East County News Service

June 5, 2017 (Lakeside) – A 37-year-old woman has died after she and a second motorcyclist parked on the shoulder of Winter Gardens Boulevard south of Creekford Road in Lakeside were struck by a Ford Taurus Monday at 8:52 p.m.

East County News Service

June 4, 2017 (Ramona) -- State Route 78 will be closed for 10 days between Weekend Villa Road to Indian Oak Road between Escondido and Ramona, starting on Friday, June 9^th at 6 a.m. through Monday, June19th.  

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Senator Ricardo Lara and Toni Atkins, authors of Healthy California Act.

June 4, 2017 Sacramento) – Both houses of California’s Legislature have passed a landmark bill  called the “Healthy California Act”  to create a single-payer, universal healthcare system and eliminate private insurance companies  from covering anything covered by the state plan, which is broad.   

If enacted  the measure coauthored by Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) would  cover all Californians, with no premiums, copays or deductibles, for all medical, dental, vision care, mental health and chiropractic services.   

But Senate bill 352 must go back to the Assembly to remedy a major flaw: the bill was advanced without details on how to pay for it, in order to meet legislative deadlines, and contains a clause that without the Secretary of Health and Human Services determining that a new Healthy California Trust Fund has sufficient revenues to fund the bill’s costs,  it will not become law.  

By Miriam Raftery

June 4, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – The Otay Water District filed a lawsuit in Superior Court on May 30^th against the City of San Diego alleging breach of contract, overcharges on recycled water rates and lack of transparency.  The suit accuses San Diego of becoming “unjustly enriched at Otay’s expense,” according to Mark Robak, president of the Otay Water District, and asks the court to rescind a January 2016 rate hike and repay that money to the district.

The Otay district provides water for residents in Spring Valley, Jamul, Rancho San Diego, La Prensa, eastern Otay Mesa and eastern Chula Vista.  

By Miriam Raftery

June 4, 2017 (San Diego) – By a 49-25 vote, Assembly Bill 805 by Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher (D-San Diego) was approved by the state Assembly. 

The measure has been touted as a bill to “reform” the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) by making transportation planning and funding more accountable and transparent.  But critics contend it shifts power away from East County cities to San Diego and Chula Vista, which together would control agenda-setting and have a majority vote.

June 3, 2017 (San Diego's East County)-- Our March 2017 radio shows are now online. For links to listen to the shows plus a full list of topics an interviews, click here  or click "read more" and scroll down. (Sound files may take a few moments to load).

We covered timely local stories, such as highlights from Rep. Duncan Hunter’s town hall and flooding after the heavy rains. Our newsmaker interviews included immigration attorney Steven Risnyk, Coast to Cactus guidebook author Diana Lindsay,  Dr. Fred Baughman on his theory that psychoactive drugs are causing deaths of young military members and veterans, filmmaker Mike Garcia on his documentary on the 50^th Congressional district race, plus Bonnie Baranoff from La Mesa Conversations and Lois Knowlton from La Mesa First United Methodist Church on homelessness. 

 The East County Magazine Show airs Mondays and Fridays from 5 to 6 p.m. on KNSJ, 89.1 FM.  Our shows rerun on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.  Read more and listen to our March shows:

By Vanessa Schipani, Eugene Kiely, Lori Robertson and Robert Farley

Credit to factcheck.org, full story here:  http://www.factcheck.org/2017/06/factchecking-trumps-climate-speech/

June 3, 2017 (San Diego's East County) - In announcing that the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris Agreement, a global accord aimed at addressing climate change, President Donald Trump made more than a few false and misleading claims:

• Trump said the U.S. would be exposed to “massive legal liability if we stay in” the Paris Agreement. But there is no liability mechanism in the Paris Agreement. International environmental law experts tell us that pulling out of the agreement won’t reduce U.S. exposure to liability claims and, in fact, may increase it.
• Trump called China and India the “world’s leading polluters,” referring to carbon emissions. That’s not accurate. China and the U.S. were the top emitters per kiloton in 2015.
• The president also falsely said “nobody even knows where the money [in the Green Climate Fund] is going to.” The fund’s website outlines all of the projects that have been funded.
• Trump said the agreement would cost “close to $3 trillion in lost GDP.” That’s one estimate from a report for a business-funded group that found a much smaller impact under a different scenario. Yet another analysis said the impact of meeting the emissions targets would be “modest.”
• Trump again took credit for job gains, saying the economy has added more than a million private sector jobs since his election. That’s true, but only 493,000 of them were added since he took office.

East County News Service

June 2, 2017 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – The Jacumba Hikers and Walkers will hold three final Saturday excursions this season including:

• June 3:  An 8.5 mile hike to Mt. Laguna along the Pacific Crest Trail with stops at Garnet Peak and Indian Creek
• June 10:  Trek to the Desert View tower, one of the oldest roadside landmarks in our region
• June 17:  A 10-mile hike to Sunset/Big Laguna Trail Loop for sweeping views.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: NASA satellite:  Arctic ice reached an all-time record low in March, due to record temperatures.

June 2, 2017 (San Diego)—President Donald Trump’s announcement yesterday to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Accord  means the U.S. joins Syrian dictator Bashar Assad as the only other world leader who does not believe climate change is a serious threat to the planet.   Every nation on earth signed the Paris agreement calling for aggressive action to combat climate change, except for Syria and Nicaragua, but Nicaragua wanted even stronger actions to protect planet Earth.

East County News Service

June 1, 2017 (Santee) – Thousands of dog lovers and their pets will gather for East County’s largest dog event, FidoFest on Saturday, June 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Town Center Community Park East, 550 Park Center Drive in Santee.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher wins approval of package of bills helping women in the workforce

East County News Service

June 1, 2017 (Sacramento) – California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) has won approval for several “women in the workplace” initiatives she authored this year to address income inequality as well as the challenges of working while pregnant or as a young mother.

East County News Service

June 1, 2017 (Mt. Helix) – Mt. Helix Park is partnering with the San Diego Astronomy Association (SDAA) to host “Astronomy Night” atop Mt. Helix on Saturday, July 15th from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Bring your own telescope or witness the cosmos through one provided by members of the SDAA, who will be on site to help you interpret the night sky.

East County Magazine

June 2, 2017 (Spring Valley) -- Ever wonder how to eat a bowlful of spicy crawfish?  ECM reviewer Jordan Damond demosntrates the technique at the Mardi Gras Cafe in Spring Valley.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Daren Sefcik

June 1, 2017 (Borrego Springs) – The 47^th annual Anza Borrego bighorn sheep count is set for  June 29^th through July 1^st,  with a mandatory orientation on June 17^th for all new counters and recommended for those who participated in the past.   The count will go on despite the death of its long-time leader, Ranger Steve Bier. 

“We were unable to find the master sheep count mailing list,”  states a letter from Anza Borrego Desert State Park Superintendent Kathy Dice and volunteer Sheep County Coordinator Mark Jorgensen, who are organizing a new sheep counting team. If you know of counters,  please forward their contact information to AB.Sheepcount@parks.ca.gov.