FOUR INJURED IN HEAD-ON CRASH ON JAMACHA
May 28, 2012 (Spring Valley) – A head-on collision has occurred at 10850 Jamacha Blvd. in Spring Valley. Incident Page Network reports four people are injured, including at least two in serious status. One vehicle is a Toyota Camry, according to the CHP website. The other vehicle is not yet identified. To receive free Viejas Wildfire & Emergency Alerts via email, sign up at the top right side of our homepage and also receive a free copy of East County Magazine’s newsletter with top news and events each week. You can also follow Viejas Alerts on Twitter for brief text alerts on your mobile device. We recommend both alerts and and the newsletter, to stay safe and informed at home, at work and on the road.
MEMORIAL DAY 2012 MESSAGE FROM THE CALIF. DEPT. OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
May 28, 2012 (Sacramento) –We at CalVet can find no better way to express the true meaning of Memorial Day than by quoting the words Abraham Lincoln wrote in a letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby, a widow living in Boston to express his condolences for the death of her sons. “I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.” Many of us will visit cemeteries and memorials and attend parades this Memorial Day. Regardless of what you do, we ask that you take a minute to participate in the National Moment of Remembrance at 3:00 p.m. as an act of national unity with other Americans, whether alone or with family and friends. Let’s honor those who died in service to the United States. A listing of Memorial Day events throughout the state is available online at www.calvet.ca.gov to assist you in finding an event near you. Visit our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/mycalvet and follow us on twitter/mycalvet.
BRUSH FIRE CONTAINED IN BOULEVARD
Note: ECM apologizes for not sending an alert on this incident. Our editor was away briefly and our assistant editor was left without power due to an SDG&E outage. Thanks to Cal-Fire and Donna Tisdale for the information provided below. May 28, 2012 (Boulevard) – A vehicle collision severed a power pole near White Star Fire Station,, sparking a brush fire in the 2100 block of Tierra Del Sol in Boulevard this afternoon. The fire burned four acres but was swiftly brought under control with no damage to structures, though several homes were in close proximity to the blaze. “Several large old pine trees went up like roman candles,” Boulevard Planning Group Chair Donna Tisdale told ECM. “Wish I had a video camera so you could hear the intensity and of the flames consuming the dense vegetation.”
READER’S EDITORIAL: REFLECTIONS ON THE HOMEOWNER’S BILL OF RIGHTS
By Grey Feathers May 24, 2012 (San Diego)–Antonio and Africa have lived in this house for twelve years. It is the only home their four children have ever known. Antonio bought the house from Africa’s father in 2005. When faced with difficult financial hardship due to the crashed economy and medical bills, they went to their lender to negotiate in good faith. Antonio works in construction and Africa has a business she runs from her home office. They were late on just one mortgage payment by 60 days, and ultimately made the payment. They learned there were government programs like the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) and the Principal Reduction Alternative (PRA). Their lender initiated foreclosure while their request was still pending. It’s been nearly three years of stalling, lost paperwork and more applications. In the mean time Antonio and Africa must keep current on their mortgage payments or face 72 hour eviction. The Bank is enforcing the letter-of-the-law to force them out of their home in spite of the fact that the family has paid for the house three times over in total monthly payments and down payment. Last Friday over five dozen neighbors, concerned citizens, community organizations and elected officials gathered to stand with Antonio and Africa and to support the Homeowners Bill of Rights proposed by California’s Attorney General, Kamala Harris. This Bill of Rights would be the first step toward holding the big banks accountable for crashing the economy and then profiting from the devastation that they caused. The result of high foreclosure rates is not only the wreckage of this family and thousands more like them, but homeowners citywide have lost $19.2 billion dollars in equity and statewide, homeowners have lost an average of 40% of their homes’ values. Millions across the nation have lost their jobs and their homes after pouring hard earned money into high mortgage payments for years, only to have the banks throw them out at the first sign of trouble. The costs to the community are huge: homelessness, abandoned and deteriorating houses, increased law enforcement, lower home values, lost tax revenue for essentials like education and fire protection. Wall Street giants “created highly profitable new loan schemes, falsified loan documents and then knowingly passed on the risks by selling fraudulent loans to investors. Then they profited further by illegally foreclosing on families without due process” said Rafael Bautista a Real Estate Broker and member of Alliance of Californian’s for Community Empowerment. Chris Ward, chief of staff for Assemblyman Marty Block representing the 78th District, spoke about the progress in the California Legislature to pass a package of bills to end foreclosure abuse. The Homeowners Bill of Rights (a package of 11 bills) would put a stop the practice of “Dual Tracking” where a bank initiates foreclosure while negotiating with the homeowner for modification. The bill would require lenders to produce evidence of ownership and reform the due process of the law to authorize borrowers to challenge unlawful commencement of foreclosure in court. Lorena Gonzales from the San Diego, Imperial County Labor Council, pledged the support of Labor for the Homeowners Bill of Rights,saying that the bill would “impose a $10,000.00 civil penalty on the recording of ‘robo-signed’ documents.” Defined as documents containing information that was not verified for accuracy by the person swearing to its veracity. Former Senator and current Congressional candidate Denise Ducheny was there to show her support and spoke comforting words to the beleaguered couple in Spanish. Denise is much-beloved in this Assembly District and her sincere concern was obvious. Congressman and Mayoral candidate Bob Filner was warmly greeted by the gathering. He spoke in Spanish and English. Filner has been a long-time champion for homeowners in distress. He has been a regular fixture at these kinds of gatherings. He spoke about his support for the Property Value Protection Ordinance, proposed