EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: REGIONAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS
May 8, 2013 (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/REGIONAL
- Dry conditions highlight the value of water as summer nears (San Diego County Water Authority)
- Bags, tape, broomstick used to fix leak at San Onofre (10 News)
- Pauma Casino workers aim to unionize (Kumeyaay.com)
- New inquiry at San Onofre focuses on nuclear commission (U-T San Diego)
- Annual crime statistics for the region released
- Utility-rate increase: Sempra seeks more(U-T San Diego)
- $42M of Modernizing Upgrades Coming to La Mesa, Spring Valley High Schools (La Mesa Patch)
- Alessio Calls PBID Process ‘Absurd’; Council Mandates Specific Data (La Mesa Patch)
- Steele Canyon students big winners at jewelry competition (U-T San Diego)
STATE
- Calif agency says PG&E should pay $2.25B for blast (Sacramento Bee)
- Senate Public Safety Committee Approves Bill Regulating Drones in California (Scoop San Diego)
- California water supply to be drawn from storage to meet demand (KPBS)
- California high court affirms local right to ban medical pot shops (Reuters)
- On California Prisons, It's The Governor Vs. The Courts
- JPMorgan Chase accused of rigging energy markets (CS Monitor)
For excerpts and links to full stories, scroll down.
LOCAL/REGIONAL
Dry conditions highlight the value of water as summer nears (San Diego County Water Authority)
As temperatures soared to summer-like highs across the San Diego region on Thursday, the California Department of Water Resources’ final survey of the spring confirmed significantly below-average water content in the snowpack that provides about one-third of the water supplies for the San Diego County Water Authority. Runoff in the Colorado River Basin, the region’s other major imported water source, also is projected to be far below average for the second consecutive year despite April storms that boosted snow levels in the Rocky Mountains.
Bags, tape, broomstick used to fix leak at San Onofre (10 News)
An inside source gave Team 10 a picture snapped inside the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) showing plastic bags, masking tape and broom sticks used to stem a massive leaky pipe.
Pauma Casino workers aim to unionize (Kumeyaay.com)
The workers — largely in service and maintenance positions — hope to become the third group of casino employees to unionize in San Diego County, which has nine casinos. They would also become the second group to be represented by Unite Here Local 30, which represents a similar set of employees at nearby Pala Casino.
New inquiry at San Onofre focuses on nuclear commission (U-T San Diego)
Yet another investigation has been launched into the outage at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station -- this time about the conduct of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Annual crime statistics for the region released
The annual report, Thirty Years of Crime in the San Diego Region: 1983 through 2012,compiles crime data from all 18 cities and the unincorporated areas of the county.
Utility-rate increase: Sempra seeks more(U-T San Diego)
Sempra presses for bigger rate increase, as regulators take up four-year adjustment
$42M of Modernizing Upgrades Coming to La Mesa, Spring Valley High Schools (La Mesa Patch)
A roundup of spring construction updates at GUHSD schools, including Grossmont, Helix Charter, Monte Vista and Mount Miguel.
Alessio Calls PBID Process ‘Absurd’; Council Mandates Specific Data (La Mesa Patch)
The council voted unanimously to direct staff to contact the PBID formation committee, saying they must give report on "specific numbers and data" in 45 days.
Steele Canyon students big winners at jewelry competition (U-T San Diego)
An annual jewelry design competition in La Mesa fetes talented students.
STATE
Calif agency says PG&E should pay $2.25B for blast (Sacramento Bee)
The California agency investigating the deadly 2010 gas pipeline explosion in a San Francisco Bay Area neighborhood says Pacific Gas & Electric Co. should pay a $2.25 billion fine for its negligence leading up to the blast..../ The California Public Utilities Commission recommended the fine Monday and said the company's shareholders should shoulder it.
Senate Public Safety Committee Approves Bill Regulating Drones in California (Scoop San Diego)
The Senate Public Safety Committee today passed Senate Bill 15.
California water supply to be drawn from storage to meet demand (KPBS)
California’s biggest source of water, the Colorado River basin, has been below normal 11 of the past 14 years. This year’s projected runoff into Lake Powell, which is a good indicator for water supply conditions, is just 44 percent. The dwindling supplies means California will have to draw water from storage for the first time in nearly five years.
California high court affirms local right to ban medical pot shops (Reuters)
The California Supreme Court dealt a blow to the state's faltering medical-marijuana industry on Monday by ruling that local governments may outlaw dispensaries that sell the federally banned drug.
On California Prisons, It's The Governor Vs. The Courts
(NPR) -- California Gov. Jerry Brown is trying to end federal oversight of his state's prison system, with little success. Legal experts have compared his position to those of Southern governors who defied court orders to integrate public facilities in the 1950s.
JPMorgan Chase accused of rigging energy markets (CS Monitor)
JPMorgan Chase developed schemes to sell electricity at falsely attractive prices in Michigan and California, according to The New York Times. The market manipulation could result in JPMorgan Chase receiving penalties from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.