By Miriam Raftery

October 4, 2018 (El Cajon) – El Cajon City Manager Graham Mitchell has sent a second letter again warning Councilman Ben Kalasho to cease illegal use of the city’s official seal/logo on his campaign materials.

The letter states that Kalasho is violating FPPC state ethics laws as well as possibly violating Government Code section 8314. The city’s municipal code also prohibits use of the city logo by officials for non-official city business. Kalasho was previously warned in August and again in September, after complaints were lodged, says Mitchell.

October 4, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) --- East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a  variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

Kavanaugh controversy

• White House confident on Kavanaugh confirmation as two swing Republicans praise FBI report (Los Angeles Times)
• Thousands of protesters march to #cancelKavenaugh (Mother Jones)
• Avenatti: FBI investigation ‘no investigation at all’ (The Hill)
• Kavanaugh: 31 Lies and Counting (Medium)
• ‘Just plain wrong’: Flake, Collins criticize Trump’s attack on Ford  (Washington Post)

Other national news

• Authorities investigating mail sent to Trump, Pentagon believed to be laced with deadly ricin (Washington Post)
• Special investigation: Trump engaged in suspect tax schemes as he reaped rich rewards from his father (New York Times)
• Congress allows Farm Bill to lapse before reauthorization deadline (The Hill)
• Under Pressure, Amazon Increases Minimum Wage to $15  (Newsweek)
• Trump administration abruptly ends key law enforcement program at wildlife refuges (The Hill)
• Trump Ends Visas for Diplomats' Same-Sex Partners (Newsweek)
• Elizabeth Warren says she’ll seriously consider White House run (NBC)

WORLD

• Volcano erupts on quake-hit Indonesian Island (Sky News)
• Son of U.S. marine elected Okinawa governor on anti-U.S. base platform (Reuters)
• Terror cell busts in Denmark and Holland spark fears of homegrown attackers with ISIS links (Independent)
• India's Biometric ID System Has Led To Starvation For Some Poor, Advocates Say (NPR)
• BDS Umbrella Group Linked to Palestinian Terrorist Organizations (TabletMag)

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

October 4, 2018 (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

• San Diego County Adding Psychiatric Beds To Serve Growing Mentally Ill Population (KPBS)
• County agrees to pay $3 million to settle lawsuits filed by former foster children  (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Visa change could hit San Diego hard (Voice of San Diego)
• Signature gathering underway to overturn Newland Sierra housing development approval (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Shark attacks 13-year-old boy diving for lobster at San Diego County beach (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Private prison $10K goes to Lincoln Club (San Diego Reader)
• Man finds $46K hidden in Goodwill donation (10 News)

STATE

• No gun sales under age 21 in California starting in 2019 (Sacramento Bee)
• Gov. Jerry Brown blocks medical marijuana on school campuses (Los Angeles Times)
• Booze until 4 a.m.? Not in California, governor says in veto of bill to keep bars open (Sacramento Bee)
• California will ban the sale of most animal-tested cosmetics starting in 2020 (Los Angeles Times)
• California Just Passed an Internet of Things Law (Mac Observer)
• California is requiring more women on boards. It may not stand up in court (San Francisco Chronicle)

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

By Miriam Raftery

Photos: Simple Construct

Hear our interview on KNSJ radio with homeowners Brian and Susan Fallgren, Simple Construct builder Rebeca Tasker, and SDG&E communications manager Helen Gao.

 View video on the home’s construction and view tour of the finished residence. 

July 14, 2018 (Campo) – Inspired by historical California adobe homes,  Brian and Susan Fallgren in Campo teamed up with Simple Construct to create a straw bale and adobe home that is beautiful, comfortable even in extreme heat, fire resistant and energy efficient—producing more power than it uses. 

The home has also won numerous honors.  It’s the first residence in Southern California to receive net zero certification through the Living Building Challenge, one of only 27 homes in the world to win this recognition.  A participant in the California Advanced Homes Program, it was also a winner in  the San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) 13^th annual  Energy Showcase Awards and will be featured on the San Diego Green Building Council’s Green Homes Tour on Sunday, October 21.

“It’s an incredibly functional, comfortable home to live in, not only from an environmental standpoint, but from an every day livability standpoint,” Susan Fallgren says.

October 4, 2018 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Man diagnosed with world's first human case of rat disease hepatitis E (CBS)
• Only these 8 states require sex education classes to mention consent (CNN)
• How Trump may actually succeed at lowering drug prices (Jewish World Review)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• The Facebook hack affecting 50 million people also let the attackers access users' Tinder, Spotify, and Instagram accounts (Business Insider)
• NASA captures polluted Carolina rivers spilling into ocean after Florence (Time)
• Physics Nobel for laser pioneers includes first woman in 55 years  (Reuters)
• A Nonprofit Plans to Store Human Knowledge in DNA and Store It on the Moon (Apple News)

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

East County News Service

October 3, 2018 (Ramona) – A free Ramona fire prevention and preparedness workshop will be held on Thursday, October 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Ramona Library, 1275 Main Street in Ramona.

