By Miriam Raftery

Images via Stop Cottonwood Sand Mine

Update January 9: Due to a COVID surge the January 12 meeting has been cancelled. The virtual meeting on January 19 at 7 p.m. can be accessed at this link  https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/pds/ceqa/MUP-18-023.html or this link: https://bit/ly/CottonwoodSandMine or you can call (619) 343-2539 and provide conference ID number 972 237 701#.

December 28, 2021 (San Diego) – A Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) is now available on the controversial proposed Cottonwood Sand Mining project along the Sweetwater River on the Cottonwood Golf Club site. There are several opportunities for the public to weigh in, including an in-person meeting January 12 at Hillsdale Middle School in Rancho San Diego and an online/phone teleconference January 19. You can also submit comments via mail or email, which must be received by February 14 at 4 p.m.

The project at 2131 Willow Glen Road would extract around 6.4 million tons of sand over 10 years from 214.4 acres. The developer contends the sand is needed for construction and road building in our region, to avoid costly importing of sand.  

The project has drawn opposition from thousands of local residents concerned over harm to wildlife in the adjacent national wildlife preserve as well as impacts on residents including traffic, noise, and air quality.

"We will review the DEIR with diligence to see if any of the community concerns have been addressed," said StopCottonwoodSandMine.org Board Chair Elizabeth Urquhart. “Most importantly, although it's been a long wait since the project was proposed in 2018, the community needs to know it is now the right time to speak up and register concerns over the community impacts, despite this being the holiday season. We need our neighbors to understand we cannot sit still as we continue to voice our opposition. We ask residents to inform their friends and neighbors to sign up at our website. We need to all work together to inform the community and to ultimately stop this sand mine.” Their concerns are documented at  https://www.stopcottonwoodsandmine.com/

Below are details provided by the County’s Planning and Development Services Department on the DEIR and how you can make your voice heard. Be sure to reference the project name and number in your comments.

Story and photos by Karen Pearlman 

January 8, 2022 (Lake Morena) – For more than two years, Lake Morena Village area water users have been drinking bottled water because of formidable nitrate levels in the region’s wells, the main source of water for drinking in the rural San Diego county burg. 

In September 2019, the county issued a do-not-drink order for about 125 customers of the Lake Morena Views Mutual Water Company, one of the two main water suppliers in the area.  The state recently approved grant funds to eliminate the contamination, but the process moves slowly – meaning frustrated residents may be without potable tap water for another two to three years.

“I am wondering what the effects will be on all of us in time to come. How can it take over two years to fix the issue?” asks Claudia Millerbragg, a Lake Morena Village residents in rural Campo. She says shareholders are not given enough information, adding,  “Because we are in an underserved community no one really seems to care. Can you imagine this happening in La Jolla?"

Exhibition of Norris’ photography will be displayed in February at the Parsonage Museum

By Helen Ofield

Photo credit: Mike Norris, by Ife Babatund

January 6, 2022 (Lemon Grove) -- The Lemon Grove Historical Society (LGHS) increased its talent pool, effective Jan. 1, 2022, by appointing Mike Norris Photographer-in Residence.  Norris joins Kathleen Strzelecki, Artist-in-Residence, and Robert Stuckey, Videographer-in-Residence, both well-known for their work in portraying and documenting American history. 

By Karen Pearlman

January 8, 2022 (Alpine) -- Jeff Marcus, an Alpine resident, was one of thousands who died from COVID-19 related issues in 2021.

An entertainer for more than four decades, Marcus's career as a magician, clown and hypnotist was stalled starting in the spring of 2020 when he was unable to perform in front crowds during the pandemic.

Source:  City of El Cajon

January 5, 2022 (El Cajon) - The City of El Cajon has become the first City in California to be accredited by the American Camp Association. The accreditation process involved applying 300 peer-reviewed standards against the City’s recreation camp operating procedures.

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

Update: The Point-in-Time Homeless Count has been postponed until February 24.

