By Chisato Iversen

Miriam Raftery contributed to this report

Photos, left: Loretta Sanchez and Kamala Harris

June 9, 2016 (San Diego)--Three dozen candidates vied in the primary race to replace California’s U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, a long-serving Democratic who is stepping down.  The November run-off will be between two Democratic women, both minorities: the state’s Attorney General Kamala Harris, and and  10-term Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.

By Jonathan Goetz

Photo: Mara Elliott, City Attorney candidate

June 9,2016 (San Diego) --San Diego Mayor Kevin Falconer, a Republican,  won re-election handily Tuesday with 58% of the vote, avoiding a run-off with independent Lori Saldana, a former Assembly member who received 22%, and Democrat Ed Harris with 19%.

Republican Council members Mark Kersey and Scott Sherman also secured their seats with over 50% of the vote, as did Senate Chief of Staff Chris Ward in the race to succeed fellow Democrat Todd Gloria in District 3.The San Diego City Council Seats that continue into a November run-off are Districts 1 and 9. San Diego may also break one more glass ceiling in November, if Mara Elliott is elected as the first woman City Attorney.

June 9, 2016 (San Diego's East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL

• That judge attacked by Donald Trump? He’s faced a lot worse. (New York Times)
• Former Trump University workers call the school a”lie” and a “scheme” in testimony (New York Times)
• Transparency? SDPD rejects requests for body cam video of Trump protests aftermath (10 News)
• Group forms to fight San Onofre nuclear waste plan (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Tribune Renames Itself 'Tronc' While Gannett Weighs Its Bid (KPBS)
• Feds OK weapons for San Onofre (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Helix Charter High School Names New Leader(La Mesa Today)
• Poway Unified Paid a Financial Firm Double the Contract Amount in Half the Time (Voice of San Diego)
• Supervisor Bill Horn’s code additions still not up to code (CBS8)
• Signatures submitted on Lilac Hills vote (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• From useful to wasteful: How utility customers have born the brunt of failed projects (Los Angeles Times)
• Brush fires fueled by extreme heat hit Southern California; parts of Calabasas evacuated (LA Times)
• Californians Will Get Their Choice Between Coke, Diet Coke for the Senate (Reason)
• Congressional Candidate Deluged With Anti-Semitic Harassment (Buzzfeed)
• Watchdog Makes Emails From California Utility Officials Public (KPBS)
• Bill to overhaul CPUC passes Assembly (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Edison, regulators cooperated on subpoena (San Diego Union-Tribune)

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

By Miriam Raftery

June 9, 2016 (San Diego)—Seven Assembly seats and one state Senate race in San Diego County were among those on the ballot Tuesday.   Under the rules for state legislative elections, the top two vote-getters in each race will advance to a run-off in November. 

In a startling turn of events, the run-off in the 71^st Assembly seat vacated by Brian Jones due to term limits will be between Santee Mayor Randy Voepel and jeweler Leo Hamel in November—despite Hamel announcing he was dropping out of the race shortly after the ballots were printed. 

"In a “top-two” primary, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the General Election. The only way a candidate can be removed from the ballot is by dying or via court order. This must occur no later than 68 days before the election (Per Elections Code 8810)," Sam Mahood, press secretary for Secretary of State Alex Padilla told East County Magazine.  San Diego Registrar Michael Vu confirmed that state election code provides that Hamel will be on the November ballot, once the results are officially certified.

The district spans two counties. In San Diego, Voepel got 61%, Hamel 27%, and businessman Tony Teora 12%.  In Riverside County, the placement order is the same, though Teora had 14% there.

Half of managers say employee attire is less formal than five years ago

East County News Service

June 9, 2016 (Menlo Park, CA) -- Dressing up for work continues to go out of style, new research from staffing firm OfficeTeam shows. Half (50 percent) of senior managers interviewed said employees wear less formal clothing than they did five years ago. In addition, nearly one-third (31 percent) of office workers stated they would prefer to be at a company with a business casual dress code; 27 percent favor a casual dress code or no dress code at all.

By Miriam Raftery

June 9,2016 (Alpine) –The Alpine Union School District’s board has voted unanimously to file an appeal of a decision by Superior Court Judge Joel Pressman, who ruled against the AUSD and Alpine Taxpayers for Bond Accountability in their case against the Grossmont Union High School District. The taxpayers group has previously announced that it will also appeal the ruling.

