By Miriam Raftery

October 14, 2017 (San Diego) — Governor Jerry Brown today issued an emergency proclamation to allow California to increase its supply of the hepatitis A vaccine in order to control the growing outbreak. 

Source: El Cajon Police 

October 14, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers ahead of all other types of injury, disease, or violence.  To shed light on this epidemic and reduce the number of lives lost, the El Cajon Police Department wants to draw public attention to National Teen Driver Safety Week, October 15-21.

Update October 16, 2017:    The death toll is now at least 41, following death of a water truck driver. 

By Miriam Raftery, East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

Photo, left: Courtesy of Cal Fire

October 12, 2017 (San Diego)—The complex of nearly two dozen firestorms raging across northern California have now collectively surpassed in deadliness the 2003 Cedar Fire, which killed 16 people in San Diego County. 

At least 31 people are now confirmed dead across northern California and the toll will likely climb higher, with hundreds of people still missing and dozens of official searchers combing the rubble of burned homes and businesses with dog teams, searching for bodies.

By Miriam Raftery

October 11, 2017 (San Diego) – Carfentanil, an elephant tranquilizer drug 5,000 times stronger than heroin, is turning up in street drugs marketed as opoid  narcotic painkillers such as Oxycodone, as well as in tainted heroin.  

The drug is so deadly that just a couple of granules the size of salt crystals will cause death, even with medical intervention, authorities warn. It’s turning up in street drugs locally and nationally, including drugs sold by dealers and on the Internet’s dark web—and deaths are skyrocketing as a result.

By Vinny Lavalsiti and Matthew Ochoa, reprinted with permission from The Summit at Grossmont College

Images: property of The Summit and Grossmont College's Graphic design program

October 10, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Martha Amezcua was nine when she came to the United States, and she didn't know a lick of English, creating a hefty language barrier between her and her classmates once she enrolled in school. Her silence, because of the language barrier, led to a lot bullying.

By Miriam Raftery

October 8, 2017 (San Diego) – The City of El Cajon will be reholding public hearings on filing liens against city residents over unpaid bills for trash removal services provided by Waste Management. That decision comes after Councilman Ben Kalasho voted in favor of filing the liens after Waste Management paid $2500 in membership fees to a chamber of commerce that he founded and which his wife headed up since his election to the City Council. 

By Miriam Raftery, East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts Service

Photo: Skott Dehla Crozz on Brush Fire Partyline's Facebook Page

October 9, 2017 (Tecate) – A brush fire is burning just south of the border in Tecate, Cal Fire Captain Isaac Sanchez advised in a phone interview with East County Magazine.  Cal Fire has positioned resources on the U.S. side of the border to prepare in case the blaze crosses over.

“I've seen 4 fire trucks heading out the 94,” Candie Wemple said in an email to East County Magazine. Posts on social media indicate black smoke is visible from Campo, Potrero and Barrett Junction.

By Miriam Raftery, East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

October 9, 2017 (San Diego ) – Governor Jerry Brown has declared states of emergency in Napa, Sonoma and Yuba Counties due to wildfires that have burned at least 1,500 homes and commercial buildings and killed at least one person, Cal Fire director Ken Pimlott said at a press conference today. There is zero percent containment as of late morning.  At least 16 major fires are burning statewide.

An estimated 20,000 people have been evacuated as fires blacken skies even in Bay Area cities, forced evacuations of hospitals, shut down schools and  threaten thousands more structures in California’s wine region, gold rush towns and even coastal counties.  Many residents fled for their lives during the night as fast-moving flames destroyed wineries, vineyards, major stores and homes, dousing dreams with despair.

By Paul Kruze

October 7, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- Residents from San Diego's East County testified during the open comment period at last Thursday’s California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) meeting in Chula Vista.

Earlier in the day, the CPUC held a hearing on whether or not to approve a recommendation made by two CPUC administrative law judges to reject SDG&E’s application seeking to charge ratepayers for its uninsured losses in three of the 2007 wildfires. That hearing consisted largely of technical arguments. Afterward, a second meeting in Chula Vista was held for all parties involved, and public testimony was also taken. 

By Kendra Sitton

October 6, 2017 (Spring Valley) — The Otay Water Board approved the rates and charges for the 2017-2018 fiscal year, as well as a five-year authorization of cost-increases up to 10 percent. The board passed the rate changes in a 4-1 vote on Wednesday, Oct. 4 following a public hearing at its headquarters in Spring Valley.

East County News Service

October 6, 2017 (San Diego's East County) - Known for his generosity in support of East County community organizations, businessman William “Bill” Thomas Verbeck passed away at his home in Spring Valley on September 27 at the age of 90, with friends by his side.

 Residents Eligible for Mental Health Treatment, Medical Expenses, Funeral and Burial and More

 The California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) is encouraging residents impacted by the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival on Sunday, October 1 in Las Vegas to contact them at 1-800-777- 9229 for assistance, guidance and aid.  

The massacre killed 58 people and injured over 500 victims.  San Diego attorney Jennifer Irvine was among those killed; several other San Diego County residents were injured, NBC 7 reports.

Help is available for survivors of those who were killed, anyone who was injured and those in attendance at the concert, as well as their immediate family members.

Meanwhile, Congress weighs bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks, but robs babies of healthcare at birth

By Miriam Raftery

October 3, 2017 (Washington D.C. ) – Nine million children in low-income families and poor  pregnant mothers are losing healthcare nationwide due to the Republican-led Congress failing to allow a vote on renewing the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), letting  it expire on September 30^th, the Washington Post reports.

By Miriam Raftery

October 1, 2017  (Campo) – After being blocked on a neighborhood watch forum, Campo-Lake Morena Community Planning Group member Keven Owens posted a profanity-laced podcast on his “Erroneous Opinions” webpage in which he threatened to punch 69-year-old Claudia Millerbragg in the face.

A partial transcript of his more than 20 minute rant is below, asprovided in writing by Owens in an email response after ECM sent him an inquiry. You can hear an audio excerpt at the audio link above published under the Fair Use doctrine on a matter of clear public interest:

Residents in La Mesa, Mount Helix, and other local neighborhoods complain of swarms biting during daylight hours

By Miriam Raftery

October 2, 2017 (Mt. Helix) – After numerous residents on the Mt. Helix Next Door forum complained of swarms of small, aggressive mosquitoes biting during daylight hours and often, indoors, East County Magazine contacted County Vector Control. We learned that the invasive Aedes mosquitoes have been found in 273 traps at 23 different locations between January 1^st and September 21^st this year.  View map.