By Miriam Raftery

October 17, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed Senate Bill 649, a bill by State Senator Ben Hueso, a San Diego Democrat whose district includes large portions of rural East County.  The bill would have allowed wireless technology companies to install 5G mini and micro cell sites on any government-owned property without county or city oversight.

By Miriam Raftery

October 17, 2017 (San Diego) – The County of San Diego has released a map showing the number of Hepatitis A cases by zip code.

By far the largest share of the county’s 490 cases have occurred in San Diego’s 92101 zip code, which has had 81 people diagnosed.   But cases have been diagnosed across the region, and some East County communities have high clusters of the contagious illness. 

By Miriam Raftery

October 17, 2017 (Dulzura) — A San Diego man, 56, was killed in a collision today on State Route 94 east of Dulzura.  He was riding a 2004 Harley Davidson motorcycle westbound when his vehicle crossed the center double yellow lines and struck the left front of an International truck/tractor combination vehicle driven by a 30-year-old San Diego man.

Source:  Chabad of East County

October 17, 2017 (San Carlos) -- Rabbi Rafi Andrusier of Chabad of East County will recount 2000 years of Jewish history through the lens of six epic debates that rocked the Jewish world and still resound powerfully today.  Beginning Tuesday, October 31, at 7:00 p.m., Chabad will be offering a new six-session course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI), titled Great Debates in Jewish History.

October 15, 2017 (Warner Springs) -- The #Wilson Fire in Warner Springs is now 10 to 15 acres with a moderate rate of spread, Cal Fire reports.

The blaze began around 1:30 p.m. at Wilson Road, east of San Felipe, according to Cal Fire.

Supporters of medical marijuana delivery invited to Oct. 16 meeting

By Miriam Raftery

October 15, 2017 (Santee) – On October 12^th, the San Diego County Sheriff’s department targeted medical marijuana delivery services in a sting operation.  Six arrests were made, including one driver who was a registered sex offender, the Sheriff’s department reports. The Santee station’s COPPS unit ordered purchases through online sources using delivery drivers within Santee’s city limits, a violation of the city’s municipal code.

By Miriam Raftery

October 14, 2017 (San Diego) — Governor Jerry Brown today issued an emergency proclamation to allow California to increase its supply of the hepatitis A vaccine in order to control the growing outbreak. 

Source: El Cajon Police 

October 14, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers ahead of all other types of injury, disease, or violence.  To shed light on this epidemic and reduce the number of lives lost, the El Cajon Police Department wants to draw public attention to National Teen Driver Safety Week, October 15-21.

Update October 16, 2017:    The death toll is now at least 41, following death of a water truck driver. 

By Miriam Raftery, East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

Photo, left: Courtesy of Cal Fire

October 12, 2017 (San Diego)—The complex of nearly two dozen firestorms raging across northern California have now collectively surpassed in deadliness the 2003 Cedar Fire, which killed 16 people in San Diego County. 

At least 31 people are now confirmed dead across northern California and the toll will likely climb higher, with hundreds of people still missing and dozens of official searchers combing the rubble of burned homes and businesses with dog teams, searching for bodies.

By Miriam Raftery

October 11, 2017 (San Diego) – Carfentanil, an elephant tranquilizer drug 5,000 times stronger than heroin, is turning up in street drugs marketed as opoid  narcotic painkillers such as Oxycodone, as well as in tainted heroin.  

The drug is so deadly that just a couple of granules the size of salt crystals will cause death, even with medical intervention, authorities warn. It’s turning up in street drugs locally and nationally, including drugs sold by dealers and on the Internet’s dark web—and deaths are skyrocketing as a result.

By Vinny Lavalsiti and Matthew Ochoa, reprinted with permission from The Summit at Grossmont College

Images: property of The Summit and Grossmont College's Graphic design program

October 10, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Martha Amezcua was nine when she came to the United States, and she didn't know a lick of English, creating a hefty language barrier between her and her classmates once she enrolled in school. Her silence, because of the language barrier, led to a lot bullying.

By Miriam Raftery

October 8, 2017 (San Diego) – The City of El Cajon will be reholding public hearings on filing liens against city residents over unpaid bills for trash removal services provided by Waste Management. That decision comes after Councilman Ben Kalasho voted in favor of filing the liens after Waste Management paid $2500 in membership fees to a chamber of commerce that he founded and which his wife headed up since his election to the City Council. 

By Miriam Raftery, East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts Service

Photo: Skott Dehla Crozz on Brush Fire Partyline's Facebook Page

October 9, 2017 (Tecate) – A brush fire is burning just south of the border in Tecate, Cal Fire Captain Isaac Sanchez advised in a phone interview with East County Magazine.  Cal Fire has positioned resources on the U.S. side of the border to prepare in case the blaze crosses over.

“I've seen 4 fire trucks heading out the 94,” Candie Wemple said in an email to East County Magazine. Posts on social media indicate black smoke is visible from Campo, Potrero and Barrett Junction.

By Miriam Raftery, East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

October 9, 2017 (San Diego ) – Governor Jerry Brown has declared states of emergency in Napa, Sonoma and Yuba Counties due to wildfires that have burned at least 1,500 homes and commercial buildings and killed at least one person, Cal Fire director Ken Pimlott said at a press conference today. There is zero percent containment as of late morning.  At least 16 major fires are burning statewide.

An estimated 20,000 people have been evacuated as fires blacken skies even in Bay Area cities, forced evacuations of hospitals, shut down schools and  threaten thousands more structures in California’s wine region, gold rush towns and even coastal counties.  Many residents fled for their lives during the night as fast-moving flames destroyed wineries, vineyards, major stores and homes, dousing dreams with despair.

By Paul Kruze

October 7, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- Residents from San Diego's East County testified during the open comment period at last Thursday’s California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) meeting in Chula Vista.

Earlier in the day, the CPUC held a hearing on whether or not to approve a recommendation made by two CPUC administrative law judges to reject SDG&E’s application seeking to charge ratepayers for its uninsured losses in three of the 2007 wildfires. That hearing consisted largely of technical arguments. Afterward, a second meeting in Chula Vista was held for all parties involved, and public testimony was also taken.