SNOW ON I-8 TRIGGERS ACCIDENTS, TRAFFIC ADVISORY
Printer-friendly version November 28, 2009 (Alpine) — A traffic advisory has been issued on I-8 east of Alpine to the San Diego County line, due to multiple minor injury traffic collisions related to weather conditions. A light snow is falling in the area, but is not sticking, Incident Page Network reports early this afternoon. In addition, the National Weather Service has issued a severe weather watch for East County mountains, valleys and deserts through late today due to stormy conditions. Printer-friendly version
RANCHO SAN DIEGO-JAMUL CHAMBER HOSTS ANNUAL HOLIDAY BREAKFAST & TOY DRIVE DEC. 11
Printer-friendly version November 28, 2009 (Rancho San Diego) – Rusty Nails, a.k. “The Executive Imposter” will entertain guests at the Rancho San Diego-Jamul Chamber of Commerce annual holiday breakfast. Festivities take place on Friday, December 11 at Peter Piper Pizza, 2983 Jamacha Road in El Cajon from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. This is the happiest and funniest event of the year,” said Valerie Harrison, president of the Chamber. “Comedian Rusty Nails, a.k.a. Russ Stolnack (photo, right), delights the audience with on-the-edge humor.” The Salvation Army Signers will also add to the morning’s entertainment. Guests are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy, preferably for a teenage girl or boy. In addition, please bring a favorite desert, holiday dish, or beverage to share for this potluck holiday event. New this year is a mini-expo for Chamber members to display services and products. The breakfast is open to all community members. Call 619-670-0244 for breakfast reservations. Printer-friendly version
POINSETTIA BOWL DEC. 23 AT QUALCOMM STADIUM: SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION IS TITLE SPONSOR OF EVENT TO BENEFIT MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION
Printer-friendly version November 28, 2009 (San Diego) — San Diego County Credit Union (SDCCU), with three local branch offices in El Cajon, La Mesa and Santee, has announced it has extended its title sponsorship of the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl through the 2010 game, with options for 2011 and 2012. Since the Poinsettia Bowl’s game inception in 2005, SDCCU has been the game’s title sponsor, and the Make-a-Wish Foundation of San Diego has been the game’s beneficiary. One dollar from every admission ticket sold goes directly to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. The 2009 game, to be played on Wednesday, Dec. 23, will feature a team from the Mountain West Conference against a member of the Pacific-10 Athletic Conference or Western Athletic Conference opponent. The game will be played at 5 p.m. at Qualcomm Stadium, and will be broadcast on ESPN-TV and ESPN Radio. For ticket information, visit www.PoinsettiaBowl.com. SDCCU (www.sdccu.com) is currently the nation’s only credit union to serve as a title sponsor of a college football bowl game. SDCCU is also San Diego’s largest locally based, full-service financial institution, supporting more than 75 non-profit organizations each year. SDCCU’s East County branches are located at 312 W. Main St. in El Cajon, 8555 Fletcher Parkway in La Mesa and 286 Town Center Parkway in Santee. Printer-friendly version
ROUGH WATER AHEAD? HELIX WATER BOARD VOTES FOR PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER NEW RATE HIKES
Printer-friendly version “Why can’t we charge people the right cost at the right time?” – Board member Kathleen Hedberg By Kristin Kjaero November 27, 2009 (La Mesa) – – On November 18, the Helix Water District Board dived into controversial waters, voting to hold a public hearing in June on a proposal to raise rates 12.6% effective July 10, 2010 plus an additional 7.5% effective July 1, 2011. The proposal triggered a heated discussion whether to hikes rates before the Board knows how much its water costs will be raised. Metropolitan Water District, from which the County Water Authority (and subsequently Helix) buys water, has said it will discuss raising its price when it meets in January to set its budget, but has not established the rate. Helix last raised rates a minimum 21% effective a little over two months ago, using a tiered structure it said was aimed at encouraging an 8% conservation target. Although the initial tiered structure proposed was softened, the public conserved more than anticipated, resulting in a budget gap for the District. The Board passed the schedule recommended by staff, in a staff report which listed several possible schedules and noted, “The data used to estimate the rates is very preliminary; the actual rate increase presented for approval will likely change based on actual wholesale water costs and the District’s proposed operating budget for next year.” La Mesa resident Dexter Levy, who spoke against raising rates before the District knows costs, pointed out that the last increase was also based on unknown anticipated costs. “Because we saved more water and Metropolitan did not increase costs as much as anticipated, we actually overpaid. They should not be charging us for something they haven’t been charged for,” Levy said. Levy’s family was active in the original formation of the District, and the R.M. Levy Treatment plant is named after his uncle. Mark Schuppert, President of Grossmont-Mt. Helix Improvement Association with 1,000 members, also spoke against both increasing rates in anticipation as well as the proposed timing. He handed out calculations he said show that, by starting the percent increase during the highest billing cycle of the year, it will result in the highest dollar increase to customers. “12% doesn’t sound as bad as 19%, but it does if you have to pay for it before getting the service,” Schuppert told East County Magazine. “There’s no downside for them. If they underestimate they can always increase, and if they overestimate, I don’t see them giving us a rebate.” After public testimony, a heated Board discussion ensued. Board Member Kathleen Hedberg said she could not in good conscience raise rates before knowing what their cost will be. "Unless we’re dead on on the estimate, we’re making a big mistake." She challenged her colleagues, “Why can’t we charge people the right cost at the right time?” Board Member John Linden vehemently disagreed, raising his voice that the only fiscally responsible course is to raise rates as soon as possible. Despite the earlier public testimony, Linden said that he did not see anyone there to object. "We know what the figures are. We have all the figures we need to make a good sound decision." Board Member Deanna Verbeke made the motion to support the schedule recommended by staff, with the addition to revisit it later. The vote passed 3-1, Linden, Smith and Verbeke for, Hedberg against, and Muse absent. “We’ll be interested in knowing what the actual increases are in March," Schuppert said. "At that point we’ll be interested in knowing, does this increase reflect the actual increase to them, or will it also include their own expenses such as pension and benefit packages? Because we conserved, will we have to pay a higher rate per gallon?” In his comments, General Manager Mark Weston concluded, "Water budgets are the next step. Over the next few months we’re going to be looking a lot more closely at it." Printer-friendly version
4th arrest made in Helix-area robberies
Printer-friendly version November 28, 2009 (La Mesa)–La Mesa Police have arrested a fourth individual, Johnny Stewart, a 20 year old man from La Mesa, in conjunction with a robbery that occured at Helix Charter High School on November 20. Stewart was arrested November 24 and has been charged with armed robbery; bail is set at $100,000. One adult and two juveniles were previously arrested for two street robberies that occurred on Friday, November 20, 2009 in La Mesa. The first robbery occurred in the 7600 block of Normal Avenue and the second robbery, where a handgun was used, occurred on the campus of Helix Charter High School. A 16 year old male from La Mesa was arrested on Saturday of last week. On Sunday a 17 year old male and Carl Coleman, 18 years old, both from La Mesa, turned themselves into the La Mesa Police. The two juveniles were placed in Juvenile Hall and Coleman was booked into County Jail, for two counts of robbery. The gun used in one of the robberies was not recovered. Printer-friendly version