TRUNK-OR-TREAT & CAR SHOW OCT. 28 IN EL CAJON: FREE TREATS & PRIZES FOR BEST-DRESSED CAR
Printer-friendly version October 22, 2009 (El Cajon)–The public is invited to the annual Cajon Classic Cruise Halloween Car Show, Costume Contest & Downtown “Trunk or Treat” event on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm in Downtown El Cajon. Admission and parking are free. Main Street will be closed to traffic in order to accommodate the cars and spectators. Downtown businesses will host a “Trick or Treat” and car owners will host a “Trunk or Treat,” offering candy and treats from the trunks of their parked vehicles. Treat bags will be provided by the El Cajon CDC, so stop by the CDC booth to pick yours up before trunk or treating. Businesses and cars will be decorated in a Halloween theme, and everyone is encouraged to come in costume. Other activities will include both adult and children’s costume contest, and a Best Dressed Car contest. That’s right, dress your car up in Halloween décor or any décor of your choice, and compete for the best dressed car! Presented by the El Cajon Community Development Corporation, the annual Halloween event attracts several hundred classic, custom and hot rod cars, in addition to thousands of spectators. The free event is centered on East Main Street at Prescott Promenade, just east of intersection of Main & Magnolia in the heart of Downtown El Cajon. Spreading out over several blocks, spectators stroll El Cajon’s booming Historic Downtown District while enjoying the cars, the action, restaurants, street vendors, food, DJs, and live entertainment presented amid a vibrant small town atmosphere. For more information, call the El Cajon CDC at (619) 401-8858, or visit the on-line events directory at www.downtownelcajon.com. Printer-friendly version
GROSSMONT COLLEGE FOUNDATION GALA SAT. OCT. 24: FUNDS HELP STUDENTS & EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Printer-friendly version October 22, 2009 (El Cajon) – In this era of budget cutbacks, community colleges are struggling to accommodate more students on less money. You can help by attending the Grosssmont College Foundation’s eight annual gala this Saturday, October 24th, at the Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino. The Foundation raises funds to support Grossmont College students and educational programs. The public is invited to attend the gala, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a reception and silent auction, followed by dinner starting at 7 p.m., live auction and live entertainment by student performers. More than 130 auction items will be available to the highest bidder. The 2009 theme is “Reaching New Heights With You.” The theme reflects the college’s partnership with the community that assists in the college’s efforts to reach “new heights” in educational excellence, workforce training, scholarship programs and an endless array of new opportunities for students, according to Ernest Ewin, Grossmont College Foundation executive director. The Grossmont College Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that directly supports Grossmont College students, faculty and staff through scholarships, educational equipment and supplies, facilities and education programs. Printer-friendly version
HEROIN DEALER BUSTED IN LA MESA
Printer-friendly version October 21 (La Mesa) — On October 20, La Mesa Police Department’s Special Enforcement Detail (SED) arrested a man for possessing heroin for sale, growing marijuana, and possession of guns relating to narcotics. Mathew McKinney, 25 years old, was arrested after police received several tips from concerned citizens that there were possible narcotics sales occurring from the apartment complex at 7506 Parkway Drive. SED identified McKinney and developed probable cause to arrest him for possession for sale of heroin. A search warrant was obtained for the suspect’s apartment and a total of 25 grams of heroin, 10 marijuana plants, several thousand dollars, a loaded shotgun, and one loaded handgun were found in the apartment. McKinney was booked into County Jail for possession for sale of heroin, cultivation of marijuana, and possession of drugs while possessing a firearm. His bail was set at $65,000.00. Printer-friendly version
HALLOWEEN PET COSTUME CONTEST, K-9 SHOW, LOW-COST MICROCHIPPING & VACCINES AT EL CAJON ANIMAL SHELTER OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY, OCT. 25
Printer-friendly version October 22, 2009 (El Cajon) – Here’s the purr-fect event to bring your pet—or find a pet if you don’t already own one. The Third Annual Animal Shelter Open House this Sunday, October 25th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The shelter is located at 1275 North Marshall Avenue in El Cajon and admission is free. Games, food, prizes, clowns and a miniature horse are among the attractions—along with an animal Halloween costume contest at 1 p.m. Micro chipping and rabies vaccines will be available for $15 and $6. Licensing will be offered and late fees will be waived during this event. You can also adopt a dog or cat. In addition, guests will have the opportunity to tour the shelter, watch a Police K-9 demonstration, and view a dog obedience demonstration. SNAP, the spay and neuter scooter bus, will also be there. Bring a new or gently used clean blanket or bath rug to donate to the shelter, and receive a free hot dog. The El Cajon Kiwanis club will be selling hot dogs, sodas, and water. This event is hosted by the El Cajon Animal Center for Education and Services Foundation (ACES). El Cajon ACES Foundation is a private non-profit 501(c)(3) community organization, whose mission is to support the El Cajon Animal Shelter by raising money to enhance medical care, encourage animal adoptions, and promote public education about the proper care of animals. For more information please call (619) 447-3535, or visit online at www.acesfoundation.org. Printer-friendly version
CONTROLLING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS OR LAND USE AUTHORITY…WHAT IS THE REAL POWER OF SB 375?
