How the City of La Mesa games the system--even when it is not necessaary

By Joseph Glidden

April 12, 2017 (La Mesa) -- Prop. 218 will make it difficult for La Mesa’s ratepayers to reject the pending sewer rate increase. If the city has its way, it will be impossible.

In order for residents to defeat this proposal, the law requires that 50% (plus one) of the ratepayers submit a written “protest” letter. This is not likely to happen. La Mesans have not rejected a rate increase in recent history. In fact, the last two sewer rate increases have passed with 99.9% of the ratepayers not filing a protest letter. This should have been a red flag at City Hall. It is nearly impossible to get 99.9% of our community to agree on anything, let alone on a sewer rate increase. So how did the city manage such a feat? By gaming the system, of course.

Contributions from Tribal Land Buy-Back Program help fund educational opportunities for American Indian and Alaska Native students

East County News Service

April 12, 2017 (Washington D.C.) -- U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today announced the Department has made its final transfer to the Cobell Education Scholarship Fund, bringing the total amount to $60 million to be made available to help unlock the doors to advanced technical training and higher education for Native youth.

East County News Service

East County News Service

April 12, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego Supervisors on Wednesday approved formation of a special district to combat the Asian citrus psyllid, an agricultural pest that threatens our county’s $126 million citrus crop.

East County News Service

April 12, 2017 (San Diego's East County) - This week’s Destination East County includes an Eggstravaganza in Santee, an Easter carnival in Alpine, Spring Harp Fest in La Mesa, a Save El Monte Valley fundraiser in Lakeside, the opening of Cajon Classic Car season and a Clint Black is Back concert at Sycuan.

Plus, we’ll tell you about coming attractions including Lakeside’s Western Days, parade and rodeo, spring garden festivals, butterfly releases, a fashion show to benefit local arts, the Art of the Quilt in Lemon Grove, community concerts, and Vintage Alpine, a wine tasting experience in the country to benefit children’s causes.

So scroll down for all of these events and many more!

By Miriam Raftery

April 12, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – Neil Gorsuch begins his duties this week on the Supreme Court after the Senate invoked the ‘nuclear option’ to change long-standing Senate rules and block a filibuster by Democrats. All but two Democrats had agreed to vote against confirming Gorsuch, including California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris.

April 11, 2017 (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

• Edison agrees to negotiate new home for nuclear waste from San Onofre (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego’s Rapid Bus System Doesn’t Meet the Standards of Regular Buses in Other Cities (Voice of SD)
• San Diego County’s 10 worst funded pension plans (Voice of San Diego)
• Missing 17-year-old swimmer presumed dead (Patch.com)
• San Diego is mostly a no-drone zone, at least according to the rules (SD Union-Tribune)
• Sempra has paid no corporate taxes in recent years...and it's all legal (SD Union-Tribune)
• San Diego's new minimum wage already may be killing jobs (SD Union-Tribune)
• Sempra projects double-digit gains, plus a 'mountain of cash' from an LNG project (SD Union-Tribune)
• Audit: San Diego pays electric bills for 3,712 nonexistent street lights (SD Union-Tribune)
• Tests shows elevated lead levels at San Diego campus (SD Union-Tribune)
• Report: Homicides in Tijuana Rose Sharply in 2016 (KPBS)

STATE

• ‘Buying’ the votes for a gas-tax hike: is it illegal or just good politics? (Sacramento Bee)
• California Legislature votes to raise gas taxes, vehicle fees by $5.2 billion a year for road repairs and transit (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Appeals court upholds California’s cap and trade system (Sacramento Bee)
• State Senate Approves Bill to Make California A 'Sanctuary State' (KPBS)
• California Wants to Make Itself Even Less Competitive (Reason)
• California bill stops Trump border wall builders from getting state contracts (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• This Self-Taught Programmer is Bringing Transparency to California Politics (Reason)

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

By Mike Allen

April 11, 2017 (Potrero) – A former Potrero resident who was found guilty of smuggling illegal immigrants in 2014 had her ranch home seized by the federal government and sold at auction. But now a court has vacated, or voided, the most serious charges, so Kayla Rains seeks to have the auction funds returned to her.

April 11, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting-edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Did you know that in the U.S. before 1973, it was illegal to profit off of healthcare? (Investment Watch)
• KFC goes antibiotic-free (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Measles outbreak across Europe (BBC)
• U.S.-UK alliance targets the world's deadliest superbugs (Reuters)
• Mom at center of wrongful birth debate: ‘If they had cared, they would have called.’ (CNN)
• Why Didn't Zika Cause a Surge in Microcephaly in 2016? (NPR)
• Be My Eyes: App lets the sighted lend their eyes to the blind (CS Monitor)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Facebook to tackle fake news with educational campaign (BBC)
• Trump signs repeal of U.S. broadband privacy rules (Reuters)
• Here's why hackers find it so easy to steal your most personal data (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Farmers Look for Ways to Circumvent Tractor Software Locks (NPR)
• She found a way to make plastic waste useful (CS Monitor)
• Space station debris shield floats away during spacewalk (Reuters)
• SpaceX makes history twice in one evening (CS Monitor)
• Now space fans can search through a 100 years of NASA space photos online (CS Monitor)

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

Fisher is Mountain West all-time winningest coach to work in athletic department; former head coach in waiting takes over for retiring Fisher

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

April 11, 2017 (San Diego) - Steve Fisher, San Diego State’s all-time winningest coach and the winningest coach in Mountain West history, announced today that he is retiring as the head basketball coach at SDSU. Fisher, 72, will continue to work at the University in a part-time capacity.

By Miriam Raftery

April 10, 2017 (San Diego) – Immigration attorney Steven Riznyk, CEO at San Diego Biz Law, was a guest on our East County Magazine Radio Show aired on March 24^th on KNSJ Radio.  (Listen to our interview by clicking the audio link.)   He offered important advice in the wake of President Donald Trump’s travel ban, speaking about little-known provisions that could lead to deportations or refusal to readmit some travelers with green cards or visas who leave the U.S. on vacation or business travel.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by A. Fanous, St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, before the bombing

April 11, 2017 (Alexandria, Egypt) – At least 45 people are dead following bombings on churches in two Egyptian cities, the New York Times reports.  The attacks which occurred on Palm Sunday targeted Christian worshippers.   The actions follow a December declaration by ISIS, or the Islamic State, terror group to slaughter Christians at the homes, places of worship and elsewhere in Egypt.

By Liz Alper, ECM film reviewer

Photo via Facebook

April 10, 2017 (San Diego) - The Armenian genocide was a horrific event in September of 1915 in which Turkish forces (then still under the control of the Ottoman Empire) slaughtered thousands of Armenian men, women and children.  Director Terry George attempted to put this tragedy on screen in The Promise, starring Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale and Charlotte Le Bon.

How the City Games the System Through Sampling Bias. 

By Joseph Glidden

April 10, 2017 (La Mesa) --At its annual Town Hall Meetings, the City of La Mesa gathers skewed data that is then uses to make important decisions at the Strategic Planning Session held later in the year. While the town hall meetings might give the illusion of civic engagement, the data collected is misleading at best. Once again the City Council is busy with the irrelevant, at the expense of the essential.  

La Mesa has been holding annual town hall meetings for the past 10 years. One on the east side of town and the other on the west. Over the years and at both locations, the concerns voiced by residents have been conspicuously similar. Why would this be so?