ATTENTION STUDENTS: FREE CASH FOR FINANCIAL AID WORKSHOPS
Elected officials, school district urge student participation at college aid workshops January 25, 2014 (San Diego)–High school seniors, local elected officials and San Diego Unified School District representatives announce plans to increase the number of San Diego-area high school students applying for free college financial aid. Students are urged to attend one of 13 upcoming “Cash for College” financial aid workshops. In 2013, San Diego region workshop participants were offered more than $3 million in federal and Cal Grant aid. Seniors who attend a workshop and apply for a Cal Grant by the March 2 deadline could also qualify for an extra $1,000 Cash for College scholarship offered at each workshop. The workshops, titled “Free Application for Federal Student Aid & Califiornia Dream Act Application Workshops, will be held between January 25 and March 1. Workshop information is available in a pdf document here and also at www.calgrants.org/workshops. College financial aid increases opportunities for students to attend a college or university of their choice. The Public Policy Institute of California estimates that the state will need an additional one million Californians with four-year degrees or higher by 2025 because 41 percent of the state’s jobs will require a bachelor’s degree or higher. Currently, only 35 percent of adults will be prepared to meet this demand. Increasing college access and affordability is essential. Another 2.3 million Californians will be needed with post-graduate degree certificates and two-year degrees in addition to the 3.2 million the state is projected to produce by 2025 according to California Competes. Officials at the announcement included Senator Marty Block, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, U.S. Representative Scott Peters, San Diego Unified Board Trustee Richard Barrera, Linda Doughty of the California Student Opportunity and Access Program and San Diego Unified high school students.
MOTORISTS WARNED TO EXPECT SHORT DELAYS AS PART OF SR-94 PROJECT
January 25, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)– Motorists should expect short delays on portions of State Route 94 (SR-94) for about the next two weeks, weekdays only, starting Monday morning as work continues on a pavement rehabilitation project. One-way traffic control will be in effect on eastbound SR-94 from Proctor Valley Road to Otay Lakes Road and in the westbound direction in the vicinity of Marron Valley Road starting Monday through Monday, Feb. 17, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to Caltrans. No work is expected to take place during the weekends. Construction crews are taking advantage of unseasonably warm weather to continue the project. Flaggers will be on site directing motorists through the one-way traffic control. Changeable message signs will be placed at both ends of the construction zone. Motorists may experience some delays, but the traffic queue should not exceed 10 minutes in either direction. Additional closures will be announced prior to the work taking place. The work is needed to provide a smoother ride for motorist and extend the life of the pavement. Caltrans thanks motorists for their patience during this construction and suggests they allow extra time for their travel along these portions of SR-94.
GEORGE MANN CONCERT OF FOLK AND LABOR SONGS TO BENEFIT KNSJ RADIO AND ACTIVIST SAN DIEGO
January 17, 2013 (San Diego) – On January 25th at 7 p.m., George Mann will perform a concert at Church of the Bretrhen, 3850 Westgate Pl., San Diego. The concert will feature songs from the historic 1941 tour know as the “Almanac Singers” – activists who toured the nation bringing folk music back to the people and spreading a message of unionization. Songs featured include music of Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and the Almanac Singers from these classic troubadours. Proceeds will benefit KNSJ 89.1 FM radio and Activist San Diego, owner of the nonprofpit public radio station based in Descanso. Suggested donation is $10. For more information, contact Martin at 619-871-9354. Refreshments will be served.
COLORADO RIVER FLOW CUT SHARPLY ACROSS SOUTHWEST DUE TO DROUGHT
By Miriam Raftery January 25, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – For the first time ever, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has ordered that supplies of water from the Colorado River and Glen Canyon Dam be slashed. The Colorado River is the most important water source for the Southwest– and it accounts for about 60 percent of San Diego County’s water supply. It’s under increasing pressure from a growing population in southwestern cities amid extended dry conditions. “This is the worst 14-year drought period in the last hundred years,” said Upper Colorado Regional Director Larry Walkoviak in a Bureau of Reclamation press release. The federal government will cut water released from Glen Canyon Dam at Lake Powell by 750,000 acre-feet this year—enough water to supply three quarters of a million homes. Even with that reduction, the Colorado River will still be 9% below the 8.23 million acre feet that has customarily been supplied to Lake Mead for use in turn in California, Nevada, Arizona and Mexico under the Colorado River Compact of 1922 and other agreements. Water levels at Lake Powell have dropped 35 feet in the past year alone. Last August, Lake Powell was at just 45% of its capacity – and since then the water level has fallen at an alarming rate of one foot every six days. San Diego water officials have been working to develop alternative water supplies including local projects such as the Carlsbad Desalination plant now under construction, but the steep cuts in our region’s largest water supply – the Colorado River –will put the squeeze on local water users and emphasizes the importance of conserving water, our region’s most precious resource.
