DON’T LET YOUR HOLIDAY MEAL CREATE A COSTLY SPILL
Handle cooking oil and grease carefully all year round, but especially this time of year Editor’s note: This consumer advice provided by Otay Water District stikes an all-too-familiar chord, since our household once had drains back up after cooking up rich foods for a holiday party. Read below to learn how you can avoid this hassle. December 9, 2009 (Otay) –‘Tis the season to enjoy excellent holiday food. For homeowners and wastewater operators alike, however, the holiday season can be a troubling time of year. Potential trouble with household wastewater systems stems from pouring fat, oil and/or grease down the drain when cooking those holiday meals. Cooking oil is the number one cause of wastewater backups in homes, food service businesses, and public sewer systems. Once the grease cools and settles, it adheres to drains and sewer pipes like glue. As deposits buildup and harden, they can potentially create a serious blockage and cause a costly backup or sewer spill. For the homeowner, grease poured down the drain can result in a serious clog and an expensive repair bill that can spoil holiday festivities. As the grease makes its way into the public wastewater collection system, there is trouble for public sewer agencies as well. The grease residue builds-up in the wastewater collection system clogging sewer pipes and damaging pump station equipment. Here is a checklist of good practices to avoid spoiling your holiday season and help keep sewer costs and rates down: • NEVER put grease down your sink drain, toilet or garbage disposal! • NEVER discard oil in storm drains, creeks, or other water bodies. • Place used grease and cooking oils in a safe container and store it in the refrigerator to solidify. An empty soup can works well for everyday cooking; however for larger holiday meals you may want to save a coffee can to hold the grease. Discard the container in your household garbage the same day. • Meat fats such as drippings from chicken, turkey and beef, have the same impact on wastewater systems as cooking oil. Wipe excess grease from pots, pans, and utensils with a paper towel before washing. Handle grease carefully all year round, but especially this time of year. Remember: Don’t Let Your Holiday Meal Create a Costly Spill! The Otay Water District is a public agency distributing water to more than 195,000 customers within 125.5 square-miles of southeastern San Diego County, including the communities of Spring Valley, Jamul, La Presa, Rancho San Diego, eastern Chula Vista and Otay Mesa.
EDITORIAL: ANATOMY OF A HATCHET JOB
Councilwoman Betty Rexford has become the focus of a regular mob scene in Poway By Gerold Firl December 9, 2009 (Poway) –We don’t often get to witness an old-fashioned political hatchet job these days, especially out in plain sight. But it’s happening right now in the bucolic halls of urban Poway. The ugly lineaments of hardball dirty politics are flapping in the breeze for all to see. If you can stand the whiff of corruption hovering over this travesty, it’s well worth the time of any citizen who’s interesting in improving the state of American politics. This is how we shouldn’t run a government, and it’s the responsibility of every responsible voter to recognize these tactics. Normally, one doesn’t associate Poway with sleaze. But don’t confuse the excellence of the Poway school system with the mediocrity and corruption of city politics. Poway municipal finances have been buoyed for years by development fees boosted by sky-high real estate values. Those revenues previously covered a multitude of sins, but now they’re dropping, as Poway is virtually built-out. As the gravy train has throttled back, the incompetent bureaucrats who feed at the public trough are feeling peckish, and perhaps that explains the nasty turn they’ve taken. Councilwoman Betty Rexford has become the focus of a regular mob scene in Poway. It started when the other four council members took advantage of her absence from a City Council meeting (she was out of town with her son, who was dying of cancer) to throw her under the bus as an offering to their own political careers. They started by asking for her resignation. That cold-blooded cut was supposed to kill a couple of birds with a single cast: if they could take advantage of her weakened condition to intimidate her into resigning, then they would get to appoint her replacement. That appointee would then have the incumbents’ advantage in the upcoming 2010 elections. In Poway, incumbent Councilmembers are almost always re-elected. They’re like County Supervisors that way. Forcing Betty out allows them to pack the council with their own cronies, without the risk of an election. And elections are tricky. Every once in a while the voters will put inconvenient candidates in office. Safer if the council majority can pick a crony. But that wasn’t the only motive, and the City Councilmembers weren’t the only players in this nasty bit of mummery. Upon the recommendation of city attorney Lisa Foster and city manager Rod Gould, Poway had elected to settle a lawsuit with a couple of disgruntled residents who live in Rexford’s neighborhood. Those plaintiffs were actually the originators of the “Blame Betty” strategy. Their lawsuit named not only the city of Poway, but also Betty Rexford personally. The legal geniuses at City Hall realized they could use that same strategy to their advantage. By linking the settlement of the Basile/Cannon lawsuit to the call for Rexford’s resignation, the administration hoped to deflect attention away from wrongdoing by the city. Misdirection of this kind can be very