OHV Restoration Project Review Period

East County News Service

Restoration work has been proposed by the Back Country Land Trust for OHV impacted areas of their Clover Flat Wildlife Preserve.  The public is invited to review and comment on their application for funding of a habitat restoration grant. These grants are solicited by the California State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Grants and Cooperative Agreements Program,

Grant funding would be used to restore 15 acres of OHV impacted critical wildland habitat in Clover Flat Preserve to the east of Campo. Clover Flat is located to the west of La Posta Road and north of Highway 94.  Habitat restoration, fencing, and educational signage will protect endangered species, prevent soil erosion, redirect recreational Off-Highway Vehicle users to nearby legal recreational areas, and will employ local contractors.

East County News Service

March 2, 2019 (El Cajon) - The El Cajon Police Department is now accepting applications for the 2019 Citizen’s Police Academy. The ten-week academy provides an overview of the Police Department functions. Students attend weekly classes and learn about topics including the history of law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and crime scene investigation from the various divisions within the Police Department. Students participate in hands-on exercises, such as conducting traffic stops, dusting for fingerprints, and a firearms simulation.

By Miriam Raftery

March 1, 2019 (El Cajon) – El Cajon is considering an amendment to sign standards regulating the height and size of freestanding signs downtown. In addition, the city is considering exempting municipal projects and uses from the zoning code and entitlement process.

The Planning Commission will hold public hearings  on each of these proposals on Tuesday March 19 at 7 p.m.  The City Council will also hold public hearings on Tuesday, March 26 at 3 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 200 Civic Center Way, El Cajon.

East County News Service

February 28, 2019 (San Diego) -- Starting Thursday, February 28, at 9:30 p.m., and running through Friday, March 1, at 5 a.m., all southbound lanes on Interstate 5 (I-5) will be closed to vehicular traffic  from the interchange of I-5 and Interstate 805 to La Jolla Village Drive.

By Miriam Raftery

February 27, 2019 (San Carlos) – Thomas Jordan Hayes and Willow Singer, both 19, were found dead last night by Singer’s mother in front of the family’s San Carlos home on BudlongLake Ave.

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor, and Miriam Raftery, Editor

February 26, 2019 (Julian) — Voters in the Julian-Cuyamaca Fire Protection District (JCFPD) have until March 19 to mail in their ballots on Measure A. The ballot language is confusing to some.  

In plain English, a “yes” vote would dissolve the county’s last all-volunteer firefighting district and put the San Diego County Fire Authority run by Cal Fire in sole charge of fire and emergency medical protection.  A “no” vote would save the district from dissolving and keep the volunteer firefighters and paramedics who have protected the area for over 20 years, with Cal Fire providing backup/mutual aid.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: ECM  news partner 10 News

February 26, 2019 (Lakeside) – A 1995 red Ford Mustang traveling at a high rate of speed struck a raised curb and rolled over, catching fire around 2:47 a.m.  The occupants of the vehicle had fled the scene by the time emergency responders arrived and it’s unknown who was driving the vehicle.

By Miriam Raftery

Illustration by Duke Windsor*

February 24, 2019 (San Diego) – Following revelations that the Trump administration failed to inform a federal judge that it had begun separating migrant children from their parents back in 2017, a federal judge in San Diego sent strong signals Thursday that he is prepared to expand his June 2018 reunification order to mandate reunions of more families who came to the U.S. seeking freedom from persecution.

Judge Dana Sabraw’s original order required unification only of children who were in government custody at the time, taken from migrant parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. But on Thursday, Judge Sabraw made clear, “No one but a few in the government knew that these separations had been going on nine or 10 months before, and that hundreds if not thousands were” being separated. He added, “The court didn’t know that and plaintiff didn’t know that, and I don’t think government counsel knew that.”

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Al Sanati and Ramiro Sandoval

Cllick this audio link to hear our interview, or scroll down to read highlights.

February 23, 2019 (El Cajon) — Al Sanati, director of the War Refugees Group, and Ramiro Sandoval with Hermanos Unidos Sin Fronteras (Brothers United Without Borders) were our guests on our East Count Magazine Radio Show on KNSJ recently.

These humanitarian leaders are fighting for justice and filing suit to win financial reparations from the Iraqi government for1.2 million Iraqi refugees around the world, including over 80,000 in East County. They have also met with top dignitaries in Iraq in an effort to help the nation’s new government rebuild Iraq.

By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office

February 22, 2019 (San Diego) - An abandoned 3-month-old puppy suffering from head injuries is now on the mend and is available for adoption from County Animal Services.  The young pit bull was found in a milk crate near a burning dumpster in the Crest area on Feb. 13.

Update Feb. 22, 2019 10:26 a.m.  This morning the Julian Times posted a photo on its Facebook page showing Cal Fire/CFA engines purportedly stuck in snow. Scroll down for the image. 

In addition, Times of San Diego forwarded this aerial video provided by a Julian resident showing Cal Fire engines in heavy snow at the station this morning:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C6U3pTQIY3W7UJd2Jd6EC-wHghTwzEqp/view?fbclid=IwAR2CcW9R9b5rPvicADyqPXU_XtYJ4DhBe87yicG5lihg12g-g7VLkoMti44

 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Rachel Goddard,, JCFPD volunteers clear a tree blocking a snowy road.

February 22, 2019 (Julian) -- With up to two feet of snow blanketing the mountains of East County last night, a post circulating on social media and sent to ECM last night contained a screenshot that appeared to be a screen shot from a County Fire Authority social media page. The post stated that  its Cal Fire Station 51 in Julian and a fire engine "is unable to respond to calls and is out of service due to the growing snow conditions." (See screenshot below.)

But this morning, Cal Fire Deputy Chief Nick Schuler told ECM that the image and its message was "false" and not an official Cal Fire page. He said Cal Fire engines were in operation responding to calls at the time. Schuler blamed advocates of a contentious ballot initiative to keep the Julian-Cuyamaca Fire Protection District independent for circulating what he states was a hoax. ECM has requested call logs for the evening from both agencies.

Volunteer firefighters with the Julian-Cuyamaca Fire Protection District sent ECM a photo last night demonstrating a can-do spirit as they continued to serve their community during the emergency conditions, responding to calls for medical assistance and removing a downed tree. (Photo, left, courtey of the JCFPD.)

JCFPD Chief Mike Van Bibber told ECM today that he is confident the post did not originate with his firefighters. He added that one of his team owns a backhoe that was used to keep the JCFPD station clear for engines' access.

After we received Schuler's statement, this morning the Julian Times posted this photo on their Facebook page which appears to show two CFA engines temporarily blocked in by snow: