By Chuck Westerheide, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  Medic 282 Paramedic Ambulance and Crew

April 21, 2023 (La Mesa) -- A new ambulance with its crew and services added by the San Diego County Fire Protection District and CAL FIRE is seeing a great deal of use. County Fire accepted the transfer of responsibility for fire protection and emergency medical services in Ramona last August. The change brought a third fire department paramedic ambulance and additional firefighter staffing enhancements to the Ramona service area. 

The new paramedic ambulance has been dispatched 315 times and has taken 148 patients to area hospitals. Assigned to Fire Station 82, on Dye Road, the paramedic ambulance has full-time staffing with two firefighter paramedics 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Due to residential and business development along with population growth, there have been steady increases in 911 emergencies.  

Applications accepted May 1 through May 31

East County News Service

April 19, 2023 (San Diego) -- The Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund: Tribal Facility and Residential Grant Program catalyzes the growth of solar energy and expands solar job opportunities in tribal communities across the United States. TSAF's Tribal Facility and Residential Grant Program provides grants of up to $200,000 for the purchase and installation of solar energy systems.

By Miriam Raftery

April 19, 2023 (El Cajon) — El Cajon’s planning commissioners have voted unanimously to revoke the approved status of the Motel 6 on Montrose Court after two registered sex offenders were arrested for alleged sexual assault of an under-age girl. 

East County News Service

Photo courtesy of ECM news partner NBC 7

April 18, 2023 (Julian) - An El Cajon handyman who waded into a pond left by rainwater in Julian to retrieve his dog contracted a rare flesh-eating bacteria.

Family friendly event brings together residents, businesses, and local services

East County News Service

April 17, 2023 (Spring Valley) — You’re invited to join a community celebration at Spring Valley Day in front of Bancroft Elementary School on April 29 from 10a.m. to 3 p.m.  Spring Valley Day is a free, street-fair style event that will feature merchants, arts and crafts, food, live entertainment, Cars and Community car show, free pony rides, free kids’ zone, first responder displays, and multiple San Diego County services.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Kupa, one of the last dozen descendants of San Diego's heritage herd, has died of a rattlesnake bite. His owner is asking the County to protect  the remaining herd descedants under the County's MultipleSpecies Conservation Plan.

April 17, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – Kupa, one of only a dozen descendants of San Diego’s heritage herd of wild horses, has died. Kathleen Hayden made the announcement “with a breaking heart” on Facebook yesterday, stating that “during the night, our four-year-old Coyote Canyon stallion, Kupa, was bitten in his eye by a rattlesnake and died.”

Hayden is cofounder of Coyote Canyon Caballos d’Anza, a nonprofit in Santa Ysabel.  For years, she and her foundation have been fighting to gain protection for the heritage herd. The federal government has long refused to recognize horses as native species worthy of protection, believing they were brought here by European explorers.

But on March 23, 2023, Science published a report by 84 researchers who concluded that horses evolved first in North America and later crossed a land bridge over the Bering Strait to Eurasia. There are ancient fossils found in the Anza Borrego desert and Carlsbad  predating the early Spanish and English explorers to bolster that claim, as well as references to Native American horses in writings of Sir Francis Drake in 1580.

Those findings have reignited the urgent call to save wild horses and try to repopulate San Diego’s heritage herd on public lands, before it is too late.

East County News Service

April 16, 2023 (La Mesa) – Renowned singer-songwriter Gregory Page is taking time out from his international tour to perform at San Diego Oasis in Grossmont Center, La Mesa with his haunting and illuminating songs. Opening the show will be local singer-songwriter Peter Boland. 

Source:  City of La Mesa

April 15, 2023 (La Mesa) - After an extensive recruitment process, Amanda Lee has been chosen for the Assistant City Manager position for the City of La Mesa. Ms. Lee comes to La Mesa after ten years at the City of Vista, California where she was the Assistant City Manager for the past two years. As Assistant City Manager at Vista, Ms. Lee provided direct supervision over Homelessness and Housing, Communications, Code Enforcement, Climate Action Plan implementation, Grants and Governmental Relations, and administrative support staff. Ms. Lee has been serving as the Acting City Manager at Vista for the past six months where she was responsible for leading the City’s Department Directors and Management Team.

By Ken Stone,Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Duncan D. Hunter shakes hand with his father, former Rep. Duncan L. Hunter, at start of Ramona forum in May 2019. Photo by Ken Stone

April 15, 2023 (San Diego) - A disturbing report from National Public Radio on Thursday said former Rep. Duncan Duane Hunter, when he fought in Fallujah, was partly to blame for a friendly fire incident that killed two fellow Marines and an Iraqi interpreter.

East County News Service

April 14, 2023 (Jamul) -- The Jamul Indian Village Development Corporation (JIVDC), owner and operator of Jamul Casino^® and a wholly-owned enterprise of the Jamul Indian Village of California,announce that on March 29, they closed on $515 million of Senior Secured Credit Facilities with a syndicate of commercial banks led by KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc.  The other lenders included Western Alliance Bank, Nevada State Bank, U.S. Bank, PNC Bank, CIT Bank, and Columbia State Bank. 

Proceeds from the Credit Facilities will be used to refinance existing debt, fund hotel construction, and pay transaction-related fees and expenses.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Protesters support DACA in San Francisco, 2017; cc by Ahimse Gefence

April 14, 2023 (Washington D.C.) – The Biden administration has announced plans to allow young undocumented immigrants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) be eligible for healthcare programs coverage under Medicare and the Affordable Care Act exchanges. But a group of conservative-led states has filed a legal action seeking to block the expanded coverage.

“Healthcare should be a right,” President Biden posted on Twitter. “I’ve worked hard to get more Americans health insurance than ever before,” adding that the action would give ”Dreamers the same opportunities.”

By Daniela Torres

Video by ECM interns Daniela Torres and Jacob Pamus

April 14, 2023 (El Cajon)-- The first of four town halls in order to address homelessness in El Cajon was held on April 4, amidst concerns from the city’s residents.

Outrage and controversy have been sparked after the arrests of two sex offenders at a Motel 6 last month for allegedly sexually assaulting an underage girl. The offenders were placed there under the People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) motel voucher program funded by the County of San Diego.

By Miriam Raftery

April 14, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) -- There’s a wide assortment of events coming up across San Diego’s East County, including Cajon classic cruises, a butterfly jungle,  Earth Day celebrations, music festivals and concerts, a Lego building event, a wine and food festival, Campo Days, Wild in the Country at Lions, Tigers and Bears in Alpine,  a Western Days parade, a rodeo, and Descanso Day.

Scroll down for full details on these and more great events.

Source: San Diego County Sheriff

April 13, 2023 (San Diego) -- The San Diego County Sheriff's Department is holding a community engagement meeting about military equipment on Monday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the County Operations Center (5520 Overland Ave., San Diego).