By Henri Migala

January 19, 2022 (El Cajon) -- Despite a statewide mask mandate that was declared on December 15 and extended until February 15, Mayor Bill Wells as well as Councilmembers Michelle Metschel and Phil Ortiz, did not wear their masks at the January 11, City Council meeting. Councilmember Steve Goble removed his mask when he made comments.

By Miriam Raftery

January 19, 2022 (San Diego) – Sheriff Bill Gore today announced that he will retire effective February 3 after 51 years in law enforcement, nearly a year before his term of office would have ended in January 2023. Gore was appointed Sheriff in 2009 to fill a vacancy left by the retirement of Bill Kolender, later winning elections three times.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo credit:  USPS

January 18, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – Every household in American can receive four free COVID-19 tests from the federal government. 

Orders are being taken online starting today at https://special.usps.com/testkits.

The rapid antigen COVID-19 tests will be shipped free by the U.S. Postal Service starting in late January.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: CC by SA via Bing 

January 16, 2022 (San Diego) – California homeowners who have fallen behind on housing payments due to pandemic-related hardships can now apply for help to pay back payments through the California Mortgage Relief program, which is funded by the 2021 federal American Rescue plan Act’s Homeowners Assistance Fund.  Qualified applicants do not have to repay any funds awarded.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Screenshot by Savvy Millennial of tsunami wave in Pacifica, CA today

Updated January 16, 2022 with response from Southern California Edison's public information officer, who says the San Onofre site is protected against tsunamis.

January 15, 2022(San Diego) – Public Watchdogs, a nonprofit advocacy group, is expressing deep concern for the public’s safety regarding the 3.6 Million pounds of deadly radioactive nuclear waste stored on the beach at San Onofre just north of San Diego, 108 feet from the Pacific Ocean, in a USGS designated tsunami inundation zone. 

A tsunami advisory was issued earlier today for the entire West Coast including San Diego after an underwater volcano erupted near Tonga in the South Pacific. Although San Diego fortunately did not have flooding, the eruption did trigger a tsunami and flooding that hit parts of northern California including Santa Clara and other coastal communities, submerging cars and ripping boats loose from moorings.

Update 6 p.m.:  The National Weather Service now advises that tsunami waves could continue through this evening. This is a fluid situation due to continuing volcanic activity near Tonga.  Dangerous surf conditions will be present through the weekend, due to both the tsunami concerns and rain/storm conditions.  Avoid coastal areas.

Update 2 p.m. - The tsunami alert has been cancelled for San Diego's coast.

Update 12:09 p.m. -- The tsunami alert is still in effect, despite an earlier warning of waves due earlier this a.m., CNN reports, due to continuing volcanic activity at T onga. Here is a video in northern California of a tsunami wave that hit there today:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GanA_Kqx4bQ

January 15, 2022 (San Diego) -- A Tsunami Advisory has been issued for Southern California including the San Diego coast this morning. A volcanic eruption near Tongain the South Pacific has generated a Tsunami.

The coastal areas of SD County and the rest of the U.S. West Coast could experience strong currents that may be hazardous to swimmers, boats and coastal structures. Move off beach and out of harbors, and do not go to the coast to watch due to tsunami danger.View vi

Updated January 17 with comments from Councilmember Lothian and clarification that the Council has been meeting virtually since the pandemic began and voted to extend virtual meetings.

By Eugenie Budnik

January 14, 2022 (La Mesa) - The La Mesa City Council held its first meeting of the new year on Tuesday. Mayor Mark Arapostathis opened with his State of the City speech, calling the city “strong.” 

Later the Council addressed some contentious issues, including replacing its SANDAG representative and extending virtual meetings amid the latest COVID surge.  With Council and staff in chambers, newly elected Councilmember Laura Lothian openly defied the state’s mask mandate.

Source: San Diego District Attorney

Photo: COVID testing; CC by NC-ND

January 13, 2022 (San Diego) – San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan warned the public today to steer clear of unapproved at-home COVID-19 tests as people become increasingly desperate to get tested for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Consumers should only buy tests approved by the U.S Food and Drug Association (FDA).

