BALLOT PROPOSITIONS ON AGENDA SEPT. 20
August 31, 2012 (El Cajon)–California State Ballot Propositions 30 through 40 will be discussed at the East County Democratic Club Meeting on at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012. The main speaker will be Eric Banks, immediate past-president of SEIU Local 221, who will be addressing issues embedded in Proposition 32, focusing on the questionable issue of “paycheck protection” and sharing information about his public employee union. Diane Cates, a new member of the SEIU Executive Board will be in attendance and adding her insights. ECDC President John Martes and his wife Gloria will be presenting information about the other propositions. Also local Propositions C,D,G,and V, which are bond issues for public education, will be addressed. ECDC meetings are free and open to the public at Coco’s Restaurant, 1025 Fletcher Parkway, El Cajon. Socializing starts at 6 p.m. when dinner and/or dessert may be purchased. For further information visit www.ecdcweb.net or call 619-447-8986.
EDUCATION TOUR: BACK TO SCHOOL TIPS
Education News and Notes By Anat Tour September 4, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)–Staying up, sleeping in! Driving your kids to play dates, going to the beach, day camps, sleep away camps, Disneyland, Sea World, Ah…all that fun and now it’s back to school. In this month’s column, read about the top 10 tips for going back to school. Parents: Does your child buy lunch at school? Expect long lunch lines on the first week (I am packing lunch for the first few days). Read about lunch menu ideas. In addition, here are my picks for this month’s top stories of interest to local students, teachers, and parents. • Top 10 Tips For Going Back To School • 5 Ways To Help Your Child Prevent Bullying This School Year • Breakfast Ideas For School Success • School Lunch Menu Ideas • The 6 Steps Juniors Need To Be Taking Right Now • Boys And Girls Learn Differently • Grades And Test Scores Aren’t Enough • Everything You Heard About Failing Schools Is Wrong • The Battle Over Homework • Early Intervention For Children With Reading Difficulties • County Students Continue to Make Gains on California Standards Tests Top 10 Tips for Going Back to School When we talk to our kids, they typically are not worried about the next batch of teachers, but they say they are reluctant to return to school because of all the “homework” and “hard work.” They are, in effect, worried about the “expectations” and measuring up. Upon further review, our kids, like most, miss their friends and are excited at the overall idea of going back to school, but the end of summer, memories of late nights doing homework with a parent looking over their shoulder, and getting up early can make even the most optimistic child shiver. Read More: http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/15098393/article-Top-10-tips-for- going-back-to-school 5 Ways to Help Your Child Prevent Bullying This School Year As children head back to the classroom, now is a great time for parents and guardians to talk with their kids about bullying. Here are five tips to help your child prevent bullying and to help them deal with it: Read More: http://www.ed.gov/blog/2012/08/5-ways-to-help-your-child-prevent-bullying-this-school-year/ Breakfast Ideas for School Success A healthy breakfast lets kids do their best in school. Try these ideas to help children get the nutrition they need in the morning. Read More: http://www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/10679-breakfast-ideas-for-school-success School Lunch Menu Ideas If you commonly open your child’s lunch box after school only to find half of its contents untouched, don’t despair. Yes, you can find a sack lunch that your kids will like and that’s healthy, too—even if they don’t know it! Read More: http://www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/10802-school-lunch-menu-ideas The 6 Steps Juniors Need to Be Doing Right Now With school about to start, most people are focused on what seniors need to be doing for college admissions. But, there are 6 steps that juniors need to be preparing for as well. Read More: http://www.collegeadmissionspartners.com/college-admissions-counseling/the-6-steps-juniors-need-to-be-doing-right-now/ Boys and Girls Learn Differently Not all kids fit the pattern, but boys tend to learn better when they have pictures, graphics, and physical movement to help them grasp concepts. Girls often benefit from the opportunity to talk about how to solve a problem and work with others on a solution. Read More: http://www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/10800-boys-and-girls-learn-differently Grades and Test Scores Aren’t Enough You have great grades and test scores. You can get admitted to any college you want, right? Sorry, college admissions aren’t that simple. Read More: http://www.collegeadmissionspartners.com/college-admissions-counseling/grades-arent-enough/ Everything You Heard About Failing Schools Is Wrong Attendance: Up. Dropout rates: plummeting. College acceptance: through the roof. My mind-blowing year inside a “low performing” school. Read More: http://www.motherjones.com/media/2012/08/mission-high-false-low-performing-school The Battle Over Homework For this back-to-school season, I would like to offer some advice about one of the most frequent problems presented to me. Read More: http://blog.oup.com/2012/08/homework-battle-parenting-advice/ Early Intervention for Children with Reading Difficulties “My child will be starting school in two weeks. I can’t believe summer is almost over. I’m beginning to worry. Ellie still has trouble reading simple words and she does not like to read. I had problems with reading at her age. I wonder if I should wait till December to have her assessed or do it right now.” Read More: http://blog.oup.com/2012/08/early-intervention-for-children-with-reading-difficulties/ County Students Continue to Make Gains on California Standards Tests. In testament to the hard work of students, teachers, administrators, and parents, the number of San Diego County students demonstrating proficiency in math and English language arts on the California Standards Tests (CSTs) continues to increase this year. Read More: http://www.sdcoe.net/news/news_story.asp?NID=187 Anat Tour is a match teacher and children’s author/illustrator.