effective, even though in this case there was no factual basis for the linkage. The complaints were directed at the Building Department, and Betty Rexford has no authority over the Building Department. Building is under the authority of City Manager Rod Gould, and Gould had already instructed his people to avoid communication with Rexford. Furthermore, Rexford had recused herself from Council meetings involving the complaints from her neighbors. Any wrongdoing on the part of Building and Planning is Gould’s responsibility, but scapegoating Betty proved to be good camouflage. If everything had gone according to plan, Betty would have already quit, and Councilmembers Boyack, Higgenson, Cunningham and Kruse would already have picked her replacement. But Betty didn’t quit. She didn’t believe she had done anything wrong, and was disinclined to cooperate with the whole sacrificial victim thing. She had never agreed to settle the lawsuit, preferring to take it to trial, but when the City decided to settle, the attorney for the Rexford’s homeowner insurance went along for the ride. It made sense for them; the City was liable for the lion’s share, about $400,000, but the Rexford’s insurance company got off for a mere $40,000. That’s a lot cheaper than even a short trial, so when Betty told them she didn’t want to settle, they told her she’d have to sue her own insurance company to compel them to contest the case. Case closed. So we see why the idea of a political hatchet job looked so attractive to the City Council and City Manager. Having Betty take the fall meant Rod Gould could avoid taking responsibility for the way his administration had mishandled this building permit dispute, and cost the city roughly half a million dollars. It also provided an opportunity for the City Council to get their hand-picked BFF [best friend forever] up on the bench with them. The only problem was, Betty Rexford just wouldn’t cooperate. She still wasn’t being a team player. At this point, the hatchet job was in arrears. Betty was still on the City Council, and showing no signs of leaving until her term ended in November 2010. In that election, anything could happen. Voters might elect another councilcritter who wasn’t a “team player”, who asked uncomfortable questions, maybe even someone who put the interests of ordinary citizens above Wal-Mart and the developers. Things were getting worrisome. It was time to crank up the pressure another notch. Enter Steve Vaus (aka “”Buck Howdy the Singing Cowboy”), who was just the man for the job. He became the frontman for RecallRexford.com. This passel of concerned citizens declared their intention to force a recall, but urged Betty to be a good sport and just quit, to save the citizens of Poway the expense of a special election. When she didn’t quit, they started gathering signatures. When she still refused to cave in, they started bringing speakers to the City Council meetings to insult and revile Mrs. Rexford during
COUNTY TO PROVIDE FREE CAR SEATS TO LOW INCOME FAMILIES
December 9, 2009 (San Diego)–Thanks to a $207,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) will improve child safety by offering vehicle protection education and providing 2,000 child car seats to low-income families. Funding for “Keep ‘Em Safe” comes from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “This is great news for San Diego County families,” said Chairwoman Dianne Jacob from the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors. “The safety seats will help save lives and reduce the rates of injury during a crash.” The “Keep “Em Safe” program will be implemented by HHSA’s local partner, the Pacific Safety Council, a non-profit, educational organization providing safety resources and child passenger safety education in San Diego County. The program promotes the safe transportation of children through a traffic safety education campaign providing a total of 132 safety presentations and 50 safety check-up events throughout the County of San Diego. At least 2,000 no-cost, child passenger safety seats will be provided to people in need through September, 2010. The goal of the campaign is to increase the proper use of child passenger safety seats and seat belt usage by families; provide safety presentations that include education on the proper installation and use of a child passenger restraint system for children of all ages; seatbelt usage air bag safety; the dangers of leaving children alone in the car, and awareness of SB 255 (Kaitlyn’s Law). According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, traffic crashes are the top cause of death among young children. In 2008, about 4 children ages 14 or younger were killed in motor vehicle crashes every day, and many more were injured, the CDC reported. The proper use of child safety seats, booster seats and buckling up will save children’s lives,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “Doing it right every trip, every day, will make it a habit they will carry into adulthood.” “Parents and caregivers can make a lifesaving difference by using age-appropriate, vehicle safety seats,” said HHSA Director Nick Macchione. “Whenever you’re on the road, make sure children are safe and secure, every trip, every time.” The County of San Diego and HHSA are strong supporters of programs that provide services on child passenger safety, particularly for low-income families who use safety vehicle seats at lower rates. HHSA’s Community Action Partnership (CAP) has been administering child safety programs for the last five years and this grant is the result of HHSA’s efforts to sustain programs that promote health and safety.
