EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: JULY 28, 2011

July 28, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland region, published in other media.

Latest Roundup headlines include:

• What SD’s new political lines would look like (Voice of San Diego)
• State forces GEICO to cut rates by 10.7% (Sacramento Bee)
• Helix Water District notes proposed rate hikes at sparsely attended forum (Mount Helix Patch)
• Eagle Fire neighbors ask `Who will pay?’ (Ramona Patch)
• Improving Mexican economy draws undocumented immigrants home from California (Sacramento Bee)
• Hearing: Extremist group Al-Shabaab recruiting in San Diego (10 News)
• Lanning to retire as La Mesa Police Chief (La Mesa Today)
• FBI investigates hack on Grossmont Union High School District (Mount Helix Patch)
• Supervisors weigh legal action against fire fee (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Jerry Brown signs first part of California `Dream Act’ for undocumented immigrants (Sacramento Bee)
• A dilemma in Kensington and Talmadge (Voice of San Diego)
• San Diego City Council repeals medical marijuana restrictions (Mount Helix Patch)
• Cream of the crop: Scott’s small farm (Lemon Grove Patch)

WHAT SD’S NEW POLITICAL LINES WOULD LOOK LIKE
 

July 25, 2011 (Voice of San Diego)— an Diego's new political boundaries have finally taken shape.
 

The Redistricting Commission's preliminary map for the City Council creates the city's second majority-Latino district and draws Council Members Todd Gloria and Lorie Zapf out of the districts they represent. This week, the commission begins gathering public feedback on its map, which it may still tweak before its final Sept. 15 deadline to complete it.

http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/survival/article_ce4ddd68-b71d-11e0-b5d8-...

STATE FORCES GEICO TO CUT RATES BY 10.7%
 

July 23, 2011 (Sacramento Bee)--Geico car insurance premiums are dropping 10.7 percent, a move that will save Californians a total of $91 million.
 

The company's rate decrease affects more than 717,000 policyholders across the state starting Aug. 15. Geico is the state's seventh-largest auto insurer. It controls 5.4 percent of the California market and 5.7 percent of Sacramento's.

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/23/3788475/state-forces-geico-to-cut-rates...

HELIX WATER DISTRICT NOTES PROPOSED RATE HIKE AT SPARSELY ATTENDED FORUM

July 22, 2011 (Mount Helix Patch)-- In an effort to explain the proposed rate hike for its water customers, Helix Water District offered a public forum Thursday night, which was sparsely attended.
http://lamesa.patch.com/articles/helix-water-district-discusses-proposed...

EAGLE FIRE NEIGHBORS ASK, ‘WHO WILL PAY?’
 

July 22, 2011 (Ramona Patch)--Residents near the fire on Los Coyotes Indian Reservation are providing fire agencies with water from their wells.
 

"I guess it's more convenient than getting water out of Lake Henshaw," Joe Coxsey, director of Los Tules Mutual Water Company told Patch.
 

…Coxsey said the water company owns four wells. He said firefighters were initially accessing potable water but he switched them to a well that contains water with radioactive uranium in it, which can't be used as drinking water.
http://ramona.patch.com/articles/eagle-fire-neighbors-ask-who-will-pay

IMPROVING MEXICAN ECONOMY DRAWS UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS HOME FROM CALIFORNIA
 

July 28, 2011 (Sacramento Bee)--There are fewer undocumented immigrants in California – and the Sacramento region – because many are now finding the American dream south of the border.
 

"It's now easier to buy homes on credit, find a job and access higher education in Mexico," Sacramento's Mexican consul general, Carlos González Gutiérrez, said Wednesday. "We have become a middle-class country."
 

Mexico's unemployment rate is now 4.9 percent, compared with 9.4 percent joblessness in the United States. An estimated 300,000 undocumented immigrants have left California since 2008, though the remaining 2.6 million still make up 7 percent of the population and 9 percent of the labor force, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/28/3799513/improving-mexican-economy-draws...

HEARING: EXTREMIST GROUP AL-SHABAAB RECRUITING IN SAN DIEGO
Congressional hearings raising fear in local Somalis

July 27, 2011 (10 news) -- A congressional hearing on Wednesday about the radicalization of American Muslims said that a Somali group with ties to terrorism may be carving out a cell in San Diego.
http://www.10news.com/news/28687966/detail.html

LANNING TO RETIRE AS LA MESA CHIEF
 

July 25, 2011 (La Mesa Today)-- Police Chief Alan Lanning is stepping down as head of the city's police force.
 

Word began circulating through town today of plans for a September 15 retirement party for the chief and City Manager David Witt confirmed that Lanning will retire after 35 years with the department.
http://www.lamesatoday.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

FBI INVESTIGATING HACK ATTACK ON GROSSMONT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
 

July 26, 2011 (Mount Helix Patch) District officials say private teacher data, including passwords, were stolen but web servers have been repaired.
http://mounthelix.patch.com/articles/fbi-investigating-hack-attack-on-gr...

SUPERVISORS WEIGH LEGAL ACTION AGAINST FIRE FEE
 

July 27, 2011 (San Diego Union-Tribune)-- County supervisors Dianne Jacob and Pam Slater-Price are protesting state plans to impose a $150 fire prevention fee on rural properties and are calling on their board colleagues to possibly challenge the levy in court.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jul/27/board-of-supes-weighs-leg...

JERRY BROWN SIGNS FIRST PART OF CALIFORNIA ‘DREAM ACT’ FOR UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS
 

July 27, 2011 (Sacramento Bee)– Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Monday extending scholarship opportunities to undocumented immigrant students, part of landmark "Dream Act" legislation vetoed by Brown's predecessor
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/26/3793782/jerry-brown-signs-first-part-of...

A DILEMMA IN KENSINGTON AND TALMADGE

July 27, 2011 (Voice of San Diego) -- The new 9th City Council District was drawn with two goals in mind: to empower Latinos, who will make up more than 50 percent of the district's population, and to unite City Heights — currently divided among three districts — into a single one.
 

But City Heights alone does not a district make, so to reach the required population numbers, the Redistricting Commission included Kensington, Talmadge and the College Area.
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/survival/article_1604c594-b8b4-11e0-bf2f-...

SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL REPEALS MEDICAL MARIJUANA RESTRICTIONS

July 27, 2011 (Mount Helix Patch) -- In a 6-2 vote Monday, the San Diego City Council repealed restrictions on medical marijuana dispensaries approved in April but challenged by a voter referendum.
 

With the vote, the city avoids spending an estimated $840,000 to put the issue on the June 2012 ballot, or the $3-million plus to hold a special election. The potential cost was cited by some council members, and public speakers, as reason to repeal.
http://mounthelix.patch.com/articles/san-diego-city-council-repeals-medi...
 

CREAM OF THE CROP: SCOTT’S SMALL FARM
Microfarmer Scott Caneday offers fresh, organic fruits and vegetables to Lemon Grove

July 27, 2011 (Lemon Grove Patch)— Every other week Scott Caneday provides a box of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables to several local customers.
 

The Lemon Grove microfarmer launched his Summertime Community Supported Agriculture so he could continue to offer locally grown produce after the school year and Golden Delicious Farm Stand at Golden Avenue Elementary School came to a close.

http://lemongrove.patch.com/articles/cream-of-the-crop-scotts-small-farm