EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS
May 13, 2015 (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
- How California's New Environmental Regulations On Desalination Affect Carlsbad's Plant (U-T)
- Tribune Publishing To Buy U-T San Diego For $85M (KPBS)
- San Diego Biologists Find New Populations Of Rare Plant (KPBS)
- GCCCD bond panel seeks 3 new members (U-T)
- City pumps drinking water into lake (U-T)
- Commission Opts To Compare Alternatives Before Voting On Carlsbad Power Plant (KPBS)
- Increased Terror Risk Causes Heightened Security At San Diego County Military Installations (KPBS)
- Grand Jury Report: San Diego County's Backcountry Needs More Fire Protection (KPBS)
- San Diego Rents Among Highest In Country (KPBS)
- City pays Chargers in 'Q' lease (U-T)
- San Diego Supervisors Say Dave Roberts Violated Brown Act
- The Case of the Missing Alpine High School (Voice of SD)
STATE
- California Commission Approves Raise For Gov. Brown (AP)
- Los Angeles homelessness rises 12 percent amid slow economic recovery (Reuters)
- Los Angeles job growth flat while San Francisco booms, report says (Reuters)
- Close dilapidated, rodent-infested prison, California lawmaker says (Reuters)
- Emails show UCLA, CPUC deal making (U-T)
For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.
LOCAL
How California's New Environmental Regulations On Desalination Affect Carlsbad's Plant (U-T)
California's water board adopted environmental guidelines for building and operating desalination plants. But critics of the process say the rules are not strict or clear enough to make sure desalination plants are environmentally sound.
Tribune Publishing To Buy U-T San Diego For $85M (KPBS)
The San Diego newspaper announced Thursday that it will join the parent company of the Los Angeles Times.
San Diego Biologists Find New Populations Of Rare Plant (KPBS)
Biologists have found six new populations of a rare San Diego plant that was thought to be extinct just a few decades ago.
GCCCD bond panel seeks 3 new members (U-T)
Volunteers are needed to serve on the advisory board.
City pumps drinking water into lake (U-T)
Officials won't say how much. At last count it was 53 million gallons a year. / As the drought intensifies, the City of San Diego continues to pump tens of millions of gallons of drinking water into Chollas Lake for recreational fishing.
Commission Opts To Compare Alternatives Before Voting On Carlsbad Power Plant (KPBS)
The California Public Utilities Commission has decided not to approve SDG&E's proposed contract for a new power plant in Carlsbad until they have more information about renewable alternatives.
Increased Terror Risk Causes Heightened Security At San Diego County Military Installations (KPBS)
On Friday, the commander of U.S. Northern Command raised the force protection level for all Department of Defense facilities in the continental United States from "Alpha" to "Bravo." Bravo status applies when an increased or more predictable threat of terrorist activity exists.
Grand Jury Report: San Diego County's Backcountry Needs More Fire Protection (KPBS)
San Diego County officials have made great strides improving firefighting capability in unincorporated or "backcountry" areas, but more needs to be done. Read
San Diego Rents Among Highest In Country (KPBS)
California placed four cities in the top 10 list for residential rental rates. / The Apartmentlist.com survey ranked San Diego ninth nationally with an average rent of $1,800 per month for a two-bedroom apartment.
City pays Chargers in 'Q' lease (U-T)
Team has received $3.2M from city since 2006 for use of stadium thanks to rent credits.
San Diego Supervisors Say Dave Roberts Violated Brown Act
The county Board of Supervisors said Supervisor Dave Roberts revealed a 5-0 vote by the board to deny severance payments to two of his former staffers — a violation of the state's open meeting law.
The Case of the Missing Alpine High School (Voice of SD)
Tiny Alpine has begged for its own high school since the late 1990s. It thought it would finally get one when a campus was mentioned in two winning school bond measures. It still hasn’t, and the culprits blocking the school range from various district officials to President Ronald Reagan.
STATE
California Commission Approves Raise For Gov. Brown (AP)
Gov. Jerry Brown, along with other state lawmakers, will receive a 3 percent raise.
Los Angeles homelessness rises 12 percent amid slow economic recovery (Reuters)
Los Angeles County's homeless population has grown by 12 percent during the past two years amid a sluggish economic recovery that has left the poorest residents of the second-largest U.S. metropolitan area falling farther behind, a study released on Monday found.
Los Angeles job growth flat while San Francisco booms, report says (Reuters)
The number of private sector jobs in the Los Angeles area has remained relatively flat over the past quarter century, while employment in the San Francisco Bay Area has boomed, a report by a business group shows.
Close dilapidated, rodent-infested prison, California lawmaker says (Reuters)
California should shut down a state prison that is dilapidated, infested with vermin and expensive to operate, the chairwoman of the state Senate's public safety panel said on Tuesday.
Emails show UCLA, CPUC deal making (U-T)
Peevey said grants would be ‘satisfactory to our joint purposes.’ // Former California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey filed a public notice disclosing an email he received from UCLA regarding grants for greenhouse gas research. What he didn’t disclose was his own reply, which indicates ongoing behind-the-scenes maneuvering involving Peevey, Commissioner Michel Florio and university faculty.