Boulevard

THE MIGRANT CRISIS IN PHOTOS

By Rebecca Person

Photos by Rebecca Person and photographers who asked to be anonymous

October 1, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) -- Waves of border crossers quietly filter into the high desert towns of Jacumba Hot Springs and Boulevard in the farthest eastern corner of San Diego County.

Local residents and volunteers there respond with rounds of water and supplies. Surprisingly, many locals are unaware of the human drama unfolding all around them. Some who do encounter bands of migrants on back country roads use caution, fearing arrest for assisting illegal border crossers.


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BIG ENERGY PROJECTS DOMINATE AGENDA AT BOULEVARD PLANNING GROUP

By Miriam Raftery

August 7, 2023 (Boulevard, CA) – The community room at the Boulevard Sheriff station was packed for  Boulevard Planning Group’s meeting on August 3, with updates on a dozen major energy projects on the agenda.

Some are moving forward, some have been withdrawn, others face legal challenges, and several remain in the pipeline.

The board also addressed other issues ranging from potential impacts of the county's cannabis ordinance to the appointment of two new board members.


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MOTHER SHOOTS DAUGHTER DURING STRUGGLE OVER GUN

East County News Service

June 23, 2023 (Boulevard) -- A woman has been arrested on suspicion of shooting her daughter in Boulevard. 

Shortly before 10 a.m.,  deputies from the Sheriff's Rural Command responded to a call about a 22-year-old woman with a gunshot wound who came to a fire station on Church Road.

Deputies learned that the victim and her mother, Andrea Najera, had gotten into an argument earlier that morning inside their home near the fire station.


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BOULEVARD HEARING APRIL 12 ON PROPOSED 565-ACRE STARLIGHT SOLAR PROJECT

East County News Service

April 1, 2023 (Boulevard) – The Boulevard Community Planning Group will hold a public scoping hearing Wednesday, April 12 at 6 p.m. on the proposed 565-acre Starlight Solar project. County staff will present information and public comments will be accepted at the hearing at the Backcountry Resource Center,39919 Ribbonwood Rd., Boulevard (in the old fire station equipment bay).

It would be located south of I-8 and Old Highway 80 and east of Tierra Del Sol Road.  The project has proposed eight solar array areas with approximately 300,000 PV modules on support structures. It would connect to the Boulevard Substation.

The proposed 100 megawatt industrial-scale solar facility would include a battery energy storage system (BESS), collector substation, transformers, inverters, gen-tie line, and 24’ internal roads, water tanks for fire protection, security fencing, lighting, and signage.


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FIRE DESTROYS MANZANITA DINER

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Deborah Jean Peck via Backcountry Community Bulletin Board on Facebook

January 24, 2023 (Boulevard) – An early morning fire on January 17 has destroyed the Manzanita Diner in Boulevard. Long a popular stop for motorists traveling along historic Old Highway 80, the building has housed a pizzeria and Italian restaurant as well as an earlier Basque restaurant. The diner had also been a gathering place for community events through the years.


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ISSA AND JACOBS ANNOUNCE THEY WILL SEEK REELECTION FOR CONGRESS AFTER NEW DISTRICT BOUNDARIES APPROVED

By Miriam Raftery

Image:  final Congressional districts in San Diego County. Courtesy Citizens Redistricting Commission

December 21, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) – Yesterday, California’s independent citizen redistricting commission unanimously approved the state’s new Congressional district maps, which will be certified December 27.  Today, two of East County’s Congressional members, Democrat Sara Jacobs and Republican Darrell Issa, announced plans to seek reelection in their new and solidly safe districts.


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SDG&E RESTORES POWER IN SOME AREAS, OTHERS STILL IN THE DARK. MORE OUTAGES POSSIBLE, UTILITY WARNS

Update 5:15 p.m. -- Power has been restored to all customers, according to the SDG&E website.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Fran Materra, via Facebook: Thanksgiving by lanternlight in Potrero

November 26, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) – An estimated 2,520 SDG&E customers remain in the dark on Black Friday due to power-shut offs amid a red flag warning for high fire danger. About half the communities originally blacked out have power restored, but these areas remain without power:  Alpine, Boulevard, the Campo reservation, Descanso, Jamul, Potrero, the Viejas Reservation, and Warner Springs.