LA MESA FIT BODY BOOT CAMP HOSTS OPEN HOUSE SEPT. 8 TO BENEFIT FOR CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
September 6, 2012 (La Mesa)–La Mesa Fit Body Boot Camp, a program designed to help its clientele achieve fitness and weight management goals in a fun and motivating atmosphere, will host an open house on Saturday September 8 from 4:00–8:00 p.m. The event includes an 80s band and DJ, plus a raffle with all proceeds going to Rady Children’s Hospital. Talks on fitness and nutrition will be provided, as well as fitness demonstrations, chair massages, fitness games, entertainment and healthy food. Raffle prizes include an iPad2 and a six-month personal training program. The open house event will be held at 8322 Parkway Drive, La Mesa, CA 91942. Admission is free, however a $5 suggested donation is requested to help this worthy cause. J.J. Brawley, owner and chief instructor explains, “It’s time the community comes together to assist those who matter most to the future of our community; the children. Rady Childrens is looking to raise $5 million dollars for research needs and we are pledging to raise $10,000 of that at our event. Simply put, we need to get the word out about this noble cause.” The La Mesa Fit Body Boot Camp program includes fitness instruction, nutritional coaching and motivational training designed to get you in shape regardless of your current fitness level. For more information, visit http://www.lamesafitbodybootcamp.com/ or http://www.sdtrainer.com
ALPINE WOMAN’S CLUB LUNCHEON STARRING THE RHINESTONE GRANNIES SEPTEMBER 18
September 2, 2012 (Alpine) – The Alpine Woman’s Club will be holding its monthly luncheon on September 18 at 12 p.m. at 2156 Alpine Blvd., Alpine. The Rhinestone Grannies will perform a variety of songs and dances at the event. Some of the members of the Rhinestone Grannies include past CCT Senior Follies cast members. The luncheon is open to all East County women as well as past and future members. Space is limited, so please make a reservation prior to September 15 by contacting Judy Grant at 619-445-1987 or alpinejude@yahoo.com.
AN ILL-WIND BLOWS IN OCOTILLO: HANGING THE TOWN OUT TO DRY
by Terry Weiner August 31, 2012 (San Diego)–Ocotillo California is an apron of desert fanning out broadly from the base of the rugged Jacumba and Inkopah Mountains, ninety miles east of San Diego and 60 miles west from Yuma Arizona. After winding down 16 miles of Interstate 8 from the agricultural town of Jacumba at 3,000 ft. to the desert floor at 500 ft., you will be treated to a view of a spectacular and relatively uncluttered Colorado Desert landscape. On a rare clear day, you can see the blue of the Salton Sea about 40 miles away. Mexico is just south on the other side of the Jacumba Mountains. The Resources: The Ocotillo desert is an integral part of the Yuha Basin, a large portion of which is designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) and managed for the protection of the rich Native American and geological resources. The Yuha ACEC protects the Yuha geoglyph, the De Anza Historic Trail, the Crucifixion Thorn Natural Area, and the Yuha Well. Over thousands of years, many Native American tribes have traveled through the Yuha Basin, leaving behind geoglyphs, ceremonial sites, cremation sites, and thousands of lithic and other artifacts. The Ocotillo desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert with summer temperatures up to 120°F and with less than 3 inches of annual rainfall. Elevations range from approximately 1,500 ft above mean sea level to 300 ft, generally decreasing from the west to the east. The area closest to the mountains is a broad alluvial fan with an intricate system of drainages. Robust populations of smoke trees, cats claw, and desert willows reside in some of the long, deep washes. This desert has wonderful desert scrub assemblages, and in the spring, scores of species of desert annuals sprout. Colorful desert pavement coats the high places between washes. Most stunning are the expansive forests of ocotillo throughout the area. Several endangered or threatened species make this desert home as well. The tiny community of Ocotillo/Nomirage is nestled in the Ocotillo desert along both sides of Interstate 8. With around 400 residents Ocotillo has only one gas station, one locally owned convenience store, the Lazy Lizard Bar and Grill, an off-road vehicle rental place, a very small post office, a community center and park, and a small fire station. Ocotillo is a quiet place. The neighborhoods are dense with native desert trees and shrubs, and there is not a lawn in sight. The citizens chose Ocotillo for the desert dark skies, the broad vistas, for the proximity to wildlife, and for peace and quiet and a slow pace. People bought property on the outer fringes of town believing that their desert would be protected and their quality of life ensured. The Problem: Enter the U.S. government, climate change, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, President