September 26, 2020 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include: 

LOCAL

• How One District Got Its Students Back Into Classrooms (New York Times)
• Two arrested as feds shut down Kumeyaay border wall occupation camp (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• County approves charter high school (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Miguel Fire District figuring out how to fill a seat no one wants (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Grossmont College president to resign (Pagesuite)
• Duane Pillsbury, rancher, conservationist, husband of Joan Embery, dies at 91 (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• California’s COVID-19 positivity rate drops below 3% for the first time  (Los Angeles Times)
•  Coronavirus: California’s numbers keep trending in right direction  (San Jose Mercury News)
• California pauses unemployment amid coronavirus pandemic (10 News)
• California passes bill to allow former inmates who served on fire crews to pursue a career in fire (Wildfire Today)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

September 9, 2020 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include: 

LOCAL

• Sheriff’s Department to begin video surveillance in Lemon Grove (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• DA files charges against 20 people in wake of May protest-turned-riot in La Mesa  (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Citizens report shows developers buying far-right Santee City Council Votes (Preserve Wild Santee, via OB Rag)
• It Starts With A Conversation: How To Protect Your Child From Falling Victim To Sex Trafficking Or Predators Online  (NBC 7)
• El Cajon City Council candidate dealing with fake website (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Jury Trials To Resume In October In San Diego County (Patch)
• ICE makes dozens of arrests in San Diego County (Patch)
• Missing San Diego couple found dead in Baja California (Borderland Beat)
• Plea deal reached in San Diego County sheriff's deputy sexual misconduct case (10 News)
• Over 28,000 Property Owners In Tax Default Amid Coronavirus (Patch)

STATE

• California Sets Record With 2M Acres Burned So Far in 2020 (NBC 7)
• As fire ‘engulfed everything’ around campers, an air rescue like no other in the Sierra (LA Times)
• UC must immediately drop use of the SAT and ACT for admissions and scholarships, judge rules (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Lawmakers fail to approve wildfire protection money, help for California insurance crisis (Sacramento Bee)
• California Bill to Strip Badges From ‘Bad Officers' Fails (NBC 7) 
• California seeks immediate reversal of U.S. Postal Service changes  (Los Angeles Times)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Cal Fire via Instagram

August 23, 2020 (San Diego) – More than 14,000 firefighters are battling wildfires that have charred nearly 1.3 million acres across California.  Since August 15, there have been over 615 new wildfires sparked by nearly 12,000 lightning strikes, including fires that are now among the largest in the state’s history.  Governor Gavin Newsom has requested help from firefighters as far away as Australia and Canada.

Today, President Donald Trump announced that federal disaster assistance will be provided through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for  Lake,  Napa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties. The aid includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.    Federal funding is also available to the state, tribal, eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protective measures in those counties.

 In addition, federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

August 13, 2020 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include: 

LOCAL

• FDA approves COVID-19 antibody test made by San Diego company (10 News)
• El Cajon Councilman Bob McClellan doing well after brain surgery (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• La Mesa fleshes out plan for Town Hall (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego getting new outdoor movies, classes and events as shopping centers embrace ‘streetail’ (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• La Mesa Counterprotest Leader Won’t Shun Guns: ‘Defend Our Way of Life’ (Times of San Diego)
• ​Plan For Recreational Pot Sale In Unincorporated Areas Fails (Patch)
• San Diego Superior Court seeks delay in starting criminal jury trials as memo outlines unique challenges (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• July is now the deadliest month of the pandemic in San Diego County (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Santee Rock Concert Flouts County Health Order (Patch)
• Concerns over mass crowds gathered for religious gathering at beach (10 News)
• San Diego County Cites Navy for Ship Fire (Voice of San Diego)
• A tale of two Escondido rinks: One gone forever, one soon to return? (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• California withholds virus money from 2 defiant cities (Associated Press) 
•  These California privacy initiative opponents might surprise you (Politico)
• Protesters chained to Governor’s mansion as prison deaths mount (AP)
• Coronavirus strikes Latino families near California’s Salton Sea (Intercept)
• Imperial County was a warning for California. Will its shutdown be a model? (SF Chronicle)

For links to read full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

July 2, 2020 (San Diego) -- San Diego County public health officials warned Wednesday that recent re-openings will likely be rolled back as a near-record 474 new coronavirus cases and 7 deaths were reported.

Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county’s public health officer, said that if the current trends continue, San Diego County will likely be added to California’s “watch list” of counties by the weekend.

Counties on that list were ordered Wednesday to close indoor dining at restaurants, as well as movie theaters, museums and similar businesses, for three weeks. Orange, Riverside and Imperial counties surrounding San Diego were affected.

“We anticipate by the weekend that we will be on that list as well,” said Wooten at a media briefing.

