EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

East County News Service

February 22, 2017 (San Diego's East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL

• Dam our history: what the Oroville crisis means for San Diego (Voice of San Diego)
• State says Bonita dam is not safe (10 News)
• A Reader’s Guide to the SANDAG Scandal (KPBS)
• Trump’s tensions scare off binational consumers (KPBS)
• Map: schools at greatest risk of lead in water (NBC 7)
• Jacob’s State of the County address (Alpine Sun)
• False bomb threat to S.D. Jewish center (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Sempra unleashes controversy with lobbying on rival electricity program (Union-Tribune)
• ACLU Files Lawsuit Against SDPD Over Juvenile DNA Policy (KPBS)
• Bond Watchdogs Don’t Have Much Bite, Says New Report (Voice of San Diego)

STATE

• Lawmakers introduce universal healthcare plan (Bay Area News Group)
• Big Sur ravaged by floods, mudslides and storms; ‘paradise can turn on you’ (Guardian)
• At least 4 dead as storm slams West (ABC)
• If Republicans in Washington scrap the estate tax, one California state lawmaker wants to bring it back (Los Angeles Times)
• Despite Oroville Crisis, California Has ‘Cadillac' Of State Dam Safety Programs (KPBS)
• Remembering Mom and Dad:  The daughter of President Gerald and Betty Ford in Rancho Mirage speaks about her parents’ legacy (Palm Springs Life)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

LOCAL

Dam our history: what the Oroville crisis means for San Diego (Voice of San Diego)

The Oroville Dam in Northern California may seem far removed from San Diego. But there are millions of reasons, most in gallon form, for locals to be keeping an eye on the ongoing battle to keep its emergency spillway from collapsing.

State says Bonita dam is not safe (10 News)

The Sweetwater Dam in Bonita is unsafe and people living downstream are in jeopardy.  That’s according to the Director of California’s Division of Safety of Dams who flew down to San Diego Wednesday from Sacramento to address the Sweetwater Authority Board of Directors, which recently voted to not fund repairs to the dam.

A Reader’s Guide to the SANDAG Scandal (KPBS)

The saga involving the San Diego Association of Governments can get convoluted pretty quickly. First, there’s the fact that SANDAG is not too familiar to many people. Then there’s the fact that the scandal centers on some complex stuff, namely economic forecasts and what goes into them. The fundamental issue at hand, though, is not complex: A powerful government agency knowingly misled the public. And that’s worth understanding.

Trump’s tensions scare off binational consumers (KPBS)

San Ysidro clothing and accessory shops like Carolin Shoes Inc. have long drawn Mexican shoppers because of affordable prices and proximity to Tijuana. But business owners are reporting a significant drop in sales since President Donald Trump was elected. Olivia Campos, the owner of Carolin Shoes Inc., said sales have plummeted 70 percent.

Map: schools at greatest risk of lead in water (NBC 7)

School districts across the County are requesting water testing after dangerous levels of lead were discovered at a San Ysidro elementary school. Health experts say the schools most likely to have unsafe levels of lead in drinking water are those built before 1986.

Jacob’s State of the County address (Alpine Sun)

The emphasis is on roads, parks, pension liability, aging population, technology, safety and community relations.

False bomb threat to S.D. Jewish center (San Diego Union-Tribune)

A hoax bomb threat was made to the Jewish community center in University City Tuesday, the second in a month and part of a nationwide series, San Diego police said.

Sempra unleashes controversy with lobbying on rival electricity program (Union-Tribune)

The region’s largest energy provider has been lobbying elected officials for months concerning an increasingly popular electricity program that would give residents and businesses an alternative to San Diego Gas & Electric — even though the company and its critics disagree on whether it has state...

ACLU Files Lawsuit Against SDPD Over Juvenile DNA Policy (KPBS)

The ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties filed a lawsuit this week over a San Diego Police Department policy that allows officers to collect DNA samples from juveniles, without a warrant or parental consent.

Bond Watchdogs Don’t Have Much Bite, Says New Report (Voice of San Diego)

Groups that oversee government bond spending could stand to grow some teeth, according to a new report

STATE

Lawmakers introduce universal healthcare plan (Bay Area News Group)

In a surprise move that further complicates President Donald Trump’s push to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, two California lawmakers planned on Friday to introduce legislation that would create a single-payer health care system covering all 38 million Californians — including its undocumented residents. The universal health care plan, called the Healthy California Act [is] being proposed by Sens. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, and Toni Atkins, D-San Diego…

Big Sur ravaged by floods, mudslides and storms; ‘paradise can turn on you’ (Guardian)

… major retreats and resorts around Big Sur have been shut down as portions of California Highway 1 have been ravaged by winter storms, flooded by waterfalls and cluttered with rocks, boulders and mudslides. A bridge, adjacent to one of the most visited tourist spots on the highway, appears to be damaged beyond repair…. Many miles of this major highway could be closed for up to a year while the damaged bridge is restored or replaced…. hundreds of tourists are stranded in motels without power and with no road access... those south of the broken bridge and north of major rockslides may not be able to leave for weeks. The financial impact of an impassable highway in the north could be catastrophic.

At least 4 dead as storm slams West (ABC)

Dramatic video of vehicles falling into sinkholes and washed away by floodwaters.

If Republicans in Washington scrap the estate tax, one California state lawmaker wants to bring it back (Los Angeles Times)

 New legislation at the state Capitol seeks to ensure that the heirs of California's wealthiest residents pay taxes on estates they inherit, even if the federal law is scrapped by President Trump and Congress.

Despite Oroville Crisis, California Has The 'Cadillac' Of State Dam Safety Programs (KPBS)

The state of California missed one of its two annual Oroville Dam inspections last year. It has one field engineer for every 57 dams it must inspect, and there is a potential conflict of interest in how the state inspects dams.

Remembering Mom and Dad:  The daughter of President Gerald and Betty Ford in Rancho Mirage speaks about her parents’ legacy (Palm Springs Life)

If President Gerald Ford… were alive today, his daughter says he would probably tell Americans, “People need to learn to get along and work for the best of our country. Bipartisanship does exist and can work.” … Her mother was an outspoken advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment and for abortion rights. If Betty Ford were here today, she would encourage women to continue to pursue equality, says Bales, noting that one of her own daughters attended a rally the weekend after President Trump’s inauguration. “Mother would have cheered on the women…”