STORM KEEPS EMERGENCY RESPONDERS BUSTLING
December 8, 2009 (San Diego) – Yesterday’s storm kept emergency service providers busy responding to vehicle accidents, downed power lines and electrical outages around the County. San Diego Gas & Electric crews worked through the night to restore service to customers after heavy rains and winds knocked out power to 92,000 SDG&E customers in 24 hours. By 11:30 a.m., power had been restored to all but 1,772. Hardest hit areas include communities in East County, the center city area, and Borrego Springs. For updates on power outages, visit http://sdge.com/outages. You can also get outage updates on Twitter, @SDGE. SDG&E advises not to touch downed lines, which may be energized and dangerous. Freeing someone from energized power lines or equipment should be attempted only by a trained rescuer such as a firefighter, or by a qualified SDG&E employee. The storm also caused numerous traffic accidents. In Fallbrook, two people were seriously injured in a head-on collision on Highway 76, shutting down a roadway. In Ramona, a 37-year-old woman was injured while driving south on Mussey Grade Road, when a large oak tree fell onto her SUV, Cal Fire reports. Fallen trees also blocked traffic on Conrad Street in Casa de Oro and on Greenfield Drive in El Cajon. Snow blanketed mountain areas. In addition, four people were injured in Jamul, where a black Infinity vehicle struck a telephone pole on state Route 94 near Lyons Valley Road. The driver will face felony charges for driving under the influence, the Union-Tribune reported.
GAME OF THE WEEK – POINTERS HUNT DOWN COUGARS, FACE CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC AT STADIUM ON FRIDAY
by Christopher Mohr (SAN DIEGO) December 4 – The early trend of tonight’s game between the Steele Canyon Cougars and Point Loma Pointers suggested that a shootout was in the making. For much of the game, it seemed as if both teams would continue to trade touchdowns and the old adage that the last team having the ball would win this game might come true. Ultimately Point Loma’s running game took control and Steele Canyon was unable to respond, allowing the Pointers to go ahead late in the game and hold on for a 30-26 win. Strict playoff scheduling combined with the absence of lighting at Point Loma High School moved the game to Mt. Carmel High School. Both teams played for the right to go to Qualcomm Stadium to play in the Division III Championship on December 11th. The Cougars got on the board first on a 33-yard touchdown run by Alex Perlin on a fourth-and-one play. Steele Canyon had a short field to work with on this drive after Taylor Mishler recovered a fumble by Point Loma quarterback Keegan Fitzgerald at the Pointers’ 43-yard line. Point Loma responded with a 13-play drive that ended with a 15-yard run by Leslie Rogers, tying the game at seven. It was one of many big plays in the running game for Rogers. “The offensive line gave me a good look. I told them that if they open the holes I’ll hit them,” Rogers said about the success he had. He would finish the night with 114 yards on 19 carries. The seesaw battle continued when Steele Canyon’s Reece Dale broke free on a 42-yard touchdown run. He was in motion prior to the snap and took the handoff from Brad Boehmke before heading to the end zone untouched. This play must have caused some muttering among Point Loma fans for two reasons. First, it resembled one that the Pointers’ offense would run in their Wing-T offense. Second, if that was the case, the Pointers’ defense should have been able to stop Dale. Point Loma’s Davis Callejon blocked the point after attempt, so the score remained 13-7 in favor of the Cougars. Fitzgerald tied the game at 13 when he scored on a one-yard run. It capped off an eight play drive where every play was a running play. The point after attempt was blocked, keeping the score tied at 13. Point Loma temporarily disrupted the trend of trading points with Steele Canyon by stopping them on their next drive. Although Jake Wregg ran for 27 yards on the first play of the drive, the Cougars were unable to make much progress after that and were forced to punt. The Pointers took advantage of the opportunity with a solid drive that led to a 38-yard field goal by Ruben Diaz. It gave Point Loma a 16-13 lead at halftime. It’s conceivable that this disruption of trading points with Steele Canyon may have allowed Point Loma to eventually win the game. Callejon’s block of the point after attempt and Diaz’ field goal account for four