EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

September 9, 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

• Water levels rise amid drought (U-T)
• Quiet supervisor’s race may be deceiving (U-T)
• Judge Kreep to pay $6,000 ethics fine (U-T)
• Governor Signs New Pact With East County's Sycuan Tribe (Patch)
• SD Politicians Haul in Thousands in Shady Towing Donations (Voice of SD)
• Creation Museum Again Denied Membership In San Diego Museum Council (KPBS)
• Veterans sought for history project (U-T)
• The Roadrunner has been sold (The Roadrunner)
• The Secrets of Pauma Valley (San Diego Magazine)
• New SANDAG Policy Leaves Transit Advocates Wanting More (Voice of SD)
• Don’t name me board chairman, Dave Roberts says (U-T)
• UCSD's most embarrassing fiasco (U-T)

STATE

• This nuclear power plant has been dubbed California’s Fukushima (Business Insider)
• ACLU fights U.S. funding for Los Angeles police body cameras (euters)
• Driver Fees Would Fund Bulk of California Governor's Road Repair Plan (KPBS)
• Governor Appoints New Salton Sea Policy Official (KPBS)
• Unions prep for end to mandatory dues (U-T)
• Hope for California Body Camera Bill Fades Amid Special Interest Power (Reason)
• Anthony Rendon selected next Assembly speaker (SacBee)

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

LOCAL

Water levels rise amid drought (U-T)

While the statewide drought withers farms, evaporates lakes, shortens showers and browns lawns, it’s having a surprising collateral effect in San Diego. Water, literally, is building behind the dam. Water supplies are at 99 percent of normal.

Quiet supervisor’s race may be deceiving (U-T)

When state Sen. Joel Anderson filed paperwork in December to run for county supervisor against six-term incumbent Dianne Jacob, he triggered a raucous conversation about a Republican-versus-Republican race.

Judge Kreep to pay $6,000 ethics fine (U-T)

Superior Court Judge Gary Kreep will pay a $6,000 state fine for irregularities in his 2012 judicial campaign.

Governor Signs New Pact With East County's Sycuan Tribe (Patch)

The deal will provide for revenue sharing with local jurisdictions for emergency responders and education services. 

SD Politicians Haul in Thousands in Shady Towing Donations (Voice of SD)

Local and state regulators are now investigating whether thousands of dollars in contributions from the towing industry were illegally laundered to the campaigns of five high-profile San Diego politicians over the past six years. If proven, the combined investigations could represent the largest effort by an industry to illegally influence San Diego political campaigns in more than a decade. 

Creation Museum Again Denied Membership In San Diego Museum Council (KPBS)

The Creation and Earth History Museum has again been denied membership in the San Diego Museum Council. The museum's director said the denial is based on prejudice.

Veterans sought for history project (U-T)

A local World War II veteran is looking for area veterans to participate in the Veteran’s History Project of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center. 

The Roadrunner has been sold (The Roadrunner)

The Roadrunner has been sold to a local owner, Justin Salter.

The Secrets of Pauma Valley (San Diego Magazine)

Series by Jamie Reno

New SANDAG Policy Leaves Transit Advocates Wanting More (Voice of SD)

Transit advocates hoped a new policy the regional planning agency SANDAG has been working on since 2013 would compel or at least entice cities to plan for more homes and jobs around public transit stops. The plan’s set to go before SANDAG’s board later this month, and transit advocates have been left wanting more.

Don’t name me board chairman, Dave Roberts says (U-T)

In an Aug. 28 letter, Roberts said that even though as current vice chairman he is poised to become the next chairman of the Board of Supervisors, he asked other members to not vote him into the leadership position early next year.

UCSD's most embarrassing fiasco (U-T)

In the 51-year rise of UC San Diego to super-elite status among the nation’s research universities, probably nothing has been as significant an embarrassment as its loss over the past three months of the bulk of the important and prestigious nationwide Alzheimer’s disease research program that UCSD has managed since 1991.

STATE

This nuclear power plant has been dubbed California’s Fukushima (Business Insider)

Diablo Canyon is the last operating nuclear power plant in California — and arguably the most controversial.

ACLU fights U.S. funding for Los Angeles police body cameras (euters)

 A civil rights group asked the U.S. government on Thursday to deny Los Angeles police the funding they sought for body cameras for patrol officers, objecting to a policy that would allow the police chief to withhold video footage from the public.

Driver Fees Would Fund Bulk of California Governor's Road Repair Plan (KPBS)

Gov. Jerry Brown's plan includes an annual $65 per vehicle "Highway User Fee," along with an 11 percent diesel tax hike. The plan would attach the state's gasoline tax to the Consumer Price Index, which rises with inflation.

Governor Appoints New Salton Sea Policy Official (KPBS)

The Imperial Irrigation District's environmental manager Bruce Wilcox has a new role: assistant secretary for Salton Sea policy at California's Natural Resources Agency.

Unions prep for end to mandatory dues (U-T)

Powerful public-employee unions are worried about a case that might erode their power.

Hope for California Body Camera Bill Fades Amid Special Interest Power (Reason)

San Diego Democratic Assemblywoman Shirley Weber's AB 66 would have imposed some requirements and guidelines for agencies whose officers use body cameras. Increasingly, cops are using them, but with few standards. Or the policies are designed to protect police rather than the public.  "It got Shanghaied by law enforcement, who put into the bill a provision that said police had access to the footage before they had to file their report," said Jim Ewert, general counsel for the California Newspaper Publishers Association.

Anthony Rendon selected next Assembly speaker (SacBee)

He will take over from Toni Atkins in 2016.