SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED ACROSS SAN DIEGO COUNTY
September 5, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – The National Weather Service has issued a severe weather statement covering all of East County and San Diego, along with warnings of severe thunderstorms, flash flooding and high winds occurring now in rural and mountain areas. At 2:30 p.m., NWS Doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing quarter-size hail and destructive winds in excess of 70 miles per hour. It was spotted near Santa Ysabel and Julian, moving northwest along Highway 79 toward Cuyamaca State Park and the Cuyamaca Peak. Flash flooding is also occurring in Palomar Mountain and Cuyamaca State parks as well as for dry washes in the Descanso, La Posta, Cottonwood, Kitchen Creek and Rattlesnake areas. These areas are receiving one to three inches of rain, as well as strong, gusty winds. A reader reports wind gusts of 44 mph in Guatay. SDG&E reports power poles and trees are down near Pine Valley. An outage is reportedly affecting 60 customers in Guatay, Pine Valley and Mount Laguna communities. Sign up to receive free Viejas Wildfire & Emergency Alerts via email at the top right side of our homepage, and also receive a free weekly copy of East County Magazine. You can also follow ViejasAlerts on Twitter for brief text alerts on your mobile phone. We recommend all of the above since you don’t know what form of communication will work best in a major regional emergency. Stay safe! Sign up to receive alerts at home, at work, at school and on the road.
THE RACE FOR SAN DIEGO MAYOR HEATS UP
By Nadin Abbott September 5, 2013 (San Diego)—The special election set for November 19 to replace Bob Filner, who resigned August 30, is starting to shape up. To date, 21 people have thrown their hat in the ring. But thus far, only three candidates have strong name recognition. The first, and no surprise to any observer of San Diego politics, is former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher who previously ran for Mayor against Filner. The second is Second District Councilmember Kevin Faulconer. The third is former City Attorney Mike Aguirre, recently recently has represented consumer groups fighting utility companies and big businesses. While in theory city elected posts in the County are supposed to be nonpartisan, that pretense died in practice a long time ago, with parties lining up to endorse and campaign for candidates in recent races. So who are the three men stepping forward as first-tier candidates? Fletcher came in a distant third in the primary elections in 2012, but enjoys name recognition among voters across the city. He also served in Sacramento for two terms as a Republican and changed to Independent to run for Mayor in 2012. After that race, he once again changed his party affiliation to Democrat. This could pose a problem for the party among Filner backers who prefer progressive policies. A former Marine, Fletcher has also worked for Qualcomm, headed by Irwin Jacob who pushed forward a controversial proposal to revamp Balboa Park that Filner quashed. Faulconer is serving the second district, where he will be termed out in 2014. He is a conservative Republican whose chief concern is the fiscal health for the city. Many voters will know him not from his votes in Council but for his role, with Interim Mayor Todd Gloria, to secure Filner’s resignation. He also promoted the Prop B pension reform measure. He has been endorsed by the Republican Party in San Diego. Lastly, we have Aguirre, who also previously ran for Mayor. During Mayor Jerry Sanders administration, Aguirre worked to bring the Sunroad project in Kearny Mesa in compliance with FAA regulations. In the end, even though he was deemed to have a conflict of interest by the courts, the building had to remove top stories to be in compliance and protect public safety. Aguirre could be seen at the lone progressive in the first tier. If no other prominent candidates enter the race, he could force a run-off election. To win outright, a candidate would need over 50 percent of the votes. Otherwise a run-off among the top two vote-getters will occur. The field has narrowed due to announcements by several prominent San Diegans who have decided not to seek the Mayoral seat. Carl DeMaio decided to keep his run for the 52nd Congressional District against Congressman Scott Peters alive, instead of trying again for Mayor. Gloria was expected by some observers to run, but instead he chose not to run and focus on his actions as Acting Mayor. Supervisor Ron Roberts, former State Senator Christine Kehoe and former Councilwoman Donna Frye have also announced that they will not seek the Mayoral office.
