APPEALS FILED OVER OCOTILLO WIND PROJECT
By Mia Myklebust April 10, 2012 (Ocotillo)—At least three appeals have been filed over the Imperial County Planning Group’s approval of the Ocotillo Express wind project. The appeals seek to have the Imperial Valley Board of Supervisors review the decision. Appeals filed by yesterday’s deadline include the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, California Environmental Law Project, and Boulevard Planning Group Chair Donna Tisdale. Robert Scheid, media relations spokesman for Viejas, said that so far, complaints about the project have not been taken seriously, but he is hopeful that filing a formal appeal will result in greater consideration for the tribe’s concerns. Scheid added that the Planning Commission didn’t seem to give even a nod of recognition to the neighbor’s or tribal concerns. “Hopefully the county board of supervisors will give this more consideration than Pattern Energy, BLM [Bureau of Land Management] and the planningcommittee gave it,” said Scheid. Viejas has previously voiced concerns over impacts on cultural resources including sacred sites, geoglyphs and artifacts. The California Environmental Law Project cites a number of specific problems with the project. The group’s official appeal states that the proposed wind project is not permissible with zoning and not consistent with Imperial County’s General Plan, including open space requirements. The group also contends that a height variance granted is invalid and that the proposed project failed to adequately address noise concerns in addition to failing to consider reasonable alternatives, such as distributed solar generation. The group also called for the preparation of a supplemental Environmental Impact Report due to new information released on Bighorn Sheep and Swainson’s Hawk in the area. In addition, the appeal raised serious questions over seismic safety. The group’s lawyer, Lisa Belenky, said, “All the assurances about the location of the project in relation to the Elsinore fault are substantially inaccurate and potential impacts discussions need to be altered accordingly. See FEIS Figure 2.1-6. The FEIR at §4.11-40 states that the `applicant shall not locate project facilities on or immediately adjacent to a fault trace.’ As shown in Exhibits A and B, many of the project wind turbines are located near or on faults.” Pattern Energy has flatly refused to discuss seismic issues and public safety concerns with ECM. The Imperial County Board of Supervisors has scheduled a hearing on the appeals for Tuesday, April 24 at 10:45 a.m. at the County Administration Building, 2nd floor.
STOLEN INNOCENCE: HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY
"Imagine yourself, 8-years-old, stripped naked, on the ground, on the bathroom floor, chained, crying for your mommy." – Angela, Survivor Story and photos by Ron Logan April 9, 2012 (San Diego) – If you believe that human trafficking is not a problem in San Diego County – you would be wrong. Very wrong. Human trafficking is happening right now, across our region, even as you read this. And it is happening on our front porch. The FBI has identified America’s Finest City as a high intensity child prostitution area and a gateway to international sex trafficking. In fact, it is one of the top 13 cities in the nation with the highest incidence of child prostitution. It is happening everywhere. On Hotel Circle. On El Cajon Boulevard. On Main Street near the 32nd Street Naval Base. On Main Street in El Cajon. In National City. In Vista. In Spring Valley. And in many other locales. In fact, you probably drive and walk past victims of human trafficking in your neighborhood every day–and you don’t even know it. On Saturday, April 7, human trafficking was the focus of a local awareness event and day of action. It was organized and presented by the Radical Feminists of Occupy San Diego. It began with a march from 30th Street and El Cajon Boulevard, continued down "the blade" (El Cajon Boulevard), and culminated at the bus stop at 40th Street where guest speakers discussed different aspects of the problem that affects our local residents and our children. The most riveting speech was delivered by a young woman – a survivor of human trafficking. It was her story that compelled me to write this article. Human trafficking is, depending on the source, the second or third most profitable criminal activity in the world. It is an estimated $9 billion dollar per year industry. According to event organizer CM of the Radical Feminists of Occupy San Diego, the term "human trafficking" pertains to the use of human beings as a commodity for the profit of others, a modern day form of slavery. Total profits from human trafficking are around $44 billion. Currently there is an estimated 27 million people trapped in slavery around the world and 13 million of them are children. Human trafficking includes forced labor, forced servitude, forced sexual exploitation, human organ sales and illegal adoptions. CM states that every day there are more than 1.3 million teens who are homeless or runaways and who are vulnerable to sex exploitation. Data from the Family Justice Center in San Diego (www.sandiego.gov/sandiegofamilyjusticecenter) suggests that approximately 45,000 people are trafficked into the United States every year. Right here in the U.S., over 150,000 young American men and women are subjected to commercial sex exploitation every year. The average age of victims first being trafficked is 11 years old [no, that is not a typo]. 