Printer-friendly version By E.A. Barrera "This legislation constitutes the most sweeping revision of land use policies since Governor Ronald Reagan signed the California Environmental Quality Act." –Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, September 30, 2008. "This fundamentally changes the way we think about growth…It does not reduce growth. I think growth is inevitable and a good thing. But it will allow California to grow in ways that are sustainable for our environment." –State Senator Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), author of SB-375 October 21, 2009 (San Diego)–The State of California wants you to drive less and live closer to work. But who will be the last word on how this happen? That is the big question. California State Senate Bill 375 – the sweeping anti-Green House Gas Emissions legislation signed last September by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger – may mean a future of fewer automobiles on California’s roadways, and future development projects creating tighter-spaced, dense communities tied to public transit. It could also mean more court battles over future land use, with the question of who is really in charge less clear. The California State Air Resources Board (SARB) is scheduled to finalize its greenhouse gas reduction targets by September 30, 2010. San Diego was chosen as the first region in the state to begin work on achieving the goals of the bill. SB-375 specifically names the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) as the lead regional agency to develop a plan for implementing its guidelines. SANDAG board member and former chair Mary Sessom, noted SANDAG initially opposed the bill, but is now supportive. "There was no support originally from SANDAG," said Sessom, who currently serves as Mayor of Lemon Grove. "But we are now committed to making it work. Anything that can help us take control of growth and traffic is a good idea." But within this next year, the real question could be who ends up with the power to make land use decisions–and what real changes, if any, will take place in land use planning to lower the amount of carbon dioxide entering into the California atmosphere. The bill requires SARB to work "in consultation" with local governments and agencies, and provide greenhouse gas emission reduction targets – specifically automobiles and light trucks – by 2020 and 2035. SB-375’s primary goal is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles over the course of the next several decades. State Senate Majority Leader Darrell Steinberg’s bill says that transportation vehicles – planes, trains and especially automobiles – are the single largest contributor of greenhouse gases. The bill states automobiles and light trucks alone account for 50 percent of air pollution in California and 70 percent of its consumption of petroleum. According to SARB, in 1990 automobiles and light trucks contributed 108 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions into California’s atmosphere. By 2004 these emissions had increased to 135 million metric tons. SARB said technological advances in engine and fuel designs could help some of the problem, but reduction in over all driving was critical to reducing greenhouse gas pollution. "The goals are laudable, and the policy is accurate in that it is better to try to link transportation with future land use planning. But the real question is how will the public react?" noted Shawn Shamlou, project manager for Encinitas-based Dudek Engineering, an environmental and engineering consulting firm. "Are people really ready for more density?" The politically problematic issue of increasing densities in local neighborhoods is where SB-375 could muddy questions over who controls growth. The bill provides a process for the courts to stop any development project if “the project’s applicant or any interested person” brings a lawsuit against the project due to a lack of compliance with the bill. “We have 18 sprawl-based communities in this county connected by a series of freeways that only increase traffic,” noted Save Our Forests and Ranchlands (SOFAR) president Duncan McFetridge, who spearheaded lawsuits against the county in the mid 1990s. “None of the politicians in those communities want to consider the effects sprawl and pollution from car traffic have on the region as a whole. SB-375 was a start in the right direction … it has flaws and it’s not the whole picture, but it begins the process of San Diego thinking regionally," said McFetridge. The bill would allow a court to force a local government to rezone land in order to comply with SB-375. A court could halt any project indefinitely if it did not meet the goals of the bill. Meanwhile, a developer whose project was halted do to the court’s actions could sue the local government for the costs of delay. "What strikes me …is that