November 4, 2009 (Lakeside) – A fire that started near San Vicente Reservoir shortly after noon charred five acres north of Lakeside. CAL FIRE dispatched five engines, two fire crews, one bulldozer, three air tankers, three helicopters and a chief officer to quell the blaze, assisted by Heartland Fire Agencies, the U.S. Forest Service and San Diego Sheriff’s Department.

Story By: Captain Mark Grow

November 4, 2009 (Lakeside) --The Lakeside Fire Protection District received a call of a multi-patient vehicle accident at the intersection of State Highway 67 and Gold Bar Way. This accident was a high velocity head-on collision between two SUV- type vehicles. One vehicle was occupied by a mother, small child, and an infant.

November 1, 2009 (El Cajon) -- Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) will sponsor a Veterans Resource Fair for San Diego-area veterans on November 12, 2009, in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2275. The event is set for 2 PM to 4 PM at VFW Post 2275, located at 136 Chambers Street  in El Cajon.  Counselors from Veterans Affairs will be on hand to offer assistance to veterans.

Smoke alarm alerted resident to blaze

October 31, 2009 (El Cajon)—The Sheriff’s Bomb & Arson squad was dispatched Saturday after cases of ammunition were found in an El Cajon house fire started by Halloween decorations inadvertently left on a stove.

Mayor Randy Voepel, Vice Mayor Brian Jones and Councilman Hal Ryan voted in favor, Council members Jack Dale and John Minto voted against controversial project

By Miriam Raftery

October 29, 2009 (Santee) – By a 3-2 vote, the Santee City Council voted last night to approve a major use permit for Sudweeks Development to construct a cable ski and wakeboarding facility at Santee Lakes. The project, previously approved by Padre Dam Municipal Water District, will operate seven days a week and also include a restaurant serving alcohol until 11 p.m.

The measure was approved despite strenuous and, at times, tearful objections from dozens of Santee residents and environmentalists.The developer and less than a half dozen supporters argued that the project will increase recreational opportunities in Santee, also boosting revenues for Padre Municipal Water District.

“I have an attorney. We are not done fighting this,” Santee resident Julie Naggar told East County Magazine, hinting that a class action lawsuit may be an option.

By Miriam Raftery

October 28, 2009 (La Mesa) -- Linda Noble believes strongly that abortion is wrong. But she has taken a different approach to the controversial issue from most pro-life organizations. On Saturday, 200-300 walkers turned out in La Mesa, with more in Escondido to raise funds for an education program authored by Noble.

October 21, 2009 (San Diego) - Members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketed outside local schools during the past week, bearing messages of hate directed towards Jews, gays, and the military. Designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Westboro has gained notoriety for indoctrinating children into a cult-like web of hate (photo, left, child displays hate messages).

In San Diego, however, a handful of Westboro protesters were vastly outnumbered by hundreds of counter-protesters bearing messages of tolerance and peace; no local residents joined the protesters, according to news reports. A gay rights group, meanwhile, invited supporters to pledge donations for every minute of the Westboro protest.

October 20, 2009 (El Cajon)—Just before 9:00 p.m. this evening, El Cajon firefighters responded to reports of an apartment fire at 1077 E. Lexington Avenue. When the first crews arrived, flames and heavy smoke were seen coming from a second floor apartment of the 12-unit complex. About twenty firefighters fought the blaze, knocking it down in 15 minutes. Two occupants of a neighboring apartment were trapped on their second floor balcony and were rescued by crews. Three families displaced by the fire are being assisted by the American Red Cross.

College Board responds to Public Outcry

October 18, 2009 (Chula Vista) – On October 14, Southwestern College District Governing Board approved cancellation of its agreement with Xe . The agreement allowed the college's law enforcement students to use a training facility in Otay Mesa operated by Xe Systems LLC, the company formerly known as Blackwater. Blackwater, which gained notoriety for its activities in Iraq, was also the center of controversy in East County, where the company sought to open a private military training base at Potrero but withdrew following massive public opposition.

