Keynote speaker is best-selling author, Emmy award-winning actor, director and producer Henry Winkler

East County News Service

June 18, 2021 (San Diego) -- Local nonprofit San Diego Oasis in collaboration with the County of San Diego’s Aging and Independence Services (AIS), Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) and Live Well San Diego, San Diego Oasis will host “Vital Aging 2021: Resilient and Ready!,” an online conference that will provide those 60 and older with information and resources related to aging. The online event will be held Thursday, June 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.  This is a free virtual event.

Source:  Center for Food Safety

June 17, 2021 (Washington, D.C.) - In a victory for organic farmers, advocates and animal welfare, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it will be reinstating animal welfare standards on farms producing organic meat that were withdrawn during the Trump Administration. Secretary Vilsack announced that the USDA will “reconsider the prior Administration’s interpretation that the Organic Foods Production Act does not authorize USDA to regulate the practices that were the subject of the 2017 Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) final rule,” including meaningful outdoor access for organic chickens and other animal welfare improvements. The Secretary “directed the National Organic Program to begin a rulemaking to address this statutory interpretation and to include a proposal to disallow the use of porches as outdoor space in organic production,” and make other improvements to the original rule.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo via C-Span

View video of bill signing:  https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4967194/president-biden-signs-bill-making-juneteenth-federal-holiday 

June 17, 2021 (San Diego) — President Joe Biden today signed into law a bill making June 19, known as Juneteenth, a federal holiday.  The measure was passed by the Senate on unanimous consent yesterday and approved by the House of Representatives on Wednesday by a 415-14 vote. 

Update June 19, 2021:  The Sheriff's department provided ths update:

Unfortunately, Raymond Bermudez Jr. was pronounced deceased last night. Bermudez's next of kin has been notified of his death. The Medical Examiner's Office has scheduled an autopsy has been scheduled for June 20, 2021. The suspect, Ronald Francis Valdez, has since posted bail on the lesser charge and has been released. Homicide detectives will amend the criminal charges as they continue their investigation. Detectives determined Bermudez was not in Shooter's Cocktails before the incident. Valdez did enter Shooter's Cocktails. However, he was denied service and left. The assault occurred in the parking lot and not in the business.   

By Miriam Raftery

June 16, 2021 (Spring Valley) – Ronald Francis Valdez, 31, is under arrest for the battery of his uncle, who is not expected to survive a serious head injury, says Lt. Thomas Seiver with the Sheriff’s homicide unit.

Deputies responded to a call at 9:30 last night of a fight at Shooter’s Cocktails at 10761 Jamacha Blvd. They found the victim, Raymond Bermudez, Jr. in front of the bar suffering from a head wound.

“Fire personnel responded and transported Bermudez to a local area hospital,” says Lt. Seiver. “Unfortunately, he is not expected to live. Due to the likelihood Bermudez may die, the Sheriff's Homicide Unit responded and assumed responsibility of the investigation.”

June 15, 2021 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include:

LOCAL

• San Diego County reaches key benchmark: herd immunity (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Publisher’s cancer battle endangers future of Julian’s newspaper (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• El Cajon-based Taylor Guitars hit new highs and lows during pandemic (10 News)
• Scripps Health Notifying 147,000 Whose Data Possibly Compromised in Cyber Attack (Times of San Diego)
• Number of ‘ghost guns’ seized by San Diego police on pace to double last year’s take (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• 2 SDPD officers among three people killed in wrong-way crash on I-5 in San Ysidro (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• Ticks on a ‘quest’ for blood at California’s beaches. Is Lyme disease a rising risk?(Los Angeles Times)
• Gov. Newsom: A vaccination verification system is coming ‘very shortly’ (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Biden restores $929 million for California high-speed rail withheld by Trump (Reuters)
• Been vaccinated? California wants to give you a dream vacation (Los Angeles Times)
• Disneyland increases attendance capacity, drops masks and physical distancing as pandemic rules end (Los Angeles Daily News)
• The Central California town that keeps sinking (HCN)

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

By Miriam Raftery

June 14, 2021 (Sacramento) – With case-rates dropping and California now having the third-lowest rate of positive COVID-19 test results in the nation, the state is poised to end its color-coded tiers and lift most restrictions tomorrow. But employers have been in limbo as Cal-OSHA delayed a decision last week on rules to protect workers.

Now, Cal-OSHA is expected to approve new workplace rules proposed by Governor Gavin Newsom this week, which would allow fully vaccinated workers in most workplaces to remove masks and end social distancing requirements starting June 17^th.

That’s a turnaround from an earlier proposal by Cal-OSHA, which would have required all workers to wear masks if anyone in the workplace wasn’t vaccinated but drew objections from employers’ groups.

By Ben Christopher, CalMatters

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

Photo:  Carlos Hernandez holds his mask while getting a haircut by Sarah Cordiey at Spiros Barber Shop in Long Beach on June 9, 2021. "During the pandemic, I got depression and anxiety," said Hernandez, who saw his family for the first time last week in more than one year. "But then when I got [fully] vaccinated I felt a lot better." Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

June 14, 2021 (San Diego) - California’s grand reopening day is almost here, but it comes with a few asterisks. 

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

June 13, 2021 (San Diego) -- I am pretty sure there is something that we East County residents all have in common since the onset of the pandemic -- stress and anxiety. In fact, an ongoing study by the National Center for Health Statistics in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau shows that at least a quarter of all Americans were experiencing anxiety. In California, the statistic was almost one out of three. 

East County News Service

Photo: Creative Commons via Bing

June 13, 2021 (Washington D.C.) -- Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chair of the Subcommittee on International Development, International Organizations, and Global Corporate Social Impact, and San Diego Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-53), the subcommittee’s Vice Chair, introduced the Restoring U.S. Leadership in International Organizations Act of 2021. This legislation would boost America’s diplomatic presence at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and incentivize American diplomats to serve in international organizations, helping to restore and strengthen U.S. global leadership. 

By Jackie Botts, CalMatters

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

Photo:  Dr. Shirley Weber of San Diego testifies during her confirmation hearing as Secretary of State. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

June 13, 2021 (San Diego's East County) - For more than three decades, Black members of Congress have introduced legislation to study the lasting harms of slavery on African Americans, and propose remedies. Year after year, the federal proposal languished.

East County News Service

June 11, 2021 (Spring Valley) -- Caltrans announces full nighttime closures on State Route 94 (SR-94) in Spring Valley Sunday to Wednesday and lane closures on Thursday from 10 until 5 in the morning. The closures are needed so that crews can safely complete pavement work, drainage improvements and Americans-with-Disabilities-Act- compliant curb ramp upgrades.