Mayor, Council candidates to participate on panel Thursday, September 16
 

August 25, 2010 (La Mesa) – The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce has invited all candidates running for mayor and city council to share their views in a free public forum on Thursday, September 16 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Drive, La Mesa. Thus far, both of the  mayoral candidates and five of the six Council candidates have accepted the Chamber's invitation. They are:
 

By Russell Buckley

August 25, 2010 (La Mesa) -- The President of the Board of Directors of the Helix Water District opened last Wednesday's rate increase hearing by saying it was imperative that the Board do the right thing. I hoped that meant to hold off on the proposed increase until excess pension costs were reduced. Unfortunately, that was not to be the outcome of the vote.

August 24, 2010 (Sacramento)-- Assembly Bill 1844, Chelsea's Law, passed the California State Senate today by unanimous vote. The measure, carried through the Senate by Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth, (R-Murrieta) was authored by Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher (R-San Diego). The bill aims to strengthen protections for California children from violent sexual predators.

August 23, 2010 (Sacramention)--Assemblymember Marty Block (AD-78) announced today that AB 184 has cleared the Legislature and is now awaiting action by the Governor. The bill prevents the California Department of Education from requiring school districts to repay the state for Special Disabilities Adjustment funding that they received in the last fiscal year and already used to teach special-needs students in their classrooms.

A journey of hope from San Diego to Gaza

by Faith Attaguile

August 24, 2010 (San Diego) -- Recently I spoke to a group of people about a 31-day journey I took a few months ago. It was a land convoy to Gaza of 200 vehicles and 500 people from 17 different countries. We were Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus, Atheists and Humanists journeying together over 4,000 miles through 13 countries. We traveled from London to Gaza on a journey of hope.

East County News Service

Update 7 p.m. - The fire is now fully contained.

August 23, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) –The Monte Fire, which started Saturday at 1 p.m. in the El Monte Park area of Lakeside, is now 75% contained. Full containment is expected by 6 p.m. today, according to the Southern California Interagency incident management team.
 

El Monte Road at Lake Jennings Road remains closed today, along with El Capitan Reservoir and El Monte Park. Cause remains under investigation.

August 23, 2010 (San Diego) -- The San Diego Better Business Bureau (BBB), San Diego’s largest county-wide business membership organization, will host a BBB business-to-business (B2B) networking mixer from 4 to 6 p.m., on Thursday, Sept. 2, at Toyota of El Cajon, 965 Arnele Ave., in El Cajon. The public is invited to attend.  Admission cost is $25 per person.

East County News Service

August 23, 2010 (La Mesa) -- The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD, a public agency that supports various health-related community programs and services in San Diego’s East County, has selected nine recipients for its 2010 Health Tech Careers scholarships. The students, who are currently pursuing medical field jobs in positions often defined as technicians, applied for the scholarships by submitting an essay on “Where I will be in my career five years from now.”

Congresswoman Susan Davis offers support

By Ray M. Wong

By Miriam Raftery

August 22, 2010 (El Cajon ) – Two Congressmen and four local lawmakers fielded questions from the audience Friday night, trading quips and barbs on topics ranging from healthcare to gay marriage. The occasion was the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce’s annual “Politics in Paradise” event in the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College, where the weather was sultry and the politics even hotter.

East County News Service

Update 6:05 p.m. This fire is now 50% contained at 30 acres; aerial support has been released, Cal-Fire reports.

August 22, 2010 (Santa Ysabel) – Cal-Fire is on the scene of a 25-acre brush fire off Highway 79 near the Santa Ysabel Casino, assisted by U.S. Forest Service, volunteer fire agencies, and the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. One firefighter has suffered minor injury, Cal-Fire spokesperson Roxanne Provaznik reports.

By Brian Lafferty

August 22, 2010 (San Diego)--Cairo Time is a film best appreciated as art. Forget the simplistic, nearly nonexistent plot involving a budding affair between an American woman and her husband’s Egyptian friend. I admired this film for it’s cinematography and it’s visual style which included such lyrical imagery as the Pyramids, the mosques, the streets, the desert, and the Nile. The script, not unlike the characters, wanders almost aimlessly but I liked where it took the characters and I enjoyed where it took me.

By Miriam Raftery

August 21, 2010 (Lakeside) -- As East County Magazine reported earlier, a San Diego Sheriff's helicopter rescued two people trapped on the face of El Capitan (El Cajon Mountain) when the fast-moving Monte fire encroached below them.

Now the Sheriff and Cal-Fire have released details of the harrowing ordeal, revealing how two deputies risked their own lives to save others.  They narrowly escaped, as flames burned so close that one rescuer leaped onto a landing skid and hung on as the chopper descended 3,675 feet to the valley floor.

Fire burning along Powerlink route; eagle's nest threatened

By Miriam Raftery
 

August 21, 2010 (Lakeside) 5:15 p.m. – Firefighters are expected to work through the night battling a blaze that Cal-Fire now estimates at 2,000 acres, with 5-10% containment. (Note: Cal-Fire issued a correction of an earlier release, which had indicated 3,000 acres.)

"The fire went right up El Cap to where one of the towers is to be located," Candy Barra-Jenkins said of the planned Sunrise Powerlink line. "All the pictures I took of the planes and helicopters are where the transmission line would be. This fire would have been much worse if the transmission line were here." View more of her fire photos.
 

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Dennis Richardson

August 21, 2010 (Lakeside) – 2:50 p.m. – Two rock climbers were trapped 1,500 feet up the side of El Capitan, dangling on the sheer rock face in El Monte Valley with a wildfire burning toward him.  Moments ago, Sheriff's Lieutenant Munsey informed ECM that the climber has been rescued.  Cal-Fire reports that a total of 10 people have been evacuated via helicopter, including 8 residents and the two climbers.