READER’S EDITORIAL: COVER OF DARKNESS
"…The ACPG bent rules with both the Powerlink and High School Ad Hoc subcommittees that cost our community dearly." By Lou Russo, Alpine Planning Group Member June 29, 2011 (Alpine)–I began my tenure as an Alpine Community Planning Group (ACPG) member in 2007. In 2009, I resigned my seat for employment reasons, which took me out-of-state. Thankfully, my employer brought me back to our lovely community. When I left, it seemed our community was set to get a beautiful new full service high school and reasonable compensation/beautification for the Sunrise Powerlink project. I continued to hear that while I was gone. Upon returning, I learned we are likely not getting a high school and all we are getting are sidewalks and parking spaces for the millions in lost business revenues along Alpine Blvd, not to mention the daily dirt, noise, wasted time and general inconvenience to those transiting our main street. I also learned the ACPG bent rules with both the Powerlink and High School Ad Hoc subcommittees that cost our community dearly. In response, I felt compelled to run for re-election to the ACPG and was automatically appointed; there weren’t enough candidates for the number of open seats. I have since been investigating these two issues, only to be stonewalled at every corner. The chief architects of the stonewalling have been Chairman Greg Fox and George Barnett. What I have learned in spite of the stonewalling? All of Alpine should know that the former Chairman of the PowerLink AdHoc, Mr. Barnett, and the ACPG used the cover of darkness, e.g. the Ad Hoc subcommittee rules, to avoid having the citizens of Alpine involved in the PowerLink project by having secret meetings and presenting the citizens with fiat correspondence. What a horrible disservice that Mr. Barnett would choose to not blanket our community with information on something as impacting as this. There was no transparency into the Ad Hoc as they met in secret, by his own admission, before or after the regular ACPG meetings. There were no agendas, no minutes, no public input, just the “outcome” of the meetings; a letter here and there. We, the public, have no idea how their decisions were arrived at, who had input into those letters or even if there was input. Only the Ad Hoc members had any input into whether simply writing a letter was even the proper approach! All we have are the statements of the former chairman that he met with the other members of the AdHoc. Was there impropriety? We don’t know. Were they hiding something? Again, we don’t know. Common sense says that if they weren’t, they had a funny way of showing it. In a letter to the Sun, Barnett stated: "… approval power over the Sunrise Powerlink project lies entirely with the CPUC, a state agency with its own power and authorities; not at all with the County of San Diego from which the APG garners its influence." Barnett’s statement that the CPUC was the sole arbiter of the SPL route is true, however, his statement implying that the public had no say is an outrageous lie. (If he really believed this, why would he have the chairmanship of an Ad Hoc with no power for three years and why would so many others on the ACPG, including Chairman Fox, clamber to be on it? Have you ever heard of any politician wanting to spend three years in a powerless endeavor?) The fact is that the northern route of the SPL was abandoned largely due to the pressure applied by those living in those areas. To this date, signs still litter the Warner Springs area saying "No to the SPL". If Alpiners had been more aware of what was transpiring in the subcommittee meetings, perhaps the public could have forced the CPUC to move the link around our city. We will never know. In the event that we, as a community, were unable to change the route, we should have negotiated a much better deal for Alpine. Alpine is set to receive $10 million in revitalization of Alpine Blvd on a $1.9 billion project. (That’s ½ of 1% .) Putting a severe financial hardship on most businesses along Alpine Blvd, while we are in one of the worst recessions in 40 years, and driving several businesses to close, for sidewalks and curbs is absurd. The ACPG should have negotiated something much better. In my time in Alpine I have NEVER heard a citizen say, “Gee, we really need sidewalks and curbs.” I have heard many other things, such as the need for active parks for our children. Was there any thought to asking SPL to help us with our high school? How about sports fields and/or a pool? No, what the PowerLink Ad Hoc got us for our trouble, not to mention those in eastern Alpine who have to look at the towers for the rest of their lives, was curbs and sidewalks. Bottom line, with no minutes from the former ACPG PowerLink Ad Hoc, the public has no accounting of what occurred on an issue that is so vital to our community and has irreparably damaged many businesses and our views. In an era wherein transparency from politicians has been demanded over and over again, the members of the PowerLink Ad Hoc insisted on blind faith from our community. None of us should be surprised the same thing happened with the ACPG High School Ad Hoc in that three of the members of the PowerLink Ad Hoc, Mr. Fox, Mr. Barnett and Mr. Tuchman were either the sole member of the high school Ad Hoc (Mr. Fox) or deeply involved members of the now nearly defunct Alpine High School Citizens Committee. Both of these Ad Hoc’s refused to let you, the citizens, partake in their decisions. They made the decisions for you and we see the results. One
EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: JUNE 29, 2011
