October 5, 2013 (San Diego) – A proposal by Supervisor Dianne Jacob to encourage beekeeping will be heard by the County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday, October 9.  Find meeting details here.

European honey bees have an important role in the $5.1 billion agriculture industry in San Diego County. Currently, crops pollinated by bees account for approximately one-third of food eaten. There has been a sharp decline in the bee populations throughout California, prompting municipalities and beekeeping organizations to step-up efforts to promote safe beekeeping in both urban and rural areas.

October 4, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – SDG&E has notified East County Magazine’s Viejas Alerts that proactive power outages are possible due to high fire danger conditions.  A Red Flag Alert is in effect today through Sunday and a high wind watch has also been issued. 

Make sure you have flashlights and portable radio with batteries to stay informed during a power outage.  This is also a good time to sign up to follow ViejasAlerts at www.twitter.com so you can get text message alerts on your mobile phone.  If you have internet access you can also check our website for reports on fires at www.eastcountymagazine.org .

“We expect the highest winds between 4 a.m. and noon Saturday,” Stephanie Donovan, spokesperson for SDG&E, informed ECM.   Gusts of 50 to 70 miles an hour are expected in some places.

The utility has made outbound calls to 5600 customers warning of possible power shut-offs in the following areas:  Descanso, Mt Laguna, Viejas, Barrett Lake, East Jamul, Potrero, East Ramona, San Diego Country Estates, some portions of Santa Ysabel and North Wynola and Wynola, Japatul, Boulevard, Valley Center and Lake Wohlford. Click "read more" and scroll down for details.

By Paul Kruze

View videos of the forum:  http://youtu.be/OJtTm5CKagM; http://youtu.be/Un5b_TJUaYA;

http://youtu.be/ixahMxpdK6g

October 3, 2013 (San Diego)--In an attempt to make heads or tails out of the fallout from the resignation of former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, the Green Experts Academy held a forum entitled “San Diego Civic Crisis: Where Does The Green Sector Go From Here?” at the Cricket Communications headquarters in Kearney Mesa on September 26th.

September 27, 2013 (San Diego's East County)--The National Weather Service today issued a Red Flag Warning due to high winds, dry brush and increased fire danger in San Diego County. The Red Flag Warning will be in effect from 12 p.m. Friday, September 27 through 6 p.m. Saturday, September 28 for the following communities: Ramona, Valley Center, Fallbrook, Escondido, El Cajon, Alpine, Potrero, Campo, Santa Ysabel, Descanso, Julian, Ranchita, and Warner Springs.

“Firefighting agencies throughout the state will be on high alert this weekend,” said Cal Fire Captain Mike Mohler.  “This is the first Red Flag Warning of what is shaping up to be one of the most challenging fire seasons in many years.  High winds can turn a spark into a devastating wildfire in just minutes, so we’re calling on San Diegans to be extremely vigilant in the high fire-risk areas of the county.”

During the Red Flag Warning, Cal Fire urges all Californians to exercise extreme caution outdoors in order to prevent wildfires. A few helpful reminders and fire prevention tips include:

Update September 27, 2013:  Supervisor Jacob's office has contacted us to advise that she met with County Veterans Services this week to request more equitable staffing. Her staffer advised that Jacob plans to introduce a measure asking Supervisors to approve sending veterans' service representatives to county libraries throughout our region. This is a direct result of our investigative report.

By Miriam Raftery

September 25, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – When Claudia Millerbragg, whose brother was killed in Viet Nam, decided to volunteer to help local veterans, she was shocked to discover that County Veterans Services sends representatives to a dozen different communities – but none to rural East County. 

At a Homes for Our Troops event in March honoring combat vets who each lost both legs and now live in a rural area in El Cajon, Supervisor Dianne Jacob said that San Diego has the largest military installation in the world. 

“In East County we have the highest concentration of military and veterans in San Diego County,” she added.

If East County has the most veterans, why does our region have the fewest services for them -- and no services at all in the poorest rural areas with no public transportation?

By Nadin Abbott

September 17, 2013 (San Diego)—The San Diego City Council voted 7-0 to approve the controversial Castlerock housing project on the border of Santee and San Diego. The resolution proposed by Council Member Scott Sherman (District 7) and Council Member David Alvarez (District 8) reads in part, “approve the Staff’s recommendation (Annexation being the preferred scenario).”

It is clear that San Diego would prefer the project to go to Santee.  One key reason is fire response, which San Diego Fire Department cannot do in a timely manner, due to the location of the nearest fire stations and how busy Santee roads can be at rush hour.  With annexation, Santee will have jurisdiction to dispatch fire engines and other emergency services.

September 14, 2013 (San Diego's East County) -- Looking for a job?  Seeking business and economic updates on our region? Check out tapes of our recent "Job Talks" broadcasts from our East County Magazine radio show, now available to hear online. 

Recent guests include Tom Lemon with the San Diego Building Trades Council, Johnny Simpson with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, East County Chamber leader Eric Lund, job hunting experts Reina Menasche and Antonio Villana, Cindy Gomper Graves with the South Coast Economic Development Council, and La Mesa Chamber of Commerce president Mary England.  Click "read more" and scroll down for links.

By Miriam Raftery

September 11, 2013 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – “The  people of this town came together,”  said famed sculptor Ricardo Breceda after hoisting a 1200-pound metallic rattlesnake sculpture into place in front of the Jacumba Community Park.  