NEW FIRE STATION IN BOULEVARD BREAKS GROUND
View video of groundbreaking January 27, 2014 (Boulevard)–Drive 60 miles east of San Diego out Interstate 8 and you’ll reach Boulevard, a sparsely populated rural community of about 1,750 people. Your view will encompass manzanita trees and granite boulders, but no shopping malls or gleaming high rises. In fact, you won’t see a lot of newer buildings at all, and you won’t be surprised to learn the town’s fire station is a converted court office. That last part won’t be true for long though. On Thursday, County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Dianne Jacob joined County officials and community members to break ground on a new $3.5 million fire station, which will serve a 78-square-mile area. “This is not only a big step for our community, it’s an important step for the broader region,” said Chairwoman Jacob. “This project is the latest demonstration of the County’s commitment to beefing up fire protection and emergency medical response in our rural areas.” The new 7,866 square-foot station on Ribbonwood Road will feature modern sleeping quarters, a training room, space for up to six emergency vehicles and environment-friendly elements such as solar power. It will be the 16th rural fire station building project the County has completed since the Board of Supervisors formed the County Fire Authority in 2008. Before the Fire Authority, many rural communities were served by part-time volunteers who responded from work or home. One of the improvements under the Fire Authority is to make sure communities are covered by firefighters around the clock, all year round. But many of the old volunteer fire company stations weren’t designed for people to live or sleep there. So the County’s been busy renovating and building to make the fire stations appropriate for 24-hour shifts. The new Boulevard station will be constructed to modern standards, with resource-saving features that include low water usage, cool roof technology, and a 20-kilovolt solar array to power the station. When finished, it will be spacious enough to accommodate two fire companies. An East County Magazine last year revealed that the current Boulevard Fire Station had been closed nearly every day for over two months during peak fire season. Overtime pay was later authorized to assure staffing 24/7, assured Supervisor Jacob, who convened a meeting with fire officials and concerned citizens to discuss staffing shortfalls. In addition to serving community residents, the new Boulevard Fire station could also be calledo on to respond to fires at the growing number of major energy projects in the Boulevard area, including industrial scale wind and solar projects, powerlines and substations. The community of Boulevard is also served by the CAL FIRE station White Star, one of nine CAL FIRE stations the County funds to remain open in the winter to help make sure rural communities have adequate year-round emergency response. But the state station is coming to the end of its life. After the new Boulevard Station opens, County volunteer firefighters and CAL FIRE firefighters may share the new facility. The plan would save public funds by saving the cost of constructing and operating two stations to cover the same area. Under the Fire Authority, the County has a close relationship with CAL FIRE, so locating County volunteers and state firefighters together is a natural fit. The CAL FIRE San Diego Unit Chief is also the County Fire Authority’s chief. County volunteers receive the same basic training as CAL FIRE career firefighters, and under the Fire Authority, backcountry firefighters are dispatched and overseen by CAL FIRE. That means CAL FIRE dispatches the closest resource to an emergency, and whether it’s a volunteer or CAL FIRE crew, the public gets a professional, timely response. Some in the community have raised concerns however over what happens if the CAL FIRE crew is dispatched out of the area to fight a wildfire. Area residents want to be sure that the station will be adequately staffed not only with CAL FIRE firefighters, but also crews with adequate equipment that can respond quickly to structure fires or fires at major energy projects in the Boulevard area