The groups argue that Grossmont should turn over Prop H bond money that voters approved with the intent to build a high school in Alpine. Judge Pressman sided with Grossmont, finding that the bond measure allowed but did not require construction of the school.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

June 8, 2016 (San Diego) -- Brush fires chewed through hillsides from San Diego to Ventura Counties and every county in between, challenging firefighters and making hillside homeowners very nervous this past weekend as a very hot and long brush fire season is now underway.

Story and photo by Miriam Raftery

June 8, 2016 (San Diego) – By a resounding 63% to 37% margin, voters in the city of San Diego approved raising the minimum wage.  The ballot initiative also mandates 40 hours of paid sick leave a year for full-time workers.

East County News Service

June 8, 2016 (La Mesa) – The Association of California Healthcare Districts (ACHD) has recognized the Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) with its “Best Practices in Governance” certification, indicating GHD’s commitment to open and transparent government.

Photos:  Kathleen Harmon, lifetime San Diego County Democratic Central Committee member, Miriam Plotkin, Democratic Central Committee member from La  Mesa, Asssemblywoman Shirley Weber,  former Secretary of State and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton

"It is an amazing experience to believe we will have the first opportunity to elect a woman president—to see what people used to say was the impossible happen.” – Assemblywoman Shirley Weber

By Miriam Raftery

June 8,2016 (San Diego)—For the first time in U.S. history, a woman is poised to be the nominee of a major political party on the presidential race in November. Hillary Clinton has taken nearly 56 percent of the vote in California over Senator Bernie Sanders at 43 percent, with 99% of precincts reporting, capturing enough pledged delegates to  have a majority nationwide.

Clinton, who also leads soundly in superdelegates,  is now the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, though Sanders has said he will remain in the race until the July convention.

East County Magazine

June 7, 2016 (San Diego)—Before any Californians headed to the polls, Associated Press unilaterally declared Hillary Clinton to be the  Democrats’ “presumptive nominee for president.”  But critics including the nonpartisan Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting “FAIR” call that unfair, noting that AP relied solely on the AP’s own polling of unelected superdelegates who won’t be casting their votes until the July 25 Democratic convention—and who are allowed to change their votes. 

FAIR, in a press statement issued today, observfes, “Media do not generally call elections weeks before the actual voting based on voters’ intentions. The timing of AP’s announcement–on the eve of primaries in California, New Jersey, New Mexico, Montana and South Dakota, and caucuses in North Dakota—raises concerns of voter suppression, intentional or not.”

June 7, 2016 (San Diego's East County) -- A lot has changed in the 71st Assembly district race.  Leo Hamel dropped out, though his name still appears on the ballot.  East County Magazine invited both remaining challengers vying for the open seat vacated by Brian Jones due to term limits onto our radio show.

Santee Mayor Randy  Voepel failed to respond to multiple requests. Businessman Tony Teora did sit down for an interview with East County Magazine on KNSJ to discuss the hottest issues facing our region.  You can hear his interview by clicking the audio link below.

East County News Service

June 7, 2016 (Santee) -- Night Fishing is coming to Santee Lakes on Thursday evenings June 9, 23, July 7, 21, and August 4, 18.

East County Magazine Show is among programming knocked off air; funds urgently needed to restore broadcasting

June 7,2016 (San Diego)—Community radio station KNSJ 89.1 FM Descanso has been temporarily knocked off the air after a break-in and theft. KNSJ's transmitter site on Monument Peak in the Laguna Mountains was broken into, with vandalism intentionally disabled broadcasting on Thursday, June 2^nd at 7:05 p.m. PST. The immediate impact of this crime is loss of the FM broadcast and service as an emergency alert system. KNSJ continues to stream 24/7 online, but not over the public airways. Because this break-in occurred on federal land and interrupted a licensed FCC full-power FM station, this forced entry is a considered a federal crime.

KNSJ is making a public appeal to raise $5000 to get the station back on the air.

Donations are needed to replace equipment, upgrade a security system and the speedy return of this non-profit radio station to regular programming. Tax-deductible donations can be made at KNSJ.org KNSJ is an all volunteer station relying primarily on donations.

Source: Cesar Chavez Foundation

Photo:  Helen and Cesar Chavez with six of their eight children in 1969 at the United Farm Workers’ “Forty Acres” property outside Delano. Standing from left are: Anna, Eloise and Sylvia. Seated are from left Paul, Elizabeth and Anthony.

June 6, 2016 (Keene, Ca.) - Helen Fabela Chavez, 88, who played a vital role helping her husband give birth to what became the first enduring farm workers union in U.S. history—and sustained Cesar Chavez during the 31 years he led the United Farm Workers of America—passed away today, Monday, June 6 at a Bakersfield hospital surrounded by many of her seven surviving children, 31 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.