HELIX WATER TO HOLD WORKSHOP SEPT. 13 ON FUTURE OF LAKE JENNINGS
By Miriam Raftery September 5, 2013 (La Mesa) – Four years ago, Helix Water District took back management of Lake Jennings from the County. But now the board is weighing options to reduce its operating costs or raise revenues generated by the 9,700 acre reservoir in Lakeside. Those options include closing the lake, offering a long-term lease to a neighboring district, or privatizing the lake’s facilities by turning over management to a company such as KOA, which operates campgrounds nationwide. On September 13 at 10 a.m., the District will hold a public workshop at its administration building, 7811 University Avenue in La Mesa. You can also send comments to the board at board@helixwater.org “We’ll be making a comprehensive Power Point presentation that we hope will generate an interactive discussion with the board and solicit their thoughts on future direction and activities of the lake,” Mark Umphres, the District’s director of water quality and system operations, said. “A lake master plan was completed and presented to the board in 2007. As part of the workshop presentation, Mr. Bob MacKinnon of MacKinnon Campground Consulting, will highlight the key findings of this master plan.” District staff will brief the board on the history of camping and fishing programs dating back to the construction of Chet Harritt Dam and, specifically, the past four years of the District’s operation of the 96-space campground. There will be a review of the lake’s current operations, improvements to the facilities, marketing efforts and financial performance. The District took back management of the lake, which is owned by the District, in 2009. The County had managed for the past 40 years. But maintenance costs are putting a strain on the district budget. There are a variety of options, however, for resolving that matter. Board member Joel Scalzitti has voiced concerns over district staff, at the direction of board chairman Chuck Muse, holding meetings with Padre Dam Municipal Water District officials without informing other Helix board members. The meetings were reportedly to explore the option of having Padre Dam, which operates the successful Santee Lakes recreational facility and reservoir, take over Lake Jennings. But Scalzitti said Padre Dam representatives declined. “I think it’s one of the largest assets that we have,” Scalzitti told ECM in an interview for our radio show on KNSJ FM 89.1. “My biggest fear is closing Lake Jennings, or privatizing or leasing it out.” Scalzitti wants to see the Helix District invest in upgrading outdated campground facilities that lack modern amenities such as Internet hookups, cabins, and more. He notes that Santee Lakes turns a profit for the district. Santee Lakes offers visitors a swimming pool, spray park for kids, floating cabins, large RV spaces, and rentals including pedal boats and surrey bikes. He also wants to see more education programs at the lake. The district has made some efforts to promote Lake Jennings unique aspects, such as night fishing in July. But Scalzitti thinks more needs to be done. “My vision is we need to put a little love and work and time into it, and have it pay back for the ratepayers,” he concluded.
“SUSTAIN LA MESA” ENVIRONMENTAL FESTIVAL SEPT. 7
September 6, 2013 (La Mesa) – The City of La Mesa is holding its sixth annual “Sustain La Mesa” Environmental Festival September 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Harry Griffen Park, 9550 Milden Street, La Mesa. The free event is presented by the La Mesa Environmental Sustainability Commission and will feature hydroponics, solar cooking, composting, electric vehicles, kid’s crafts and more. This year’s theme is “Bringing Green to the Table”. The theme highlights that the words “La Mesa” translates into “The Table” in Spanish. Attendees can explore the interactive booths and exhibits, including topics such as energy and transportation, horticulture and habitat, water, recycling, and a kid’s zone. Innovative technologies, including the newest electric cars and the latest in sustainable building materials will be on display. An EDCO recycling zone for hard to recycle materials will be available. The winners of the “Our Planet, Our Home” K-12 Environmental Literacy & Art Contest will be announced and their entries will be displayed at the festival. For more information on the festival please visit www.cityoflamesa.com/SustainLaMesa.
