By Miriam Raftery

Hear our exclusive interview with David Guefen, Solar City in San Diego: https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

October 12, 2015 (San Diego)—Solar City, the largest solar company in the U.S., has launched some of the most ambitious and empowering programs in the solar industry.  The company can even act as your utility company, enabling you to get a solar system for no money down and start saving on your utility bill from day one.   Average savings per home run 20 to 60 percent on utility bills, says David Guefen with Solar City San Diego.

The company is also giving back through programs that provide free solar to schools in impoverished countries, giving free solar power to families in military housing, and offering a rewards program for referrals. (If you buy a system from Solar City and mention East County Magazine, our nonprofit will receive a reward. Just click the ad in this story.)

But the window to go solar with maximum incentives ends December 31^st, when a 30% federal tax credit is set to expire or be slashed.

East County News Service

October 25, 2015 (San Diego’s East County ) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is urging all Californians to buy flood insurance before the torrential rains forecast  due to El Niño conditions strike. Even those who live in areas at low to moderate risk of flooding should buy flood insurance and do so immediately, since there is a 30-day waiting period before policies take effect, FEMA advises.

East County News Service

October 23, 2015 (San Diego) – Hurricane Patricia, described as a “potentially catastrophic hurricane” by the National Weather Service’s National Hurricane Center, is forecast to slam into the Pacific coast of Mexico later today.  With winds of 200  miles per hour, Hurricane Patricia is the strongest hurricane ever recorded by the center, which tracks all storms in North America.

CNN reports that 50,000 people have been evacuated along the Mexican coast, where a storm surge wave of 30 feet is expected to hit the Mexican state of Jalisco. The powerful storm is between Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco, about 85 miles southwest of Manzanillo Mexico and 155 miles south of Cabo Corrientes. Flights from San Diego and elsewhere in California into the region have been cancelled, the Los Angeles Times reports.

East County News Service

October 20, 2015 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Mayor Mark Arapostathis will be the special guest speaker at a no-host social mixer to speak on La Mesa’s Oktoberfest.  He will also be available to chat with guests afterword on topics of interest.

The event, hosted by La Mesa Conservations, will be held Thursday, October 22 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Johnny B’s Burgers, Brew & Spirits, 8393 La Mesa Blvd. in La Mesa.

By Miriam Raftery

What are you most afraid of?  If you really want to terrify others this Halloween season, forget ghost and zombie costumes. The thing that strikes the most fear into the hearts of more Americans than anything may just surprise you.

Over half of Americans surveyed say that they’re more afraid of corruption of government officials than terrorist attacks, violent crime, snakes, natural disasters, or any other scary things. 

East County News Service

October 19, 2015 (El Cajon) – The El Cajon Police Department will host a community forum on traffic and pedestrian safety on Wednesday, October 21 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Ronald Reagan Community Center, 195 East Douglas Avenue in El Cajon.

From 2011 through 2014, 17 people died in pedestrian traffic accidents in El Cajon and 61 were seriously injured, according to results of a public records request by East County Magazine.  View data.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Kern County Animal Rescue

Update: A body has been found in a vehicle buried since last Thursday under mud in Palmdale. Details: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/california/Firefighters-Dig-Out-Vehicle-...

October 18, 2015 (Los Angeles)-Torrential rains and flash flooding turned hillsides in Los Angeles and Kern Counties into mudflows last Thursday that cascaded over two freeways—Interstate 5’s grapevine area north of Los Angeles and  State Route 58 near Tehachapi.

Hundreds of terrified motorists swept up in the mud flow escaped their vehicles as the freeways became muddy rivers. Firefighters and swift-water rescue personnel made daring rescues, pulling passengers out of windows as cars bobbed past. One pregnant woman escaped out the sunroof of her vehicle. Others remained trapped in their cars overnight, some with mud up to the windshields. Even semi-trucks became mired in the muck.

East County News Service

After first agreeing to recuse himself from voting on Lilac Hills Ranch after the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) ruled that he has a conflict of interest due to owning property near the proposed development in northeast San Diego county, Supervisor Bill Horn  has announced that he plans to appeal the FPPC ruling.  Moreover, the County has reportedly decided to back Horn’s appeal and seek clarification on when Supervisors must recuse themselves on land use issues.

Voice of San Diego reports that a county spokesman told them, “Clarity is needed to ensure no voters in any of the five county districts are disenfranchised by the new FPPC rules.”

East County News Service

Photo: Two Jacumba CAL FIRE firefighters stand ready to respond in a new paramedic engine at the Jacumba fire station.

October 14, 2015 (San Diego)--San Diego County Fire and CAL FIRE are making a major upgrade to fire and emergency medical services at the County’s Jacumba fire station with the launch this week of round-the-clock paramedic service. It’s the first time ever the service has been offered from the station, located south of Interstate 8 near the Mexican border.

The upgrade is part of an overall effort to increase paramedic capabilities throughout the San Diego County Fire Authority’s service area.  A new paramedic engine at Jacumba is the seventh that County Fire has added over the past few years.  Other new, County Fire-funded paramedic engines now operate out of the Otay, Jamul, Lake Morena, Pine Valley, Descanso and Intermountain stations.

By Mike Allen

October 9, 2015 (Santee)--What appeared to be nearly a done deal---San Diego craft brewer Karl Strauss relocating its main production and corporate headquarters to Santee’s Town Center---may not happen after all.

Matt Rattner, who co-founded Karl Strauss in 1989 and its president, said the company is keeping its options open.

“There’s no deal yet,” Rattner said recently. “We just received a proposal to go to Otay Mesa--and we’ve also talked with the cities of Vista and San Marcos.”

East County Alerts

October 11, 2015 (San Diego)--The National Weather Service in San Diego has issued a heat advisory for San Diego County inland coastal and western valley areas from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday (today).

Temperatures are expected to range from 90 to 95 degrees for inland coastal areas and 95 to 99 in western valley areas.

The County issued an alert at 10:45 a.m. today. The County continues to operate the Cool Zones program and has designated buildings as cooling centers.

By Miriam Raftery

October 10, 2015 (El Cajon ) – The family of Elijah “Bear” Diaz, 20,  who vanished on August 29^th, will hold a spaghetti dinner fundraiser and raffle at Barona Clubhouse on October 23, 2015 at 6 p.m. 

“Since we believe Bear is not missing on his own terms, the family has hired a private investigator which these funds will go toward,” Katey Hoffman told East County Magazine. She is working with Lelanie Thompson,  Bear’s mother.

The cost is $10 and includes spaghetti, garlic bread, salad, drinks and desert.  Raffle tickets are $5 and prizes include jewelry, art, cooking wares, and gift cards.  Donations of additional raffle prizes are welcome.

East County News Service

By Ed Barrena

A new report by the National University System Institute for Policy Research (NUSIPR) has some grave warnings for San Diego County. The report states that roughly 55,000 residents and 5,000 businesses could be located in “100 year flood zones."  These areas could see flooding during the upcoming El Nino, which is forecast to be extremely severe.

By Mike Allen

Photos by Janis Russell

October 8, 2015 (La Mesa)--Emotions got nearly out of control at a packed Helix Water District meeting Oct. 7 as customers lashed out at the board’s plan to raise rates over the next five years.

After more than three hours of presentations from water district staff and testimony from angry customers, the five-member elected board voted 3-2 to adopt a five-year rate increase plan, beginning Nov. 1 and continuing to 2020.