EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

January 22, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) -- 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

•  High cost of housing contributing to inflation in San Diego  (KPBS)
• Most people petitioning mental health CARE Court in San Diego County are qualifying for help (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• El Cajon approves $500,000 business grant program to improve storefronts (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Insurance rates unexpectedly spike for many across San Diego County (CBS 8)
• This refugee has championed a San Diego urban farm for years. Now, a nonprofit is threatening to evict her. (inewssource)
• Police: Driving instructor arrested after allegedly molesting, filming students(10 News)
• Home destroyed in fire once belonged to preservationist of Alpine's history ( NBC San Diego)
• Mexican Military Takes Over Broken Tijuana Sewage Plant Rehab (Voice of San Diego)
• Ex-GOP student leader's links to Jan. 6 Capitol riot and a neo-Nazi web site (USA Today)
• San Diego Could Be First to Float Solar on Drinking Water (Voice of San Diego)
• Gastrointestinal Illness Strikes 30 People at Safe Sleeping Site Near Balboa Park (Times of San Diego)
• Family of Ashli Babbitt, Shot in Jan. 6 Capitol Attack, Files $30M Wrongful Death Lawsuit (Times of San Diego)
• Allegations: San Diego County retaliated after a second sexual harassment complaint against Nathan Fletcher (CBS 8)
• A court knocked down Berkeley’s natural gas ban. That has San Diego area plans up in the air.  (MSN)

STATE

• 5 major candidates want to be California’s new US senator. Where they stand on the economy, crime and the border(KPBS)
• Schiff would abolish filibuster, end the Electoral College in his pro-democracy plan (Politico)
• Republican Steve Garvey has a chance to play spoiler in California’s Senate race (Cal Matters)
• Schiff takes narrow lead in Senate race; tight contest for second, new poll shows (L.A. Times)
• Supreme Court will hear case about homeless encampments, with huge implications for California (KPBS)
• 'Daylighting' law aims to increase visibility at intersections. Will San Diego enforce it?  (KPBS)
• New California law: putting pen to paper for required learning of cursive writing  (KPBS)

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

LOCAL

 High cost of housing contributing to inflation in San Diego  (KPBS)

A recent study shows that San Diego is among the hardest-hit cities in the nation when it comes to inflation.

Most people petitioning mental health CARE Court in San Diego County are qualifying for help (San Diego Union-Tribune)

... San Diego Superior Court Judge Kimberlee Lagotta said about 70 CARE Court petitions had been filed locally. Only three involving individuals without a qualifying diagnosis were dismissed, she said. However, Lagotta added that county officials had encountered difficulties while attempting to locate, assess and engage the people qualifying for care...15 people have been set up with a treatment plan complete with services and other forms of support called a CARE Agreement. Lagotta said some had declined to participate in the program but that those people were still provided with referrals for services.

El Cajon approves $500,000 business grant program to improve storefronts (San Diego Union-Tribune)

The grants, paid for by American Rescue Plan Act funding, will be up to $15,000 for paint or $20,000 for new signs.

Insurance rates unexpectedly spike for many across San Diego County (CBS 8)

Some San Diegans said their rates jumped by more than 400%, despite not having any new claims. Citing inflation and future concerns for wildfires, several of California’s biggest insurance companies have been given permission by state leaders to substantially raise rates.

This refugee has championed a San Diego urban farm for years. Now, a nonprofit is threatening to evict her. (inewssource)

When Fatima Abdelrahman learned that the organization running New Roots Community Farm — a widely celebrated neighborhood garden in City Heights — didn’t have an active lease on the property, she was as much confused as distressed. Then she got an eviction threat. Founded in 2008 on city-owned land, the farm has provided a space for refugees from around the world to ground themselves and build community around diverse farming practices and crops...even attracting a visit in 2010 from then-first lady Michelle Obama — that has helped spawn several more similar farms throughout the U.S.

Police: Driving instructor arrested after allegedly molesting, filming students(10 News)

Richard “Joseph” Banks, 50, was arrested Thursday and booked into jail for child abuse and molestation, sexual battery, possession of child pornography, production of child pornography, and installation and use of a surreptitious recording device. Banks was an instructor for American Driving School based in El Cajon when he committed the acts, police said.