June 18, 2020 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include: 

LOCAL

• El Cajon officer's encounter with vandals ends with unlikely painting session (10 News)
• City Attorney’s Office Says SDG&E Is Overcharging to Bury Power Lines (Voice of San Diego)
• Mountain lion found, killed after Blue Sky attack (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• ‘Hang on. I’m going:’ San Diego police officer recounts Sunset Cliffs rescue (San Diego Union Tribune)
• ‘La Mesa Civil Defense’ Group Including Councilwoman Sparks Concern (Times of San Diego)
• Man Arrested on Suspicion of Attacking Woman With Baseball Bat in La Mesa (NBC 7)
• Boomers! closing Kearny Mesa, El Cajon centers (10 News)
• Driver being pursued by deputies crashes into Lemon Grove swimming pool (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• Major California police unions call for reforms, removal of racist officers (San Jose Mercury News)
• Far-right ‘boogaloo boys’ linked to killing of California law officers and other violence (Los Angeles Times)
• Airline passengers brought COVID-19 into LAX in March, but nobody warned the public (Los Angeles Times)
• State AG to probe one of two high desert hangings of black men (Cal Matters)
• PG&E Pleads Guilty to 84 Counts of Manslaughter in Camp Fire Case (New York Times)
• California Was Set To Spend Over $1 Billion to Prevent Wildfires. Then Came COVID-19 (NPR)
• California spent $38.2 million on CHP officers at George Floyd protests (Los Angeles Times)
• Watch: Golden Gate Bridge Produces Eerie Sound Effect (Patch)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

240 new cases and 6 more deaths reported

Source: County News Service

Photo: Wineries such as Hatfield Creek Winery in Ramona are among the local businesses that may be able to open starting June 12.

June 5, 2020 (San Diego) -- Starting June 9, beachgoers will be allowed to park in lots at local beaches, the County announced today, though coastal communities may opt for stricter rules. The County also received new guidance from the state on additional sectors that can reopen, with restrictions, as early as Friday, June 12 including:

• Gyms
• Hotels
• Bars and wineries
• Museums, galleries, zoos and aquariums
• Professional sports without spectators
• Day camps
• Campgrounds and RV parks
• Family entertainment (bowling alleys, batting cages, etc.)
• Card rooms and racetracks
• Music, film and television production
  

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

Photo by Miriam Raftery

May 26, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) --Today in a televised update on COVID-19, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that hair salons and barbershops in most counties will now be able to reopen their doors. The businesses must meet the state’s reopening guidelines .

 Late today, San Diego County approved allowing local salons and barbershops to reopen as soon as they implement and post a safe reopening plan. 

Supervisor Dianne Jacob called the Governor’s action “another welcome step in getting our businesses back into business."

The order does not apply to nail salons, however, and certain close-contact services remain prohibited including facials, shaves, eyebrow waxing and threading, and eyelash treatments.

May 11, 2020 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include:  

LOCAL

• Tribes face cultural, economic hardships amid coronavirus stay-home orders (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• El Cajon rescinds climate action plan (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• La Mesa Facility Is One of State's Deadliest for Coronavirus (Voice of San Diego)
• Souplantation Has Shared Its Best Recipes for You to Make at Home Since They Are Closed Permanently
• School districts may switch to blended learning, an area dominated by charter schools (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Goodwill prepares to accept donations again (Fox 5 San Diego)
•  Doctors Say They’re Not Getting Vital Coronavirus Info About Senior Facilities (Voice of San Diego)
• Sentencing delayed for Hunter’s wife in campaign fund misuse case (Patch)

STATE

• State’s coronavirus cases keeps rising over weekend, mostly in Southern California (L.A. Daily News)
• As California coronavirus deaths reach stubborn plateau, experts fearful about future (Los Angeles Times)
• Court upholds California ban on church services in pandemic (AP)
• Coronavirus plunges California into worse budget deficit in state history (Los Angeles Times)
• California gig workers, self-employed can file for unemployment under state program (10 News)
• California Democrat reacts to Tesla lawsuit, pullout plan over coronavirus rules: ‘F--- Elon Musk’ (Fox)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

April 26, 2020 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include:  

LOCAL

• Hospitals eye return to elective surgery following governor’s announcement (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Bill Walton bike ride raises $100K for COVID-19 causes (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• SANDAG: San Diego Jobless Rate Jumps More Than Sixfold To 20.6% (KPBS) San Diego police submit case against weekend protester for possible criminal charge (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Valley Farms Market donates thousands of meals to help those in need (KPBS)
• El Cajon looking at bonds to help with rising pension costs (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego Zoo and Safari Park asking for donations to care for animals (CBS 8)
• Stakeholders raise alarm about Donavan State Prison (Voice of San Diego)
• Coronavirus chokes the drug trade — from Wuhan, through Mexico and onto U.S. streets  (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• Thousands visit beaches as Southern California experiences heat wave amid coronavirus outbreak (The Hill)
• Too soon to start reopening California economy, Gavin Newsom says, but surgeries can resume (Sacramento Bee)
• Coronavirus crisis hastens the collapse of local newspapers. Here’s why it matters (Los Angeles Times)
• COVID-19 aid to California freelancers stalled (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• California cannabis, deemed essential during coronavirus crisis, is ‘on the verge of collapsing’ (McClatchy News Service)
• Newsom's secretive $1-billion mask deal with Chinese automaker sparks bipartisan concerns (Yahoo)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Jill Sawyer

April 14, 2020 (Descanso) – SDG&E has shut-off power to 22 households in Descanso for 10 hours today in order to replace wood poles with steel for wildfire prevention. The action has sparked anger among residents under county orders to stay home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with some left in the cold despite medical conditions, working and teaching children at home There are no shelters or any public space open, with temperatures forecast to dip to a chilly 42 degrees by this evening.

