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August 30, 2012 -- (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
- Southern California town declares emergency over quake swarm (Reuters)
- Sale of Padres becomes official (10 News)
- U.S.-Mexico border: efforts to build a virtual wall (BBC)
- New poll shows DeMaio trailing Filner in mayoral race (10 News)
- San Diego’s morphing water policy (San Diego Free Press)
- Charges against same-sex marriage activists dismissed (10 News)
- No fines for unpermitted UT car museum (Voice of San Diego)
STATE
- 19 wind turbines burned, 9 damaged in Jawbone fire (California Wildfires Today)
- Reactions pour in to public pension reform (Sacramento Bee
- Are you eating genetically modified foods laced with pesticides? (San Diego Free Press)
Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.
LOCAL/REGIONAL
Southern California town declares emergency over quake swarm (Reuters)
August 29, 2012 -- The southern California town of Brawley has taken the unusual step of declaring a state of emergency after a swarm of earthquakes rattled nearly 20 mobile homes off their blocks and forced a slaughterhouse to close, the mayor said on Wednesday.
It is uncommon for quake-hardy California cities to declare emergencies due to tremors, but Brawley mayor George Nava said the earthquake swarm is a unique case because it has lasted for days and caused millions of dollars in damage.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/30/us-usa-earthquake-swarm-idUSBRE87T00K20120830
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/30/us-usa-earthquake-swarm-idUSBRE87T00K20120830
Sale of Padres becomes official (10 News)
August 29, 2012 --The sale of the Padres to heirs of the late Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley, San Diego businessman Ron Fowler and other limited partners is now complete, the team announced Wednesday. The ownership group includes Peter O'Malley, his sons Kevin and Brian, and his nephews, Peter and Tom Seidler.
U.S.-Mexico border: efforts to build a virtual wall (BBC)
August 29, 2012 -- When darkness descends on the desert separating Mexico from the state of Arizona in the US, the hustle and bustle of illegal immigrants, drug traffickers and patrols intensifies as a game of hide-and-seek is played out among the metal fences and concrete walls.
A third-party observes the scene in silence: an army of electronic sensors acting as watch guard in a place where the arm of the law would not otherwise reach.
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19409682
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19409682
New poll shows DeMaio trailing Filner in mayoral race (10 News)
August 24, 2012 -- A new 10News poll unveiled Friday shows Democratic Congressman Bob Filner with a slight advantage over San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio, a Republican, in the race to become the city's next mayor.
According to the poll, if the election were to be held today (Aug. 24; six weeks before early voting begins), Filner would defeat DeMaio 47 percent of the vote to 41 percent. The poll shows 12 percent were undecided.
San Diego’s morphing water policy (San Diego Free Press)
August 28, 2012 -- The San Diego City Council has been working on a comprehensive water policy for several years. While incremental developments have been sporadically reported in the news media, it’s easy to lose the thread, so here’s a backgrounder.
In late 2010, anticipating an eventual announcement that the drought was officially over, then San Diego City Councilmember Donna Frye proposed that the city’s temporary Drought Response Level 2 restrictions on water use be made permanent, rather than be discontinued. The Level 2 rules limited landscape watering to three days per week/10 minutes per session and only during early morning or evening hours (see the Emergency Water Regulations for complete details on water use restrictions).
Charges against same-sex marriage activists dismissed (10 News)
August 24, 2012 -- City prosecutors Friday dismissed misdemeanor charges against a half-dozen same-sex marriage activists arrested for blocking the entrance to a county office during a 2010 protest.
In a motion filed with the court, Deputy City Attorney Garland Peed said the six defendants had completed eight hours of volunteer work and remained law-abiding during the two years the case had been pending.
No fines for unpermitted UT car museum (Voice of San Diego)
August 29, 2012 -- The city says the U-T San Diego newspaper, which has a grand vision for its property in Mission Valley, built parts of a showcase for classic cars at its headquarters without required permission.
The newspaper won't face any fines as long as it actually gets the proper permits, a city spokeswoman said, although it'll have to pay for the work of code enforcement staff who will review any belated permit applications.
STATE
19 wind turbines burned, 9 damaged in Jawbone fire (California Wildfires Today)
CA-CDD- Jawbone Complex; 12,191 acres, 45% contained.
Significant Events: Crews and dozers continued work throughout the shift constructing direct line on both the Jawbone and Rim Fires. A burn operation has assisted with the containment objectives for the day and is holding on the southern flank of the Rim Fire at this time. Contingency plans have been established and line construction has begun to meet those objectives. The Pacific Crest Trail has been closed from HWY 58 North to the Sequoia National Forest boundary. A soft closure of Jawbone Canyon Road access to recreational areas will continue for the next several operational periods.
Remarks: Contingency planning for protection of residences in Back Canyon, Cottonwood Creek, Indian Creek and Orejano Canyon are continuing. Jawbone Fire is 1987 acres at 80% containment. Rim Fire is 10204 acres at 24% containment. Box 24: Field Observers completed damage assessment of Wind Energy Facilities, confirming loss of 19 wind turbines and damage to an additional 9. Box 27: Contingency planning, favorable fire behavior conditions, and progress made in line construction have diminished but not completely alleviated threat to structures and residences in the communities listed.
Reactions pour in to public pension reform (Sacramento Bee)
August 29, 2012 -- A roundup of press statements about the new public pension reform proposal announced Tuesday by Gov. Jerry Brown:
Are you eating genetically modified foods laced with pesticides? (San Diego Free Press)
August 28, 2012 -- In a quest to eat a healthier diet, I made smoothies containing a couple scoops of a soy protein product I bought at Trader Joe’s. I also started eating a lot of berries, high in anti-oxidants, which are supposed to be good for you. Then one day I woke up and realized that the soy I had be eating was actually genetically modified (GMO) soy created by the Monsanto Corporation for the sole purpose of being resistant to Monsanto’s Roundup, a powerful herbicide which will kill every plant in a soybean field except genetically modified soy plants. So the soy I had been eating was not only GMO soy containing herbicide within its seeds, but it had been drenched in a powerful herbicide prior to having been harvested and brought to market.
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