BLOCK TO INTRODUCE BILL FOR OVERSIGHT REFORMS OF ELDERLY CARE FACILITIES
By Miriam Raftery January 24, 2014 (San Diego)—State Senator Marty Block (D-San Diego) has announced he will introduce Senate Bill 911 to provide oversight and reforms of residential elderly care facilities (RECF). Investigative reports by the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) and newspapers around the state have highlighted lack of training standards, neglect, ineffective penalties and inadequate enforcement plaguing residential care facilities. According to an in-depth investigative report by the San Diego Union-Tribune, hundreds of seniors have suffered broken bones, deadly bedsores and sexual assaults in San Diego alone. More troubling, since 2008, 27 elderly residents have died from injuries and neglect suffered in San Diego County RCFEs. The report details extensive examples of how RCFE staff is not adequately trained to handle residents’ needs. The lack of training has resulted in numerous incidents of neglect and injury that could have been prevented with the proper training. In one case, for instance, a direct care staff member failed to properly fasten a seat belt to a resident before going on a tour in the facilities van. This failure resulted in the resident falling and suffering fatal injuries. Even with the resident in excruciating pain, the facility waited four hours before calling 911 to seek help. The resident died four days later due to her injuries. Current law regulating these institutions is more than 20 years old and has not kept pace with the greater demand for services due to an increasingly aging population and more serious health conditions faced by elderly residential clients. Block’s measure is part of the 14-bill Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE) Reform Act of 2014. SB 911 would establish increased training requirements for all staff, administrators and direct care staff, at Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs). It would also increase training, and require any RCFE with residents who have restricted or specialized health conditions to employ trained medical personnel on a full or part-time basis. This bill also protects residents and employees from retaliation for calling 911 to help a resident in need. Over 7,500 RCFEs with 174,000 beds are licensed with the California Department of Social Services. These facilities now serve more residents with serious health problems and higher levels of dementia. Five years ago these residents would have been treated in nursing homes. And although residents’ health care needs are greater, the lack of qualifications and training required of administrators and direct care staff are inadequate to meet the residents’ needs for care and supervision, placing RCFE residents at risk. This measure will help ensure that staff is adequately trained to provide care for RCFE residents and that residents will receive emergency care when needed, by requiring the following: Administrators: Increased certification training from 40 to 80 hours, and continuing education from 40 to 60 hours every two years. Direct Care Staff: Increased initial training from 10 to 40 hours and continuing education from 4 to 20 hours per year. Dementia Care Staff: Increased initial training from 6 to 15 hours and continuing education from 8 to 12 hours per year. Staff assisting with Self-Administration of Medicine: Increased training from 6 to 16 hours for staff in facilities with 15 or fewer residents and 16 to 32 hours for staff in facilities with 16 or more residents. Continuing education will increase for all staff, regardless of facility size, from 4 to 8 hours per year. Staff serving at risk residents: Establishes initial training of 15 hours and continuing education of 12 hours per year. Staffing for higher acuity: Require facilities that accept or retain residents with restricted or specialized health conditions to employ a registered nurse on a full or part-time basis. 911 Staff Retaliation: Prohibits facilities from retaliating against an employee or resident who calls 911 when a resident is injured and in need of medical care. The measure is supported by California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) .