More than 50,000 customers remain at risk of outages yet to come.  View the list of communities at risk at https://www.sdge.com/psps-dashboard. SDG&E has set up community resource centers where residents without power can go to recharge devices, pickup ice, water, snacks and more. Find the closest CRC at SDG&E’s CRC look-up tool.

East County residents posted comments and complaints on social media regarding the outages. While some railed against SDG&E for cutting power on a holiday, others pre-cooked foods early, grateful for the warnings.  Others dined out at restaurants, brought in hot meals, or headed to relatives homes’ outside the blacked-out areas. Some also voiced thanks that no homes were lost to wildfires.


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COUNTY ORDERS OWNER TO REMOVE ILLEGAL UPGRADES AT RV CAMPGROUND IN LIVE OAK SPRINGS

By Miriam Raftery
 
Photos and video by Thomas Michael Coyne
 
 
May 15, 2021 (Boulevard) – Following an inquiry by East County Magazine in response to concerns raised by a member of the Boulevard Planning Group, the County has sent an inspector out to the Live Oak Springs RV Park and ordered the owner to halt work and remove illegal upgrades.

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SDG&E PLANNED OUTAGES IN TRIPLE-DIGIT HEAT AND STORMS MAY ENDANGER SAFETY OF RESIDENTS

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: New power poles in Pine Valley are made of steel, not wood, for fire safety, as part of the upgrades that SDG&E has been installing across inland San Diego County.

Updated August 23, 2020 9:40 a.m. with responses from SDG&E.

August 22, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) – Amid a record-breaking heat wave with monsoonal thunderstorms, flash floods and lightning-sparked fires forecast as potential added hazards, SDG&E has announced plans to shut off power for hours during the heat of the day on Sunday and Monday across much of San Diego County.  

The outages are to upgrade wood poles to steel, among other equipment upgrades or maintenance planned.

The NWS has warned that the intense heat  this week can be life-threatening for those without air conditioning, yet the power outage will leave any residents who lack generators without access to safe, cool spaces amid the COVID-19 pandemic when many public, air-conditioned places are shut down.

Rural residents with electric well pumps will also be left without water for people or livestock to drink, as well as for fighting fires, as many rural residents equipped with tanks and hoses have done in past brush fires, unless they have invested in generators. Downed communications including internet and in some areas, phone service also leave residents unable to receive emergency alerts despite a high potential for emergencies during the extreme weather conditions.


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READER’S EDITORIAL TERRA-GEN’S CONTROVERSIAL CAMPO WIND TURBINE PROJECT APPROVED BY DEPT OF INTERIOR OVER STRONG OBJECTIONS OF IMPACTED TRIBAL MEMBERS

Decision bypasses Campo’s tribal regulations and land use planning protections: Legal challenges are in the works

By Donna Tisdale, President of Backcountry Against Dumps

April 9, 2020 (Campo and Boulevard, California)-- Against strong opposition, including many tribal members, the Department of Interior just approved the Record of Decision (ROD) for Terra-Gen’s controversial Campo Wind project with 60-586 ft tall 4.2 megawatt (MW) turbines on Campo Tribal lands in rural San Diego County.

These turbines are taller than the tallest skyscraper in San Diego and twice as powerful as existing Kumeyaay Wind and Tule Wind turbines that already generate nuisance level adverse impacts for neighbors! To add insult to injury, the ROD was signed by the Assistant Secretary, which means we lose the right to appeal that approval.

Legal challenges are in the works.

Campo Wind is opposed by neighbors as well as by a qualified number of voting Campo Tribal members, but Campo leaders have ignored two valid tribal petitions: 1) to terminate Campo Wind ; 2) to remove their leadership for failing to hold the vote to terminate[1]. Turbines are planned far too close to homes and offices and can restrict the number and placement of new homes for current and future residents.

Campo’s elections are set for April 17th, with strong hope that leaders will be voted in who will act to better protect their people and resources, and to stop Campo Wind dead in its tracks.


