By Chris Jennewein

Reprinted with permission from Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Jewish Family Service CEO Michael Hopkins speaks to the press after the Board of Supervisors vote. Photo by Chris Jennewein

January 8, 2019 (San Diego) - The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to help a coalition of local nonprofit groups assist asylum seekers by providing temporary shelter on county property.

“Now it falls to us to say, as leaders, what can we do? We have the obligation to help,” said newly elected Supervisor Nathan Fletcher at his first board meeting.

East County News Service

January 6, 2019 (Santee) – Ashleigh Hanson, 40, of Santee died in a solo-vehicle collision this morning in the 11400 block of Woodside Avenue in Santee.

Sheriff’s deputies and fire personnel responded to the scene and found that Hanson had died of her injuries.

“At this time, it is not known if drugs or alcohol were a factor, however weather and driving too fast for conditions may have contributed to the collision,” says Joe Passalacqua with the Santee Sheriff’s department.

By Miriam Raftery

January 6, 2019 (La Mesa) – At the La Mesa City Council meeting on Tuesday, January 19^th, Mayor Mark Arapostathis will deliver his state of the city speech. Afterwards, the Council agenda includes several hot topics.

Council will hear a report on the independent investigation into a controversial use of force by a La Mesa Police school resources officer at Helix High School in January of last year. A video showed the officer knocking a handcuffed female student to the ground.  According to the city, the student declined to speak with the independent investigator and has filed a lawsuit against La Mesa.  

Council will also hear results of the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program and vote on whether to accept the report, which includes a 2019 work plan and ranked list of streets for traffic calming measures.

Council will also hear appeals involving two medical marijuana dispensary applications. 

By Miriam Raftery

January 5, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) — Disturbing results of a new mental health evaluation have halted the state’s plan to release Alvin Quarles into the Jacumba Hot Springs community in San Diego’s East County.

East County News Service

January 4, 2019 (La Mesa) — Heartland Fire & Rescue crews dispatched to a residential fire at 11:40 last night arrived to find a single-story home with heavy smoke and fire in the 4700 block of Maple Avenue in La Mesa. 

By Miriam Raftery

January 4, 2019 (Washington D.C.) – One of the last acts of the outgoing Congress in 2018 was passage of H.R. 390, the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act. The measure passed the House and Senate by unanimous consent and was signed into law by President Donald Trump on December 11, 2018.

The new law could impact familes, friends and loved ones of tens of thousands of Iraqi and Syrian immigrants and refugees who now call San Diego's East County home.

The action came shortly before President Trump ordered a pull-out of troops from Syria, against the advice of his generals and top security advisors. It is unclear how the troop withdrawal may impact implementation of the bill’s provisions.

By Miriam Raftery

January 3, 2019 (Jamul) – Two young people were killed in a collision with a sport utility vehicle (SUV) that occurred around 11:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, December 31^st Campo Road (Highway 94) near Lyons Valley Road in Jamul, one mile north of the Jamul Casino.

Yannis Alekos Floros, 21, was driving east on the highway approaching the intersection when he lost control and spun sideways into oncoming traffic. The passenger side of the vehicle collided with the front end of a westbound SUV.  Floros was transported to a trauma center where despite aggressive resuscitation efforts, he was pronounced dead a short time later, on January 1, 2019, the County Medical Examiner’s office reports.

Tabia Watson, 20, was found unresponsive in the passenger seat of Floros’ vehicle; despite life saving measures, she died at the scene.

By Dan Morain, CALMatters

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

January 2, 2019 (San Diego) - Happy New Year, California.

One thousand sixteen aspects of California life evidently needed fixing in 2018. That’s the number of bills Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law last year. Most take effect today. Many are narrow, affecting interests that pushed for them. Some are sweeping, such as those that dealt with wildfire and climate change. A few directly affect you, though, and we’ve made them the focus of the first New Laws edition of WhatMatters.