June 29, 2011 (San Diego’s East County)—East County Roundup highlights top news stories of interest to East County and our region, published in other media. Latest Roundup headlines include: • Big Supreme Court win for Indian tribes (San Diego Union-Tribune) • Democrats pass austerity budget (Los Angeles Times) • Study: strawberries offer many health benefits (10 News) • City school board lays off hundreds (San Diego Union-Tribune) • A battle over charter school freedoms (Voice of San Diego) • Council delays decision on sound wall for La Mesa Meadows (La Mesa Patch) BIG SUPREME COURT WIN FOR INDIAN TRIBES Court lets stand earlier ruling stating that state can’t require payments June 27, 2011 (San Diego Union-Tribune) — The U.S. Supreme Court Monday sided with a North San Diego County Indian tribe that had challenged the state’s bid to exact money from casinos in return for permission to add slot machines. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jun/27/big-supreme-court-win-for-indian-casino/ DEMOCRATS PASS AUSTERITY BUDGET Universities, courts and the poor would be among those losing funding in the new California budget. Officials admit the plan would not restore the state to fiscal health. June 29, 2011 (Los Angeles Times)– The Legislature passed an austerity budget Tuesday night that would cut from universities, courts and the poor, shutter 70 parks and threaten schools but would not — by officials’ own admission — restore California’s long-term financial health. The UC and Cal State systems would face about a 23% funding cut, among the steepest in the proposal. Cash grants for the needy would fall, a program to help thousands of teen mothers get an education would be suspended and hundreds of millions of dollars would be siphoned from mental health programs. The state park closures would be the first ever. Courts would face what the state’s chief justice has described as crippling reductions. In an optimistic forecast, lawmakers built in an extra $4 billion of revenue. If all that cash does not materialize, K-12 schools — which had so far survived negotiations relatively unscathed — would face a cutback equal to shortening the academic year by seven days. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-state-budget-20110629,0,1794731.story LAWMAKERS CLOSE DEFICIT ON ROSY PREDICTIONS June 28, 2011 (Sacramento Bee/AP)– Exercising their new majority-vote authority, California Democrats on Tuesday closed the remainder of what had been a gaping budget deficit by relying on a combination of deep spending cuts, optimistic revenue projections and new fees that are sure to be challenged in court. http://www.sacbee.com/2011/06/28/3734493/calif-lawmakers-begin-passing.html#ixzz1Qe2SWTUc STUDY: STRAWBERRIES OFFER MANY HEALTH BENEFITS Fisetin In Strawberries Helps Fight Juvenile Diabetes, Protects Neurons In Brain June 28, 2011 (10 News)–Strawberries are similar to blueberries and red wine in having multiple health benefits, thanks to a compound called fisetin, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies reported on Monday. http://www.10news.com/news/28377706/detail.html CITY SCHOOL BOARD LAYS OFF HUNDREDS June 27, 2011 (San Diego Union-Tribune)– Amid confusion over the state’s finances, the San Diego school board on Tuesday adopted a $1.04 billion budget — a grim spending plan that calls for the elimination of more than 750 teaching jobs, and 600 other positions. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jun/28/sd-school-board-approves-budget-cuts-layoffs/ A BATTLE OVER CHARTER SCHOOL FREEDOMS June 28, 2011 (Voice of San Diego)–A raft of state bills would add new rules and regulations for California charter schools, setting up a showdown over just how far charters’ famed freedoms will go. The bills span a wide spread of subjects, from worker rights to conflicts of interest to classroom intercoms, but they have reignited the same age-old debate over freedoms between charter schools and their critics in unions and school boards. State legislators have pushed for more restrictions on charters for many reasons: Some lawmakers were spurred to act by charter school scandals. Others want school districts to have more leeway to say no before a faulty charter opens. One argued that charter school admission rules were screening out students who might perform badly. And one wanted more rights for charter school workers. http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/education/schooled/article_9bcc0dae-a1e9-11e0-afa2-001cc4c03286.html COUNCIL DELAYS DECISION ON SOUND WALL FOR LA MESA MEADOWS HOUSING TRACT June 28, 2011 (La Mesa Patch)– The Garfield area sound wall is still up in the air. A 90-minute hearing Tuesday night ended with the City Council voting 5-0 to delay a decision on keeping a planned sound barrier next to state Route 125 in southeast La Mesa. Mayor Art Madrid proposed the hearing be continued for 30 days and encouraged residents to meet with Reynolds, saying: “Compromise is neither illegal, fattening or immoral.” http://lamesa.patch.com/articles/council-delays-decision-on-la-mesa-meadows-sound-wall
SUSPECT ARRESTED IN ROBBERY OF BANK CUSTOMER IN EL CAJON
June 28, 2011 (El Cajon) –On Thursday, June 23rd, 2011 at approximately 11:00 a.m., the victim was exiting the Wells Fargo Bank at 250 N. Second, El Cajon after just making a deposit when the suspect approached. The suspect physically assulted him, grabbed the victim’s bank deposit bag, and fled on foot. The victim did not sustain any injury. As units began saturating the area and contacting witnesses, they were informed of a subject matching the suspect discription seen checking doors to parked vehicles a short distance away, in the 200 block of Shady Lane. Officers immediately began checking parked cars on the street where witnesses reported last seeing the possible suspect. Officers observed a subject matching the suspect description, hiding in the back seat on the floor board of a parked car. Officers contacted the subject in the vehicle and found evidence that linked him to the robbery and ultimately lead to his arrest. The name of the suspect is temporarily being withheld as detectives conduct further information.