)

STATE

• Climate change in California passes a tipping point (Huffington Post)  
• California weighs banning concealed handguns on campus (Sacramento Bee)
• Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones to run for attorney general (Los Angeles Times)
• California Pension Reformers Split Initiative into Two (Reason)
• State closes probe of CPUC president (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Dan Walters: California jobs and poverty reports are grim (Sacramento Bee)

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

October 5, 2015 (El Cajon)--The El Cajon Valley Host Lions Club will hold it's 25th annual Pancake Breakfast on Sunday October 25th between 8 am and 12 noon at the Ronald Regan Community Center 195 E. Douglas El Cajon.

October 4, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - It’s pretty inevitable living in California, even if your home is not in the path of a fire, you can still be affected by smoke particles released into the air from wildfires reminds Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna.

East County News Service

October 6, 2015 (Washington D.C.)--The first debate among Democratic presidential candidates will take place on Tuesday. October 13^th, moderated by CNN anchorman Anderson Cooper with additional questions to be posed by other CNN correspondents.

Audio:

Download: Bookshelf-David Schmidt-HolyGhostStories.mp3

October 3, 2015 (San Diego)--Another daytime-biting, invasive mosquito thought to have been killed off here more than a decade ago has been discovered in San Diego County.

Source: Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District          

October 5, 2015 (El Cajon)--Omali Yeshitela, founder of the African People’s Socialist Party and the African Socialist International, is the featured speaker at Cuyamaca College’s Diversity Dialogues workshop, “Day in Solidarity with African People: Reparations for Stolen Black Lives,” set for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, in the Performing Arts Center. The workshop is free and open to the public.

East County News Service

October 4, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)—Caltrans is weighing whether or not to grant state scenic highway designation of State Route 52 from Mast Boulevard in Santee to Santo Road in San Diego, where the highway passes through Mission Trails Regional Park.  Preserve Wild Santee began seeking the designation in 2012 and the San Diego City Council passed a unanimous resolution in support in 2013, yet Caltrans has not yet taken action.

Save Mission Trails and Preserve Wild Santee are both asking the public to send letters urging support of the scenic highway designation to preserve the natural beauty of this area from projects such a power plant proposal recently withdrawn by the developer.  Save Mission Trails has provided a sample letter that you can sign and send to those listed below.

Note to our readers: Please send us your best photos taken alone highway 52 between Mast and Santos Road! We will publish the most scenic and beauitful photos.