East County News Service

September 17, 2014 (San Pasqual)--The San Pasqual Volunteer Fire Department has been dissolved by the San Diego Board of Supervisors.  Supervisors took the action after a fire board member was caught telling firefighters to steal water from a fire hydrant owned by the city of Poway.  The fire was not needed to fight fires; instead San Pasqual Fire delivered the purloined water to a friend of the board member whose well had run dry.

The board member, Charles Dilts, asked Supervisors to postpone their decision until after fire season is over. But Supervisors refused, citing a Sheriff’s investigation and violation of the public trust by the fire department. San Pasqual’s fire station will now be run by the County Fire Authority, which plans to replace some vehicles.

September 17, 2014 (Rancho San Diego)—On September 17th Cuyamaca College will screen a free curated compilation of the best short Latino films that played at this year's festival as part of the celebrations for Latino Heritage Month.

By Miriam Raftery

September 16, 2014 (San Diego)—San Diego’s City Council meets twice a week, but allows public comments on non-agenda only once a week, on Tuesdays. That may be illegal-- violating requirements of the Ralph M. Brown Act for open government, says City Attorney Jan Goldsmith.

By Robert Gehr

Knox House Museum

280 N. Magnolia Ave. El Cajon, California

619-444-3800

Open Saturdays 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (except the 5^th Saturday of the month)

www.elcajonhistory.org

September 16, 2014 (El Cajon)--You may have read my last article about a unique place, and a part of El Cajon’s history: www.eastcountymagazine.org/knox-house-museum-offers-glimps-el-cajons-past.  Now, dear readers, I offer you part 2 - accompanied by some photos of the interior of this historic and beautiful building.

September 15, 2014 (Lakeside) - Residents of Lakeside are invited to meet candidates for public offices on October 9^th from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Donna Frye presenting Sunshine Award to CALAWARE’s Terry Francke

September 15, 2014 (San Diego)--Californians Aware, or CALAWARE, a nonprofit group that protects the rights of citizens and journalists to access public information, has sent a letter to Governor Jerry Brown urging him to veto Senate Bill 1300.

By Miriam Raftery

September 15, 2014 (San Diego)--San Diego City Councilwoman Marti Emerald has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will be undergoing outpatient surgery, she revealed on her Facebook page.

By Nadin Abbott

Sep. 14, 2014 (San Diego) The San Diego Unified School District has announced that schools will be on minimum school day tomorrow due to the heat. These will be schools without 100 percent air conditioning.

By Miriam Raftery

September 12, 2014 (San Diego) – There won’t be a gas-fired power plant built next to Mission Trails Regional Park. Plans for the controversial project have been withdrawn at the request of a letter sent by Quail Brush GENCO LLC, the project applicant, to the California Energy Commission on September 12.

The project had faced strong opposition including city councils of both Santee and San Diego, the Santee School District, environmental groups and residents. 

Preserve Wild Santee posted the following message on its Facebook page upon hearing the news:

E - The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: I thought that putting ethanol in our gas tanks was going help fight climate change, but lately I’ve heard reports to the contrary. Can you enlighten?       -- Bill B., Hershey, PA

Ethanol and similar “biofuels” made from corn and other crops seem like a good idea given their potential for reducing our carbon outputs as well as our reliance on fossil fuels. But recent research has shown that the federal government’s push to up production of corn-derived ethanol as a gasoline additive since 2007 has actually expanded our national carbon footprint and contributed to a range of other problems.

By Miriam Raftery

September 13, 2014 (Sacramento)—The Secretary of State’s office has found that backers of a ballot initiative that would divide California into six separate states fell short of the required 807,615 signatures needed.  Supporters turned in over 1.2 million signatures, but a random check to verify the validity found only 752,685 signatures were valid—66.1% of those turned in.

Law enforcement can keep 80% of cash seized, a system critics say has led to victimization of innocent people

By Nadin Abbott

September 13, 2014 (San Diego) East County Magazine was informed by a reader in Santa Ysabel about seizure of $4,500 during a Sheriff’s raid locally. A member of the household was arrested on drug charges, Sheriff’s records indicate. But a relative claims the money belonged to the suspect’s father--savings that the older man intended to use to purchase a car.

By Miriam Raftery

September 13, 2014 (Alpine)—Tina Smyth, owner of the Atria Salon in Alpine, suffered serious injuries from a brutal attack during an attempted robbery at her shop on April 8, 2014.  In a blog posted at the Alpine Community News site, Smyth says she has now been forced to put her shop up for sale because her injuries prevent her from working more than a couple of days a week.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of CAL-FIRE

September 13, 2014 (Cleveland National Forest) – Over 200 homes are under evacuation orders in Silverado Canyon in Orange County due to the Silverado Fire burning in the Cleveland National Forest. The blaze, which started yesterday, has scorched over 1,500 acres. Other fires are also taking a heavy toll on federal public lands.

Firefighting resources are battling blazes in Yosemite National Park as well as Klamath, Sequoia, Lassen, and Shasta-Trinity National Forests. Fueled by tinder-dry conditions amid the worst drought in memory, the fires have collectively burned over a quarter of  a million acres—and it’s only September.

September 13, 2014 (Sacramento)—If you’re a part-time or full-time worker, you’ll soon have at least three paid sick leave days a year, starting in July 2015.