After ECM’s editor called SDG&E last night to advise the utility of  concerns raised by many residents online, the utility discovered it had mistakenly called many households who were not slated to have power shut down.  “They were all called shortly before 10 p.m. apologizing for this evening’s call, advising it was made by mistake,” SDG&E media spokesperson Zoraya Griffin informed ECM.

For those without power, however, the outage puts safety of medically vulnerable and elderly residents at risk, also causing major inconveniences for those working or teaching children at home.

Newsom announces financial institutions will provide relief for vast majority of Californians; financial institutions agree not to negatively impact credit reports as a result of accepting payment relief

By Miriam Raftery

File photo during rally in Ramona to stop foreclosures during prior mortgage foreclosure crisis

March 29, 2020 (Sacramento) -- Governor Gavin Newsom announced on March 25 that financial institutions will provide major financial relief for millions of Californians suffering financially as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Newsom secured support from Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo and nearly 200 state-chartered banks, credit unions, and servicers to protect homeowners. (The order does not apply to commercial mortgages, however some cities have adopted broader protections.)

“Millions of California families will be able to take a sigh of relief,” said Governor Newsom. “These new financial protections will provide relief to California families and serve as a model for the rest of the nation. I thank each of the financial institutions that will provide this relief to millions of Californians who have been hurt financially from COVID-19.”

Under the Governor’s proposal, Californians who are struggling with the COVID-19 crisis may be eligible for the following relief upon contacting their financial institution:

Photo via Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association: screenshot of Gov. Newsom announcing statewide stay-at-home order

View the Governor's full speech

March 19, 2020 (Sacamento) -- Gov. Gavin Newsom tonight ordered all Californians to stay at home to stop the spread of coronavirus across the state. Only companies providing essential services may remain open.

He issued the statewide order after public health experts estimated that as many as 25 million Californians will be infected by the virus within two months, making it critical to stop the growth now.

While most will recover and some won't have symptoms, up to 20,000 would likely be hospitalized if nothing is done. That's double the 10,000 bed surge capacity of hospitals statewide, though the state is requisitioning faciliities to fill the gap and working with the private sector to increase the supply of ventilators, which the federal government has failed to provide.

By Miriam Raftery

March 15, 2020 (Sacramento)—With 330 Covid-19 (novel coronavirus) cases in California, double the number just four days ago,six deaths in our state and thousands of deaths worldwide, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced extreme steps to slow the rate of infection and reduce deaths. The actions aim to save lives and prevent hospitals and medical workers from becoming overwhelmed.

The Governor’s new emergency proclamation calls for:

• Home isolation of everyone over age 65
• A ban on visitors to nursing homes, except for end-of-life visits
• Closure of bars, wine bars, breweries and pubs
• Restaurants to reduce occupancy by half; restaurants can also provide curbside service and at-home deliveries
• Moving homeless people into motels, trailers or other facilities
• Allow urgency for procuring medical supplies, sharing data, and bringing in out of state licensed medical professionals to help with treatment

Though the Governor stopped short of mandating closures of bars, restaurants and wineries, and left home isolation of seniors voluntary for now, his actions are similar to what some foreign nations and Governors in other states have done. 

The entire nations of Spain and Denmark are on lockdown. France has ordered closure of cafes, restaurants and bars.  The Governors of Ohio and Illinois have ordered restaurants and bars to close.  New York state’s Governor has ordered restaurants to cut occupancy in half and called for voluntary closure of many private businesses.

February 6, 2020 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include:  

LOCAL

• Poll: Sara Jacobs has wide lead in race to replace retiring Rep. Susan Davis in 53rd District (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• CDC Hospitalizes 4 Coronavirus Evacuees With Symptoms In San Diego  (KPBS)
• San Diego County’s Freezing Temps Break Records (NBC 7)
• Grossmont, Cuyamaca community colleges receive accreditation  (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Santee making sound progress on bringing music back to school  (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• La Mesa Police Visited Store Owner Charged With Battery 22 Times Since 2015  (NBC 7)
• Federal Money May Soon Help With San Diego's Cross Border Pollution Woes  (KPBS)

STATE

• Five things Californians need to know about Michael Bloomberg (Sacramento Bee)
• What happens if California takes over PG&E? (CalMatters)
• Mixed results for California’s experiment with community colleges offering bachelor’s degrees (Ed Source)
• California’s most controversial homebuilding bill just died. What will Newsom do now? (Cal Matters)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.