Photo:  This panel of local peer support specialists spoke about their jobs and training at a job fair.

By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office

September 23, 2024 (San Diego) -- San Diego County recently teamed up with the San Diego Workforce Partnership to hold a job fair for people who have a history of incarceration.

Serving time in jail, drug or alcohol use or mental health challenges may not sound like something that a job applicant would highlight. But in the peer support field, that background is called lived experience and is considered an asset, when paired with specialized training to help people who struggle with similar challenges.

By Miriam Raftery

September 21, 2024 (San Diego) – San Diego County’s Sheriff’s department has been under scrutiny for years over its high rate of jail deaths. Despite numerous reforms implemented by Sheriff Kelly Martinez that have reduced the overall number of prisoner deaths, yet another shocking death has sparked a lawsuit against the County—this time, a diabetic man who pleaded for insulin, as did fellow inmates on his behalf. His empty insulin pump beeped for nearly 24 hours before the man was found dead in his jail cell.

Keith Galen Bach, 62, of Chula Vista died in San Diego’s Central Jail a year ago, on Sept. 28. He was arrested Sept. 25 on charges of vandalism and making criminal threats. He was hospitalized briefly due to diabetic-related illness before being jailed; at the time of his arrest he had informed staff he would run out of insulin the next day, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

By Miriam Raftery

September 20, 2024 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Police are seeking tips to identify the killer of a homeless woman, 52, last night. Officers responded to a 9-1-1 call at 10:33 p.m. reporting an  unconscious woman with a serious head injury inside a solo encampment in the 8000 block of High Street in La Mesa. 

“Responding officers found the female and sought to render first aid, but unfortunately the victim was deceased,” says Sergeant Jose Gaytan.  A white male adult with a beard was seen leaving the area a few hours prior to the initial call and is a person of interest, but there is no further description.

“Initial information gathered by investigators revealed the victim, a 62-year-old white female known to be homeless in the La Mesa area, was inside her encampment when the attack occurred. Evidence at the scene indicates that the attack likely occurred within hours of the victim being discovered," Sgt. Gaytan says.

East County News Service

September 20, 2024 (San Diego's East County) --  Motorists should expect a delay traveling on eastbound Interstate 8 (i-8) Saturday, September 21 between 7:15 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. from Interstate805 to Greenfield Drive in El Cajon for the Funeral Procession of San Diego Police Officer Austin Machitar, who died of injuries sustained when a suspect crashed into his patrol vehicle during a chase. The procession will also affect the following ramps:

Eastbound I-8 at Interstate 15 (I-15)

Southbound I-15 to eastbound/westbound I-8

Northbound I-15 to eastbound I-8

Eastbound I-8 off-ramp to Mission Gorge Road/Fairmount Avenue

Southbound State Route 125 (SR-125) to eastbound I-8

Northbound SR-125 to eastbound I-8

Southbound State Route 67 to eastbound I-8

Update September 19, 2024 -- The stock market closed at all time highs across the board today, in response to yesterday's interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped over 500 points today, closing above 42,000 points for the first time in American history. The S&P 500 also closed at a record high, closing at 5713.64, the most ever.

By Miriam Raftery

September 18, 2024 (Washington D.C.)  -- In good news for homebuyers and other borrowers, the Federal Reserve today lowered interest rates by a full half percentage point.  It’s the first interest rate reduction since 2020 and more than the quarter point reduction that most market analysts had predicted. That brings rates down to between 4.75% and 5.25%, Forbes reports.

Moreover, Fed staff forecasts another cut in November or December, and potentially more cuts in 2025.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said of the economy,  “You see growth at a solid rate. You see inflation coming down. You see a labor market that’s still at very solid levels,” adding that he does not anticipate any recessionary effects from the lower Fed rates.

The Fed controls the federal funds rates (interest charged on cash reserve transactions between banks). But the central bank’s rate decisions typically spur lenders to lower rates, which could impact everything from car loans to credit card rates and student loan interest.

By: Jared Hernandez, Program Manager

September 17, 2024 (San Diego) -- Sexual harassment by landlords or property managers is a form of discrimination that violates the Fair Housing Act. This law, designed to ensure equal access to housing, prohibits not only discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability but also includes protections against sexual harassment. For many tenants, particularly vulnerable groups like low-income single mothers, sexual harassment can be a devastating barrier to securing safe and stable housing.

In a significant development, CSA of San Diego County, San Diego’s fair housing agency, announced in August the precedent-setting settlement of CSA v. Neri (case 3:23-cv-01369), a case alleging sexual harassment of female tenants by San Diego landlord Ron Neri. Under the terms of the settlement, Neri will pay a global amount of $275,000 and is required to change his business practices pursuant to a consent decree.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in July 2023, alleges that Neri violated the Fair Housing Act by targeting low-income single mothers with housing vouchers for sexual harassment. The plaintiffs included former, current, and prospective tenants. CSA of San Diego County, also a plaintiff, investigated the tenants’ claims. Neri contested all claims in the complaint and denied any liability.

By Michael Howard

Chart, right: La Mesa calls for fire and rescue services are projected to increase 168% by 2050, according to consulting firm Emergency Services Consulting International. 

September 15, 2024 (La Mesa, CA) - La Mesa’s Heartland Fire and Rescue will face a 168% increase in calls for service by 2050 according to a consulting company’s findings shared with the La Mesa City Council during its September 10 meeting.

“It’s a significant increase,” confirmed Jeff Stone, the Project Manager for Emergency Services Consulting International, the consulting agency that conducted the research.

The study was the first of its kind for La Mesa resulting in an 84-page risk assessment report that identified risks factors the city is likely to face and an evaluation of its ability to cope and address them. The report also benchmarks the risks into quantitative risk scores and provides 11 recommendations to mitigate them.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Accused gunman Ryan Routh, via Facebook

September 16, 2024 (Palm Beach, Florida) – While former President Donald Trump was playing golf at his golf courses in Palm Beach, Florida yesterday afternoon, Secret Service agents posted a few holes away spotted a man pointing a rifle through shrubbery at the perimeter of the course.  An agent opened fire and the man fled, dropping a semi-automatic rifle and backpack. He was later apprehended.

Trump, the Republican nominee in the November presidential election, is safe. On his media outlet, he praised the Secret Service and law enforcement, writing,”THE JOB WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING.”  In a later fundraising email, he pledged, “Nothing will slow me down.”

A witness took a photo of the would-be assassin’s vehicle, enabling authorities to arrest Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, a short time later. Routh was charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon and possessing a weapon without a serial number. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Routh was previously convicted of possessing a machine gun in 2022, among other prior offenses.  His social media posts indicate he voted for Trump in 2016 but came to regret that choice, criticizing Trump on foreign policy, particularly Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  Routh has stated that he intended to volunteer to fight for Ukraine.