points, which eventually became the margin of victory. These two plays combined with the Pointers’ defense denying Steele Canyon a scoring opportunity may have made this segment of the game the turning point for Point Loma. In the second half, both teams continued to trade scores. Perlin put the Cougars ahead with an 11-yard run that gave the Cougars a 20-16 lead. The Pointers took a different approach on their next possession. Instead of using the running game and ball control, they went for the big play. Fitzgerald found Callejon wide open on a 74-yard pass and catch play that went for a touchdown and gave Point Loma back the lead, 23-20. The drive only took four plays. “We basically set them up with a lot of run, a lot of run. Then when the play action came in, they bit hard,” Fitzgerald said about the play, “the X came over the top and it was wide open.” Steele Canyon continued the oneupmanship when Boehmke found Cody Simpson wide open on a pass play that went 71 yards for a touchdown. Once again Callejon blocked the point after attempt, but the Cougars had a 26-20 lead. The drive only took two plays. On the Pointers’ next possession, their running game took over. In fact it was so effective that all 13 of the plays on their next drive were running plays. Nine of these plays went to Fitzgerald or Rogers, but it was Morris Matthews who came up with the game winning score on a 12-yard run that gave Point Loma a 30-26 lead. The Cougars had a couple of chances to regain the lead, but could not get past a resurgent Point Loma defense. Their first drive of the fourth quarter progressed to the Pointers’ 28-yard line, but an intentional grounding penalty by Boehmke on third down moved the ball back to the 42-yard line and forced the Cougars to punt. On Steele Canyon’s next drive, the Pointers’ defense was even stingier as they took over on downs after four plays. Fitzgerald kneeled down three times to run out the clock and preserve the victory for the Pointers. Point Loma head coach Mike Hastings shared his toughts on the game: “Really happy for our kids. It’s been our goal to get back to Qualcomm and attempt to win the CIF Championship. We’ve taken one more step tonight towards our goal. It’s fun, it’s awesome! This is what high school football is all about. Steele Canyon was a great team, they played really hard. It went down to the bitter end there and it took a really good defensive stand by our kids to pull it out.” Returning to Qualcomm Stadium for the championship meant even more to Rogers than just a victory: “This is my
ARE YOU TOUGH ENOUGH TO WIN A MILLION BUCKS? TV’S “SURVIVOR” WILL HOLD AUDITIONS AT PAUMA CASINO DEC. 16
December 8, 2009 (Pauma) – Are you adventurous, in top physical and mental condition, and willing to live in a remote location for seven weeks without contact from the outside world? Can you outwit, outplay and outlast others to avoid being voted off the show? Can you handle living off the land, cut off from the outside world and filmed round the clock? If so, producers of the TV reality show “Survivor” may pick you to vie for a million dollar prize. Open auditions are being held December 16th at Pauma Casino in northeast San Diego County. Nationwide, about 800 applicants will be chosen for follow-up interviews at cities around the country, including Los Angeles in Southern California. The field will be narrowed to 16 semi-finalists, who must travel to Los Angeles for approximately a week. (Sorry, no candidates for public office may apply!) Applicants in California must be over 18 and citizens of the U.S. A background check, physical and psychological examinations will be required of all semi-finalists. A detailed application form, waivers and video are all part of the application process. Those chosen as semi-finalists must also have a passport. Applicants should submit a videotape of up to three minutes to persuade producers why you should be chosen for the show. Contestants will be selected based on having the following traits: strong-willed, outgoing, adventurous, physically and mentally adept, adaptable to new environments, as well as having interesting lifestyles, backgrounds and personalities. “Building shelter and finding food will be much more taxing than a trip to your local hardware store of supermarket,” producers advise, adding that contestants should be strong in mind and body to “cope with the extreme change ni environment and the tension of the competition. For details, rules and an application form, visit http://www.casinopauma.com/survivor.php.