April 20, 2017 (San Diego) -- The Invest in San Diego Families Coalition invites you to join a series of Town Hall meetings throughout the county to discuss the San Diego County’s $5.4 billion budget and how it can better serve communities. The ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties and other members of the Invest in San Diego Families encourage you to demand smart, impactful investment in San Diego and programs that will ensure more of its residents thrive.  A meeting in East County’s 2^nd Supervisorial district will be held on May 22^nd at La Mesa Methodist Church.

By Miriam Raftery

April 18, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order requiring federal agencies to buy American products and prioritize using American workers. In an effort to jumpstart the U.S. economy, the President aims to tighten up existing waivers to require approval by agency heads for making non-American procurements, GovExec reports.

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (San Diego) -- Reps. Darrell Issa, former Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, have introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Fair Chance Act that would give formerly incarcerated Americans a fair chance at obtaining employment with the federal government.  Senator Booker introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

East County News Service

April 7, 2017 (San Diego) -- Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) marked Equal Pay Day on Tuesday by announcing her new legislation that will require large companies to publicly disclose data on the gender pay gap between their male and female employees. Assembly Bill 1209, the Gender Pay Gap Transparency Act, has been named a top priority for the Stronger California women’s advocacy coalition for the 2017 legislative session.   

Source: San Diego County Sheriff's Department

April 7, 2017 (San Diego) - Twenty-four hours per day, seven days a week, Sheriff's Dispatchers answer emergency calls from all across San Diego County. They save lives by getting help out to those calling 9-1-1.

East County News Service

April 1, 2017 (San Diego) -- FTD is hiring 650 seasonal customer service associates in San Diego for the upcoming Mother’s Day season.  This will add even more employment opportunities to the San Diego job market. According to the Labor Market Information Division of the California Employment Development Department, San Diego’s unemployment rate is down to 4.2 percent.

By Miriam Raftery

March 31, 2017 (El Cajon) –“This is truly our day. We’re here to celebrate,” Sycuan Tribal Chairman Cody Martinez told a packed house during a groundbreaking on the Sycuan reservation for the tribe’s casino expansion.

The ambitious project will include a 12-story hotel resort with 300 rooms,  adult pool with swim-up bar, kids pool,  gardens including a 420-foot-long “lazy river,” new restaurants , spa,  60,000 in additional gaming space, and a spacious 11,401 square foot ballroom that can double as concert hall seating 1,200 or banquet room  with capacity for 700. The $226 million, 500,000 square foot project is slated to open in 2019.

East County News Service

March 21, 2017 (La Mesa) – Linda McWilliams, winemaker at San Pasqual Winery in La Mesa, has picked up six more awards in the 2017 San Diego County Fair’s Toast of the Coast Wine Competition! Her latest honors include gold, silver and a special award:

East County News Service

March 21, 2017 (San Diego) – The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce will host a Congressional Luncheon on Friday, April 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in downtown San Diego.    Guests can hear directly from your local Congressional members about current activities in Washington D.C. and other federal issues related to the well being of our regional economy. Each Congressional member will provide a brief update followed by topical questions and answers.

East County News Service

March 20, 2017 (Washington D.C.) -- The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates by as quarter of a point, the second increase in three months. But rates are still at a historic low range of 0.75 to 1 percent.

The hike means consumers will pay more for credit cards and home equity lines of credit and adjustable rate mortgages, but fixed rate mortgages and car loans are not expected to be affected since the anticipated change has already been calculated into those. People will also earn slightly more on savings accounts.

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

March 13, 2017 (Alpine) -- Alpine’s First Annual Honey Festival, held March 11^th, included teaching youths in their community about the history of their land.  That history includes honey and its production. In fact, this region was once the honey producing capitol of the world! Kids dressed up as bees and participated in an art show that portrayed bees and hives, with major doses of yellow and black.  But teaching kids about their local history was just a part of the festival.

Source: La Mesa Chamber of Commerce

Photo:  Left to right: RSVP Mike Sparks, Detective Tim Cook, Liz Robinson, Mary England, Fire Captain Billy Doig, Detective Colt Wisler and RSVP Bill Walton.

Photo courtesy of Sandra Small Photographer.

March 4, 2017 (La Mesa) - La Mesa Chamber of Commerce held it's 9th annual Salute to Local Heroes Feb. 22 at the Town & Country Hotel to celebrate La Mesa’s 2017 local heroes.

“This year's six heroes are as important to our community as any "Best Picture" or "Best Actor" award,” says Chamber President Mary England. “They have made a tremendous impact on the lives of others.“ These heroes were recognized for some of the following feats: A baby was delivered under unusual circumstances, a young man's life was saved following a severe traffic accident, 117 stolen vehicles with an estimated value of over $1.3 million were recovered, a cold case homicide from 2014 that occurred in La Mesa was solved, firearms and illegal drugs were seized. 86 suspects were arrested, 70 search and arrest warrants were written and two Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol were honored for assisting the La Mesa Police Department in the daily tasks needed to run the organization, as well as for their thousands of volunteer hours.

“Diseases could be found in the early stages…Then your doctor could prescribe an appropriate medicine, after processing your DNA analysis on his own machine,” – Nikolai Pepik, CEO, Megadata Web

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  George Toms, PhD, right; Nikolai Pepik, left, demonstrate high-speed processing capabilities of Megadata Web

February 24, 2017 (San Diego) -- Imagine processing data on your own laptop 10,000 times faster than ever before-- with complete security.  That future is here—thanks to revolutionary software devised by Megadata Web, a San Diego-based technology company offering quantum leap improvements for web browsing, data mining, editing and analyzing a treasure-trove of information.

By Miriam Raftery

February 17, 2017 (Washington  D.C.) – President Donald Trump has announced a new nominee to head up the Department of Labor, following  fast food executive Andrew Puzder’s withdrawal of his nomination.  The new nominee, Alexander Acosta, has extensive experience in labor and the law.  If confirmed by the Senate,  Acosta will also be the first Hispanic in Trump’s cabinet.

AB 568, AB 569, & AB 570 Would Add Strong New Legal Protection for Women in the Workplace

East County News Service

February 16, 2017 (Sacramento) – On Valentine’s Day, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) introduced a trio of heartfelt bills to protect working women who become pregnant.