FIRE AUTHORITIES MOP UP TWO SMALL BRUSH FIRES IN POWAY & LAKESIDE
Printer-friendly version August 6, 2009 (San Diego’s East County)1:45 p.m. – Two brush fires in Lakeside and Poway have been quickly contained. In Poway, a vegetation fire started at approximately noon today next to 15281 Hilltop Circle. “With assistance of the San Diego Fire Department, helicopters and us, we were qable to keep it at three acres,” Poway Fire Chief Mark Sanchez said. One structure was threatened, however no property damage or injuries occurred, he confirmed. “We are currently on scene doing mop-up." The forward spread of another fire has been stopped at Broken Wheel Road and Eucalyptus Drive near the community of Eucalyptus Hills in Lakeside. “The fire was dispatched at 11:11 and the cause is under investigation,” CAL-FIRE spokesperson Roxanne Provaznik reported. Five engines, two fire crews, two air tankers, a helicopter, a water tender, a bulldozer and a chief officer responded to the blaze, which was battled by CAL-FIRE and the Lakeside Fire Protection District. “Firefighters will remain on scene for an hour or so mopping up any remaining hotspots,” Provaznik said early this afternoon. Had either of these fires posed a regional threat, East County Magazine would have issued a wildfire alert via-email to our readers. To subscribe to our free wildfire and emergency alert service, click the “subscribe” button at the top of this page. Printer-friendly version
IDENTITY THEFT ALERT- YOU MAY BE AT RISK
Printer-friendly version By Peter Tworoger Identity theft can be devastating. The costs associated with identity theft have surpassed that of the drug trade. According to USA Today, the number of victims is expected to increase 20 fold over the next few years. Identity theft is not just about credit cards. The five types of identity theft are: DRIVERS LICENSE * SOCIAL SECURITY * MEDICAL * CHARACTER/CRIMINAL * FINANCIAL How can identity theft harm you—and what can you do to protect yourself, your family and your business from identity theft? INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES In San Diego, numerous articles have been on the front pages of newspapers as well as on the news. Bank accounts have been wiped out. In many cases, the theft has been accomplished by computer hackers overseas stealing money from our local bank accounts. In one case in San Diego, thieves emptied an elderly lady’s bank account in addition to her overdraft protection. The bank sued to collect the funds stolen from the overdraft account. A local hospital employee recently was convicted for selling medical records. When you show your drivers license or social security number for identification upon cashing a check or making a purchase with a credit card, each of your numbers are worth up to $150.00 to thieves. Dishonest clerks or cashiers who are able to memorize ten social security numbers or drivers license numbers/week can add an additional $ 1500.00/week to their income. Employers are required to obtain identification as part of the hiring process and unfortunately the identification could be yours or members of your family. Your information could be used by someone to obtain medical treatment. A newborn baby, for example, could be born under the influence of drugs. If you are a parent with a family and someone used your personal information at the hospital when the baby was born, Child Protective Services may attempt to take your children in the mistaken belief, they are in jeopardy. If a thief uses your identification, commits a crime in another State and does not show up for a Court date which you know nothing about, you could be arrested while driving with a broken tail light. At the time you are pulled over for the tail light violation, the officer will check for any other violations and may detain you. Thieves are now stealing children’s Social Security numbers and using them to obtain credit and make purchases. Did you know you can purchase a plan for less than $ 1.00/day that will provide you and your family with Identity Theft Restoration and Legal Protection? BUSINESSES Businesses are required to protect personal information. If personal information is lost, the business is required to restore the lost identity of anyone whose sensitive information the business was responsible for protecting. Under the Red Flags Rule employers have until November 1, 2009 to be in compliance or face fines and other penalties for loss of sensitive information. Many additional State and Federal laws have also been enacted. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) requires businesses to establish policies for prevention of loss of sensitive information as well as conduct employee training. To date no company that has taken proper action to prevent loss of sensitive information has been fined when losses have occurred. Many employers are now enhancing their benefit packages by offering identity theft legal plans. Peter Tworoger, the author of this article has been an East County resident for over 14 years. He is a Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist and has over 30 years management, HR and consulting experience. For information on how to protect you and your family or your business and your employees, Pete can be reached at: 619-840-5999 or 800-221-3319. Printer-friendly version
SAN DIEGO SELECTED AS TARGET MARKET FOR LARGEST TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIFICATION PROJECT IN U.S. HISTORY
Printer-friendly version U.S. Department of Energy Chooses ECOtality’s eTec to Implement Project: 1,000 Electric Cars to be Tested in San Diego County August 5, 2009 (San Diego) – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation (eTec) today announced that eTec, a leader in development of advanced transportation and energy systems, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to implement the largest transportation electrification project in U.S. history through a $99.8 million grant. eTec, a subsidiary of ECOtality, Inc. (OTCBB: ETLY), is partnering with Nissan North America to deploy up to 5,000 electric vehicles and establish charging infrastructure in five key markets, including San Diego, to develop, implement and study techniques for optimizing the effectiveness of charging infrastructure supporting widespread electric vehicle deployment. “By studying lessons learned from electric vehicle operations and the infrastructure supporting these first 5,000 vehicles, the project will