Best known for his larger-than-life sculptures of present and prehistoric wildlife in the Anza-Borrego desert, Breceda yesterday sold additional sculptures to Jacumba Hot Springs art fans – works that will soon grace rocks and roadways in this high desert community seeking to reinvent itself as an arts colony.

It all started with a winged dragon.

By Miriam Raftery

September 8, 2013 (San Diego) – After visiting the Rim Fire (photo, left)  to learn more about large-scale disaster responses, Supervisor Dave Roberts announces he is introducing emergency preparedness legislation on Tuesday, September 10, along with Supervisor Ron Roberts.

“Our initiative seeks to assist our most vulnerable residents in the event of a disaster,” said Dave Roberts in a newsletter to constituents.   Also on Tuesday, the County’s Office of Emergency Services will update Board members on community preparedness and improvements made since the 2007 firestorms  as the height of fire season approaches.

Vulnerable residents include those with physical, cognitive or emotional disabilities.  A survey by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found a staggering 26 percent of San Diego County residents report they are disabled due to a physical, mental or emotional condition.  A 2009 survey asked if people were prepared for a major disaster and among those who replied “not prepared, 30.3% said they were disabled.   County records also list 25,000 individuals who need a personal care assistant to be independent.

By Paul Kruze

September 5, 2013 (San Diego)-- A small but passionate group of local environmentalists and workers for Sullivan Solar Power, a local solar panel installation company,  gathered in front of Sempra Energy’s downtown corporate offices on August 28 to protest the energy conglomerate’s backing of California Assembly Bill 327. Opponents here and at protests elsewhere in California said the bill would irreparably gut incentives for energy conservation and rooftop solar development.

Introduced by Assemblyman Henry T. Perea (D-Fresno), the proposed bill was approved by the California Senate Energy Committee late last week, with major amendments. If passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor, it would replace  what utilities and other supporters say are outdated restrictions on how electrical rates are decided and approved.

On behalf of East County Magazine, we wish you and your family a very Happy Labor Day!

The first  national Labor Day was adopted by Congress in 1894 and signed into law by President Taft, following a tradition began by  New York in 1884 followed by several other states. Today we honor the contributions of American workers to our nation. 

This year is a special occasion, since it marks the centennial celebration of the U.S. Department of Labor.  The first Labor Department Secretary was a former coal miner who helped found the United Mine Workers Union.

Founded 100 years ago in 1913, the Department o f Labor has helped usher in many reforms and protections for workers that modern-day people may take for granted--such as  the 40-hour work week and overtime pay, worker’ compensation for ill and  injured employees,  the Equal Pay act for women, laws to prevent discrimination based on race, outlawing child labor, enabling those with disabilities, and adopting OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Act to protect workers from dangers in the work place.

By Miriam Raftery

August 27, 2013 (San Diego’s East County ) – A proposed tiered equine ordinance aimed at making it easier for backcountry property owners to stable horses will be on the agenda for Supervisors to consider on Wednesday, September 11.

“When it comes to allowing stables, we need to take a more sensible, tiered approach so more people can take part in equine activities,” Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who represents East County, has said.  “As a former horse owner and long-time rider, I think these changes will also strengthen the economic vitality of our rural areas.”

SDG&E offers programs to assist low-income ratepayers, those with medical needs, and FLEX alerts for energy savings

By Walt Meyer          

August 31, 2013 (San Diego)--Although temperatures have finally climbed to the normal range for the end of August, so far it’s been a mild summer, with temperatures below average, and for much of San Diego County, having things a few degrees cooler means not having to turn on the air conditioning. Hot summer days pose the biggest challenge to keeping the juice flowing without brownouts.

While renewable promise a long-term solution, in the short term, with San Onofre offline, likely permanently, the generating power of Southern California will be severely tested in a heat wave. As the region moves deeper into what is likely to a bad fire season, blazes near power lines also pose another imminent threats to the fragile power grid.

There is another good reason to try to keep the A/C off and switch to renewable: starting September 1, SDG&E is imposing a major rate increase. The rate hike will affect Tiers 3 and 4, but not Tiers 1 and 2 at all, which means many ratepayers in more temperate areas may not see any increase, but those who are usually have rates in the higher tiers will see their rates go up.

August 17, 2013 (San Diego’s East County ) -- Monsoonal moisture will create a slight chance of thunderstorms over San Diego County mountains and deserts Sunday afternoon and evening, the National Weather Service reports. Any thunderstorms that occur will be capable of producing dry lightning, gusty winds, and locally heavy downpours.

July 29, 2013 (San Diego)-- KNSJ 89.1 FM radio invites you to join in celebrating launch of independent, nonprofit public radio for our region.  This special event will be held at the beautiful Mission Trails Regional Park Visitors Center on Saturday, August 3 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Come mix and mingle with special guests, enjoy live music, free museum tours and hikes, meet the radio station's producers and hosts, savor delicious food and drinks, honor community leaders receiving golden mike awards as we celebrate both inside the visitor and outside under the stars -- ending with stargazing led by local astronomers!

Tickets cost $25/$40 pre cople by AUgust 1, or $30 per person at the door, so reserve space now for this historic event.  Get tickets at www.knsj.org.