East County Magazine invites you to join us for a night of wine tasting, wonderful food, spirited merrymaking, plus a sneak preview of our special La Mesa community news section! 

Join the festivities on Tuesday, March 31^st from 5:30 to 7:30 at the San Pasqual Winery & Gallery Tasting Room, 8364 La Mesa Blvd. in La Mesa. Limited space - reserve now to enjoy:

• Delicious foods from Tiramisu Trattoria, Bo Beau's and Grove Pastry Shop
• Unveiling of Mesa Community special section on www.EastCountyMagazine.org!
• Live music by “one man band” Paul Nichols
• Tell us what you’d like to see covered in La Mesa
• Learn about opportunities to “be the media”
• Hear about opportunities for your business or organization
• Plenty of prizes and surprises!
  

March 29, 2015 (San Diego)--San Diego County only requires that ambulances response within 30 minutes in rural areas, unlike urban areas where the limit is 10 minutes. The American Heart Association reports that brain death and permanent death start to occur in 4–6 minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest.  The County's response time requirements are far too long for a heart attack patient to survive without brain damage. In addition, these times mean it sometimes takes more than the "golden hour" to reach a hospital following a trauma, stroke or other medical emergency, the time frame that medical experts recommend for saving lives. 

Take our Poll:  Should San Diego County require faster ambulance response than the 30 minutes currently required in rural areas?

Vote here: http://eastcountymagazine.org/poll/should-county-require-faster-ambulanc...

East County News Service

March 28, 2015 (San Diego) – Top officials from the California Public Utilities Commission will soon be questioned under oath in a court of law.

March 26, 2015 (San Diego)--If you think San Diego is having some growing pains, you may be right.  The Census Bureau’s numbers are in, and San Diego County is now the fifth most populous county in the nation.

By Miriam Raftery

March 27, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - The warm is warming up, and snakes are coming out of hibernation.

East County News Service

March 25, 2015 (La Mesa)—In this era of tight budgets, the City of La Mesa has launched a “Go Fund Me” online drive to raise money to help defray costs of the 19^th annual Flag Day Parade.  The annual salute to Old Glory will be held on Saturday, May 30^th down La Mesa Boulevard, with pre-parade concerts by the La Mesa Middle School and Parkway Middle School bands.

Ambulance responses in our region raise alarms:  Part II in a series

By Miriam Raftery

March 23, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)—Earlier we reported on a new contract for ambulance service that the County has signed, effective April 1st.  That contract required only four ambulances for an entire district stretching from the border north to Mount Laguna, and from Jamul east to the Imperial County line.

Ambulance responses in our region raise alarms:  Part I in a series

By Miriam Raftery

March 22, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – What if you had a medical emergency and the nearest ambulance had to come from Imperial County or other distant places up to an hour away?  That’s the very real prospect facing rural East County residents under a stealth change in ambulance service approved by a county bureaucrat with no public notice, no hearing, and no vote by the Supervisors.

While some aspects of coverage stand to improve under the contract, adding more in-district ambulances and newer equipment, there are some major concerns raised by local safety advocates with regard to mutual aid and staffing.

Update March 21: Linda Adene Snow-Biggers has been found safe and unhramed, the Sheriff reports.

East County News Service

March 20, 2015 (Spring Valley) – The Sheriff seeks public help to locate a missing Spring Valley woman.  On Wednesday, March 18^th,  Linda Adene Snow-Biggers walked away from her home at 2601 Sweetwater Road, where she lives with her husband.  She was last seen walking barefoot by a neighbor, wearing a white sun dress.  She is 53 years old, six feet tall, weighs 160 pounds, and has brown hair and green eyes.

East County News Service

March 16, 2015 (La Mesa)--Heartland Fire & Rescue crews from La Mesa, with assistance from San Diego Fire, were dispatched to reports of a car fire in the 7900 block of La Mesa Blvd Saturday night.  The call was quickly upgraded to a residential structure fire after dispatch received multiple cars of a fire.

March 16, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - After the weekend’s record-breaking temperatures, a high pressure system is forecast to bring cooler weather for the rest of this week.

By Miriam Raftery

March 14, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - If you’re heading to the beach to escape this unseasonable heat wave, there’s something more you should worry about besides slathering on sunscreen.

March 14, 2015 (Alpine)--A horse hit by a vehicle is back with his owner after being rescued by County Animal Services early Wednesday morning.

East County News Service

March 16, 2015 (Borrego) – A motorcyclist lost control on a curve and veered into oncoming traffic on State Route 78 near Scissors Crossing Sunday, striking a Toyota Prius head-on, according to the California Highway Patrol.