May 19, 2009 (El Cajon)--At 7:33 p.m. tonight El Cajon Firefighters responded to reports of a fire in the kitchen area of the Bank of America branch, located at 512 Fletcher Parkway. Upon arrival fire crews found smoke coming from the rear of the building where they made entry. Quick action by firefighters had the fire knocked down in 15 minutes. The bank will remain closed until repairs can be made.

WIFE OF EAST COUNTY MAGAZINE'S BUSINESS MANAGER WILL BE MISSED

May 11, 2009 (Santee)—Suzanne (“Suzy”) Marie Di Mascio, a leading voice in San Diego’s healthcare community and wife of East County Magazine’s business manager Leon Thompson, passed away on May 7, 2009 at San Diego Hospice following a long battle against cancer. Her efforts helped improve access to healthcare services for thousands of people in San Diego County.

The East County Community Action Coalition (ECCAC) is sponsoring a fundraiser on Saturday, May 30, 2009 from 11-4 pm at Hazy Meadow Ranch in Lakeside, CA. This is an all-county event that will feature live music, raffle, opportunity drawing, carnvial games, pony rides, and more. The organization seeks public help to fund legal action to "sunset" Sunrise Powerlink.

By Miriam Raftery

May 9, 2009 (La Mesa)—“There is an alarming increase in hate crimes in the United States,” James McElroy, chairman of the board for the Southern Law & Poverty Center (SLPC), told members and guests at the La Mesa –Foothills Democratic Club on May 6th. “We try to shine a little light on it. Hate is like a fungus under a rock. Shine a light and you can eradicate it.”

May 4, 2009 (San Diego)—San Diego County now has 24 confirmed cases of H1N1 influenza (the World Health Organization’s new name for swine flu). New cases include a 20-year-old SDSU student and a child at the Polinsky Center for foster children.

April 29, 2009 (San Diego)—San Diego and Iimperial Counties both declared local health emergencies today. The declarations are routine steps in preparations for addressing an outbreak of swine flu. There are eight confirmed cases in San Diego County and 5 confirmed cases in Imperial County. The three newest cases in San Diego County include a three-year-old boy and his father, as well as a 23-year-old man. An additional seven cases of suspected swine flu are currently being tested, East County Magazine has learned.

By Miriam Raftery

April 27, 2009 (San Diego’s East County)—California’s Republican legislators joined in a “tea party” tax protest in Sacramento earlier this month. In response, Democratic leaders staged a “reality check” to unveil a 150-foot long scroll listing $26 billion in budget cuts made since 2003--warning that more severe cuts to schools and other essential programs would be required without the revenue increases in the 2009-2010 budget.

Both sides bolstered their arguments with videos--posted here.

April 26, 2009 (Washington D.C.)—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a public emergency today in the United States due to the outbreak of a new strain of swine flu in five states (California, Ohio, New York, Kansas and Texas).

( Manuel Paul, San Ysidro School District Superintendent; Clarissa Falcon, District Director for State Senator Denise Ducheny; Rachel Solorzano, Congressman Bob Filner, Representative from Assembly Member Mary Salas’ Office; Yolanda Hernandez, San Ysidro School Board Member; Hector Espinoza, San Ysidro High School Principal; Jesus Gandara, Sweetwater School District Superintendent; Ralph Dimarucut from Assembly Member Mary Salas’ Office; Anastasia Farbur from Senator Denise Ducheny’s Office; Raquel Marquez, San Ysidro School Board Member; and Jason Wells, San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce. )

April 16, 2009 (Otay Mesa)--Congressman Bob Filner joined with local school and public officials at the San Ysidro Child Development Center today to publicly oppose the release of convicted sex offender, Matthew Hedge, in Otay Mesa. A judge recently approved a plan to release Hedge in Otay Mesa within the next month, and many are concerned that this is too close to schools and neighborhoods with small children.

April 22, 2009 (San Diego)--The carbon footprint of the average San Diegan--including residential energy use and transportation--is larger than that of the average resident of Los Angeles, a review of available data shows. San Diego also lags behind LA in policies and programs to reduce energy use, according to Climate Change Performance and Policy: San Diego versus Los Angeles, a policy paper issued on Earth Day 2009 by the Center on Policy Initiatives, a San Diego-based think tank.

April 21, 2009 (San Diego)--The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department are illegally dragging their feet in responding to a Freedom of Information Act request seeking records from the Camp Pendleton domestic spying case sent in July 2008, according to a complaint filed late yesterday by the San Diego ACLU and the law firm Fish & Richardson The suit in U.S.

By Miriam Raftery

East County Roundup highlights the best stories about East County
issues found in other publications.

JAMUL’S
PLAN TO BUILD CASINO MAY NOT STAND TEST OF HISTORY

San Diego Union-Tribune (March 30, 2009)—

OVERVIEW

Background: The Jamul Indian Village partnered with Lakes
Entertainment to build a casino in East County that faced significant local
opposition.

What's changing: A U.S. Supreme Court ruling over tribal
land in Rhode Island raises legal questions about Jamul's casino plan.

The future: In addition to any impact the ruling may
have, Lakes Entertainment says the project will be delayed at least five years
because of financial concerns and a suit over access to the casino site.

COUNTY ADOPTS STRATEGY FOR MANAGING BRUSH:

Local environmentalists say approach
relies too much on controlled burns

North County Times (March 25, 2009)--The county on Wednesday adopted a strategy
for managing the dry brush that fueled two of the region's catastrophic wildfires,
but environmental regulations and a lack of funding could make it difficult
to implement key pieces.

The strategy, which emphasizes controlled burns as a way to clear vegetation,
was outlined in a staff report that was criticized by local environmentalists
as too narrow in its scope.

"If you don't look at the full equation, you may put vegetation treatment
where it's not needed," said Richard Halsey, director of the Chaparral
Field Institute in Escondido. "And, in fact, you may actually increase
fire hazards by converting some of this shrub land into (more fire-prone) weedy
grasslands."

THE END OF MOBILE COUNSELING

San Diego Reader (March 20, 2009)-- Today, March 20, marks the final day of
mobile counseling services for residents of the rural East County communities
affected by the Harris Fire. The October 2007 wildfire burned 90,440 acres
across Dulzura, Potrero, Tecate, and Jamul. In its wake, hundreds of homes
were damaged or destroyed, 55 people were injured, and 5 were killed. Numerous
recovery efforts were put in place after the fire, including a free door-to-door
counseling and community outreach service.

For the past four months, the nonprofit San Diego Foundation provided the
service, but because the grant money that funded the program has run out, the
program must end.

By Miriam Raftery April 3, 2009 (San Diego)—Democratic Congressman Bob Filner took some good-natured swings at fellow members of San Diego’s Congressional delegation at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce luncheon on March 27th. “First let me take some cheap political shots,” quipped Filner, sporting boxing gloves. He noted that the Chamber of Commerce and other business interests asked members of Congress to support the President’s stimulus package aimed at boosting the economy and creating jobs.

By Miriam Raftery

April 1, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) – A sales tax hike that takes effect today in La Mesa and El Cajon, has sparked competition among East County cities and Chambers of Commerce vying for shoppers’ business. A statewide sales tax increase boosts sales tax county-wide to 8.75%. In El Cajon and La Mesa, voters approved additional tax increases to 9.75% and 9.5% respectively. But does shopping outside your own community make economic sense, if it means taking tax revenues away from your home town?