By Miriam Raftery

Rebecca Jefferis-Williamson contributed to this report

January 7, 2020 (San Diego) – The U.S. Department of Defense confirms that Iran has launched air attacks on two U.S. military bases in Iraq housing American and coalition forces. Over a dozen missiles launched from Iran targeted the Al Assad air base in Baghdad and a second base in Irbil.

ECM has obtained video sent by a source in Iraq who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation. The source indicated the video was taken by an Iraqi national inside the Al Assad base during the attack. The same video appears on international media including Canada and England. A local translator in El Cajon told ECM panicked voices heard on the video are shouting “Watch out!” and “One God, one Allah,” a phrase spoken by Muslims when they believe death may be imminent.

There is no official word yet on casualties.

The attacks were in retaliation for the U.S. assassination of Iranian Major General Qassim Suleimani last week in Iraq, whom Defense Secretary Mark Esper has said was in Baghdad to coordinate attacks on U.S. forces and coalition partners. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said Suleimani posed a “imminent threat” to Americans, but neither Esper nor Pompeo provided specific evidence of the threat.

Critics have said the killing of the Iranian commander via a drone strike violated international law by targeting a sovereign nation’s military leadership.

East County News Service

January 7, 2020 (Julian) – SDG&E has begun construction to place powerlines underground east of downtown Julian along Banner Road (State Route 78) and Cape Horn Avenue).

The project aims to reduce wildfire risk and allow key facilities to remain open during safety power shutoffs, according to a press release issued by SDG&E.

“Unlike overhead power lines, underground lines do not present a fire risk during high winds and elevated fire danger conditions. Facilities that will benefit from the undergrounding work include: the post office, county branch library, Julian Union High School, Julian Charter School, Julian Elementary School and the CAL FIRE Station, as well as a county public works maintenance yard and a school bus yard,” the utility states. Existing overhead power lines in the area will remain, as they are needed to continue serving some customers.

Update:  Minutes after publication of this article, Hunter announced plans to resign January 13.

By Miriam Raftery

January 7, 2020 (San Diego) – Rep. Duncan Hunter has not yet resigned, despite saying he would do so after the holiday following his guilty plea to conspiracy to spend campaign funds for personal use.  But he didn’t file to run for reelection. Instead, voters will have 10 candidates to choose from.

The contenders include two Democrats, four Republicans, three no-party-preference candidates, and a Peace and Freedom party member. They’re vying to finish in the top two spots in the March primary in order to advance to a November run-off election.

Here’s a look at how some of the major candidates’ campaigns are taking shape:

By Mike Gatto, Special to CalMatters 

CALmatters is an independent public interest journalism venture covering California state politics and government.

January 6, 2020 (Los Angeles) -- Those of us who have watched a friend or family member wrestle with addiction or cope with mental illness recognize that certain acts are a cry for help. 

For one of my friends, it was getting into a car accident while under the influence, with her young children inside.

By Miriam Raftery

January 6, 2020 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – Despite recent protests over the highly disproportionate percentage of sexually violent predators placed in rural East County, the Department of State Hospitals is proposing to place yet another in Jacumba Hot Springs.  A hearing will be held Feb. 3 at 9 a.m. in San Diego Superior Court (1100 Union St., Dept. 2202) to determine whether Michael Poulsom should be placed at 45612 Old Highway 80, Jacumba Hot Springs, a community of just 561 residents, according to the 2010 Census.

Poulsom is diagnosed with Pedophilia Disorder. In 1985, he was convicted in Georgia of child molestation with two victims. In 1989, he was convicted in San Diego County of a lewd act on a child under 14. In 1995, he was convicted again locally for a lewd act with a fourth victim, also under 14 and served 15 years in prison. Prior to his release, the San Diego County District Attorney’s office filed a petition to have Poulsom civilly committed to a state hospital as a Sexually Violent Predator . He was committed, underwent treatment and petitioned for conditional release, which was opposed by the San Diego D.A. and the hospital. A year later he filed for release into the conditional release program for sex offenders, which the Dept. of State Hospitals supported over the objections of D.A. Summer Stephan.

The public may submit comments between Jan. 3 and Jan. 17 to be considered by the court. You can email comments to sdsafe@sdsheriff.org, or call (858)495-3619. Comments may also be mailed tol the SVP Release/Safe Task Force at 9425 Chesapeake Drive, San Diego, CA 02123.  Comments will also be accepted at the hearing.

By Miriam Raftery

January 3, 2020 (San Diego) – Don Ralph, 52, was found unresponsive on October 26 by deputies doing a security check at the San Diego Central Jail. Deputies found a sock lodged in his throat, removed it and performed first aid until relieved by paramedics, but despite lifesaving efforts, Ralph was declared dead a half hour later at 4:05 a.m.

Ralph shared a cell with another inmate, however the Sheriff’s department concluded there was no preliminary evidence of foul play.