3RD ANNUAL SAGE & SONGBIRDS FALL FESTIVAL SEPT. 15
September 6, 2013 (Alpine) – The 3rd annual Sage & Songbirds Fall Festival is September 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Alpine Creek Town Center, 1347 Tavern Rd., Alpine. This year’s event will include Monarch Mania, with a monarch butterfly release at 2 p.m. Other activities include art and craft vendors, a butterfly education booth, a caterpillar and butterfly plant sale, kids crafts and entertainment. There will be an opportunity drawing and a silent auction for 4 One Day Park Hopper Passes to Disneyland and California Adventure. For more information about this free event visit www.chirp.org or call 619-445-8352.
ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS
September 5, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) –ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include: U.S. Prospects for Syira resolution dim in House (Washington Post) U.S. private sectors adds 176,000 jobs; jobless claims fall (Reuters) Edward Snowden leaks again: five takeaways from the ‘black budget’ Navy: Training, testing may kill whales, dolphins Obama administration extends veterans’ benefits to same-sex couples (Washington Post) WORLD Fukushima: Japan plans to corral radioactive water behind frozen dam (CS Monitor) What’s the evidence of Syrian chemical weapons attack? (CNN) 5 Years After Being Covered With Water, Chinese Village Emerges (NPR) Obama arrives in Russia for G-20 summit (Huffington Post) Angry teachers paralyze Mexico City with protests (AP) Skyscraper melting cars: How a London building is creating a flaming death ray (CS Monitor) Indian `dowry deaths’ still rising despite modernization (Los Angeles Times) Another ‘Grand Canyon’ Discovered Beneath Greenland’s Ice Facebook says governments in 74 countries have asked for user data (CS Monitor) Beijing’s drastic new anti-pollution rules aim to clean up the air (Mother Jones) For excerpts and full stories, click “read more” and scroll down. U.S. Prospects for Syira resolution dim in House (Washington Post) Congress took the first formal step toward approving military action in Syria on Wednesday, with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s 10-7 vote to send its resolution to the full chamber. But whether or not the resolution winds up passing in the Senate, the real hurdle remains in the GOP-controlled House. And things on that front are looking progressively dimmer for the Obama administration. U.S. private sectors adds 176,000 jobs; jobless claims fall (Reuters) U.S. private employers added 176,000 jobs in August and new claims for jobless benefits fell last week, which could bolster expectations the U.S. Federal Reserve will begin winding down a bond-buying stimulus program this month. Edward Snowden leaks again: five takeaways from the ‘black budget’ (CS Monitor) — The latest Edward Snowden leak reveals that the CIA claims the lion’s share of the $52.6 billion classified ‘black budget’ that the US spent on its intelligence agencies in 2013, topping the NSA. Navy: Training, testing may kill whales, dolphins Navy training and testing could inadvertently kill hundreds of whales and dolphins and injure thousands over the next five years, mostly as a result of detonating explosives underwater, according to two environmental impact statements released by the military Friday. Obama administration extends veterans’ benefits to same-sex couples (Washington Post) …The move represents another Obama administration response to the Supreme Court decision this year that overturned a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act. In recent months, the Pentagon and the Office of Personnel Management said they would treat gay marriages equal to opposite-sex marriages for purposes of federal benefits, while the Internal Revenue Service said the same last week in regard to tax treatment. WORLD Fukushima: Japan plans to corral radioactive water behind frozen dam (CS Monitor) Japan plans to surround the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant with a massive underground wall of frozen soil, thereby preventing contaminated groundwater from flowing into the sea. What’s the evidence of Syrian chemical weapons attack? (CNN) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry calls it proof “beyond any reasonable doubt.” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says it’s “very clear.” President Barack Obama says the United States has “high confidence” that Syria used chemical weapons — the strongest position the U.S. can take short of confirmation. Britain, France, and Germany say their intelligence backs up the same conclusion. But despite all the talk about conclusive intelligence, questions remain. 