Obama’s decision to subsidize renewable energy development across wide swaths of the American west, and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s plan to create a process for fast-tracking development of remote, industrial-scale energy projects on public lands. Enter in 2009 the Pattern Energy Group LP (offices in San Diego, San Francisco, Houston, NY and Toronto). Pattern develops, constructs, owns and operates renewable energy, particularly wind projects and transmission lines in the U.S., Latin America, and Canada. As stated on their web site, their company’s full development pipeline exceeds 4,000 MW of renewable energy and transmission lines. The Ocotillo desert can be a windy place, at least during several months of the year. Does that make it a good place for an industrial wind project? Is there sufficient documentation that there is enough wind to power 130,000 homes in San Diego? The Department of the Interior, Pattern Energy, SDG&E (Sempra Energy), and Imperial County think so. Thus, between 2009 and 2011, Pattern, its consultants, and the BLM crafted an EIR/EIS (Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement) and BLM Plan Amendment for a 12,400 acre, 20-square-mile industrial wind turbine project in the Ocotillo desert. In 2011, Pattern Energy obtained a power purchase agreement with SDG&E, whose Sunrise Powerlink transmission line runs through the project area. There will be 112 turbines, each 450 feet tall (picture 40-story buildings), a permanent operations center, a switchyard for SDG&E, a cement batch plant, miles of underground cable, and at least 42 miles of roads to send energy 90 miles to San Diego, losing 6-7% of the electricity along the route. None of the electricity will stay in Imperial County. The Ocotillo Wind Energy Facility is a graphic example of what’s wrong with the federal government’s current policy of fast-tracking so-called renewable energy projects on public land. According to the Final EIS/EIR, this project is inconsistent with the BLM Yuha Desert/West Mesa Visual Resource Class Three designation, which requires that a project or action partially retain the existing character of the landscape. This project would introduce structurally prominent industrial features into an otherwise natural landscape adversely affecting visitor experiences in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and adjacent real property. The project is inconsistent with Imperial County’s Conservation and Open Space Element. It is incompatible with the Ocotillo/Nomirage Community Plan, which is designed to protect the community resources including its sole source aquifer and the community quality of life from commercial and industrial development. The project is also inconsistent with the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) plan which designates the Ocotillo desert area as Class L Limited Use in order to provide for “lower-intensity, carefully controlled multiple use of resources, while ensuring that sensitive values are not significantly diminished.” Despite these inconsistencies in land use planning, injustices to Native American sacred sites, injustices to the community of Ocotillo; despite thousands of pages of testimony and documentation of inadequacies in the draft and final EIS/EIR; despite formal protests of the final document and the CDCA Plan Amendment; and despite testimony from several tribes at public hearings; still Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar issued
A NEW PATH PAVES WAY TO ADDICTION RECOVERY: “STRUT FOR SOBRIETY” SEPT. 8
By Dennis Moore September 5, 2012 (San Diego)–A NEW PATH, or PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing), is a voluntary, non-profit group of concerned parents of individuals suffering from addiction. They partner with health care professionals, the criminal justice system, recovering addicts and concerned members of society to seek better understanding of the illness and to create “therapeutic justice” for substance abuse related crimes. PATH’s goals are to reduce recidivism, save lives, heal families and move toward a healthier society. On September 8, PATH invites you to the organization’s annual “Strut for Sobriety” fashion show celebrating recovery from addiction. The event, held at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, will also feature a luncheon, awards, silent auction, live entertainment and boutique.