Now the Medical Examiner has concluded that the cause of death was asphyxia due to occlusion of Ralph’s air way with the sock, and determined that the manner of death was suicide.

By Miriam Raftery

January 2, 2020 (Washington D.C.) –The U.S. Supreme Court declined last month to hear an appeal of a ruling by the 9^th Circuit U.S. District Court of Appeals, which held that cities and counties cannot arrest homeless people for sleeping in outdoor public spaces if a jurisdiction has failed to provide space in shelters.

San Diego County and dozens of other local governments had joined together to argue that the case should be overturned, arguing that the decision limits cities’ abilities to maintain public health and safety. In San Diego, a 2017 hepatitis-A outbreak was tied to homelessness.

But the 9^th circuit held that a city ordinance banning camping in public places by the homeless “violates the 8^th Amendment insofar as it imposes criminal sanctions against homeless individuals for sleeping outdoors on public property, when no alternative is available to them.”

San Diego had more than 8,100 people homeless countywide as of a January 1, 2019 count, but 27,850 people used homeless services countywide last year, Voice of San Diego reports. California, which has one of the best year-round climates, is home to around half of the nation’s homeless population.

December 31, 2019 (San Diego) – The San Diego Blood Bank has put out an urgent plea for both Type O positive and O negative blood donors due to a shortage.

"Coming out of the holiday season, we typically see a decrease in donations of all types at this time due to schools being out of session for the holidays and seasonal illnesses like the flu," said David Wellis, the San Diego Blood Bank's CEO.  "The need for type O blood has hit a critically low level and we need the community to help us keep a safe supply for local hospital patients."

Type O positive, the most common blood type, is often needed for hospital patients. Type O negative, the universal donor blood type, can be given to any patient and is often used in emergency rooms when there is no time to test a patient’s blood type. 

East County News Service

Update: The victim has been identified as Alberta Fernandez De Zuniga, 61, of Borrego Springs.

December 26, 2019 (Ranchita) – A 61-year-old woman riding in the backseat of a 2019 Toyota Camry died this morning when the driver lost control and the vehicle rolled over, landing on its roof. The crash occurred around 6:50 a.m. on San Filipe Road (S2) south of Montezuma Valley Road. 

There was fresh snow on the roadway, and the Toyota was traveling at a speed that prevented the driver from maintaining control of the Toyota,” Officer Jeff Christy with the California Highway Patrol reports. “The Toyota traveled off the roadway onto the west shoulder where it collided with a dirt embankment. The female passenger, who was not wearing her seatbelt, was subsequently thrown forward from the rear seat into the front dash and windshield of the vehicle. At the same time, the Toyota rolled over onto its roof where it came to rest within the traffic lanes.”

By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office

Dec. 26, 2019 (County of San Diego) Calling all Nonpartisan registered voters! If you vote by mail and want to vote for president, you need to inform the Registrar of Voters which mail ballot you want by Jan. 6. Otherwise, your nonpartisan mail ballot will not show any presidential candidates.

Several weeks ago, the Registrar sent the County’s nearly 350,000 Nonpartisan mail ballot voters a pre-paid return postcard requesting their selection of ballot options for the March 3, 2020 primary election. If you’re Nonpartisan and just signed up to become a mail ballot voter, you can expect a postcard outlining your options sometime this week.

So far, nearly 37,000 Nonpartisan voters have returned their postcards or re-registered. If your postcard became lost among all the holiday mail, here is what you need to know.

By Miriam Raftery

December 26, 2019 (San Diego) – Supervisor Jim Desmond has withdrawn his proposal to amend the Save Our San Diego Countryside (SOS) initiative language on the March 2020 ballot county-wide. The decision was announced at the Dec. 10 County Board of Supervisors meetings.

Supervisor Desmond’s proposed amendments closely reflected arguments of the “No on SOS” campaign, which is funded primarily by the Building Industry Association, an advocacy organization for the building industry—arguments that opponents have characterized as misleading.

By Katie White, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo: Maritza Beltran, left, and Leticia Faucher, from the County’s Public Administrator/Public Guardian/Public Conservator’s office, load up their vehicle with donated gifts.

December 24, 2019 (San Diego) -- Staff from the County’s Public Administrator, Guardian, and Conservator’s Office are doing their part to brighten the holidays for the clients they serve throughout the year. They are delivering holiday gifts to dozens of men and women in their care.

The PA/PG/PC office serves as the legally appointed guardian or conservator for people found by the courts to be unable to take care of themselves or their assets. The people are generally older, frail and vulnerable adults who are at risk or have been a victim of abuse or neglect.

December 2019

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all across East County

Not a creature was stirring, from Borrego to El Monte.

Cowboy boots were hung by chimneys with care

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

From Barona to Ramona, Jacumba to Jamul

East County residents celebrating the Yule

Have taken time from gift wraps and home-cooked dishes

To send Santa their heartfelt holiday wishes.