Scammers are always waiting for their next opportunity to take financial advantage of unsuspecting consumers and the shortage of COVID-19 tests is no different. 

By Henri Migala

January 12, 2022 (Sacramento) -- With the new year comes not only resolutions to be made (and probably broken), but also new laws enacted (that can’t be broken, lest you incur penalties).  Last year, 770 bills were signed into law. Some went into effect on January 1st, and some will go into effect later.

Among the changes are a hike in minimum wage, increased accountability for police officers, and laws to ease the housing crunch. Some new laws are quirky: you can now legally eat roadkill and obtain restraining orders online, but you can be prosecuted for stealthily removing a condom. Students can sleep later in non-rural areas. All Californians are required to recycle organic waste and abide by new gun laws; registered voters will receive ballots by mail.

Here is an overview of these and other significant new laws that may impact you. Click the bill number to read the full legislation.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo via ECM news partner 10 News

January 12, 2022 (San Diego) – An early morning fire at 4 a.m. damaged the City Heights residence of Nathan Fletcher, Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, and his wife, former Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez.

Gonzalez tweeted, “Our entire family is safe. No one is injured. That’s all that matters.”

Fletcher tweeted gratitude for the swift response by San Diego Fire and Police Department. He indicated the family was awakened by smoke alarms to find the front of their home engulfed in flames. They were able to evacuate safely out a separate door.

By Miriam Raftery

January 11, 2022 (El Cajon) – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report on the LearJet that crashed on December 27th into El Cajon’s Bostonia neighborhood, killing all four people aboard.

The report does not identify the cause of the crash, but does reveal that the plane struck powerlines before the crash in overcast, misty weather conditions. The report also indicates that the pilot had overflown the runway at Gillespie Field at a low altitude, was granted permission to land on a different runway, switched from automatic to visual controls and asked that the runway lights be turned up moments before the deadly crash.

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

Photo: Creative Commons by ND via Bing

Jan. 11, 2022 (San Diego) -- While some Martin Luther King Jr. holiday events, scheduled for Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, have been cancelled---such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration at the Recreation Center--there are other options, such as the virtual  “I Have a Dream” run including 1 mile(M), 5 kilometers(K), 10K, 13.1M, and 26.2M options.

 To participate from home will save you $2. Visit:  https://www.virtualrunevents.com/product/2022-i-have-a-dream-mlk/  for complete information.

Other choices include:

East County News Service

January 11, 2022 (Ramona) – The Sheriff’s Bomb/Arson Unit is investigating a deadly fire in Ramona. 

The fire was reported in an accessory dwelling unit shortly before 8:30 this morning in the 2200 block of Montecito Road. 

“When deputies from the Ramona Sheriff's Substation arrived on the scene, they met with the reporting party who told them someone may be inside the burning structure.  Within minutes, firefighters from the Ramona CAL FIRE Station arrived and began to put out the flames,” says Sergeant Greg Hampton. 

By Miriam Raftery

Updates:  The deadline for public comments has been extended to Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. Send comments to Robert  Hingtgen at Robert.Hingtgen@sdcounty.ca.gov.

The Jan. 12 meeting referenced in the video has been cancelled due to COVID-19.  The Jan. 19 virtual meeting will still be held.

January 11, 2022 (Rancho San Diego) – The Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Cottonwood Sand Mining project fails to address serious impacts to the community, say organizers of the Stop Cottonwood Sand Mine effort-- and they are urging the public to speak out.

“We believe the Project DEIR is a flawed document that does not adequately analyze the significant impacts of the Project to the people, wildlife, water, air, and roads of the community,” Elizabeth Urquhart stated in an email to ECM.  “The DEIR does not propose adequate mitigation or alternatives to address those impacts.”

Barry Jantz contends the project is also incompatible with the county’s general plan as well as the Valle de Oro Community Plan, thus also violating the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

In an exclusive interview with ECM aired on KNSJ, Urquhart and Jantz, organizers of efforts to oppose the massive project, shared their concerns and urged the public to speak out at virtual public meetings or via email before the February 14 deadline for public comment.