By Miriam Raftery

November 6, 2013 (El Cajon)-- El Cajon City Councilmembers Bob McClellan and Tony Ambrose have released an official response to the resignation of former Mayor Mark Lewis on October 24, 2013. Both voiced pride in the community’s diversity , acknowledged that the Mayor’s remarks on minorities were “inappropriate and wrong,” then called for unity in El Cajon.  For the full text of their letter, click here.

In addition, Councilmember Gary Kendrick issued his own letter praising Mayor Lewis on his accomplishments including balanced budgets, economic stability and economic development.   While he joined with  Ambrose and McClellan in making clear that he did not agree with or support Lewis’ controversial comments, he stated, “Mark will always be my friend...”  To read Kendrick’s letter, click here. 

Kendrick told ECM,” The Mayor Lewis that I knew would never have made those statements before his stroke.”

November 7, 2013 (San Diego’s East County ) --ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Supreme Court to hear case on separating church and state (LA Times)
• Texas abortion ruling: Abortions instantly curbed in Texas as nation takes stock (+video) (CS Monitor)
• LAX shooting suspect charged with murder in rampage (CBS)
• Court strikes down mandate for birth control on Obamacare (The Hill)
• Heat, Drought Draw Farmers Back To Sorghum, The 'Camel Of Crops' (NPR)
• Super-rich buy newspapers, but... (SD Reader- Don Bauder)
• NSA secretly taps Yahoo, Google (Washington Post)
• ACLU Report Questions 'Suspicious Activity' Reporting (NPR)

WORLD

• Gunfights kill 13 in Mexican city on U.S. border (Reuters)
• Amnesty International: Jordan is deporting Syrian refugees (CS Monitor)
• Nazi Art Trove Includes Previously Unknown Matisse, Chagall Works (NPR)
• Brazil: Water shortage dries Rio de Janeiro taps (UT San Diego)
• Japan ruling-party panel to propose break-of Fukushima operator: media (Reuters)
• Insight: Starvation in Syria: a war tactic (Reuters)
• 'No Woman No Drive:' Who is Hisham Fageeh? (CS Monitor)
• Toronto Mayor Rob Ford: a political odyssey turns stranger (+video)  (Christian Science Monitor)

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

November 7, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news each week that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

Obamacare/health exchange news

• Covered California seeing fewer problems than federal health exchange (Healthline)
• Obama’s healthcare law finally gets real for America (AP)
• Obamacare Applications Ahead Of Bush Medicare Drug Benefit Signups (Forbes)
• Your insurance is cancelled because of Obamacare. Now what? (CNBC)
• Top Hospitals Opt Out of Obamacare (health.usnews.com)
• HealthCare.gov had a glaring security flaw that wasn't patched until last week (Washington Post)
• Obama administration knew millions could not keep their health insurance (NBC)

Other health topics

• SDSU Biologist Receives $8.5M Grant To Research Stem Cells To Treat Heart Failure  (KPBS)
• HIV antibodies 'have potent impact'  (BBC)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Liability could be roadblock for driverless cars (UT San Diegio)
• How 'smart parking' could save a million barrels of oil every day (CS Monitor)

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

Meetings set in Julian on November 11 and December 4

By Miriam Raftery

November 1, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – Should unmanned drone aircraft testing be allowed over San Diego and East County?   

San Diego’s entire Congressional delegation thinks so. All five members have signed a letter supporting efforts by Inyokern to have the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) declare our region an unmanned aircraft systems test site,The Drone News reported on October 26. San Diego Supervisors have also voiced support for the proposal, directing staff to write a letter in support. Supervisor Dianne Jacob has said she supports the concept to provide jobs and fire monitoring.

But now a citizens action group called Back Country Voices has formed  to oppose drone testing here.  The  The group plans two meetings, one at the Julian Library on November 11 at 6 p.m. and the second on December 4 at 6 p.m. Objections include safety and privacy concerns over drone surveillance,  impacts of drones on the environment, bird migrations, and the deaths of innocent civilians including thousands of children worldwide inadvertently killed by drones.

November 6, 2013 (San Diego)--The popularity of electronic smoking devices is increasing and on Tuesday the Board of Supervisors directed staff to review the County’s smoking and tobacco use policy to determine how “e-cigarettes” fit into it.

County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) staff were asked to come back to the Board in 90 days with recommendations to address electronic vapor devices. The battery-operated devices vaporize liquid nicotine into an aerosol mist that can be inhaled or “vaped.”

November 6, 2013 (El Cajon) – Exceeding expectations, the second Annual HauntFest on Main celebration, held on Friday, October 25, was deemed as an overwhelming success by City officials. The Halloween themed event drew an estimated 20,000 people to downtown El Cajon. 

Festivities were from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. with free admission.  Partygoers enjoyed live bands on multiple stages, such as: Paul Cannon, Fuzzy Rankins, Rockola, Jason Weber and Back to the Garden.  Families enjoyed the Terror Truck, the classic cars, the trick or treating booths, the movies on the giant movie screen, rides and games, pumpkin patch, craft booths, costumes, art show, and more.