By Miriam Raftery

January 1, 2019 (San Diego) – Temecula Mayor Matt Rahn has filed papers to run against Congressman Duncan Hunter, a fellow Republican, in 2020, the Valley News reports. A scientist and land use consultant with background in ecology and sustainability, Rahn has represented San Diego State University  and the Pechanga tribe in their battle against the proposed Liberty Quarry, the Riverside Press Enterprise reported.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: ECM news partner 10 News

January 1, 2019 (Spring Valley) – A collapsed culvert caused a sinkhole to open in the Sweetwater Lodge trailer park on Jamacha Road yesterday.   Two residents of a nearby mobile home were evacuated to temporary lodging arranged by the park owner.

Hear our interview with Bernard Mauricia, Vice President of Marketing at The Seany Foundation: click here to listen or download

Get Well Soon Retreat January 26 is latest program to help families of pediatric cancer patients

By Miriam Raftery

December 30, 2018 (San Diego) – “We have to be able to go out and advocate for kids with cancer to just be kids, and for families to be able to breathe…to have tools and resources to support them through their cancer journey,” says La Mesa resident Bernard Mauricia, vice president of marketing at The Seany Foundation.

The foundation runs Camp Reach for the Sky, funds cancer research and support programs for families of children with cancer. The organization also has several events coming up including a Get Well Soon Retreat in January.

The San Diego-based foundation has a mission to fund meaningful projects that enhance the lives of children and young adults affected by cancer.  The Seany Foundation is named for Sean Lewis Robins (1983-2006), who was diagnosed at age 16 with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. He spent seven years battling the disease, becoming an inspiration to others with his mantra, “When nothing is certain, everything is possible!”

By Miriam Raftery

December 28, 2018 (San Diego) – As a government shutdown over a budget impasse enters its second week, President Donald Trump today threatened to shut down the entire U.S.-Mexico border indefinitely unless Congress passes a budget with billions of dollars in funding to build a border wall.

“We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with,” Trump said in a morning tweet. 

But in fact, Republicans still control both the House and Senate until January 3, when Democrats will become the majority party in the House of Representatives—and Congress adjourned for the holidays without passing the President’s budget.

The San Diego and Imperial County Chambers of Commerce estimated that a one-day border shutdown at San Ysidro, one of the world's busiest border crossings, over Thanksgiving weekend cost an estimated $5 million in lost revenues to the San Diego County economy. 

By County News Center, County of San Diego Communications Office

Image credit:  Shutterstock

December 26, 2018 (San Diego) - We love them, twinkling with holiday lights, adorned with ornaments and loaded with gifts beneath them. But eventually, we all have to say goodbye to our Christmas tree.

And if yours is a real tree, the County of San Diego urges you to recycle it properly. Check with your trash company to find out if they offer curbside pickup—many do. Or go to San Diego County’s recycling and hazardous waste database at WasteFreeSD.org to find Christmas tree drop-off sites. Just type “Christmas tree” and your location information into the search bar.

By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office

December 26, 2018 (Pine Valley) - Another new fire station opened in the backcountry Tuesday, strengthening fire safety for a number of outlying communities.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in Pine Valley and celebrated the opening of a two-story, 13,090-square-foot fire station that is almost double the size of the previous building. The structure is designed for full-time firefighters and replaces a facility that was built in 1974.

Update: The driver of the Toyota has also died. He has been identified as Gonzalo Rodriguez.

The child who perished has been identified as Christian Diaz, per the San DIego County Medical Examiner.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy ECM news partner 10 News

December 24, 2018 (Ramona) – A small boy was killed in a two vehicle collision in Ramona late this morning on State Route 78 east of Haverford Rd. near Ramona. Four other people were injured in the Christmas Eve crash, including a second child who has been life-flighted to a hospital.

According to Officer Travis Garrow with the California Highway Patrol, a 44-year-old Ramona man was driving a 2002 Toyota Camry westbound, with three passengers, when his vehicle veered off the road onto the shoulder. According to witnesses, he over-corrected and crossed the center lines into the path of an eastbound 2014 Dodge Ram SUV driven by a 77-year-old man from Falls City, Oregon. The vehicles collided head-on.