( For full details, see http://www.anewpathsite.org/newevents1.html.) A New PATH is proud to announce the 2012 Path to Recovery Honorees, who are being recognized for their efforts in reducing the stigma associated with addictive illness: Denise and Gary Cullen, Founders of Broken-No-More and National Directors of GRASP (Grief Recovery After Substance Passing); Kathi Lencioni, Senior Vice President & CEP, Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital & Sharp McDonald Center; Virginia Napierskie, philanthropist; and Neill Franklin, Executive Director LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) This unique event, co-chaired by Jenifer Burrows and Colleen Ruis Jackson, will feature a silent auction and boutique at 10:00am, followed by a luncheon, awards ceremony, entertainment and fashion show. Chuck Negron, formerly lead singer of 3 Dog Night, will serve as Celebrity Chair. Geni Cavitt and Rory Devine (7/39 News) will serve as event emcees, and Little Tommy Sablan and Laura Cain will serve as auctioneers. An entertaining fashion show, produced by Gretchen Productions and featuring fashions from Macy’s Horton Plaza will showcase fashions worn by professional models as well as guest models in recovery. PATH actually grew out of a series of pre-Substance Abuse Summit meetings with parents, Superior Court Judges and officers of the criminal justice system in the Spring of 1999. In 2000, PATH was instrumental in passing Proposition 36 in California, mandating treatment instead of incarceration for non-violent drug offenders. Founding members are Spring Valley resident Gretchen Burns Bergman, along with Sylvia Liwerant and Tom O’Donnell. While President of the Bethel A.M.E. Prison Ministry, I was honored to participate with A New Path in a forum called “Prisoner Release 101” several years ago, along with San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore. PATH strives to be a constant voice in the criminal justice system speaking for human rights. Current advocacy projects include the promotion of legislation for greater treatment availability, reducing the risks of inherent health problems associated with drug abuse, bringing more residential beds to the community as well as behind bars, and mobilizing people in recovery to advocate for an educated, compassionate and therapeutic approach to dealing with substance abuse. Path realizes that the human voice is powerful, so they print and distribute “Faces of Recovery” calendars highlighting individuals’ stories of addiction and recovery. “Strut for Sobriety” began in 2005. Other projects include art exhibits and books of poetry highlighting inspirational stories of addiction and recovery. PATH feels that it is vital to collaborate with all of the major stakeholders, including: the recovery community, community leaders, the criminal justice system, healthcare professionals, and family members. PATH’s Executive Director has served on a Medical Society Commission, and PATH members sit on such boards as San Diego Mental Health Association, NAMI (Anita Fisher). The Co-Founders and President of the Board of Directors speak at seminars regularly with addiction medicine physicians and psychiatrists to present both the humanistic and scientific argument for therapeutic, rather than punitive approaches to society’s problem of substance abuse and addiction. PATH is a member of several task forces regarding substance abuse, mental health, and therapeutic justice. PATH continues to partner with and advise various treatment providers such as Stepping Stone, CRASH, Bay Recovery, Sharp Mesa Vista, and SD County Probation. PATH was also a lead agency for the nation-wide Demand Treatment campaign to create more treatment services, and is a member of the national Faces and Voices of Recovery advocacy campaign. They also connect with other parent groups in other communities for broader impact through collaborative campaigns. In 2010 PATH started the statewide campaign, “Moms United to End the War on Drugs” which broadened to a nationwide campaign in 2011 (www.momsunited.net). In addition to their other activities, PATH reaches out to individuals and families who are suffering as a result of this illness with a resource guide of available services and by offering a parent survival kit of information. Their office receives countless phone calls and emails for resource information and support. Through their programs PATH touches lives personally as well as striving to create changes in public policy that will benefit our communities and society in general. PATH has a strong Board of Directors and an Advisory Board of experts in the medical, legal and healthcare fields. In 2011 they created a new chapter of PATH in Los Angeles. PATH receives funding from membership, corporate and individual sponsors, fundraisers and grants. They have received major grant support from The California Endowment, Drug Policy Alliance, Alliance Healthcare Foundation, as well as other smaller grants. They have approximately 350 paying members at this time, and a mailing list of 3700 to which they send fliers and quarterly newsletters. Their website is www.anewpath.org. Dennis Moore is the former President of the Bethel A.M.E. Prison Ministry in San Diego. He is also the book review editor for SDWriteway, an online newsletter for writers in San Diego. He is the author of a book about Chicago politics; “The City That Works: Power, Politics and Corruption in Chicago. Mr. Moore can be contacted at comtractsagency@gmail.com or you can follow him on Twitter at: @DennisMoore8.