70 percent of human trafficking victims are women, 40 percent are children. Sex slaves may service as many as 130 clients per week. In San Diego county, there are between 15,000 to 20,000 children on the street at any given time. One out of three teens on the street are lured towards prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home. The average jail time for traffickers is three to eight years – 50 percent will only serve only half their sentence after “good behavior.” "It is so difficult to understand the magnitude of this problem," said event host Mitchell Sterling of Occupy San Diego. "Our children’s lives are being devastated, and their dreams are being stolen. When you hear the personal accounts from survivors of the sexual, physical, and emotional abuse they endure it makes me cry, and then it makes me angry and makes me want to redouble my efforts to doing everything necessary to bring an end to human trafficking." "Not many people understand or really believe that an idea like human trafficking exists, especially in a city like San Diego, but it does." said Marla Laguardia, Traffic Coordinator for Af3irm San Diego. (www.af3irm.org) "And that’s why we’re here today. We’re here to create that kind of awareness." "At this moment human trafficking is going on," said Enrique Morones, Founder of Border Angels (www.borderangels.org). "At this moment, somebody, against their will, is being forced to have sex with another human being, and this horrible, horrible situation is happening all over the world… a lot of this is based on the demand, and that demand comes from the United States." Morones is a recipient of the coveted Othli Award and is recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Latinos in the United States. "There is not a boulevard in San Diego that has more of a history of prostitution than El Cajon Boulevard…" stated Morones. "This boulevard is notorious." "It’s important that we speak out," he continued. "It’s important that we have these kinds of actions… and the only way we are going to make change is by reaching out to someone, telling them we are there for them, that we love them, we care for them." Anne Hoilberg of the Women’s Museum of California (www.womensmuseumca.org) recalled something she read in the Union-Tribune in 1996. Hoilberg stated, "It mentioned that a million children were currently working as prostitutes every night throughout the world. I said, ‘What? A million children working every night as prostitutes?’" In 2012, that number is now over 2 million. How did we get into this debacle? Well, if we examine the sex trade problem using an historical perspective, many of the sex trade problems of today were our own doing. Much of the world sex trade was formed to service the United States military while at home and abroad. "It goes back thousands of years…" said Hoilberg. "During World War II, 200,000 women were kidnapped and served as sex slaves for the Japanese military." The supply follows demand. She continued, "Of course,
FREE CONFERENCE: AGING, COPING AND HEALTH CARE PLANNING, APRIL 18
April 10, 2012 (La Mesa) — Sharp Grossmont Hospital’s Senior Resource Center and Sharp HospiceCare host a free conference for seniors geared toward future health care planning and communicating wishes with family and friends. The event includes presentations from health experts and community resources featuring health and senior service agencies. Program topics and speakers include: The ABC’s of Healthcare Margaret Elizondo, MD, Sharp HospiceCare Making Your Wishes Known: The Importance of Health Care Planning John Tastad, Advance Care Planning Coordinator, Sharp HospiceCare Estate Planning in a Time of Uncertainty Norm Timmins, Gift and Estate Planning Director, Grossmont Hospital Foundation Community Resources for Seniors Andrea Holmberg, Program Coordinator, Senior Resource Center, Sharp Grossmont Hospital This free event takes place on Wednesday, April 18, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Drive, La Mesa 91942. Complimentary continental breakfast and hosted lunch by Grossmont Gardens will be provided. Please register at 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277), or visit www.sharp.com/grossmont.