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GIANT WIND PROJECTS DRAW STRONG OPPOSITION FROM RURAL RESIDENTS AND TRIBAL MEMBERS: DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS IS TODAY

 

By Rebecca Person

Miriam Raftery also contributed to this article

Photos: An existing wind project on the Campo reservation has previously had multiple fires caused by exploding wind turbines, shown here, raising alarm among area residents over fire dangers and other potential hazards posed by the proposed new and far larger turbines

February 3, 2020 (Campo) -- Residents of Campo, Boulevard and Jacumba voiced their concerns Jan. 23rd at a meeting in Boulevard held by the County Planning Development Services staff addressing the construction of 120 wind turbines in Boulevard and on the Campo Reservation.

The wind turbines will be 596’ tall, taller than towers which dot the high desert that stand between 325' to almost 400 ft tall. 60 turbines are planned for the Campo Indian Reservation, and 30 turbines for McCain Valley near I-8 freeway in Boulevard. According to Donna Tisdale, chair of the Boulevard Community Planning Group, these may be the largest wind turbines ever erected on land. Turbines on tribal land would also abut her property in rural Boulevard. Setbacks from some homes would be far less than at many other wind projects, even though the turbines are larger.

Over 60 local residents gathered at the meeting and many spoke of the effects existing towers have had on their quality of life. Campo Band of Mission Indians tribal members who live on the Campo Reservation and oppose the project stated that they have presented a petition with 65 signatures asking their tribal council to overturn an earlier disputed vote to erect the giant turbines on the reservation.


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BIG RIG DRIVER FROM EL CAJON KILLED IN BOULEVARD CRASH

East County News Service

October 28, 2019 (Boulevard) – The driver of a 2008 Volvo big rig towing a 53-foot trailer loaded with pineapples lost control of his vehicle on I-8 east of Ribbonwood Road in Boulevard around 2:30 a.m., rolling over and down an embankment. The driver, a 35-year-old El Cajon man, was ejected onto the cab and died at the scene.


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FEDERAL APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS APPROVAL OF TULE WIND, REJECTS ARGUMENTS THAT PROJECT THREATENS EAGLES

By Miriam Raftery

September 26, 2019 (Boulevard, Calif.) – The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court decision that the federal government did not violate laws protecting eagles in granting approval of the Tule Wind project.

 

The lawsuit was filed by the Protect Our Communities Foundation, Backcountry Against Dumps, and Donna Tisdale against the U.S. Department of Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, and leaders of both agencies. The project spans federal, tribal, private, state and county lands.  


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BRUSH FIRE IN BOULEVARD COULD REACH 20 ACRES

Update 9:56 a.m.:  The strucure fire has been extinguished and the brush fire has been halted, Cal Fire reports.  Firefighters will remain on scene for mop-up activities.

East County Wildfire & Emergency Alert Service

June 27, 2019 (Boulevard) -- Cal Fire is at the scene of a fully-involved outbuilding fire in the 41000 block of Old Highway 80 in Boulevard that has spread into the vegetation. Though currently only a 20 by 20 foot spot fire, the #McCainFire has the potential to reach 20 acres, Cal Fire San Diego tweeted shortly after 9 a.m.


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PUBLIC INPUT SOUGHT AT TERRA-GEN WIND PROJECT MEETINGS IN BOULEVARD AND CAMPO JUNE 6 AND JUNE 19

By Miriam Raftery

June 5, 2019 (Campo) – Public participation is needed at two upcoming meetings on Terra-Gen’s proposal to install 60 wind turbines, each 586 feet tall and capable of producing 4.2 megawatts of power.  The turbines are proposed on the Campo tribal reservation, from north of I-8 to near the border in the south. 

“These turbines are about twice the size with twice the harmful energy and noise as existing local Kumeyaay Wind and Tule Wind turbines. If new turbines are approved, life for many area residents will change for the worst.” Says Donna Tisdale, chair of the Boulevard Planning Group which represents nearby communities. She adds, “People are already sick around existing turbines.”        