enable the streamlined deployment of the next 5 million electric vehicles,” said Don Karner, president of eTec. “The U.S. Department of Energy has shown great foresight in funding a project that deploys the largest number of vehicles and infrastructure to make America electric vehicle ready.” SDG&E’s role will be to evaluate demand and energy impacts of electric vehicles on the electric grid, potential electric vehicle rate structures, smart grid interconnection requirements, distribution grid impacts of electric vehicle charging demand and provide consumer education. Local governments’ roles will be to streamline the charger installation process, identify locations for public charging infrastructure and to support non-charging infrastructure, such as first responder training. “Developing charging infrastructure is the critical link in making electric vehicles commercially viable,” said Debra L. Reed, president and chief executive officer of San Diego Gas & Electric. “This funding award means the San Diego region is one step closer to becoming “plug-in ready” and a national center for clean technology that will help achieve our nation’s goals of energy independence and reduced greenhouse-gas emissions. This project will foster new jobs and opportunities in the region as we become a pioneer launch for these advanced vehicles.” The proposed project will collect and analyze data characterizing vehicle use and charging patterns in diverse topographies and climate conditions, evaluate the effectiveness of charging infrastructure, and conduct trials of various revenue systems for public charge infrastructure. By testing and analyzing electric vehicle usage and charging patterns in a simulated mature charging environment, this project will foster the expansion of electric vehicle infrastructure that will eventually be available for widespread electric vehicle use throughout the country. The project is valued at approximately $199.6 million, as federal funding for the project will be matched by project participants. It is anticipated that more than 750 new jobs will be generated by the proposed project by 2012. In supporting the market launch of the Nissan’s LEAF zero-emission electric vehicle, it is expected that more than 5,500 new positions will be in place by 2017 as a direct result of the project. “Increasing the number of electric vehicles and charging stations fits with the SANDAG overall energy strategy for the region,” said Gary Gallegos, SANDAG Executive Director. “The strategy calls for adding cleaner fuels as well as cutting our dependence on foreign oil – electric cars will help us accomplish those goals.” “In support of ECOtality’s commitment to enhancing America’s energy independence, the proposed project will accelerate the market acceptance of electric transportation and support President Obama’s goals for job creation and electric vehicle deployment,” said Jonathan Read, president and chief executive officer, ECOtality. “We’re thrilled to enter the San Diego market and thank SDG&E, the San Diego Association of Governments, San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition, San Diego Miramar College, University of California-San Diego, and the Center for Sustainable Energy for their support and partnership in the proposal submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy.” Dependent upon contract negotiations, up to 1,000 Nissan electric vehicles will be deployed in San Diego and charging infrastructure will be installed at residential, commercial and public locations. Markets in four other states will each receive up to 1,000 vehicles. Those states include Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Tennessee. Markets were evaluated and chosen based on favorable regulatory environment, strong market demographics, climate differentials, topographies, and transportation patterns. Once eligible consumers join the pilot project, eTec residential charging equipment will be installed at the consumer’s home at no cost to the resident. It is estimated that each Nissan electric vehicle will save as much as 436 gallons of gasoline per year compared with a standard internal combustion engine sedan. For the entire fleet of 5,000 Nissan electric vehicles that will be deployed, the fuel savings are calculated to be as high as 2,180,000 gallons of gasoline (51,900 barrels) per year. For more information and to express interest in the newly unveiled Nissan LEAF zero-emission electric vehicle, visit http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car. SDG&E is a a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego. More detailed information about this announcement, including FAQs, is available at www.ecotality.com. Video and audio interviews are available for download at www.ecotality.com. Printer-friendly version
SEMPRA ENERGY REPORTS SECOND-QUARTER 2009 RESULTS’ SDG&E EARNINGS RISE 15%
Printer-friendly version SAN DIEGO, August 4, 2009 – Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) has reported second quarter 2009 earnings of $198 million, or $0.80 per diluted share, compared with second-quarter 2008 earnings of $244 million, or $0.98 per diluted share. Sempra Energy reaffirmed its previously announced 2009 earnings-per share guidance range of $4.35 to $4.60. Second-quarter 2009 results included an asset write-off of $64 million at Sempra Pipelines & Storage. In the second quarter 2009, earnings for San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) rose to $70 million from $61 million in last year’s second quarter, due primarily to higher operating margins. For the first six months of 2009, SDG&E generated earnings of $169 million, up from $135 million during the same period last year. “We are pleased that our performance through the first half of the year has been strong enough that we are able to reaffirm our 2009 earnings guidance,” said Donald E. Felsinger, chairman and chief executive officer of Sempra Energy. “We also continue to make progress in growing our natural gas infrastructure businesses. We reached two major operational milestones recently with the start-up of our second liquefied natural gas terminal and the eastern leg of the Rockies Express Pipeline.” Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2008 revenues of nearly $11 billion. Complete financial tables, including earnings information by business unit, are available on Sempra Energy’s Web site at http://www.sempra.com/downloads/2Q2009.pdf. Printer-friendly version