By Miriam Raftery

Creative Commons image by NC via Bing

April 13, 2021 (San Diego) – San Diego County today announced that it will immediately pause use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine “out of an abundance of caution.”  

The county’s action comes after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Calif. Dept. of Public Health advised pausing the vaccine after six women between ages 16 and 48 developed a rare, severe type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis which can cause stroke-like illness, NPR reports.  The clots occurred one to two weeks after receiving the vaccine.

Over 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered in the U.S., so the serious clotting complication appears to have occurred in approximately one in a million cases.

East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

Photo via SDG&E webcam

April 12, 2021 (Cuyamaca) – A controlled burn has reportedly jumped a containment line  near Pasa Picacho Campground in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, scanner traffic and multiple sources indicate. The blaze, now dubbed the #PasoFire, has burned 15-20 acres outside the ontrol line and is fueled by a westerly wind.

Multiple air tankers and helicopters have been requested and at least two aircraft are on scene as of 4:50 p.m.

Source: City of La Mesa

April 10, 2021 (La Mesa) --  As part of the Livable La Mesa Age Friendly project, the City of La Mesa Community Relations and Veterans Commission will host a virtual forum on Wednesday, April 28 at 6:00 p.m. to solicit feedback on the City’s information distribution methods. The event will foster dialogue on the current methods of communication being used by the City of La Mesa and solicit input for improvement.

Questions, comments and suggestions are encouraged from residents as the City looks to improve distribution of critical information to further involve and inform the community.

By Barbara Feder Ostrov, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters.

Photo:  Domingo Comin, an employee at Carefield Assisted Living in Castro Valley, holds his vaccination card. Californa health officials say they have no plans to develop a state vaccination passport. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

April 9, 2021 (San Diego) - Now that more than 7.5 million Californians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the Newsom administration has set a goal of reopening the state’s economy by June 15. So what does the state plan to do when it comes to proving that people are vaccinated?

Update April 11: Dr. Akilah Weber has won the election outright, avoiding a runoff with 52% of the votes. Only 300 ballots remain to be counted, not enough to change the outcome.

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

April 7, 2021 (La Mesa) -- La Mesa City Councilmember Dr. Akilah Weber took a big lead Tuesday night and could avoid a runoff in the special election to succeed her mother in the 79th Assembly District.

The seat is open because five-term Assemblymember Shirley Weber was appointed to succeed Alex Padilla as Secretary of State in a series of changes prompted by Sen. Kamala Harris’ election as Vice President. Padilla was appointed to succeed Harris in the Senate.

The younger Weber, a Democrat, received 52% of the vote, according to final unofficial election-night results from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters.

The projected number of outstanding ballots is 9,500, according to the Registrar of Voters. If Weber’s total remains above 50%, she will be elected without a runoff. If it falls below 50%, she will face Marco Contreras, the lone Republican in the field of five candidates, in a runoff June 8.

Source:  Best Friends Animal Society

April 7, 2021 (San Diego) - What may sound cute to the general public causes a shudder every year among animal shelter staff across the country.  

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left by Billy Ortiz: historian Betty McMillan stands beneath the shade of a jacaranda tree, one of 22 she is fighting to save.

Updated with quotes from the County library director.

April 5, 2021 (Lakeside) – On April 9, San Diego County is slated to cut down nearly two dozen jacaranda trees to make way for a new county library—trees that the county claims are growing in a utility easement.  But Lakeside’s historian Betty McMillen disputes that claim – and is fighting to save the trees, which hold special significance as part of a “mile of trees” planted in Lakeside -- trees planted to replace an earlier canopy of trees felled by bulldozers.

By Miriam Raftery

(Photo courtesy of San Miguel Fire District) 

April 3, 2021 (Spring Valley ) --  Crews from San Miguel Fire Department, Heartland Fire and San Diego Fire & Rescue successfully controlled a fast moving commercial fire on Jamacha Road in Spring Valley on Thursday.

According to Heartland Fire in a post on Instragram, Initial arriving units encountered heavy fire and smoke from behind an auto wrecking and recycling facility. The smoke column was pushed by a strong west wind which produced an immediate threat to exposures including businesses and an apartment complex.

By Miriam Raftery

March 28, 2021 (San Diego) – With vaccine supplies increasing, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that starting April 1, all Californians age 50 and up will be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. In addition, starting April 15, the vaccine will be available to all Californians age 16 and up.

The state expects to receive 2.5 million doses a week in early April and over 3 million doses a week by the second half of the month, as a result of actions taken by the Biden administration to dramatically boost supplies including forging a deal to have rival pharmaceutical companies team up to increase production and providing funds to state and local governments to expand vaccinations.