Below are details on upcoming meetings June 6 and June 19, where the public can learn more and speak out:    


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THREE DEER MICE TEST POSITIVE FOR HANTAVIRUS

 

Three deer mice collected in routine monitoring in Boulevard have tested positive for the potentially deadly hantavirus, County Vector Control said this week.

County officials said it is not uncommon to find hantavirus in wild mice throughout the county, but it is generally unlikely for people to come into contact with hantavirus if they keep wild rodents out of their homes, sheds, garages and workplaces.


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ROLLOVER CRASH DURING CHASE INJURES FIVE PEOPLE IN BOULEVARD

 

 

East County News Service

February 19, 2019 (Boulevard) – A blue Mazda that failed to stop for U.S. Border Patrol agents this evening on McCain Valley Road near Olde HIghway 80 regarding possible immigration violations led officers on a chase that resulted in a rollover crash in Boulevard, injuring several peopole.

The driver failed to yield to a Border Patrol vehicle with flashing lights and siren at 5:15 p.m.  A pursuit was initiatied and the driver turned onto several roads before driving south on Shasta Way just south of State Route 94.  At a dip in the road, the driver lost control, striking a steel fence and utility pole. The vehicle overturned, coming to rest on its wheels, says Officer Travis Garrow with the California HIghway Patrol.


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COUNTY TO HOLD MEETING FEB. 28 IN BOULEVARD ON NEW SUBSTATION AND POWERLINES FOR PROPOSED CAMPO WIND PROJECT





 

By Miriam Raftery

February 16, 2019 (Boulevard) – The County will be holding a scoping meeting February 28 at 6 p.m. at the Boulevard Fire Station regarding Terra Gen’s Boulder Brush Gen-tie power line and new substation facilities proposed on private land to support the Campo Wind project.

The wind turbines would cover most of the Campo reservation with 60 4-megawatt wind turbines, if approved. The new turbines are twice as powerful and about 100 to 200 feet taller than the existing 25 Kumeyaay Wind and 57 Tule Wind turbines in the area, according to Donna Tisdale, chair of the Boulevard Community Planning Group.  The public is encouraged to come voice your views as part of the official public input process at this meeting.

Public comments are due to the County by March 18


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TWISTING IN THE WIND: AS RURAL RESIDENTS COMPLAIN OF WIND ENERGY IMPACTS, CAMPO TRIBE PROPOSES TOWERING NEW PROJECT: SCOPING MEETING DEC. 6

County denies request for health impacts of turbines, even as more are proposed

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: New proposed turbines would be much taller and produce more energy than these older Kumeyaay Wind turbines, also broadening the areas that could be impacted by noise, vibrations, and electromagnetic interefence with devices such as cell phones

December 6, 2018 (Campo) –Tonight, the Bureau of Indian Affairs will hold a scoping meeting on a notice to prepare n environmental impact statement for a proposal to build 60 wind turbines up to 586 feet tall (taller than the highest skyscraper in San Diego) on the Campo Indian reservation. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Campo Tribal Hall, 36190 Church Road (BIA 10) at highway 94 in Campo.  Written comments can also be submitted by December 21st. Find details at www.CampoWind.com.

The new Campo Wind project is proposed for most Campo reservation ridgelines from north of I-8 to the U.S./Mexico border, each 4 megawatts.  Neighbors and the Boulevard Planning Group have raised concerns over the large turbines including noise, sleep disruption, health impacts and lost property values.   View flyer.

Minutes of the Boulevard Planning Group meeting from November 1, 2018 reveal numerous residents’ complaints about problems reportedly associated with similarly large-scale wind turbines recently installed at the Tule Wind project in McCain  Valley as well as turbines at the Kumeyaay Wind facility in Campo. Those complaints range from noise and vibrations to interference with cell phone service, a vital concern in an area prone to wildfires where communication is critical.


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THREE DEAD FROM CRASH IN BOULEVARD AFTER BORDER PATROL PURSUIT

By Miriam Raftery

November 30, 2018 (Boulevard) – Three people died and eight others sustained injuries in a crash at 4:30 a.m. yesterday on I-8 near Crestwood, following  pursuit of a white Chevrolet Silverado by U.S. Border Patrol agents.