“To save a few bucks, you basically sold out your souls and made a pact with the devil,” Congressman Bob Filner told college board members at an April 15th board meeting. “These are bad guys. They have killed innocent civilians in Iraq, and they lost their contract with the State Department for so doing."

 By Miriam Raftery

October 15, 2009 (Sacramento) – A lobbyist scandal in Sacramento has given new meaning to the term “pork” in politics. Ever since former Assemblyman Mike Duvall squealed on tape about bedding two lobbyists, critics have called for an investigation. Now the non-partisan citizens watchdog group Common Cause has called on the Fair Political Practices Commission to open an investigation into whether the female lobbyists violated state law by engaging in affairs with Duvall, an Orange County Republican who resigned in disgrace after his boasts were made public. An Orange County newspaper has identified one of the women as a lobbyist for Sempra Energy/SDG&E.

“Voters need to know how widespread this practice is of lobbyists literally getting into bed with legislators, and since the Legislature and Attorney General have both abandoned any investigation it is now incumbent upon the FPPC to take this on,” said Derek Cressman, Western States Regional Director for Common Cause.

October 11, 2009 (Escondido) – Sarah Garcia, 22, of Fallbrook died from injuries sustained in an accident yesterday at 4:14 a.m. Garcia was the driver and sole occupant of a sports utility vehicle involved in a multi-vehicle accident on northbound I-15 at the Gopher Canyon exit.  She lost control at the edge of a hillside and plunged into a canyon, where CHP and emergency personnel located the vehicle and confirmed death at the scene, according to the San Diego County Coroner’s office. 

Southbound Highway 15 was closed temporarily following the collision. 

October 11, 2009 (Dulzura) – La Mesa resident Debra Louise Allen, 42, died yesterday morning after being run over by a bus that struck the motorcycle on which she was a passenger.

By Miriam Raftery
Photos by Leonard Villareal

October 6, 2009 (El Cajon) -- Dale Wojczynski, owner of a home destroyed by fire on September 30, had been fined $10,000 by the County for ignoring numerous orders to clean up the property.  A criminal case has been filed and will be heard on October 29.

San Miguel Fire District firefighters battled the two-story house fire in the Granite Hills area of unincorporated El Cajon. Firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to neighboring homes, but could not save the home due to a large amount of flammable debris.   A 9-1-1 call was made by a resident at 6:07 a.m. Two people inside the home, located on the 2100 block of Valley View Blvd,  both got out safely.  Residents told fire investigators there were no smoke alarms in the home, but fortunately a resident was awakened by the alarm clock function of her cell phone.

Assembly Ethics Committee Drops Its Investigation

By Miriam Raftery

October 5, 2009 (Sacramento) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched an investigation info former Assemblyman Michael Duvall’s claims of having a sexual affair with a female lobbyist, the Los Angeles Times reports. The woman has been identified as a lobbyist for Sempra Energy/SDG&E by an Orange County newspaper. Duvall was a member of the utility company overseeing public utilities.

New Census data show 850,000 county residents living in economic hardship
 

September 29, 2009 (San Diego)--Poverty in San Diego County shot up in 2008, rising at a much faster pace than in California or the nation. This plunge in quality of life for many San Diegans is documented in U.S. Census data released today.

The data shows that 850,000 county residents--29% of the population--were living in economic hardship in 2008, according to analysis by the Center on Policy Initiatives. That measure, using a threshold double the federal poverty level, is a more realistic gauge in cities like San Diego where living costs such as housing and fuel are higher than the national average, CPI reports.

"The starkest case is that of El Caj on, which has 21% living below the poverty rate (compared to 12.6% countywide)," said CPI director of research Murtaza Baxamusa. "One in five is pretty dire. El Cajon, in terms of poverty, is the worst city in the County...The City of El Cajon really needs to examine their public policies and their investment in people."  Even worse, nearly half (46%) of all people in El Cajon are living in economic hardshp, using the threshhold of double the poverty level.