EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

April 25, 2024 (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 round-up stories include:

LOCAL

• San Diego region to receive $39M in funding for migrant aid  (KPBS)
• Residents Affected by Jan. Storms Warned of Scammers Posing as FEMA (Times of San Diego)
• Grossmont Union District uses state grant money to fund more community schools (KPBS)
• State Farm reveals 50 San Diego zip codes where policies will be dropped (CBS)
• Employees, Volunteers May Have Been Exposed to Tuberculosis at Joan Kroc Center Shelter  (Times of San Diego)
• Fletcher accuses ex-MTS employee of defamation over sexual abuse allegations (KPBS)
• Chula Vista loses on police drone video in landmark State High Court decision  (Times of San Diego)

STATE

• Google blocks California news in response to bill that would force tech giant to pay (NPR)
• Becerra weighs exit from Biden administration for California gubernatorial bid (Politico)
• Forever chemicals’: Water supplies throughout California will exceed new national limits (KPBS)
• Pic 'N' Save CEO trying to save 99 Cents Only stores in Southern California (ABC 7)

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

LOCAL

San Diego region to receive $39M in funding for migrant aid  (KPBS)

More than $39 million in Shelter and Services Program funding is headed to San Diego as part of federal monies authorized by Congress to support communities that are providing services to migrants...The county of San Diego and the Catholic Diocese of San Diego County were both awarded $19,592,554 in SSP funding, which comes from the Department of Homeland Security, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The agencies awarded $300 million nationally.

Residents Affected by Jan. Storms Warned of Scammers Posing as FEMA (Times of San Diego)

...The federal agency issued a warning regarding scammers who will collect personal information from survivors of disasters and severe weather events, such as the storms that struck the county in late January. Scammers also may apply for FEMA assistance using the stolen names, addresses and Social Security numbers of disaster survivors, the agency said. FEMA said its personnel will never charge applicants for disaster assistance, inspections or help to fill out applications and are not authorized to collect personal financial information.

Grossmont Union District uses state grant money to fund more community schools (KPBS)

The Grossmont Union High School District has a new $7 million state grant to spend on improving the lives of its students and their families. The California Department of Education supports districts with funding to help them create community partnerships that provide student services outside class time. El Cajon Valley High School has operated as a successful Community School for two years and now serves as a model program for the rest of the district.

State Farm reveals 50 San Diego zip codes where policies will be dropped (CBS)

Starting this summer, State Farm is dropping 30,000 homeowners insurance policies across California... Of the 50 impacted zip codes in San Diego, ones located in Rancho Santa Fe top the list, followed by Jamul, Tierrasanta, Lakeside, El Cajon and Mission Valley.

Employees, Volunteers May Have Been Exposed to Tuberculosis at Joan Kroc Center Shelter  (Times of San Diego)

The county’s Tuberculosis Program is working to notify those potentially exposed to tuberculosis at Father Joe’s Joan Kroc Center (on Imperial Ave. in San Diego).

Fletcher accuses ex-MTS employee of defamation over sexual abuse allegations (KPBS)

Former San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher has filed a defamation complaint against Grecia Figueroa, who sued him early last year for alleged sexual assault. Fletcher’s 20-page cross complaint against Figueroa states that the former Metropolitan Transit System public relations specialist not only knew she was “never sexually assaulted, battered or harassed” by him, but also “pursued him” for more than a year and “consented to their interactions.”

Chula Vista loses on police drone video in landmark State High Court decision  (Times of San Diego)

A Chula Vista journalist is celebrating a landmark victory for open records after the California Supreme Court declined to hear the City of Chula Vista’s bid to reverse an appellate ruling on police drone video. … in December, a three-judge appellate panel said Chula Vista (and any other police agency) has no blanket excuse to keep all drone footage secret.

STATE

Google blocks California news in response to bill that would force tech giant to pay (NPR)

Stories from California-based news organizations will not be available for an unspecified number of state residents who use Google to search the web, in a show of its might as Google attempts to quash a state proposal it has been fighting for years. / It is an approach Google has deployed before in the face of laws forcing the company to pay for journalism.

Becerra weighs exit from Biden administration for California gubernatorial bid (Politico)

Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, the former California attorney general, would jump into an already crowded field of Democratic contenders.

Forever chemicals’: Water supplies throughout California will exceed new national limits (KPBS)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today unveiled the first nationwide limits on dangerous “forever chemicals” in drinking water, setting standards that will have sweeping, costly effects throughout California.  Several thousand water systems around the country are expected to exceed the new limits for the chemicals, which have been linked to an array of diseases — including cancer and heart disease — and have contaminated people and animals worldwide, including newborns.  In California alone, traces of the compounds have been detected in water systems serving more than 25 million people, nearly a third in disadvantaged communities, according to an analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council. (In San Diego County, this includes Sweetwater Water Authority and water supplying the city of San Diego, Oceanside, and Camp Pendleton.)

Pic 'N' Save CEO trying to save 99 Cents Only stores in Southern California (ABC 7)

As shoppers flock to area 99 Cents Only stores to stock up one last time before the doors shutter permanently, there's an effort underway to save most of the 143 locations in Southern California.