by CPI (Center for Policy Initiatives) and ACCE, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, which is aimed at reducing the negative impacts of foreclosures on surrounding neighborhoods and the city budget. (Preserve hyperlinks- Property Value Protection Ordinance and ACCE) Filner said that most foreclosures are illegal. But working families struggling to keep their homes cannot afford to fight. He said that the City needed to provide an office of advocacy for homeowners to fight illegal foreclosure and said San Diego should “put money into homes not banks.” Filner commended the crowd for helping their neighbors saying “we are all in this together.” The gathering chanted “si se puede.” The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) with their bright yellow tee shirts were mostly from the neighborhood. Some of the younger ones told me they loved this family and played with their kids. Personally, the foreclosure and eviction of this family is painful for me to watch. Like the making of sausage–bloody and ugly. There will be 54,000 projected foreclosures in the City of San Diego since 2008, by the end of 2012. The Big Banks are sucking the life out of the neighborhoods and all too often, speculators purchase these properties to turn a quick profit. More ugly sausage. I’m outraged by the injustice of it all and proud of those who stood by this family when the deck is so heavily stacked against them. But there is something we can do. Find out which of your representatives supports the Homeowners Bill of Rigths and vote for them on June 6th and in November. Grey Feathers describes himself as “a renegade Indian who has strayed far from the reservation.” The opinions in this editorial reflect the views of its author and donot necessarily reflect the views of East CountyMagazine. To submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA DELIVERY DRIVER SHOT WITH PELLET GUN, VEHICLE CARJACKED
By Miriam Raftery Authorities probe series of medical pot thefts, assaults on drivers May 28, 2012 (Rolando) – The latest in a series of attacks on medical marijuana delivery persons occurred May 25 at Livingston and 69th Street in the Rolando area, where a 23-year-old woman driver was shot in the face with a pellet gun and tried to drag her out of the vehicle. She ran away and the assailants, two Hispanic men, then carjacked her 1998 white Chevy Malibu (CA license 6JAR 664). The suspects were described as 25-30. One wore a black hoodie and shorts and was about 6 feet tall, weighing 250 pounds. The other wore a brown hoodie and blue shorts, white keen high socks and slippers. It us unknown how much marijuana was in the vehicle, San Diego Police officer David Stafford indicated. On May 23, a medical marijuana delivery person in Lemon Grove was robbed at gunpoint at 4520 Lyons Drive. Two suspects fled in a vehicle, Incident Page Network reported. Yet another armed robbery of a medical marijuana delivery person occurred May 25 in the 3000 block of Nereis Drive in Spring Valley. ECM news partner 10 News reports that Sheriffs surrounded a home after a witness reported seeing an armed man run inside. Deputies handcuffed members of the Houston family despite protests from a woman who told there dinner was on the stove. A fire broke out, damaging the home. Deputies pulled remaining family members out of the home, including a 7-year-old girl trapped upstairs. On May 17, the Union-Tribune reported two previous medical marijuana delivery robberies in Spring Valley. One occurred on Nereis Drive, where a female driver made a delivery to a home and was robbed by a man at the door, who followed her back to the vehicle and demanded money from a man in the vehicle. That incident occurred May 16 around 9 p.m. Yet another delivery woman was shot at 2:20 a.m. the next morning with a pellet gun the men grabbed a bag she was carrying not realizing that it contained strawberries, not marijuana. Her attackers were described as Latino men, 18-23 years old, both with hooded sweatshirts.
CA ENERGY COMMISSION STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF GAS POWER PLANT IN OTAY
May 28, 2012 (Otay) – The California Energy Commission staff yesterday released its final analysis recommending the licensing of the proposed Pio Pico Energy Center. In the final staff assessment (FSA), Commission staff concluded that with the implementation of staff’s recommended mitigation measures described in the conditions of certification, the proposed 300-megawatt peaker power plant would comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, regulations, and standards (LORS). Pio Pico Energy Center, LLC, is the applicant for the project, which is a natural gas-fired, simple-cycle electrical generating facility. The proposed project site is located at the intersection of Alta Road and Calzada de la Fuente in an unincorporated area of southwestern San Diego County. The 10-acre site is next to the Otay Mesa Generating Project. The applicant plans to use recycled water for the project when the water becomes available. The project site is next to an existing electrical substation so only minimal upgrades will be required to interconnect the power plant to the transmission grid. Using an industrial site will minimize and avoid the environmental impacts that would have occurred if the project was developed on undisturbed land, according to the FSA. The FSA is available at: http://www.energy.ca.gov/sitingcases/piopico/documents/index.html The FSA is not a committee document or a proposed decision on the project. The document represents the Commission staff’s independent assessment of the project’s potential impacts on the environment, public health and safety, and compliance with all LORS. The FSA provides the detailed environmental impact assessment required by the California Environmental Quality Act. The document will serve as Commission staff’s testimony at evidentiary hearings that the committee of two commissioners reviewing the proposed project will hold. The committee will issue a proposed decision based on evidence presented at the hearings. The proposed decision will be presented to the full Commission for a final decision on the proposed project. The capital cost for the Pio Pico project is estimated to be $300 million. If the Commission approves the project, construction would last 16 months with the work starting February 2013 and commercial operation by May 2014. The project would require an average of 148 workers during construction, with a peak of 284 needed during the eighth month. Twelve employees would be needed when the project is operating, according to the applicant. More information on the Pio Pico project is available at: http://www.energy.ca.gov/sitingcases/piopico/index.html