Home destroyed in fire once belonged to preservationist of Alpine's history ( NBC San Diego)

A historic Alpine home, once considered the heart of the community, was destroyed in a fire.

Mexican Military Takes Over Broken Tijuana Sewage Plant Rehab (Voice of San Diego)

The fate of San Diego’s summer beach closures now rests in the hands of the Mexican military’s ability to rebuild a broken wastewater treatment plant in Tijuana. 

Ex-GOP student leader's links to Jan. 6 Capitol riot and a neo-Nazi web site (USA Today)

... all signs point to Oliver Krvaric, a young Republican star and scion of a powerful GOP family from San Diego (son of former SD GOP Chair Tony Krvaric). Krvaric is most notable for his job at the time of the riot. A USA TODAY review of arrests concluded Krvaric would be the first full-time employee of the Trump administration identified entering the Capitol in the insurrection. 

San Diego Could Be First to Float Solar on Drinking Water (Voice of San Diego)

The Sweetwater Authority is proposing to float solar panels on its reservoir but some in the community feel it’s being rushed. 

Gastrointestinal Illness Strikes 30 People at Safe Sleeping Site Near Balboa Park (Times of San Diego)

There are approximately 370 residents staying in 320 tents at O Lot, near the Balboa Park Activity Center. As a precaution, intakes have been paused while the investigation is ongoing.

Family of Ashli Babbitt, Shot in Jan. 6 Capitol Attack, Files $30M Wrongful Death Lawsuit (Times of San Diego)

The family of Ashli Babbitt, the San Diego woman who was shot and killed during the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach, filed a $30 million wrongful death lawsuit Friday in San Diego federal court against the U.S. government.

Allegations: San Diego County retaliated after a second sexual harassment complaint against Nathan Fletcher (CBS 8)

A UCSD professor said her contract to provide services to the county was abruptly terminated after she reported allegations that Nathan Fletcher harassed a student.

A court knocked down Berkeley’s natural gas ban. That has San Diego area plans up in the air.  (MSN)

A court decision overturning a ban on natural gas installations in new homes and buildings in Berkeley is scrambling attempts by communities in the San Diego area that enacted similar ordinances or were considering them.

STATE

5 major candidates want to be California’s new US senator. Where they stand on the economy, crime and the border(KPBS)

The main contenders to become California’s new U.S. senator want voters to see them in a certain light…. But their ads, slogans and speeches offer only a glimpse into who they are, or what they have done — or plan to do — to tackle some of Californians’ most pressing concerns.  CalMatters sent each campaign a questionnaire and analyzed their records and stances on issues such as border, immigration, criminal justice, foreign policy, economy, labor and housing.

Schiff would abolish filibuster, end the Electoral College in his pro-democracy plan (Politico)

California Senate candidate and Congressmember Adam Schiff is calling for a major overhaul of American institutions, including getting rid of the Electoral College, expanding the Supreme Court and eliminating the filibuster.

Republican Steve Garvey has a chance to play spoiler in California’s Senate race (Cal Matters)

The contest to succeed the late Dianne Feinstein in the U.S. Senate had been a three-way duel among Democrats. However, a Republican, former baseball star Steve Garvey, could finish second in the March 5 primary.

Schiff takes narrow lead in Senate race; tight contest for second, new poll shows (L.A. Times)

 Rep. Katie Porter and former Dodgers star Steve Garvey are in a tight contest to see who will join Rep. Adam Schiff in the general election for a U.S. Senate seat.

Supreme Court will hear case about homeless encampments, with huge implications for California (KPBS)

The U.S. Supreme Court will weigh in on whether cities can legally ban or limit unhoused people camping in public spaces — a case that could grant California officials more power to sweep homeless camps.

'Daylighting' law aims to increase visibility at intersections. Will San Diego enforce it?  (KPBS)

Drivers in California are no longer allowed to park within 20 feet of most intersections and crosswalks under a new "daylighting" law that took effect on Jan. 1….  Cities cannot write parking tickets under AB 413 until 2025, unless the violation occurs where the curb is already painted red or where signage indicates parking is prohibited. But cities can issue warnings under the law throughout 2024.

New California law: putting pen to paper for required learning of cursive writing  (KPBS)

On Jan. 1, cursive writing became a state requirement for all California public school students in first through sixth grades.