Update March 11, 2021:  President Biden has signed this measure into law.

Read full text of the American Recovery Act 2021

By Miriam Raftery

March 8, 2021 (Washington D.C.) – By a 50-49 margin without a single Republican vote, Senate Democrats passed a COVID-19 relief measure that now heads back to the House to approve changes. The House is expected to approve the bill as early as Tuesday, which President Joe Biden has said he will sign into law immediately.

The measure includes a new round of stimulus checks for most Americans and extension of unemployment benefits, but also many less-publicized forms of aid ranging from expansion of child tax credits to relief for restaurants, event venues, and other businesses hardest hit by the pandemic and much more.

One major element removed in the Senate version of the bill is a minimum wage increase, which the Senate Parliamentarian ruled did not fit the rules required to pass the stimulus bill by a simple majority vote needed to avoid a filibuster. The Biden administration is expected to propose a separate bill to address the minimum wage issue in the future.

Here are highlights of what the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill includes:

Jaden Fein finishes 4 for 4 at the plate

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

March 7, 2021 (San Diego) - San Diego State scored five runs in both the third and fifth innings on Sunday to roll past Fresno State 12-7 in the rubber game of a weekend set at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

East County News Service

March 7, 2021 (La Mesa) – Lamplighters Community Theatre in La Mesa will present an encore virtual performance March 12-14 of “The Absolutely Brightness of Leonard Pelkey.”  For tickets, click here.

By Briana Gomez

Photos via Rev. Shane Harris

March 7, 2021 (Escondido) -- Local activist and national civil rights leader Rev. Shane Harris is calling on the state to keep the San Pasqual Academy open, at least until the Dec. 2021 original projected closure date for the foster youth boarding school, and preferably longer. 

San Diego County child welfare officials were alerted by California regulators that the school would be closing by October of this year. 

San Pasqual Academy is a county-run boarding school in Escondido for foster youth, uniquely positioned between supervisorial District 5 and District 2. It is the first of its kind in the nation – the first residential academic home for youth who are dependents of the state. 

East County News Service

Photo: Scales of justice, cc via Bing

March 6, 2021 (San Diego) –The County of San Diego has approved COVID-19 vaccines for judges, prosecutors, public defender attorneys, and court employees. Also covered are criminal defense lawyers representing poor defendants in federal court.

These individuals regularly come in contact with people who have been in prison or county jail, congregate facilities with a high risk of COVID-19.  The County has included them under the “emergency services” category along with police, firefighters, animal control workers and security guards at public facilities.

By Indiana Lee

Image Source: Pexels

March 6, 2021 (San Diego) -- There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted millions of lives around the globe. Some studies have already started to reveal the potential mental health effects of the pandemic, on top of the physical.

People have been dealing with uncertainty, fear, and grief for the better part of a year. Some have lost their jobs. Others have had to adjust to their kids being home from school during the day. Maybe you’ve even experienced a direct loss from the virus.

For those who struggle with other things, however, the pandemic is a two-fold problem. Those who have dealt with addiction before, for example, might find themselves combatting that force once again thanks to the stress of COVID.

In her first game as an Aztec, Claire Watkins scored in the 87th minute to give San Diego State a 3-2 win over Nevada

Source:  goaztecs.com

Video courtesy goaztecs.com

March 5, 2021 (San Diego) - Claire Watkins slammed a shot off the left post and into the goal at the 86:01 mark to give the San Diego State women’s soccer team a 3-2 advantage over the Nevada Wolf Pack on Friday evening at the SDSU Sports Deck.

By Miriam Raftery

March 5, 2021 (La Mesa) - La Mesa Police Department’s (LMPD) review has concluded that Detective Eric Knudson should not be disciplined for firing a less-lethal weapon (a beanbag from a shotgun) during a protest outside the police station on May 30, 2020.  The beanbag struck protester Leslie Furcron in the forehead, causing serious injury.

According to LMPD, “The Department based its decision on the totality of the circumstances, an independent review by a qualified expert in the areas of use of force and less lethal munitions (R.K. Miller, National Training Concepts), and the absence of any significant violation of Department policies.”

The decision comes after the San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan, on January 5, issued a written analysis and conclusion determining that Detective Knudson’s actions did not warrant any state criminal liability.

By Miriam Raftery

March 4, 2021(San Diego) – By a 224 to 206 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Equality Act (H.R. 5) , a sweeping civil rights bill intended to prohibit discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in both public and private places.  But the bill will face an uphill battle in the Senate.

The Equality Act prohibits discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community in the areas of employment, education, credit, housing, jury service, federal funding and more by adding gender identity and sexual orientation to existing anti-discrimination civil rights protections.

Update: This was unanimously approved by Supervisors.

By Miriam Raftery

March 4, 2021 (El Cajon) – San Diego County Supervisors will hold a hearing March 17 on construction of a proposed distribution warehouse that the developer plans to lease to Amazon.com.

The site, which is zoned industrial, is located at the northwest corner of Cuyamaca Street and Weld Blvd. near Gillespie Field. Although the County owns the land, the city of El Cajon has land use authority, but has not yet approved the project.

At a Supervisors’ meeting this week, the county delayed action until environmental studies can be reviewed. The County is relying on an environmental review done by the city of El Cajon in 2009 for a separate project, but public speakers contended that an updated environmental impact study is needed along with review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

East County News Service

March 4, 2021 (Poway) – The Sheriff’s department is investigating the dragging death of a pedestrian that occurred yesterday morning in Poway.

Deputies responding to a radio call of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle around 9:38 a.m. behind a strip mall in the 133300 block of Poway Road found a dead woman who had been run over by a semi-tractor trailer. 

According to Sergeant D. Toner, “It appears the semi-tractor trailer was traveling northbound on the delivery access road behind the businesses…The female was dragged approximately 50 feet before being run over.” 

By Donnie Ryan, County of San Diego Communications Office

March 4, 2021 (San Diego) - The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to ratify the acceptance of fiscal year 2020-2021 state community power resiliency funds, a key step in helping to improve backup energy sources for essential facilities and communications equipment as part of emergency preparedness efforts in the county.

Launched Oct. 25, 2019, by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Local Government Public Safety Power Shutoff Resiliency Program provided state funding to help mitigate the effects of utility-initiated public safety power shutoffs. The name of the program was changed to “Community Power Resiliency” for the current fiscal year.