EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

August 19, 2015 (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/REGIONAL

• Developer Won’t Take No for an Answer on Massive Lilac Hills Ranch Project (Voice of San Diego)
• Helix water board OKs notice of rate changes (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Santee VFW post desperate to find new home (10 News)
• El Cajon wants to thank good businesses (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Measles Vaccination Rates Low At Many San Diego Schools (KPBS)
• July Water Consumption Down 32 Percent In San Diego Region (KPBS)
• Consumers can carry clout over cellphone tower placement (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• City answers to utility-tax rebellion (AP)

STATE

• Large counties could be required to increase number of Supervisors (Cal Watchdog)
• California bans secret hearings on most police shooting deaths (Reuters)
• California's Drought Is So Bad That Thousands Are Living Without Running Water (Mother Jones)
• California Pays Off $14B In Costly Debt From 2004 (AP)
• Despite strong returns, California pension funds’ fiscal hole got deeper (Sac Bee)
• Fraud suit filed against Edison (SD Reader)
• California Rations Birth, Death Certificates Amid Security Paper Shortage (NPR)
•  California will have more seniors living alone (U-T)

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

LOCAL/REGIONAL

Developer Won’t Take No for an Answer on Massive Lilac Hills Ranch Project (Voice of San Diego)

Lilac Hills Ranch would put 1,700 homes, retail and other buildings on 600 acres of what’s now agricultural land. Deer Springs Fire District has said it can’t provide adequate emergency response to the development...Accretive Investments also donated thousands to support Supervisor Bill Horn, whose owns property near the development.

Helix water board OKs notice of rate changes (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Helix Water District customers will receive a notice in the mail this month about an October public hearing for a proposed increase in service fees.

Santee VFW post desperate to find new home (10 News)

Veterans say they can no longer afford rent.

El Cajon wants to thank good businesses (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Alcohol sales retailers caught following the city's laws to be recognized by the city.

Measles Vaccination Rates Low At Many San Diego Schools (KPBS)

With the start of school approaching, health officials are asking parents to make sure their kids’vaccinations are up-to-date.

July Water Consumption Down 32 Percent In San Diego Region (KPBS)

The July decline followed drops of 26 percent in June and 30 percent in May.

Consumers can carry clout over cellphone tower placement (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Working on cellphone tower issues can be a challenge for community activists.

City answers to utility-tax rebellion (AP)

Tax rebellion case unfolds at California Supreme Court, with high stakes for San Diego.

STATE

Large counties could be required to increase number of Supervisors (Cal Watchdog)

On the county level, Senator Tony Mendoza, D-Artesia, has proposed a constitutional amendment, SCA 8, that would increase the number of county supervisors from the constitutional minimum of five to seven in counties that have 2 million residents or more. 

California bans secret hearings on most police shooting deaths (Reuters)

California will no longer assign grand juries to investigate most deaths of people killed by police under a law signed this week by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown.

California's Drought Is So Bad That Thousands Are Living Without Running Water (Mother Jones)

"This is an ever-expanding, invisible disaster."

California Pays Off $14B In Costly Debt From 2004 (AP)

California closed an ugly chapter in its financial history on Wednesday by making its final payment on $14.2 billion in costly borrowing that plugged a budget deficit 11 years ago but eventually cost taxpayers about $5 billion in interest and fees.

Despite strong returns, California pension funds’ fiscal hole got deeper (Sac Bee)

California’s total pension debt, $610.3 billion, is the largest in the nation.

Fraud suit filed against Edison (SD Reader)

A securities fraud lawsuit has been filed in federal court in San Diego against Edison International, parent of Southern California Edison. The suit alleges that Southern California Edison made false and misleading statements about the company's business, operational, and compliance policies — thus endangering the utility-favoring settlement on dividing up the costs of the San Onofre nuclear plant decommissioning. 

California Rations Birth, Death Certificates Amid Security Paper Shortage (NPR)

A shortage of special security paper used for birth and death certificates in California 

 California will have more seniors living alone (U-T)

Single, divorced or widowed seniors without children will more likely need outside support services.