Agents tried to conduct an enforcement stop near the border in East County, but the driver instead led agents onto I-8 and a high-speed chase ensued. Border Patrol agents deployed a spike strip.  As a result, the driver of the Silverado lost control on I-8 east of Crestwood, went up an embankment and became airborne, then rolled down the embankment back onto the main lanes of I-8 west.  The vehicle came to rest on its left side, blocking one lane of traffic, says Officer Travis Garrow with the California Highway Patrol.


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SUBSTATION AND NEW POWER LINES PROPOSED FOR TORREY WIND IN MCCAIN VALLEY

 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Sunrise Powerlink tower dwarfs mountain ridges in McCain Valley

September 7, 2018 (Boulevard) -- Boulder Brush LLC (Terra-Gen) is seeking a major use permit to construct and operate a gen-tie line and substation/switchyard facilities on 110 acres of private land in McCain Valley south of I-8. The gen-time line would carry energy from the Terra-Gen Wind project proposed on Campo Kumeyaay tribal lands.


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PUBLIC URGED TO SPEAK OUT ON WIND TURBINE IMPACTS AT TORREY WIND SCOPING MEETING AUG. 23 IN BOULEVARD

 

 
By Miriam Raftery

August 11, 2018 (Boulevard) -- Terra-Gen's proposed Torrey Wind project (with up to 30 giant turbines each up to 586 tall and 4.2 megawatts) in Boulevard is moving through the planning process quickly. Boulevard Planning Group Chair Donna Tisdale is asking all who have concerns or information to share on impacts of wind turbines to come to a public scoping meeting  August 23 at 6 p.m. in the new Cal-Fire/County Fire Station at 40080 Ribbonwood Road, Boulevard.

“These turbines could be twice as powerful and about 100 feet taller than the Tule Wind turbines installed on public recreation land next door,” says Tisdale. “Bigger turbines can churn out much more noise and low frequency vibrations and potential electrical pollution over greater distances that can trigger psychical and emotional stress and the body's fight or flight instinct in people and animals. Turbines have reportedly been deemed nuisances in some legal and administrative proceedings around the world, with some families abandoning their homes and other homes bought out by developers over noise impacts and related litigation.”


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COMMUNITY MEETING IN BOULEVARD AUG. 20 FOR BACKCOUNTRY RESOURCE CENTER

 

East County News Service

August 8, 2018 (Boulevard) – Boulevard residents are invited to the Backcountry Resource Center (the old Boulevard Fire Station) on August 20th at 7 p.m. to give your input on the new Backcountry Resource Center.  Come share your ideas on what you’d like to see, how you’d like to participate, and your dreams for the community.

See flyer for details.


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BOULEVARD PLANNERS OPPOSE TORREY WIND PROPOSAL FOR TURBINES TALLER THAN DOWNTOWN SKYSCRAPERS PROPOSED IN RURAL COMMUNITY

 

By Miriam Raftery

Photos:  Brush fire sparked by exploding wind turbine in Campo  in 2013.  Proposed new turbines would dwarf these older, smaller models.

July 26, 2018 (Boulevard) – The Boulevard Community Planning Group has sent a 26-page letter to the County opposing Terra-Gen’s proposed Torrey Wind project.  If approved, the project would erect 30 wind turbines each 586 feet tall—that’s 90 feet higher than the tallest skyscraper in downtown San Diego—on 2,,000 acres of absentee-owned ranchland formerly known as Big Country Ranch property at the north end of Ribbonwood Road.

The proposed major use permit for Torrey Wind (formerly known as San Diego Wind) will be on the Boulevard Planning Group’s agenda at its August 2nd meeting at 7 p.m.  (View agenda)


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ENERGY PROJECTS AND SEXUAL PREDATOR RELEASE ON BOULEVARD PLANNING GROUP’S MARCH 1 AGENDA

 

By Miriam Raftery

February 27, 2018 (Boulevard) – The Boulevard Planning Group meets Thursday, March 1st at 7 p.m. in the Boulevard Fire Training Room, 33919 Ribbonwood Road, Boulevard.  The board is expected to take action on proposed release of a sexually violent predator on McCain Valley Road.