BEAT CANCER BOOT CAMP COMES TO SANTEE SEPT. 8
September 1, 2012 (Santee) – Beat Cancer Boot Camp is a fitness based program designed to help cancer survivors stay active during treatment and beyond. It’s also open to friends and family of those whose lives have been touched by cancer. On Saturday, September 8 at 8:30, the program kicks off in Santee’s Mast Park, 9125 Carlton Hills Blvd. The program is geared toward all fitness levels so everyone can participate, utilizing scaled-down Navy Seal training fitness methods to empower participants. Loretta Hall has participated in the program in Tucson and will be among those joining the kick-off program in Santee next weekend. “This program is spreading to places around the U.S.,” she said. “We not only offer an exercise program, but we have monthly luncheons, dinners and a yearly retreat…Like we say in boot camp, `For health, for strength, for Life!’” Founder Anita “Sarge” Kellman, R.T., a clinical liason specializing in breast biopsies, and ACE certified personal trainer Tamra Herb, N.D., will be on hand. Scheduled speakers include Santee Councilman Jack Dale, surgeon Mohan Krishnamoorthy, M.D., and plastic surgeon Alfonso Camberos. View a flyer about this Beat Cancer Boot Camp event in Santee. The internet site for this program is www.beatcancerbootcamp.com.
READER’S EDITORIAL: IT’S TIME FOR A DIVORCE FROM GROSSMONT
By Sal Casamassima, Chair of the Alpine High School Citizens Committee September 3, 2012 (Alpine)–Divorce is a traumatic and difficult subject that many folks have to deal with in their lives. However, it is often the only path that can be taken when one spouse becomes abusive and deceitful to the other. There is no better metaphor than divorce to describe what must be done by the Alpine Union School District (AUSD) to escape the abusive and deceitful relationship it has with the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD). The word “unification” is the euphemism that is used as the citizens of Alpine seek to secede from Grossmont. Like a divorce, unification can be a long, drawn out and bitter process in which the two parties contest custody over the students and how the “community” property should to be divided. But in the end, unification will provide Alpine with an independent K-12 school district and its fair share of GUHSD’s assets that will fund the construction of our long overdue high school. Why are we seeking this divorce? For over a decade Alpine has been promised a high school by GUHSD. With political and financial help from our community, GUHSD succeeded in passing two bond propositions that contained explicit commitments to build a 12th comprehensive high school to serve the “Alpine and Blossom Valley” communities. On numerous occasions, members of the GUHSD Board promised to build the school and went so far as to approve purchasing the 93 acre Lazy A property (just east of Albertsons) for the school site. GUHSD has now spent close to $20 Million of bond funds to acquire the site (including condemnation of homes on the site), obtain construction and environmental permits, and develop detailed architectural plans for the school. Despite these commitments and expenditures of your tax dollars, last year a majority of the GUHSD Board decided to indefinitely suspended school construction. In the meantime, the District has spent millions of bond funds on numerous other projects, including some ‘pork barrel” projects that were never contemplated or specified in the bond propositions. It is clear that the current Board majority has no intention of ever building a high school in Alpine. To rectify this injustice and the misappropriation of your tax dollars, the citizens of Alpine have now turned toward unifying our school district and commencing the necessary petition process. What can YOU do to help? For unification to succeed we need support from the entire community and help from individuals, businesses and organizations. At the outset, learn as much as you can from the unification web site – www.alpinehighschool.net . The site provides the history leading to the unification drive and other important information. It also provides information on the signature petition, how to gather signatures, and getting others involved and energized. Once we obtain about 2500 signatures then our “divorce” petition can be officially filed with the County and State Boards of Education. We also encourage you to attend meetings of the Alpine High School Citizens Committee (AHSCC) which is spearheading the unification effort. Meeting dates will be regularly posted on the web site. The AHSCC will also sponsor community forums within Alpine to solicit your opinions and input. Finally, you will have an opportunity to cast an important vote in November. Seeking re-election to the Grossmont Board are incumbents Priscilla Schreiber and Gary Woods. Ms. Schreiber has been an unwavering supporter for our high school and deserves your vote. The only other person on the ballot who can be relied on to support construction of our high school is Board candidate Bill Weaver, a former chair of the AHSCC. On the other hand, incumbent Gary Woods has been an opponent of our high school and a pawn for the Board majority that has consistently lied to and betrayed Alpine. Woods needs to be thrown out of office and this is your chance to do so. So please join me, and all of your fellow citizens of Alpine in supporting unification, divorcing Grossmont, and getting the long overdue high school our kids deserve. The opinions in this editorial reflect the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. To submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org