EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

November 12, 2021 (San Diego) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include:

LOCAL

• Invasion of privacy or crime prevention? Santee considers new camera program (Fox 5)
• Common Cause warns El Cajon it may be violating state election law (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Poway Unified School District received death threats, board meetings now virtual (10 News)
• EXCLUSIVE: Sheriff Deputies’ Survey Airs Concerns, Resistance to Vaccines & Reforms (La Prensa)
• Rural Residents Largely on Their Own Negotiating Over Clean Energy Projects (Times of San Diego)
• La Mesa baker gets called into the spotlight (La Mesa Courier)
• The Pentagon released a new report showing….San Diego County receives more money from the Pentagon than almost any other county in the country.  (KPBS)
• Photographer lost 'entire life' in truck theft outside El Cajon theater (10 News)
• Recall effort launched against Poway Mayor Steve Vaus (10 News)

STATE

• Gavin Newsom reveals why he canceled Scotland trip: His kids staged an ‘intervention’ (Sacramento Bee)
• COVID-19 has cost LAFD $22.5 million in overtime, much of it to cover for sick firefighters (Los Angeles Times)
• Satellites reveal the secrets of water-guzzling farms in California (NPR)
• Can California Tourism Survive Climate Change? (New York Times)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

LOCAL

Invasion of privacy or crime prevention? Santee considers new camera program (Fox 5)

… The program, dubbed Safe Santee, would allow the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department to tap into public and private camera systems to help catch crime in progress. It’s a program the sheriff’s department rolled out a year ago in Lemon Grove.

Common Cause warns El Cajon it may be violating state election law (San Diego Union-Tribune)

After being warned by California Common Cause that it may be violating state election law, the El Cajon City Council this week will reconsider its decision not to hire an independent demographer to develop new district maps for the city.

Poway Unified School District received death threats, board meetings now virtual (10 News)

Poway Unified School District said they will now hold all of their board meetings virtually after board members say over the past several weeks there have been events that have put their safety and well being at risk. It was during a special five-minute board meeting on Monday that the board unanimously voted to have their meetings be virtual. This move is in accordance with AB-361 which states: when a local agency determines meeting in person would present imminent risks to the health and safety of attendees.

EXCLUSIVE: Sheriff Deputies’ Survey Airs Concerns, Resistance to Vaccines & Reforms (La Prensa)

An internal survey conducted by the San Diego’s Deputy Sheriffs’ union shows many hold extreme political views, including calling leadership decisions “Marxist”, referring to Black Lives Matter and Antifa as “domestic terrorist groups”, and staunch opposition to COVID vaccine mandates, but the respondents showed no support for police reforms or progressive approaches to policing …The survey, conducted by the San Diego County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, seems intended to gauge the views of the over 2,400 sworn deputies of the employee union, but it appears that less than 10% of the members responded with only 238 votes being cast.

Rural Residents Largely on Their Own Negotiating Over Clean Energy Projects (Times of San Diego)

Diana Sherwood lives at the edge of Jacumba Hot Springs in a motor home with a view of a grassy valley, mountains and the wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. Soon that view will change.By early 2023, that fallow field is slated to house 604 acres of solar panels — more than an acre of solar panels for each of the town’s 540 residents, none of whom will receive a direct connection to the project’s energy output.

La Mesa baker gets called into the spotlight (La Mesa Courier)

It was a stroke of luck that many small-business owners could only dream about. Out of the blue earlier this year, Dani L. Hannah of Choice Confections received a call from the casting director of “Baker’s Dozen,” a streaming television series that debuted Oct. 7 on Hulu.

The Pentagon released a new report showing….San Diego County receives more money from the Pentagon than almost any other county in the country.  (KPBS)

The Pentagon released a new report showing San Diego County is one of the top areas in the nation for defense spending.  San Diego County receives more money from the Pentagon than almost any other county in the country. A new report by the Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation shows that more money flows into the local economy than is spent in 37 states.

Photographer lost 'entire life' in truck theft outside El Cajon theater (10 News)

A freelance photographer who had just recently finished a five-month hike along the Pacific Crest Trail says he lost his most prized possessions during a trip to the movies… Townsend's red 2009 Ford Ranger with a white camper shell, has been stolen. Inside was all of their camping equipment, along with his new photography equipment. He got bad news from his insurance company.

Recall effort launched against Poway Mayor Steve Vaus (10 News)

A petition is now circulating to recall Poway Mayor Steve Vaus, and both sides are already on the attack.

STATE

Gavin Newsom reveals why he canceled Scotland trip: His kids staged an ‘intervention’ (Sacramento Bee)

After more than a week of silence, Gov. Gavin Newsom finally revealed the reason he canceled his trip to Scotland for the United Nations climate conference: spending Halloween with his kids.

COVID-19 has cost LAFD $22.5 million in overtime, much of it to cover for sick firefighters (Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles Fire Department has spent more than $22.5 million on overtime related to COVID-19, much of it to backfill the shifts of employees who fell ill or had to quarantine after an exposure to the virus, data reviewed by The Times show.

Satellites reveal the secrets of water-guzzling farms in California (NPR)

In a new push to stop further depletion of California's shrinking aquifers, state regulators are turning to technology once used to count Soviet missile silos during the Cold War: satellites.  Historically, California's farmers could pump as much as they wanted from their wells. But as a consequence of that unrestricted use, the underground water table has sunk by hundreds of feet in some areas, and the state is now trying to stabilize those aquifers.

Can California Tourism Survive Climate Change? (New York Times)

The most popular state for tourism in the U.S. endured record wildfires, drought and flooding just this year. “The rate of change has been so dramatic,” says one local scientist. “If I was the California tourism industry, I’d be really worried.”