5 Years After Being Covered With Water, Chinese Village Emerges (NPR) A powerful earthquake completely flooded their village in 2008 — but thanks to a steep drop in the water level, former residents of Xuanping are returning to look at homes, businesses, and their old school. Obama arrives in Russia for G-20 summit (Huffington Post) President Barack Obama is heading into the lion’s den of Russia, confronting Syria’s key patron as well as foreign leaders skeptical of his call for an international military strike against Bashar Assad’s government. Angry teachers paralyze Mexico City with protests (AP) This sprawling metropolis of honking cars and 22 million harried people has been brought to its knees, not by an earthquake or its ominous smoking volcanoes, but rather a small contingent of angry school teachers. Some 10,000 educators protesting a government reform program have in the span of a week disrupted international air travel, forced the cancellation of two major soccer matches, rerouted the planned route of the marathon and jammed up already traffic-choked freeways. Skyscraper melting cars: How a London building is creating a flaming death ray (CS Monitor) Skyscraper melting cars: A new skyscraper in London’s financial center is melting parts of cars and setting carpets on fire, locals report. Indian `dowry deaths’ still rising despite modernization (Los Angeles Times) Crime statistics and a Gender Scorecard compiled by women’s rights activists have put chilling new perspective on an age-old social ill in India: Bride-burning and other “dowry crimes” take the life of a woman every hour. Another ‘Grand Canyon’ Discovered Beneath Greenland’s Ice (NPR) — Greenland is covered in an ice layer that’s up to 2 miles thick. But below the ice, there’s a vast terrain of bedrock. Now scientists have found a mega-canyon there, twice the size of the one in Arizona. The hidden canyon is drawing oohs and aahs from scientists around the world. Facebook says governments in 74 countries have asked for user data (CS Monitor) … According to Facebook, between Jan. 1 and June 30, government groups in more than 70 countries – including the the UK, Germany, and Australia – asked for information on users. In the United States alone, for instance, officials placed between 11,000 and 12,000 requests on 20,000 to 21,000 users. Facebook
WHAT’S POLLUTING WATERWAYS IN OCOTILLO?
By Miriam Raftery August 30, 2013 (Ocotillo) — Thursday’s storm brought an unwanted surprise to residents of Ocotillo, where floodwaters swept through the desert town carrying a white, foamy sludge. You can see a video of the sludge flood on our website at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqtr8mKDbEo&feature=youtu.be East County Magazine photographer Jim Pelley lives in Ocotillo. He and other residents say that they have never seen the white foamy sludge before the Ocotillo Wind Energy facility was built. “What is it?” he asked. “What effect will it have on our sole source aquifer?” The underground aquifer provides the town’s only source of drinking water. Pelley also wants to know if the contaminated water will be harmful to animals. “It has been so dry out here, I’m sure all of the wildlife is very thirsty and will be drinking this water.” Ocotillo is located in Imperial County, just over the San Diego County line. But the impacts of a wind project there are of concern here in East County, with a similar wind project proposed in McCain Valley on federal public lands. This isn’t the first time this has happened. In July of 2012, just over a year ago during the project’s construction, a flash flood washed a similar-looking white foam through the town. It coated streets and yards where children play. See our prior story on this here: http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/10510 Officials initially balked at disclosing what the substance was and claimed this was “natural alkalinity.” But after East County Magazine advised that we would pay for testing if officials didn’t turn over this information, an Imperial County public health official finally informed us that the substance was a chemical used for dust suppression by the wind project developer. That substance is flammable when it dries out. That fact struck fear in the hearts of residents during a wildfire that engulfed mountains behind Ocotillo in July of last year, days after the July 2012 flood, with white, flammable chemical residue still on the ground dangerously close to homes. No cleanup was ever ordered. Could Thursday’s flood of white foam be a dust suppression chemical reappearing in waterways, one year later? Or is it something else? One troubling possibility is that the substance found this week could be run-off of herbicides sprayed shortly before the storm. The herbicide was approved by the Bureau of Land Management to suppress non-native mustard weeds brought in by vehicles at Pattern Energy’s wind project. Spraying of the neurotoxic herbicide was done over the objections of Ocotillo residents. Is that herbicide now polluting public waterways? Still another possibility is that two massive dust storms that struck Ocotillo last week may have blown in other contaminants from Arizona, where the storms originated, or from contaminated areas east of Ocotillo, such as the highly polluted Salton Sea. An East County Magazine investigation has found an apparent link between the resurgence of Dust Bowl-era scale dust storms and construction of industrial-scale wind projects and desert solar projects across the Southwest. Scraping bare the desert soil on thousands, even millions of acres collectively for these projects destroys topsoil, just as industrial-scale agriculture destroyed topsoil in the 1930s, causing the dust storms that turned the Midwest into a Dust Bowl that forced millions of people to move away from their homes. Today’s Dust Storms also pose a new hazard, releasing deadly Valley Fever spores