By Miriam Raftery

Photo of burned trailers via Cal Fire on Twitter

February 21, 2023 (Ocotillo Wells) – A fire on private property has caused heavy damage to six recreational vehicle trailers in Ocotillo Wells.

Cal Fire San Diego posed on Twitter early yesterday evening that it was at the scene of multiple large vehicles on fire along Split Mountain Road south of Highway 78 in Ocotillo. 

Federal government releases breakdown by Congressional district as Supreme Court readies to hear cases challenging program

By Miriam Raftery

February 17,2023 (San Diego)—The U.S. Department of Education has released a chart showing federal student loan forgiveness applications and approvals broken down by Congressional district.  The data shows that “In every single congressional district, at least half of eligible borrowers either applied or were deemed auto-eligible for debt relief, and that was only in the one month that the application was available before the program got blocked because of lawsuits.”

Nationally, about 40 million student borrowers were eligible for the program and around 26 million applications were received, of which 16 million were approved before a court blocked the program pending review by the U.S. Supreme Court, leaving borrowers in limbo for now.

In San Diego County, over 400,000 borrowers would be eligible for the loan forgiveness, if the high court allows it to move forward.  Over 240,000 of those have applied and around 154,000 local borrowers have been approved.

Here is the breakdown by district:

 Source: County of San Diego Communications Office 

February 17, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – If you rode the Trolley’s Blue and Orange lines between June 31 and December 31 last year, you may have been exposed to tuberculosis (TB) and at risk of infection. The Orange Line services East County, running from El Cajon through La Mesa, Lemon Grove and San Diego to Imperial. The Blue Line runs from Imperial south to the border area in San Ysidro. 

By Mike Allen

February 16, 2023 (Santee) -- Customers of the Padre Dam Municipal Water District are getting some relief on their usually hefty bills, thanks to a vote last year by its board to freeze rate increases over five years.

But that freeze only applies to internal rate increases, not those imposed by outside agencies such as the San Diego County Water Authority (CWA) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE), both of which are charging more for their services.

Aware that those entities were imposing price hikes, Padre Dam’s five-member board decided in June to use funds it received from a big legal settlement from a prolonged legal battle between the CWA and the Metropolitan Water Authority, headquartered in Los Angeles.

East County News Service

Photo via ECM news partner 10 News

February 15, 2023 (Alpine) – A Kenworth tractor pulling an enclosed trailer rear-ended a Peterbuilt truck with car carrier on Interstate 8 west of Tavern Road on Feb. 13 at 6:31 p.m. The Kenworth truck caught fire and the driver died at the scene.

The collision caused shut-down of I-8 east for several hours, until 1:08 a.m. Feb. 14. Due to possible fire damage, the Tavern Road overpass remained closed until CalTrans could inspect it, reopening around 11 p.m. on Feb. 14.

By Miriam Raftery

February 15, 2023 (San Diego)-- San Diego County Supervisors have unanimously approved a proposal aimed at ending veterans’ homelessness. San Diego County is home to a quarter million veterans – and 8% of the homeless population countywide are veterans.

The ambitious proposal, introduced by Supervisors Nathan Fletcher and Chair Nora Vargas, will direct county staff to join county government resources with regional partners. The goal is to get every veteran off the street and onto a positive life plan.

Fletcher that while the number of homeless veterans helped the streets locally in the past four years has dropped by 30%, this isn’t enough. While it’s common to say `Thank you for your service,’ to San Diego veterans, Fletcher says that’s not enough. He states, “I think that needs to actually mean something. In this effort, that means us willing to put together a dedicated effort, a focused plan, and the accountability” to effectively end homeless in San Diego County. (View video of his full statement.)

The approval of the policy put several actions in motion, including the convening of community organizations and stakeholders, government representatives from local, state, and federal levels, and individuals with lived experience to come up with a plan.

February 14, 2023 (San Diego) -- Valentine’s Day is not just about romantic love, it’s also about sharing affection and showing how you care for others. So, who’s to say your sweetheart can’t be furry?

The County Department of Animal Services is playing matchmaker this week. As part of a Sweetheart Special, starting on Valentine’s Day through Feb. 19, all animals are just $14 to adopt.

There is someone for everyone. For those of you who like to be the center of someone’s universe and don’t mind bad breath, try a dog. Maybe you prefer to earn your love, try a cat. If you like the intellectual type, try a pig — they’re smarter than dogs  You like slow walks on aquarium beaches, how about a red-eared slider turtle? Recently gone vegetarian? Share a nibble on a carrot with one of our bunnies.

By Miriam Raftery 

East County News Service

February 13, 2023 (Jamul) – A San Diego man, 40, sustained major injuries in a crash on February 10 in Jamul while attempting to pass another vehicle on State Route 94.

By Miriam Raftery

February 12, 2023 (San Diego) – Former Chair of the San Diego County Supervisors Nathan Fletcher,  whose 4^th district includes portions of East County, has announced plans to run for the 39^th State Senate district seat. If successful, he would fill the legislative seat being vacated by political powerhouse Toni Atkins due to term limits.

View video of full 2023 State of the Union address on C-Span

By Miriam Raftery

February 10, 2023 (Washington D.C.) – U.S. President Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union speech on Feb. 7, celebrating  American accomplishments and resilience since he took office amid the pandemic.  “We’ve saved millions of lives and opened America back up,” said Biden. “So let’s look at the results.”

