By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Billy Ortiz: El Capitan Dam in Lakeside, ranked “fair” for safety, has an “extremely high “downstream hazard status for potential loss of life and property damage.

September 2, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) - The State of California on Friday released data on dam safety in California which found nine percent of dams statewide fall below satisfactory and could pose potential hazards in severe storms or earthquakes—including nine dams in San Diego County.

By County News Center, County of San Diego Communications Office

Image credit:  PhotoSpin

September 2, 2017 (San Diego) - The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office warned residents to be careful when donating to charities that promise to help victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. The DA’s Office is offering important consumer advice and information to avoid becoming a victim of charity scams.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: Erik Prince, Blackwater founder

September 1, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- Blackwater founder Erik Prince has been “implicated in murder,” the Nation reports. The article, written by journalist and author Jeremy Scahill, indicates that sworn statements filed in Federal Court on August 3rd allege that the private military company’s founder, Erik Prince launched a “crusade” to eliminate Muslims and Islam.Many East County residents will recall meeting Scahill, who visited Potrero and San Diego back in 2007.  Scahill came to warn local residents about serious ethical issues involving Blackwater, which was aiming to build a paramilitary training camp in a valley in Potrero. 

The Nation article reports that a former Blackwater employee and an ex-Marine who worked as a security operative for Blackwater both made explosive allegations in sworn statements claiming that Prince may have murdered or facilitated the murder of people who were cooperating with federal authorities investigating the company. Their identities are being kept secret for their own protection.

Customers are encouraged to save energy to earn a bill credit

September 1, 2017 (San Diego) --   San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has called a Reduce Your Use Rewards event for today, Friday, Sept. 1, due to continued hot weather throughout the region causing a rise in electric demand. To reduce strain on the electric grid, SDG&E is encouraging customers to reduce their energy use between 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

By doing so, those who are signed up for the program will be eligible to earn a bill credit of $.75 per kilowatt hour saved or $1.25 credit per kilowatt hour saved with enabling technology, like a smart thermostat. If you’re not on the Reduce Your Use rewards program, it’s not too late to join.

Watchdog group that won lawsuit says last-minute amendment inserted by election officials would allow 40 to 70 percent of ballots to be omitted from audits

By Miriam Raftery

September 1, 2017 (San Diego) --- Citizens' Oversight, a nonpartisan group that focuses on election integrity, announced today that it has filed written comments in opposition to CA AB-840, a bill which will make drastic changes to the one-percent manual tally of elections, which would omit 40% or more ballots from the scrutiny of this important audit process. Local Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher (D-San Diego) is a coauthor of the bill.

ECM asked Vu late Thursday for comments. Vu replied via email, “The amendment came through and is sponsored by the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials (CACEO) and is supported by the Secretary of State and the County."

Update 11:54 a.m.  The Sheriff advised residents through Alert San Diego that  the fire is in the Bee Canyon area of Dulzura. No evacuations have been advised but residents are urged to stay tuned to local media and make sure your mobile phone is registered with AlertSanDiego to receive evacuation notices, www.ReadySanDiego.org and follow Cal Fire for updated fire information: https://twitter.com/CALFIRESANDIEGO

Update 11:40 a.m.  The fire is now 15 percent contained and has burned 120 acres, Cal Fire reports.

Update 10:45 a.m.  Fire is now 110 acres and still zero percent contained. SDG&E's helicopter, several fixed wing aircraft and over 220 firefighters are among the resources at the scene. 

September 1, 2017 (Dulzura) -- The #BorderFire burning in Dulzura has charred at least 50 acres of brush and is zero percent contained.  The blaze began at 5:40 a.m. near State Route 94 and Marron Valley Road. There are no road closures at this time. The fire is burning to the north and east.

Resources committed include 20 fire engines, 10 hand crews, 7 water tenders, 3 bulldozers, and 3 Type II helicopters.

You can view video and a map at Cal Fire's Twitter feed here:  https://twitter.com/CALFIRESANDIEGO

Source:  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

August 31, 2017 (San Diego) -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deployed approximately 200 law enforcement personnel from Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) and Special Response Teams (SRTs) around the country, including San Diego, to provide security for search and rescue teams and to assist with search and rescue operations in Southeast Texas in response to Hurricane Harvey. 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: SEIU via Facebook

August 30, 2017 (San Diego) – Last night, Service Employees International Union Local 221 workers voted to hold a strike on September 12 and 13 over what the union contends are unfair labor practices. The union represents over 10,000 county employees in San Diego and Imperial Counties including public workers in county and city governments as well as school districts. Those workers include public health nurses, social services employees, librarians, clerical staff and more. 

By Miriam Raftery

August 29, 2017 (San Diego) –Citizens Oversight announced today that it has reached a deal with Southern California Edison that aims to ultimately relocate 3.6 million pounds of nuclear waste away from the San Onofre beach. The spent fuel is from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Stations shuttered in 2013 following a radioactive leak and various safety concerns.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Texas National Guard,  U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Zachary West

August 29, 2017 (San Diego) – Rescue personnel from the San Diego region including East County are heading to Texas, where  Hurricane Harvey, a category 4 hurricane since reclassified as a tropical storm,  has dumped the heaviest rainfall ever recorded on the U.S. mainland—50 inches or more in places.

Much of Houston, Texas is submerged beneath a swath of floodwaters 50 miles wide.  so much rain fell that the National Weather Service had to add new color coding to its maps.

At least eight people have died.  An estimated 1.7 million  have evacuated  in Texas and Louisana as the storm continues its destructive path, according to the White House website, with many people still awaiting rescue, trapped amid rising waters. Now, a levee south of Houston in Brazoria County has broken and residents in its path are ordered to get out immediately. 

Enough electric resources have been secured to meet increased demand

Source:  SDG&E

August 28, 2017 (San Diego) – As triple-digit temperatures approach San Diego over the next several days, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) is sharing energy-savings tips to ensure customers have the latest tools and resources to make smart energy choices and save money. While SDG&E is operationally prepared to meet energy demand and there is no formal call for conservation at this time, SDG&E is reminding customers that making small changes to save energy can help avoid high bills caused by increased energy use.

By Mike Allen

August 27, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- When West Hills High School in Santee replaced its artificial turf field in April, the feeling among the school’s administrators, staff and students was positive.

The old artificial football field in the school’s signature Wolf Pack blue had been wearing down, and needed upgrading, said West Hills Athletic Director Don Rutledge.

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

August 26, 2017 (La Mesa) -- Hurricane Harvey, in addition to ravaging the Texas coast, hit locally at La Mesa’s The Hills Local Pub.

“So, Louisiana Fishing Company was unable to send us crawfish for our Crawfish Boil due to Hurricane Harvey”, said the Hills’ manager, Leilani Donea.  “We got the call yesterday.” As a result, they had to cancel today’s scheduled “La Mesa’s Block Party and Crawfish Boil,” a fundraiser for the La Mesa Police Department’s PEER Support Group.

Source: County of San Diego

August 25, 2017 (San Diego) - San Diego County Library (SDCL) has partnered with the San Diego Museum of Art, the New Children’s Museum, and the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum to provide free museum passes to library customers. These innovative partnerships allow SDCL customers to check out passes just as they would books.

By Kendra Sitton

 

August 24, 2017 (Jamul) — San Diego Senator Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) sponsored SB 649, which would let technology companies install 5G mini and micro cell sites on any government property without county or city oversight. The usurpation of local authority is already sparking protest from his home district: in its Aug. 22 meeting, the Jamul planning group joined other city councils as well as the County of San Diego in opposing the bill, which will be heard by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Sept. 23.