October 11, 2009 (Dulzura) – La Mesa resident Debra Louise Allen, 42, died yesterday morning after being run over by a bus that struck the motorcycle on which she was a passenger.

By Miriam Raftery
Photos by Leonard Villareal

October 6, 2009 (El Cajon) -- Dale Wojczynski, owner of a home destroyed by fire on September 30, had been fined $10,000 by the County for ignoring numerous orders to clean up the property.  A criminal case has been filed and will be heard on October 29.

San Miguel Fire District firefighters battled the two-story house fire in the Granite Hills area of unincorporated El Cajon. Firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to neighboring homes, but could not save the home due to a large amount of flammable debris.   A 9-1-1 call was made by a resident at 6:07 a.m. Two people inside the home, located on the 2100 block of Valley View Blvd,  both got out safely.  Residents told fire investigators there were no smoke alarms in the home, but fortunately a resident was awakened by the alarm clock function of her cell phone.

Assembly Ethics Committee Drops Its Investigation

By Miriam Raftery

October 5, 2009 (Sacramento) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched an investigation info former Assemblyman Michael Duvall’s claims of having a sexual affair with a female lobbyist, the Los Angeles Times reports. The woman has been identified as a lobbyist for Sempra Energy/SDG&E by an Orange County newspaper. Duvall was a member of the utility company overseeing public utilities.

New Census data show 850,000 county residents living in economic hardship
 

September 29, 2009 (San Diego)--Poverty in San Diego County shot up in 2008, rising at a much faster pace than in California or the nation. This plunge in quality of life for many San Diegans is documented in U.S. Census data released today.

The data shows that 850,000 county residents--29% of the population--were living in economic hardship in 2008, according to analysis by the Center on Policy Initiatives. That measure, using a threshold double the federal poverty level, is a more realistic gauge in cities like San Diego where living costs such as housing and fuel are higher than the national average, CPI reports.

"The starkest case is that of El Caj on, which has 21% living below the poverty rate (compared to 12.6% countywide)," said CPI director of research Murtaza Baxamusa. "One in five is pretty dire. El Cajon, in terms of poverty, is the worst city in the County...The City of El Cajon really needs to examine their public policies and their investment in people."  Even worse, nearly half (46%) of all people in El Cajon are living in economic hardshp, using the threshhold of double the poverty level.    

September 28, 2009 (El Cajon) – Karen Hunter was found dead following a fire in her mobile home that began shortly before 7 p.m. last night, the County Coroner’s office has confirmed. Heartland Dispatch received numerous calls about the fire at El Capitan Mobile Home Park, 1425 E. Madison Avenue.

El Cajon firefighters were cooking their dinner on the patio of Fire Station 8 when they also spotted smoke.

Story  by Peter Diehl, Incident Page Network

Photos by Scott Bolle, www.code3photos.com

September 24, 2009 (Santee)--An early morning fire in Santee on Thursday required a response of engines and trucks from Santee, El Cajon, and Lakeside. The first engine arrived on the fire scene at 10530 Flora Veda, minutes after a call came into the Heartland communications center.

By Mick Roberts

Photos by Nick Schuler, Cal-Fire Battalion Chief

September 20, 2009 (Valley Center) – A helicopter has crashed in southeastern Valley Center at Orozco Ridge on a remote part of the Guijito Ranch. CAL-FIRE and Valley Center Fire Department responded at 2:40 p.m.

September 18, 2009 (La Mesa)-- Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) and Sharp Grossmont Hospital, East County’s largest hospital, have jointly announced that construction is now completed on the top three floors of the Emergency and Critical Care Center – the first infrastructure improvement project that was financed by voter-approved bonds at the publicly owned hospital.

September 18, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) – A pair of motorcycle accidents this week have claimed two lives in East County. The County Coroner’s office has released the names of the victims, who died from crashes in Ramona and Descanso.

By Francine Phillips

By Miriam Raftery, Editor
East County Magazine
 

By Miriam Raftery

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Leon Thompson

In an exclusive interview, San Diego's new top law enforcement offer shares his goals with East County Magazine--including priorities and new initiatives for East County. 

Appointed to replace retiring Sheriff William Kolender, Bill Gore brings 42 years of law enforcement expertise to the job. As Assistant Director of the FBI in Washington D.C., he earned a Meritorious Executive Service Award from the President. He’s led efforts to bring down organized crime rings including the Triads and Yakuza, helped break up the infamous Arellano-Felix Drug Cartel, and intervened to halt airplane hijackings as a S.W.A.T. team member. (Read his harrowing account here.) In San Diego, he established the Joint Terrorism Task Force and developed the nation’s first regional computer forensic lab—which has since been replicated nationwide. After leaving the FBI, he served as Chief Investigator/Special Assistant to District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. As Undersheriff, second in command under Sheriff Kolender, he revised use-of-force policies, implemented a mobile ID system and improved public transparency.

Now as Sheriff, he’s set his sights on his most ambitious goal yet: to make San Diego the safest urban county in America. 

September 6, 2009 (Dulzura) – A motorcyclist has died from a head-on collision at high speed on Highway 94 at Dulzura, one mile west of the Barrett Junction Café.

Emergency medical personnel attempted CPR, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Identification of the victim is withheld pending notification of kin.

September 4, 2009 – A car struck a pedestrian on Westbound Interstate 8 at College Avenue, near San Diego State University, at 12:49 a.m. One person has been declared dead on arrival. The victim’s name has not been released pending notification of relatives.