 Among his administration’s achievements, he cited:

• Cutting the deficit by over $1.7 trillion, the largest deficit reduction in U.S. history. (Under the Trump administration, by contrast, the deficit increased for four straight years.)
• Creating 12 million jobs in two years, more than any prior administration created in four years
• Creating 800,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs, the fastest growth in 40 years. Instead of factories  moving overseas, the U.S. is once again exporting American products.
• Attaining an unemployment rate of 3.4%, the lowest in 50 years, including record low unemployment rates for Black and Hispanic workers
• Ending the emergency declaration as COVID no longer controls our lives and COVID deaths have dropped 90%
• Capping the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors on Medicare
• Inflation, a global problem due to supply disruptions form the pandemic and the Ukraine war, is now coming down; gas prices are down $1.50 a gallon, food prices are dipping and inflation has fallen each month for the past six months, following passage of the Inflation Reduction Act
• Enacting the CHIPS and Science Act to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs to make “sure the supply chain for America begins in America”, making semiconductor chips in the U.S. for use in cellphones, autos and more.
• Signing over 300 bipartisan laws including an infrastructure bill that is putting Americans to work building and repairing roads and bridges, as well as replacing lead pipes to provide clean water to schools, homes and childcare centers and bringing high-speed internet to rural communities
• Signing a law to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits
• Signing a bill to reduce the deficit by $115 billion by cracking down on wealthy tax cheats
• Providing tax credits to buy electric vehicles and investing in charging stations, as well as clean energy
• Recovering billions of taxpayer dollars lost to rampant fraud by bringing back watchdogs -  inspector generals sidelined by the prior administration
• Allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices to reduce costs.
• Launching a new border plan last month that resulted in a 97% drop in  unlawful migration from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Biden said his vision for the nation has always been to “restore the soul of the nation, to rebuild the backbone of America, the middle class,” and “to unite the country.”  In a vigorous speech that could preface an announcement to seek reelection, Biden pledged to “finish the job.”

District disputes statements by residents criticizing its actions

By Miriam Raftery

February 10, 2023 (Alpine) – Despite heavy rains in January that have alleviated severe drought concerns, Sweetwater Water Authority on January 26 announced that it has initiated a new transfer of water from Loveland Reservoir to Sweetwater Reservoir. The new transfer comes after a controversial transfer begun in November drained Loveland down to dead pool status for the first time in the district’s history, raising concerns over negative impacts on wildlife, firefighting resources, and loss of recreational use including fishing. 

Last month, heavy rains caused major damage to a floating fishing dock, as well as substantial erosion, as ECM reported. Now, the district has announced that “due to safety concerns, the Recreation Program at Loveland Reservoir is closed until further notice. Recent rains caused significant erosion in the Recreation Program area at Loveland Reservoir. For the safety of the community, the program will remain closed until further notice. Sweetwater Authority staff will be assessing the damage and evaluating options for repairs in the coming months.”  For the latest updates, visit www.sweetwater.org/recreation.

Darlene Cosso, board member and spokesperson for the newly formed Friends of Loveland Reservoir,  told ECM, “Friends of Loveland Reservoir would like to collaborate with Sweetwater Authority to propose solutions to the repeated draining of the lake. We believe we have various options which will benefit community members, the environment, wildlife that depends on Loveland, and Sweetwater Authority and its customers.”

Friends of Loveland Reservoir posted the following call to action on its Facebook page, for residents upset over the closure and repeated draining:

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Screenshot of wreckage from video posted on Facebook

February 8, 2023 (Santee) – The driver of a Ford Focus has been airlifted to a hospital with severe injuries sustained in a crash so violent that the vehicle blew apart, as surveillance video shown on CBS 8 reveals.

According to Sergeant Dwain Washington with the San Diego Sheriff’s department, the silver Ford Focus was traveling south on North Magnolia in Santee shortly before 6 a.m., approaching the Prospect intersection. A white Ford F-350 pickup truck traveling west on Prospect collided with the car, crushing its  front end and sending the engine flying into the roadway.

71% of pills tested in Tijuana pharmacies tested positive for dangerous illegal drugs

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of San Diego District Attorney’s office

February 8, 2023 (San Diego) – Pharmacies in Tijuana and other Mexican cities are selling counterfeit medicines laced with deadly fentanyl and methamphetamines, according to investigations conducted by the Los Angeles Times and by researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles. The tainted fake drugs ranged from narcotic pain pills to pills often used to treat children with attention deficit disorder.

By Miriam Raftery

February 8, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – For years, the mayors of East County’s four cities (El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove and Santee) have met informally to recommend who should represent the region on San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) committees. But on January 31, with the mayors at an impasse, El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells put forth a proposal for what he called “an equitable process for tie-breaking” that would keep El Cajon represented on SANDAG committees. 

Mayor Wells’ list of proposed appointments would have given every city a primary member on at least one committee.

In the end, newly elected SANDAG Chair Nora Vargas followed SANDAG procedures to break the tie and announce the final appointments, which leave El Cajon with only alternates, no regular members on any SANDAG committee.