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).

By Miriam Raftery

April 13, 2023 (El Cajon) – Robert Gehr, a senior citizen in El Cajon, was shocked to discover when he went shopping for groceries at Food 4 Less in El Cajon that $1,118 in CalFresh benefits had been stolen off of his Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card.  Since he had only used the card at that store, Gehr and police believe he was a victim of a skimmer device attached by a thief to the store’s card reader.

The County has only reimbursed$120 for the most recent month’s benefits—and Gehr may never see the rest of his stolen benefits returned—benefits that he’d been saving up for months Such scams are alarmingly prevelant -- and hit hard on vulnerable recipients, including low-income individuals, seniors on fixed incomes, and disabled people.

Bianca Sosa-Graciano, program specialist at Self-Sufficiency Services with the County’s Health & Human Services Agency, told ECM that scammers ripping off benefits on EBT cards is a “nationwide issue at this time.”

April 12, 2023 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Supreme Court faces urgent test in abortion pill battle(The Hill)
• Mifepristone: US abortion pill access in doubt after rival rulings (BBC)
• The FDA approves the overdose-reversing drug Narcan for over-the-counter sales (NPR)
• 'Live free and die?' The sad state of U.S. life expectancy (NPR)
• Why the COVID-19 death rate varies dramatically across the U.S.  (NPR)
• STDs are on the rise. This morning-after-style pill may help (AP)

SCIENCE AND TECH   

• In his new cybersecurity strategy, Biden identifies cloud security as a major threat(NPR)
• ‘I’ve never seen anything like this:’ One of China’s most popular apps has the ability to spy on its users, say experts (CNN)
• Perennial rice: Plant once, harvest again and again (NPR)
• It takes a few dollars and 8 minutes to create a deepfake. And that's only the start (NPR)
• Carbon dating reveals famed Baja cave paintings to be much older than previously thought (KPBS)
• What are the most popular Crypto scams to watch out for in 2023? (Time)

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

April 13, 2023 (El Cajon) -- The City of El Cajon is hosting a FREE April Pools Day event to help kick off May as National Drowning Prevention Month on Friday, April 21, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Fletcher Hills Pool, located at 2345 Center Place in El Cajon.   

Drowning is the leading cause of injury death among children between the ages 1 to 4 years, and nearly 4,000 Americans drown each year. A study published in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found statistical evidence that children that participated in swim lessons had an 88% reduced risk of drowning.

“Living so close to the beach, we want children to learn to swim and parents to learn how to keep their family safe around water,” said Frank Carson, Director of Parks and Recreation. “The City of El Cajon is proud to offer a full range of aquatic programs to our community.”

Participants can learn about water safety, sun safety tips, or partake in mini CPR lessons. The event will feature free swimming, a free bag filled with activities (one per family), and crafts.

April 13, 2023 (Santee)  ECM intern Daniela Torres visited “Hop Down the Bunny Trail,” a free family-friendly event hosted by the city of Santee on April 1 at the Santee Trolley Square center.

By Kristen Hwang, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters 

Photo:  200 mg mifepristone and 800 μg misoprostol, the typical regimen for early medical abortion.  By VAlSiurua, CC BY-SA 4.0

April 12, 2023 (Sacramento) - California’s Democratic lawmakers have spent the past year enacting legislation to protect abortion rights in the wake of Roe v. Wade’s reversal, but a ruling Friday by a Texas federal judge is one thing they can’t touch.