EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

September 13, 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

• County moves closer to investing in affordable housing with $25M fund (Times of San Diego)
• SANDAG Reform Bill Heads to Governor's Desk (KPBS)
• Manufacturing, expo fair coming to East County (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• More Turf Fields Across the District Are Being Replaced or Treated with Gallons of Glue (Voice of San Diego)
• El Cajon official who ran private chamber voted on issues affecting paying member (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Rep. Duncan Hunter’s chief of staff takes job at Pentagon (NBC 7)
• Court orders Darrell Issa to pay Doug Applegate, his campaign, $45,000 (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• ‘Torture’: wife of Campo man injured in crash speaks out (10 News)
• Former San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis to Run for County Board of Supervisors (KPBS)

STATE

• California’s poverty rate remains nation’s highest (Sacramento Bee)
• California may move up its primary, shaking up presidential race (KPCC)
• Sacramento report: Some bills live and some bills die (Voice of San Diego)
• Earthquake early warning in Mexico reminds CA what it still lacks (SF Chronicle)
• Major Unknowns Remain Just Ahead of Key Votes on Massive Water Project (Voice of San Diego)
• California board grants parole for Manson ex-follower Van Houten (Reuters)

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

LOCAL

County moves closer to investing in affordable housing with $25M fund (Times of San Diego)

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday took the first step toward creating a $25 million trust fund that will allow county government to directly invest in affordable housing. The unanimous vote followed a brief presentation by staff detailing the housing-related hurdles in the San Diego region, including that more than 3,500 affordable units have been lost in the last 20 years. Staff said there are now more than 9,000 homeless people on any given night, a 5 percent increase from last year.

SANDAG Reform Bill Heads to Governor's Desk (KPBS)

A measure to reform how San Diego's regional planning agency is governed and would give tax powers to North County Transit District and the Metropolitan Transit System passed the State Assembly Monday, sending the measure to Gov. Jerry Brown.

Manufacturing, expo fair coming to East County (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Job seekers in East County will have the rare opportunity to explore the Allen Airways Flying Museum and get some career advice next month. The museum at Gillespie Field is hosting the East County Economic Development Council’s second Manufacturing Expo and Resource Fair on Tuesday, Oct. 3.

More Turf Fields Across the District Are Being Replaced or Treated with Gallons of Glue (Voice of San Diego)

FieldTurf USA has been busy replacing and repairing more ragged fields in the San Diego Unified School District in recent months, just three to five years after the fields were installed, newly released emails show.

El Cajon official who ran private chamber voted on issues affecting paying member (San Diego Union-Tribune)

In late January, El Cajon Councilman Bessmon “Ben” Kalasho sent a $2,500 invoice to the city trash hauler, Waste Management Inc., for its 2017 membership in his business group, the San Diego East County Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce. The company quickly sent a check.

Rep. Duncan Hunter’s chief of staff takes job at Pentagon (NBC 7)

U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-50th District)'s chief of staff will be taking a new position at the Pentagon amid an ongoing investigation into the congressman's campaign funds. Joe Kasper has been with Hunter's office for more than a decade. His decision to leave the embattled congressman's staff has "nothing to do with anything else," he said…

Court orders Darrell Issa to pay Doug Applegate, his campaign, $45,000 (San Diego Union-Tribune)

A judge has ordered Rep. Darrell Issa to pay an opponent from last year’s election more than $45,000 in legal expenses fees incurred during a defamation lawsuit.

‘Torture’: wife of Campo man injured in crash speaks out (10 News)

A Campo man hit by another vehicle after being involved in a fender bender just moments before may not fully recover, his wife tearfully told NBC 7 Thursday. "It's like torture because when Jeff is asleep, I can touch him," said Tiffani Hicks. "When he wakes up, he's a completely different person."

Former San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis to Run for County Board of Supervisors (KPBS)

Former San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis ended months of speculation by filing paperwork.

STATE

California’s poverty rate remains nation’s highest (Sacramento Bee)

One in five Californians lives in poverty, the highest rate in the country, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

California may move up its primary, shaking up presidential race (KPCC)

The California Legislature is moving forward on a plan to switch the state's presidential primary election from June to March, a move that would change the national strategy for presidential candidates but has unclear implications for local voters. S.B. 568 appears to have broad support among lawmakers.

Sacramento report: Some bills live and some bills die (Voice of San Diego)

… AB 805, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez’s bill to reform SANDAG, cleared the state Senate on Thursday. Republican Sens. Pat Bates and Joel Anderson both spoke out against the bill, and echoed criticism from opponents that the bill would disenfranchise representatives of smaller cities in the county… San Diego’s Democratic senators, Toni Atkins and Ben Hueso, both voted for the bill. It must head back to the state Assembly for final approval because it’s been amended since the last time it appeared there.

Earthquake early warning in Mexico reminds California what it still lacks (SF Chronicle)

The massive earthquake that ripped through Mexico is offering stark testimony on the power of modern early warning systems that, to the dismay of seismologists who have spent years pushing the technology, do not exist in California or anyplace in the United States.  Experts believe the growing death toll from Thursday’s 8.1-magnitude quake off Mexico’s southern coast could have been worse if alarms had not gone off throughout faraway population centers well before the shaking started.  The temblor, which struck just before midnight, knocked down buildings and caused skyscrapers to sway hundreds of miles away in Mexico City, but television newscasters, businesses and utility companies there got as much as 92 seconds to warn people and take other steps to protect them.

Major Unknowns Remain Just Ahead of Key Votes on Massive Water Project (Voice of San Diego)

Just weeks before water agencies vote on a multibillion-dollar project to build tunnels under the Bay Delta, we still don’t know how much water the project would deliver, or how much the water would cost.

California board grants parole for Manson ex-follower Van Houten (Reuters)

A California board granted parole on Wednesday to Leslie Van Houten, who as a follower of cult leader Charles Manson, took part in one of the most notorious murder sprees of the 20th century.