trapped beneath desert soils. Valley Fever has risen to epidemic proportions in Arizona and California, the Centers for Disease Control reports. Residents near wind farms face a no-win situation, confronted with dust as well dust storms harmful to human health as well as pollution from chemicals used by wind energy developers to control the dust. Pelley gathered up a gallon of the mysterious white sludge, which resembles snow blanketing the desert after Thursday’s flood. He turned it over to an environmental official in Imperial County, who said he will send it out for testing and analysis. Wind energy has been touted as “green” and renewable. But the Ocotillo wind project has failed even to produce the wind energy levels that it promised the federal government to win approval. Beleaguered residents in Ocotillo contend that the only thing “green” about this wind project is the taxpayers’ money pocketed by the developer in the form of wind energy subsidies. For residents across the nation who live close to places where wind projects or desert solar projects are proposed, as well as for all who use public lands or care about wildlife in these formerly protected areas, this week’s dust storms and chemical flooding raise serious questions about the hidden costs of pollution related to these so-called “green” energy projects.
EARTHTALK®: HUMAN OVERPOPULATION – STILL AN ISSUE OF CONCERN?
September 5, 2013 (San Diego) – Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that human overpopulation isn’t such a big issue any more as numbers are expected to start declining in a few decades? — Melinda Mason, Boone, IA Ever since Thomas Malthus published “An Essay on the Principle of Population” in 1798, positing incorrectly that humans’ proclivity for procreation would exhaust the global food supply within a matter of decades, population growth has been a hot button issue among those contemplating humankind’s future. Indeed our very success going forth and multiplying, paired with our ability to extend our life expectancy, has meant that we are perpetually pushing the limits of the resource base that supports us. When Malthus was worrying about the planet’s “carrying capacity,” there were only about a billion of us on the planet. Today our population tops seven billion. While better health care and medicine along with advances in food production and access to freshwater and sanitation have allowed us to feed ourselves and stave off many health ills, some so-called Neo-Malthusians believe we may still be heading for some kind of population crash, perhaps triggered or exacerbated by environmental factors related to climate change. But others are less concerned given projections that world population will likely start to decline once the world’s less developed nations urbanize and start lowering their birth rates, as has already happened in Europe, the U.S., Australia and parts of Asia. For example, Europe’s “fertility rate” between 2005 and 2010 was just 1.53 live births per woman (the standard replacement rate to maintain a stable population is 2.1). Without immigration, Europe’s population would already be shrinking. Of course, the immigration that continues to fuel population numbers in developed countries is coming from somewhere. Indeed, population numbers are still growing in many of the world’s developing countries, including the world’s most populous nation, China, and its close rival, India. Also fertility rates in Africa continue to be among the highest in the world, as many countries there are growing fast, too. Poverty and health problems due to poor sanitation, lack of access to food and water, the low social status of women and other ills continue to cripple these regions. Overpopulation could plague us indefinitely if fertility rates don’t drop in these areas, especially as they ramp up their Western-style development. Globally, the United Nations estimates that the number of humans populating the planet in 2100 will range from as few as 6.2 billion—almost a billion less than today—to as many as 15.8 billion on the high end. Meanwhile, other researchers confirm the likelihood of world population levels flattening out and starting to decline by 2100 according to the lower UN estimate. To wit, the Austria-based International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) recently unveiled research showing that if the world stabilizes at a fertility rate comparable to that of many European nations today (roughly 1.5), the global human population will be only half of what it is today by the year 2200, and only one-seventh by 2300. It is difficult to say which way the global population pendulum will swing in centuries to come, given ever-changing cultural, economic and political attitudes and the development demographics they affect. As such the jury is still out as to whether human overpopulation will become a footnote in history or the dominant ill that stands in the way of all other efforts to achieve sustainability and a kinder, gentler world. CONTACTS: Thomas Malthus, www.esp.org/books/malthus/population/malthus.pdf; United Nations, www.un.org/esa/population/; IIASA, http://webarchive.iiasa.ac.at/Admin/PUB/Documents/IR-08-022.pdf. EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E – The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.
