By Miriam Raftery

Photo: “Sea lion head” by Alexdi

April 5, 2015 (San Diego) – At East County Magazine, our focus is normally on the inland region.  But this week, there are just too many bizarre beach stories to resist.

April 3, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – A female mountain lion’s call has often been described as sounding like a woman’s scream.  Here is a call caught on a trailcam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM2Sw8dsMDQ

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

By Miriam Raftery

April 3, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – AS we reported, effective April 1^st the County has shifted to Mercy as its new ambulance provider for rural East County.  After residents raised concerns over coverage, response times and mutual aid, we asked Supervisor Dianne Jacob’s office for a response.

East County News Service

April 1, 2015 (Sacramento)--Following the lowest snowpack ever recorded and with no end to the drought in sight, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced actions that will save water, prevent water waste and invest in new technologies that will make California more drought resilient.  The mandatory order requires all cities and counties to cut water use by 25 percent.

Originally Published on the ECOreport

Photos courtesy of Dave Howard

By Roy L Hales & Robert Lundahl

April 3, 2015 (San Diego)--California’s water situation is beyond an emergency, according to Healdsburg resident Dave Howard. He and his sons returned from a “ski trip” in Northern California.

March 30, 2015 (Lakeside)—The Lakeside Community Planning Group announces a vacancy to fill; Laura Cyphert cited travel commitments in her resignation letter.

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.