The board will also receive updates and hold discussions on issues including Supervisors’ climate action plan, Tule Wind noise complaints, Protect Our Communities’ appeal challenging federal approval of Tule Wind phase II, and revival of two solar projects formerly proposed by Soitec. Rugged Solar has been taken over by Clean Focus and Tierra Del sol Solar has been taken over by Invenergy and renamed Boulevard Solar.


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BOIL WATER ORDERS ISSUED IN BOULEVARD, JULIAN AND CAMPO DUE TO POWER OUTAGES

Update December 9, 2017: A boil water has been aded for Vallecito County Park, 37349 Great Southern Overland in Julian, as well as the sites below.

December 8, 2017 (San Diego's East County)--The County of San Diego, Department of Environmental Health (DEH) has issued a Boil Water Advisory and Public Notification effective immediately for the following:  

  • Boulevard Pines Mobile Home & RV Park at 39375 Old Highway 80, Boulevard, CA 91905
  • Butterfield Ranch at 14925 Great Southern Overland, Julian, CA, 92036
  • Cameron Corners at 31484 Hwy 94, Campo, CA 91906
  • Campo Group at 31471 Hwy 94, Campo, CA 91906 

Due to the recent power outage, these public water systems have lost pressure in their water distribution systems.  As a precaution, Boil Water Advisories are being issued until laboratory results demonstrate the water is free from bacterial contamination. 

Click here for instructions on boiling water and alternative methods of disinfection


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DOMESTIC ABUSE SUSPECT ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY SETTING FIRE TO TRAILER, PROMPTING SWAT CALL-OUT IN BOULEVARD

 

East County News Service

File photo: Sheriff SWAT officers

October 9, 2017 (Boulevard) – Brian Ellis, 34, was arrested around 11 p.m. last night for arson and assault with a deadly weapon following an overnight SWAT stand-off in Boulevard.

Deputies responded to a call reporting assault with a deadly weapon in the 38000 block of Tierra Real Road around 5:38 p.m..  According to San Diego Sheriff’s Sergeant William Hout, the suspect “had struck a female relative in the face with a baseball bat and injured a male relative with a sword.”


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BOULEVARD CONSIDERS IMPACTS OF FUTURE GREEN ENERGY PROJECTS, INCLUDING REVIVAL OF EX-SOITEC SOLAR SITES

 

Two proposed solar projects have been revived under new owners

By Paul Kruze

Photo: Map shows site of Boulevard Solar, one of the two former Soitec projects back in the planning pipeline.

September 22, 2017 (Boulevard) -- Boulevard, CA is a small rural community located about 50 miles east of downtown San Diego on Interstate 8,  nary half-an-hour to the Anza Borrego Desert State Park.  While residents – a mix of retired people and younger people who work in San Diego but want to experience rural living – are able to experience the best of both worlds, the stark realities of modern life do punctuate the overall quiet and serene quality of this hamlet.

This was apparent at the Sept. 7th meeting of the Boulevard Planning Group, where the dominant topic was the main threat to the area’s rural atmosphere – the development of alternative energy projects, including the revival of two former Soitec Solar projects now moving forward under new ownership.


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COMMUNITY CLEAN-UP DAYS IN BOULEVARD, JACUMBA AND POTRERO

 

East County News Service

July 23, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – The Real East County Fire Safe Council, EDCO and Team E invite you to bring your trash, green waste, e-waste and brush to community clean-up day events coming up in Boulevard, Jacumba Hot Springs and Potrero. This is a free service to community residents.


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FORWARD SPREAD HALTED AT FIRE IN BOULEVARD

 

Photo: Cal Fire



May 24, 2017 (Boulevard) -- The Ribbonwood Fire has scorched approximately 25 acres in the Boulevard/McCain Valley area. The fire started late this afternoon at Ribbonwood Road south of I-8.

Air and ground crews from Cal Fire responded along with U.S. Forest Service firefighters.

Forward spread has been stopped, Cal Fire public information officer Isaac Sanchez has informed ECM, adding that crews will remain on site this evening for mop-up of the blaze.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

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