January 5, 2022 (San Diego's East County) - More than 1,000 people were homeless in the East County in 2019, making up 13% of the county’s total. Only the city of San Diego had more. That’s according to the 2019 Regional Task Force on the Homeless (RTFH) Annual Report on Homelessness. El Cajon accounted for 10% of that total with 787 counted during the We All Count Point-in-Time Count. The PITC is a federally mandated requirement designated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that counting unsheltered people experiencing homelessness be conducted every other year. While San Diego County has usually chosen to conduct the count annually, it was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. It’s back on for this year.

East County News Service

January 5, 2022 (El Cajon) – Robert Roger Marchand, 71, of El Cajon died at a local hospital of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident December 28 on Interstate 805.

Marchand was driving northbound on I-805 at Telegraph Canyon Road in Chula Vista around 7:02 p.m. when for unknown reasons, his vehicle veered onto the shoulder and down an embanking, landing on the roof.

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

Photo: Ding Manyang, South Sudanese refugee studying at George Washington University, via Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration

January 5, 2022 (Sacramento) -- By next fall, refugee students may be able to apply to attend American colleges and universities. The State Department said it plans to pilot a new category for refugee admissions, known as P4.

East County News Service

January 4, 2022 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Police have arrested a suspect accused of robbing Bank of the West at Grossmont Center this morning, following a pursuit through the mall. Officers also recovered the money taken during the robbery.

Asim Daniels, 36, of Brawley is accused of demanding money from several bank tellers at 10 a.m., simulating that he had a firearm. The suspect left the bank on foot, heading toward the shopping mall.

La Mesa Police responded to a 9-1-1 call and began searching the area.

East County News Service

January 4, 2022 (San Diego) – Sullivan Solar Power’s license has been suspended by the State Contractors Licensing Board after many complaints. Sullivan closed its operations and stopped responding to customers’ inquiries, as ECM previously reported.  Fortunately, help is available. If you are a current or past Sullivan Solar customer, the California Solar Storage Association (CALSSA) recommends several resources, including a state-run solar recovery fund to help homeowners harmed by a solar contractor, as well as informational sites and access to contractors to complete unfinished work.

COVID safety precautions minimized potential for TB spread

East County News Service

January 3, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – Tuberculosis has been diagnosed in a person at Sycuan Casino who may have exposed customers and employees, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) announced today.

Story and photos by Miriam Raftery

Photo: Terra-Gen’s planned Campo Wind turbines would be twice as tall as those shown at the existing Kumeyaay Wind site in Campo.

January 3, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – Terra-Gen, the company slated to build a massive wind project on the Campo reservation, has been fined over a half million dollars following an investigation that accused the company of submitting “false or misleading information to the California System Operator (CAISO)” regarding the capabilities and output of a wind power facility owned by Terra-Gen’s subsidiary Cameron Ridge, LLC. 

By Karen Pearlman

December 31, 2021 (La Mesa) -- Ron Brady was the founder of a high profile construction company, but it was the practice of philanthropy over the course of many decades that helped him develop some of his closest community ties.

A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Brady took over his father's business, the lath and plastering contracting firm E.F. Brady that started in 1946, and turned it into a successful construction business known as the Brady Companies. The Brady companies were instrumental in developing much of San Diego County, Los Angeles County and parts of Northern California. The companies specialize in drywall, plaster and lath that are geared toward major commercial projects.

Over the course of his lifetime, he and his wife, Mary Alice, gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars to different organizations, from Sharp Grossmont Hospital to the East County YMCA to the Boys and Girls Clubs of East County.

By Miriam Raftery

January 29, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- If your New Year’s resolution includes eating healthier, you may want to visit some of the many healthy dining restaurants, cafes and take-out places right here in East County. 

There are many definitions of healthy dining, so we’ve included a variety of choices including vegan, vegetarian, heart-healthy, organic, natural, superfoods, salad and smoothie bars, farm-to-table and more.