November 6, 2013 (El Cajon) — Actor Saginaw Grant, a Sac and Fox Indian who has played numerous Native American roles in the movies and on television, said at a Student Veteran Organization event at Grossmont College on Monday, Nov. 4. that every combat veteran comes home with hidden wounds caused by the things they saw or did.  However, he said, it’s important that they banish negative thoughts from their minds: “You can’t change those things by thinking about them.”

Grant, who had served in the Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict, said even after separating from the military service, veterans should continue to honor the proud military traditions that have been passed down for generations.  Likewise, Grant, who appeared in the 2013 movie The Lone Ranger as the Comanche Chief Big Bear, said that his Indian people should carefully listen and then honor the lessons that have been transmitted for eons in their oral traditions.

November 6, 2013 (San Diego) – The Center for Tomography Research Laboratory (CTECH Labs) will introduce the latest technology in brain scanning at the 6th International IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Conference on Neural Engineering at the Sheraton Hotel, San Diego, on November 7th at 3:00 PM PST.

The Electrical Capacitance Volume Tomography (or the ECVT) was first developed by CTECH Labs to enable 4D brain activity scanning. The technology offers low-cost, radiation-free, instantaneous detection of abnormalities in the brain caused by tumors, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s Disease, and other brain dysfunctions.

By Miriam Raftery

November 3, 2013 (La Mesa) – Last year, Helix Water Board member Chuck Muse sought to prohibit board members from speaking to the media in a clear effort to silence an outspoken member  critical of a rate hike.  The board stopped short of that likely-unconstitutional action, instead requiring board members to make clear that they are speaking as individuals, not representing the board’s position to media and the public. http://eastcountymagazine.org/node/10180

On its agenda for Wednesday, November 6, however, the Board is proposing new policies that would go much farther. While some policy changes aim to curb abuses by officials, others have a potential chilling effect on board members’ free speech. In addition, the new policy could allow limits on testimony from the public. (View board report on proposed guidelines and agenda.)

November 2, 2013 (San Diego) – If you speak Chinese or Vietnamese, the Registrar of Voters needs your help at local poll sites on Nov. 19 for the San Diego City mayor’s race on November 19.

Registrar Michael Vu says there is an urgent need for more bilingual volunteers to help citizens who are not yet proficient in English to vote at the polls.

Chinese and Vietnamese new poll worker orientation training classes are offered. Bilingual poll worker volunteers can earn a stipend of  $90 to $110. All poll worker volunteers must be U.S. citizens, registered to vote in California, and able to read and write the English language.

November 2, 2013 (San Diego's East County) – Helix Water District will officially celebrate its 100th anniversary as a public district at the Administration Office Boardroom, 7811 University Avenue, La Mesa, California on Wednesday, November 6 at 5:00 p.m.

Helix Water District, which began as a private company called the San Diego Flume Company, went public as a result of a vote taken in the East County on November 1, 1913.   The La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley Irrigation District was duly formed as a public special district under California's irrigation law.

By Miriam Raftery

November 2, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – Here’s a heads up for some key items coming up soon on the agendas in Lemon Grove, El Cajon, and at the San Diego Supervisors.

Lemon Grove’s City Council meets on Tuesday, November 5.  This week, the agenda includes proposed locations for a dog park, an expert panel on community gardens, and a report on economic development challenges and opportunities in Lemon Grove.

By Brian Lafferty

November 1, 2013 (San Diego) -- If there are any contemporary filmmakers more daring than Steve McQueen, I'm hard pressed to name one.  His first film, Hunger (2008), starred Michael Fassbender as Bobby Sands, the Irish Republican Army Volunteer who led a hunger strike in a British prison and died in 1981.  He followed it up with Shame (2011), which also starred Fassbender, this time as a yuppie with a grossly unhealthy sex addiction.  The MPAA gave it an NC-17 rating for its frank and explicit depiction of sexual acts, and rightfully so, but Fox Searchlight left it as is.

By Miriam Raftery

October 31, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) –Nine East County Magazine team members combined to win 11 awards in the 40th annual “Excellence in Journalism Awards” presented by San Diego Press Club on October 29.  ECM has won a total of 58 journalism awards since our launch in September 2008.

Our winning news entries dealt primarily with compelling public health and safety issues(wildfires and industrial-scale energy projects), though we also picked up awards for photography, feature-writing and commentary.

Congratulations to our winners!  In alphabetical order, they are:  Nadin Abbott, Parke Ewing, Paul Kruze, Brian Lafferty, Ron Logan, Jim Pelley, Miriam Raftery, Sierra Robinson, and Darin Sefcik.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Supervisor Dave Roberts with military widows Beverly Wood, Mildred Joyce Stuart and Kathy Prout

October 31, 2013 (San Diego)—San Diego Supervisors unanimously voted to support federal legislation to eliminate the “widow’s tax” on spouses of military members who died serving our country.

“At issue is the practice of federal agencies that place deductions upon military spouses' compensation while not placing those deductions upon that of civilian employees. That's just not fair,” said Supervisor Dave Roberts, who introduced the resolution locally along with Supervisor Bill Horn.