Update 3:30 p.m. - These fires are now contained. The Quail fire in Flinn Springs was caused by a mulch pile that ignited. Causes of the other fires remain under investigation.

Update 2:10 p.m. -- A third fire is reported in Flinn Springs at Quail Canyon and Ranch Trail; no structures are threatened.  A fourth fire is burning in Lakeside on Rancho Trail and air support has been requested.  The Japatul fire is now contained.

June 5, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Cal-Fire is on the scene of two brush fires. Both fires started shortly before 1 p.m. and each is currently about two to three acres in size.  Details below. 

By Miriam Raftery

Update June 4: Santee's lottery winnery has come forward to claim winnings, but asked not to be publicly identified.

June 3, 2010 (Sacramento)—If you bought a California Lottery ticket in Santee recently, you might be the lucky winner of a $23 million jackpot. A ticket sold at Vons Grocery at 9643 Mission Gorge Road matched all six numbers in last night’s SuperLotto Plus. The winning numbers are 8, 7, 15, 11, 31 and the Mega number is 27.

Local Republicans vote “no” on measures to help local college students

June 3, 2010 (Sacramento) -- The California State Assembly has approved two bills by Assemblymember Marty Block (D-Lemon Grove) that would change an admissions policy change at San Diego State University (SDSU) which denied admission to 1,740 local students who met all CSU requirements. AB 2402 calls for increased transparency when California State University (CSU) campuses change admissions policies that affect local students. AB 2401 would formally reinstate local admissions priority for CSU campuses to students in the region who meet admissions requirements.

San Diego County Democratic legislators Marty Block, Mary Salas, and Lori Saldaña voted for the measures. Assembly Republicans Joel Anderson, Martin Garrick, Kevin Jeffries and Diane Harkey voted against the bills, which will provide opportunities for more local students to attend college and save money while living at home.

Share creative ideas to assist people of all ages with tips to save money and improve their lifestyle!

By Nancy and Dawn Clement

June 4, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Summer has unofficially begun--and the best food buys are perfect for summer entertaining. So plan to purchase now to be prepared to take advantage of savings and be ready for summer visitors. Plus check for deals on items for school, home and office.

By Pat Washington, PhD
Political and Education Advocacy Consultants
Email: PatWashingtonPhD@aol.com

Bill a response to complaints by local residents and tourists regarding open-carry  advocates brandishing guns in pubilc places

By Miriam Raftery
 

Staff members of Anderson & Kriger, a La Mesa-based law firm, volunteered their time on Saturday, April 24 by delivering two car loads of supplies and about $1,750 in contributions to El Centro and Calexico to help survivors of the Easter Sunday earthquake. 

“We found out that going across the border with supplies is a bit of a challenge, but there are plenty of opportunities to provide help on this side of the border," senior partner Clayton Anderson said.“There are thousands of residents of Calexico who were driven from their homes, many of them children, and they are struggling to get back to normal. Donations and supplies are still needed, and we may focus primarily on providing transportation of supplies being gathered in San Diego as part of the earthquake relief effort."

Prop 14 would ban party primaries, allow candidates to run without disclosing party, ban write-in candidates, and allow a general election run-off between two candidates in the same party

June 2, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) - A recent poll shows 60% of voters support Prop 14, the so-called “open primary” initiative on the June 8 ballot. But the measure goes far beyond “open primary” measures elsewhere. Opponents say most people don’t understand the implications of the measure, which is opposed by both the Democratic and Republican parties in California as well as minor parties including the Libertarian, Green and Peace & Freedom Parties.

“Those power lines are going to be a detriment to the air attack program and the ground program…More country is going to burn. It’s obvious.” – Bob Robeson, retired Division Chief, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal-Fire)

By Miriam Raftery

June 1, 2010 (Lakeside) – Swift attacks by aerial drops and ground crews narrowly succeeded in saving threatened homes Saturday along Highway 67 in the Slaughterhouse Canyon area of Lakeside, where several small fires started by a vehicle's catalytic converted merged into a 30-acre brush fire. But ECM columnist Dennis Richardson, an eyewitness to the firefighting efforts, raises a troubling concern.
Fires were burning directly along the route of the Sunrise Powerlink high voltage lines planned by SDG&E, he noted. (See map; fire was located between CP37-2 and CP31-2): http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/environment/info/aspen/sunrise/pmr/sdge_final_pmr_fig38.pdf .

“The Cal-Fire aerial firefighters would not have been able to work this fire until it burned out from under the transmission wires,” Richardson stated. Saturday’s fire occurred in spring, when grasses were still green and winds were only 5 mph. Had it occurred in dry conditions during summer or fall, with even moderate winds, Richardson warned, “No telling how many homes and lives could have been lost.”

By Bob Kipper, Vietnam War veteran and owner, KIAC Insurance Agency, San Marcos

Editor’s note: Last week we ran an article titled “Prop 17 would hurt veterans and consumers, experts warn.”  The Yes on Prop 17 campaign has responded by submitting the editorial below.

June 1, 2010 (San Diego) – The Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Fire Deparment will be conducting a series of prescribed burns on base property through June 30th. A scheduled burn is slated for tomorrow, June 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., weather permitting. Miramar Fire Department Crews will be on a ridge top in east Miramar and smoke will be visible along SR-52, SR-163, from Interstate 15 as well as in local communities.

Update 9:50 a.m. CHP reports a fatality and several patients transported to a trauma center.

June 1, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – A SIG Alert has been issued for Highway 125, where a Border Patrol vehicle has overturned and is on fire, Incident Page Network reports. Three to four other vehicles are also involved in a collision, blocking all lanes. 

Conflicting reports list the nearest exit as both Palm and Jamacha.  Onramps from 94, Spring Street and other areas are being shut down.   According to dispatch reports, a beige SUV came from the north lanes into the south lines, colliding with other vehicles. CHP is on the scene and rescue crews are in route.

May 31, 2010 (El Cajon) -- The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce will present its“Conversations with the Candidates” legislative dinner on June 1st. All candidates running for the 36th Senate seat and the 77th Assembly district have been invited. Both are important electoral positions for the East County community and both are open seats this election cycle.

Update 3 p.m. Cal-Fire reports that both fatalities were visitors to the home. Four other people escaped the fire, including one female who was transported to an emegency facility for treatment of smoke inhalation.

May 31, 2010 (Shelter Valley) – A modular home fire iat 7523 Gunslinger Trail in Shelter Valley near Julian overnight has resulted in two fatalities, the County Coroner's office reports. “When firefighters arrived, the modular home was fully involved,” said Cal-Fire Battalion Chief Nick Schuler.