Participants include representatives from Cal Fire, County Fire Authority, California Highway Patrol, Sheriff’s department, County Animal Services, and more.  View flyer for full details.

The forum is cosponsored by Hatfield Creek and Ramona Ranch Wineries.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Dave Myers, Bill Baber, Akilah Weber and Guy McWhirter

September 29, 2018 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Councilmembers Bill Baber and Guy McWhirter are running on their records. Their challengers, retired Sheriff’s commander Dave Myers and physician Akilah Weber, are running on the slogan “Elect a cop and a doc.” East County Magazine sat down with all four candidates on our radio show, originally aired on KNSJ. 

Key issues in La Mesa include affordable housing and development vs. community character, downtown revitalization, crime and public safety, public health,  marijuana regulations, the city’s climate action plan, and a potential new library.

You can click the audio links at the bottom of this story to hear each interview, and scroll down for highlights. Candidates are listed in the order that they scheduled their interviews.

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

Photo: Yusef Miller, CAIR-California 

October 3, 2018 (El Cajon) – Members of CAIR , the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called on Cajon Valley Union School District members  at the September 25th board meeting to  fire former Greenfield Middle School’s principal, Gregory Calvert over his handling of the alleged bullying of a Syrian student.  Calvert has since taken a position as assistant principal at Chase Avenue Elementary in the same school district. 

By Lamonica Everett-Haynes, SDSU News Center

Photo: U.S. Ambassador Johnny Young (Credit: Bethesda Chevy Chase Rotary Club)

October 3, 2018 (San Diego) - Johnny Young, former U.S. Ambassador to  Sierra Leone, Togo, Bahrain and Slovenia, will speak at San Diego State University, presenting his lecture: “Refugee Resettlement: How did we get here and how do we move on?” 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Campaign supporters prepare for precinct walk with Ammar Campa-Najjjar, challenger to indicted Congressman Duncan D. Hunter

October 2, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – Fall is in the air, ballots will soon be mailed and election day is fast approaching.  Across our region, East County candidates are on the campaign trail, finding a variety of ways to get their message out. Here are a few shots of local candidates in action.

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Follow @ECMagSports on Twitter for live sports coverage and in-game updates!

By Liz Alper

Video courtesy goaztecs.com

For videos of Anthony Luke and Parker Houston's portion of the press conference, click "read more and scroll down"

October 3, 2018 (San Diego) - With the bye week over, SDSU football is back in action and set to take on Boise State on Saturday.  Coach Rocky Long, junior tight end Parker Houston and senior defensive end Parker Houston sat down with the media today.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Ben and Jessica Kalasho

October 2, 2018 (El Cajon) – A process server has filed a report with El Cajon Police (incident #938) accusing Councilman Ben Kalasho of threatening him with an attack dog on September 26.  The incident comes on the heels of a similar police complaint filed by East County Magazine reporter Paul Kruze, who reported that Kalasho threatened him with the same dog in July.

According to an email sent by Knox Services, the process server company, to attorney Jennifer Hasso, the threat occurred while a process server was attempting to serve Jessica Kalasho, the Councilman’s wife, at their residence regarding a civil lawsuit in which the Kalashos are accused of harassing and defaming multiple plaintiffs. ECM has viewed a copy of that letter with the police incident number.

East County News Service

September 2, 2018 (Ramona) — The sixth annual Ramona Art and Wine Festival will be held Saturday, November 3rd from 11 a.m. to 5 p.,m. at Begent Ranch, 18528 Highland Valley Rd. in Ramona.  Enjoy fine art available for purchase, tastes of hand-crafted local wines, foods from local artisans, bakers and cheese makers, a live auction of hand-painted wine barrels and a food pavilion – all to benefit the Ramona H.E.A.R.T. Mural Project.

East County News Service

October 2, 2018 (Santee) – Santee's Council races have attracted seven candidates for three seats, drawing strong public interest following a heated Council meeting recently over the future of growth and development in the community.  Scroll down for details on two candidate forums, as well as information on all candidates in the race.

Two candidate forums are slated on October 4^th and 9^th for Santee City Council candidates running in districts 1, 2 and 3:

Thursday, Oct. 4, 6 p.m. at Carlton Oaks Golf Club Crest Room, 9200 Inwood Drive, Santee

Tuesday, October 9, 6 p.m. at Pride Academy School, 9303 Prospect Dr., Santee

East County News Service

October 2, 2018 (San Diego) - Susan G. Komen San Diego (Komen San Diego), the largest nonprofit funder of breast cancer research outside of the U.S. government, will hold its sixth annual Dine Out for the Cure^® on Thursday, Oct. 18. The community fundraiser will take place at local restaurants, bakeries and coffeehouses across our region, including numerous East County eateries. Each restaurant will donate 10 to 25 percent of their sales to support free mammograms, financial assistance, breast cancer research and public policy. Komen San Diego hopes to raise $35,000 this year.