By Sylvia Hampton

July 9, 2010 (San Diego) -- One of our most prized regional achievements and treasures in San Diego County is the San Dieguito River Park, located in our back yard. When Mayor Sander’s budget was approved by the San Diego City Council recently it included cutting $254,000 annual contribution to the river park, which is 36% of the park’s budget.

By Ann Menasche

The 2010 election cycle is demonstrating beyond a shadow of a doubt that California’s proposition process is undemocratic, corrupt, and irreparably broken. It’s time to reform the process to eliminate moneyed interests and return decision making power to the voters.

July 9, 2010 (El Cajon) --The County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation wants to notify residents to leave the alcohol at home when visiting Hilton Head County Park, which features an aquatic center with a pirate-themed water-spray for children.

July 8, 2010 (La Mesa) -- The City of La Mesa is offering two free summer movie nights. The movies are shown on large screens, providing family entertainment under the stars.  Now you can enjoy a "dive-in movie" while swimming or floating, or relish a movie in the park at dark.

July 8, 2010 (La Mesa) – A 74-year-old woman whose car crashed through a fence and tumbled 60 feet down an embankment on Aztec Drive in La Mesa has been rescued. Heartland Fire & Rescue was dispatched to the accident at 12:30 p.m. and found the vehicle had landed in a drainage ditch. It took ten firefighters approximately half an hour to extricate the woman from the vehicle by removing the roof of the car.

July 8, 2010 (La Mesa) -- What does author Jack Brandais do when he’s not busy being the media spokesperson for the San Diego Unified School District, writing a driving column, or reviewing new cars? He hits the weekly Back to the 50’s car show in La Mesa! On July 22 at 6 pm, he’ll be signing copies of his book, Weekend Driver San Diego, at the Readers Inc. bookstore in the heart of La Mesa village.

July 7, 2010 - A strong earthquake jolted East County at 4:53 p.m. today.  The quake, which was centered 13 miles north northwest of Borrego Springs in San Diego's East County, was initially rated a 5.9 on the Richter scale but subsequently downgraded to a 5.4 according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

"Montezuma Valley Grade had boulders rock and come loose, laying in the roadway, a citizen reported," a deputy at Borrego Springs told East County Magazine.  "They felt it was a safety hazard and I dispatched County Roads...Cell phone service went out for about five minutes also; all circuits were busy."

"It was a rough jolt," Linda Narrin, an employee at Orchard Hill Bed & Breakfast Inn in Julian, told East County Magazine.  

Long before the Internet or cell phones, mission bells served as major means of communications. Tone sequences announced times for work, meals, mass and siestas. Bells guided travelers along El Camino Real (the King’s Highway), signaled danger, honored the dead, and pealed to celebrate joyous feast days, weddings and fiestas.

July 7, 2010 (San Diego) -- I think if it were possible to outsource firefighting to China some would say “go for it.”

San Diego District 5 City Councilman Carl DeMaio, the councilman for Rancho Bernardo, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Sabre Springs, Scripps Ranch and Mira Mesa, thought he delivered the necessary thousands of signatures to the city clerk in support of a ballot initiative called "Competition and Transparency in City Contracting." He and the supporters said the ballot measure would promote outsourcing of city services and save the city money. The supporters of the DeMaio initiative are mostly building contractors.

Filing period July 12 through August 6

July 7, 2010 (San Diego) -- Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-San Diego) has introduced the Medical Device Tax Repeal Bill, H.R. 5615, designed to repeal the medical device manufacturing tax that was passed with President Barack Obama’s health care insurance bill earlier this year.

 Device helps prevent blindness in patients with age-related macular degeneration

Additional street closures slated in vicinity

July 6, 2010 (Santee) –Highway 67 will be closed in both directions Thursday night and early Friday morning due to extension of the highway into Santee.
 

Southbound lanes will shut down starting Thursday at 9 p.m. between Woodside and Prospect. Northbound lanes in the same section of highway will be closed starting at 11 p.m., along with Bradley Avenue and Prospect Avenue onramps.  Additional closures are as follows:

July 5, 2010 (El Cajon) – On Friday, July 9th, fans of art, music, wine and classic cars will be prowling the streets of downtown El Cajon for the 5th annual Alley Cat Summer Fest. The event, which many consider to be the “cat’s meow,” is presented by St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center to benefit Sophie’s Art Gallery, creating opportunities for artists with developmental disabilities.

Affordable Care Act Program provides temporary coverage for Americans without insurance due to pre-existing conditions through 2014 when new insurance exchanges are established; Californians may apply starting in August