SEARCH ON FOR LOST HIKER MISSING SINCE SUNDAY AT CAVES IN ANZA-BORREGO
April 10, 2012 (Anza-Borrego)—updated April 11, 2012–An intensive search continues for Guillermo Pino, 26, a hiker last seen Sunday, April 8 at noon at the Arroyo Tapiado mud caves in Anza-Borrego State Park’s rugged badlands area. “He went with a group of campers to the mud caves. It was his first time out there,” Lt. Jeff Maxin with the San Diego Sheriff’s office told East County Magazine. Pino told family and friends that he was going hiking and was last seen walking barefoot toward the caves’ entrance. “That’s consistent with hiking these caves,” said Lt. Maxin, adding that the missing man was wearing a red shirt and blue jeans when he disappeared. Concerns for the missing man are mounting after two nights of chilly nighttime temperatures. According to Lt. Maxin, Pino was not carrying any food or water. He did not have a cellphone or a flashlight. In addition to San Diego Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team headed by Sgt. Don Parker, including two dogs, the U.S. Border Patrol is assisting with “very specialized ground trackers,” Lt. Maxin confirmed. In addition, a specialized San Bernadino “cave team” has been called in, along with Riverside Sheriff’s search and rescue team. Other agencies now participating in the search include the Borrego Sheriff’s Substation, REd Cross, San Diego Mountain Rescue, Sycuan Fire Dept., Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, Riverside County Sheriff’s Serach and Rescue, San Bernadino Sher’ffs Search and Rescue, State Parks, and BORSTAR (Border Patrol Search, Trauma Rescue Unit). San Diego Sheriff’s ASTREA has been helping in the search, weather permitting. View a YouTube video of the mud caves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydq2izwR1Ow
SAN MIGUEL FIRE DISTRICT HOSTS COMMUNITY MEETING APRIL 17 TO DISCUSS OUTSOURCING SERVICES TO CAL-FIRE
April 9, 2012 (La Mesa) – The San Miguel Fire Protection District will host a community meeting from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. on April 17 at Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Blvd., La Mesa. The meeting will provide residents a State of the District presentation and discuss the Request for Proposal submission from CAL FIRE for the outsourcing of the district’s fire protection. CAL FIRE is the only agency that submitted a proposal. The RFP process is an investigative effort to discover if another agency could submit a cost efficient method of contracting Operational Fire Department Services. San Miguel’s Board of Directors is currently reviewing the CAL FIRE proposal along with other concepts, to determine what approach to the $2.2 million structural deficit will best serve the community and the district. The District has lost approximately 20 percent of its property tax revenue. It is anticipating another budget shortfall of up to $1.6 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012.
RESCUE ON EL CAJON MOUNTAIN
Story and photos by Billy Ortiz Video by Billy Ortiz and Pam Wilmers April 9, 2012 (Lakeside)—San Diego Sheriff’s Fire and Rescue performed a hoist rescue off the east face of El Cajon Mountain (known locally as El Capitan) today. Leonard Pierini, 65, of Poway told ECM videographer Billy Ortiz that he was hiking alone, although other hikers were in the same area. View a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omaz5TEpZrs Mr. Pierini explained that he reached a spot three-quarters of the way up when he could no longer go up or down. Around 10 a.m.he was forced to call the Sheriff’s dept to help him off the mountain. Pierini, a Vietnam Veteran, was not hurt in the incident and was in good spirits despite his ordeal. He said he would return at a later date to try again, but on an easier trail. El Cajon Mountain, 25 miles east of downtown San Diego, is a popular hiking and rock climbing spot because of its very steep terrain. The ascent to the face summit is approximately 2200 feet in less than 1.5 miles, a rugged climb for less experienced hikers.