JERRY SCHAD’S OUTDOOR CLASSIC “101 HIKES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA” GETS MAJOR UPDATE
September 5, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – In 2011, the SoCal outdoor community lost Jerry Schad, the seasoned hiker who spread his appreciation for the outdoors throughout the San Diego region through his popular books and photographs. Now Wilderness Press has released the first update to Schad’s classic 101 Hikes in Southern California since his passing two years ago. The first edition was published in 1996. David Money Harris – fellow outdoor writer, hiking leader, and frequent collaborator with Schad – took on this most recent update with Jerry’s legacy in mind. Harris worked with Schad on the 2005 revision to the work, and has contributed to Schad’s popular Afoot & Afield series. “Unequaled in his knowledge of the region’s wild places,” Harris explains, “I have endeavored to retain Jerry’s lively writing and insightful descriptions while reflecting recent changes.” In this new edition, hikers will benefit from Harris’s refreshed descriptions of trail conditions, updated driving directions, new maps and photographs, trailhead GPS coordinates, and 17 all-new hiking routes. To compile this information, Harris personally hiked all of what totals roughly 600 miles of trail to ensure the guide’s up-to-date accuracy. Jerry Schad (1949-2011) was Southern California’s leading outdoors writer. His 16 guidebooks, including the popular Afoot & Afield series, and his “Roam-O-Rama” column in the San Diego Reader have helped thousands of hikers discover the region’s diverse wild places. His sudden and untimely death from kidney cancer shocked and saddened the community. David Money Harris is the author and coauthor of five hiking guidebooks and four engineering textbooks. As a Sierra Club trip leader, he organized mountaineering trips throughout the Sierra Nevada. Since 1999, he has been exploring the mountains and deserts of Southern California. The new revision to this staple of SoCal hiking is available for purchase now. For more information visit www.wildernesspress.com.
FROM THE CHIEF’S CORNER: ARE YOU PREPARED? SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH!
By Sam DiGiovanna September 5, 2013 (San Diego) – Are You Prepared? Jeeepers, What Next? It seems there are so many things we need to be prepared for, says Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna. How do you keep up and prepare with all these life and worldly events? September is the 10th Annual National Preparedness Month, which means that public safety agencies are busy working on a number of events to ensure that their communities are educated, informed, and ready to face any type of crisis situation. “This year’s national theme is ‘Be Your Own Hero,’” says Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna. Being prepared for emergencies should be as common as wearing your seatbelt, yet nearly every emergency preparedness survey conducted over the past 10 years indicates that 40 to 80 percent of people are unprepared to face certain hazards, says Chief DiGiovanna. Start out with the basics: food, water, disaster supplies are a great start for home preparedness, which is what the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends. The next step is school preparedness, and following that is preparedness at work. Another good way to start is develop a family and neighbor network, then community, and your co-workers. Though a lot to cover, it can be a fun and easy thing to do when you do it as a team, which is exactly what you will need during a disaster. Teamwork! You can also contact your local fire department, community emergency services department, or visit: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/BeReady/ to get you started! Contact your local police or fire department for preparedness information. Come on, let’s get prepared! Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna *Note: The information in this article was compiled from various sources. These suggestions are not a complete list of every preventative or loss control measure. The information is not intended to replace additional safety manuals or the advice of another qualified professional(s). We make no guarantee of results from use of this information. We assume no liability in connection with the information or the suggestions made.