if anything happens it is always the County that pays,” said San Diego trial attorney Clinton Rooney, referring to a local government’s responsibility for approving a development project. “If the County fails to re-zone, the County pays. If the County approves a project and the Court finds that they shouldn’t have, then the County still pays. Either way, the County, and thus local tax-payers, would be left holding the bag no matter what," added Rooney. Rooney said this provision of SB-375 gave developers an incentive to do whatever was needed to get an initial approval and break ground as soon as possible. “If there was a failure to re-zone, the developer is protected as long as the area was slated to be re-zoned. If the area was not slated to be re-zoned, the project is improperly approved and someone actually sues … and the County loses, the developer can still go after the County to recover his or her money," noted Rooney. San Diego’s battles over sprawl and land use have become legendary, with the County Board of Supervisors often pitted against environmental watch-dog groups such as SOFAR. In 1995 SOFAR took the Supervisors to court over a rezoning plan for 191,000 acres in San Diego’s unincorporated backcountry. Judge Judith McConnell, who now serves on the California Court of Appeals, was the presiding judge
HATE GROUP’S PROTESTS BACKFIRE IN SAN DIEGO
Printer-friendly version October 21, 2009 (San Diego) – Members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketed outside local schools during the past week, bearing messages of hate directed towards Jews, gays, and the military. Designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Westboro has gained notoriety for indoctrinating children into a cult-like web of hate (photo, left, child displays hate messages). In San Diego, however, a handful of Westboro protesters were vastly outnumbered by hundreds of counter-protesters bearing messages of tolerance and peace; no local residents joined the protesters, according to news reports. A gay rights group, meanwhile, invited supporters to pledge donations for every minute of the Westboro protest. “The Phelps-A-Thon” was a huge success,” states the website Phelps-A-Thon.com/sandiego.html. “We raised over $500,” the site said, adding that organizers plan to send Phelps a card thanking him for helping them raise money for gay and lesbian equality. (Funds will be split between San Diego High School gay/straight alliance and the San Diego chapter of GLSEN. At Beth Jacobs Congregation Orthodox synagogue in the College area, Jewish schoolchildren were exposed to signs with blatantly anti-Semitic messages, while young children wore T-shirts that read “God Hates Fags.” Adults from the Kansas-based Westboro group carried anti-American messages such as “America is Doomed” as well as messages stating the Jesus killed Jews and “You will eat your babies,” a message as inexplicable as it is grisly. “Their parents put them into a hatred of everything; they cannot see things fairly when they grow up,” Elizabeth Choy wrote in a letter to East County Magazine. “The parents in San Diego should take this opportunity to teach their children to accept different opinions whether they support it or not.” Some targeted organizations sought to keep a low profile, believing that giving Phelps further publicity would only encourage him to plan more protests. But others opted to react by staging counter-protests to negate the group’s hate-drenched messages. The group targeted primarily Jewish schools and organizations. But at San Diego High School, many did just that. A handful of Westboro protesters were drowned out by hundreds who staged a peaceful protest, chanting messages of love and tolerance. Westboro had targeted San Diego High School because the group claimed the school’s policies promote homosexuality. A similar scenario occurred outside the Rock Church in Point Loma, where a CNN reporter shot video of protesters and counter-protesters. “Clearly, courage and righteousness is not only found in the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan,” blogger Yobie Benhamin wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle’s website, speaking of the San Diego protest. “What we have here are true American heroes—U.S. Marines, religious leaders and just plain folks taking a stand against hate,” bogger Yobie Benhamin wrote on the San Francisco Chronicle’s website, speaking about the San Diego protest. “Clearly, courage and righteousness is not only found in the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.” Benhamin found the groups use of “brainwashed children” disturbing. But he concluded, “I hope one day the kids in Morrow’s film grow up to discover for themselves that they were victims of a twisted brainwashing cult and that the messages on their posters were a mistake…a big mistake.” Printer-friendly version