READER’S EDITORIAL: FAKE ABORTION CLINICS FRIGHTEN AND MISLEAD WOMEN
Editor’s note: A local clinic has disputed portions of this editorial . For details, click here. By Sylvia Hampton January 24, 2014 (San Diego)–Since the January 22, 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision striking down all state laws prohibiting doctors from performing abortions, the anti-abortion forces have done everything in their power to make abortion as difficult to obtain as possible. Hundreds of state laws have been passed and then struck down by the courts because they placed an undue burden on women or were simply medically unsound. So the crusaders resort to trickery and bearing false witness. “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” have been around since the early 1980’s and are now very slick in their operations. They are funded and run by anti-abortion organizations. They attract pregnant women and girls who are considering abortion by offering free pregnancy tests and ‘information.” Some are not licensed health centers.Their goal is to prevent abortions. So they mislead women to believe abortion is riskier than childbirth. There are about 16 such centers in San Diego County, according to The Progressive Law Group. The centers are careful to use language to stay within the law but still mislead. When you GOOGLE “abortion” one of the first sites to pop up will be one of these fake clinics with a picture that looks like a doctor or nurse. But once the woman enters the center she is given subtle anti-abortion messages to convince her it is physically and emotionally damaging to have an abortion. The conversation is designed to get her to become emotionally attached to the pregnancy regardless of her situation. They lie to her about the physical and emotional risks. According the American Psychological Association, abortion is not a psychological risk: “The best scientific evidence published indicates that among adult women who have an unplanned pregnancy the relative risk of mental health problems is no greater if they have a single elective first-trimester abortion than if they deliver that pregnancy.……….” If the woman is informed and supported in whatever decision she makes, she will do better than if she is made to feel fear and guilt. Fake clinics claim success in leading women and girls to carry to term about 15 to 20% of cases. Once the woman gives birth the center works to keep her on the anti-abortion roles and make her an anti-abortion voter and/or activist. Guilt and ignorance of the facts are their most powerful tools. According to the Columbia University School of Public Health report “Overview of Abortion in the United States” developed by Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health (PRCH) and the Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) in January 2003 the facts about abortion are: Unintended pregnancy and abortion are common among all groups of women. Almost half of all pregnancies are unintended and almost half of unintended pregnancies end in abortion. In 2000, 1.31 million pregnancies were terminated by abortion. 2.1% of all women aged 15–44 had an abortion in 2000. Abortion is one of the most common surgical procedures in the United States. Almost 90% of abortions are performed in the first trimester of pregnancy More than half of abortions are performed before 9 weeks after the last menstrual period, or within 5 weeks of the first missed period. Fewer than 2% of abortions are performed after 20 weeks. The risk of death when a pregnancy is continued to birth is about 11 times as great as the risk of death from induced abortion. Each year, about 10 women die from induced abortion, compared with about 260 who die from pregnancy and childbirth. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists latest statement on abortion can be found here: http://www.acog.org/~/media/Statements%20of%20Policy/Public/2013LegislativeInterference.pdf For further information and the latest statistics about this health issue check the Centers for Disease Control: CDC’s Abortion Surveillance System FAQs. Medical practitioners deal in facts, not guilt, trickery and ignorance. We must trust women to make their own reproductive health choices in light of information and consultation with their doctors and loved ones. There needs to be a strong effort to educate women about the risks of fake clinics in San Diego County. The opinions in this editorial reflect the views of its author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine.
READER’S EDITORIAL REMEMBERING ROE 2014
By Sylvia Sullivan January 24, 2014 (Santee)–55 million babies have died in the U.S. since the infamous Supreme Court Roe v Wade ruling 41 years ago this month. It is beyond a national tragedy. It is a choice of descent into barbarism. Because of the ghastly numbers of dead babies, it may be difficult to see that the pro-choice side is on a downward spiral. Clinics continue to close as state after state pass pro-life bills. Young people faced with the scientific reality of the humanity of pre born babies, are decidedly a more pro-life generation. There are many significant defections from the pro- abortion side to the side of honoring human life. Beginning with Dr. Bernard Nathanson, who worked not only performing abortions by the thousands, but was very instrumental in the overturning of laws against abortion. He later reversed his position because science showed him it was not a mass of tissue but a baby that abortion destroyed. His film “The Silent Scream” awakened many to the truth about abortion. Norma McCorvey, the Jane Roe of the court ruling, turned her life around becoming a Christian. Then set the record straight. The case was based on lies. She was not raped and she never had an abortion. She had just been used as a pawn in the case. Today she has dedicated her life to overturning Roe v Wade. Numerous former abortion clinic directors and providers that have turn around, repented and now work to restore civil rights for the babies. These include Abby Johnson formerly working for Planned Parenthood and Carol Everett former abortion provider in the Dallas area. Everett has made an interesting observation during her testimony, “That’s another thing, you don’t see the defectors from the Pro-Life side to the abortion side…” It is understandable that few would wish to be on the side that includes the likes of “Dr.” Kermit Gosnell. Last year Gosnell was found guilty of murdering infants in late term abortions in the most unspeakable ways. After 41 years this nation has a choice. We can choose the spirit of death as expressed by Planned Parenthood founder, Margaret Sanger. Who said,” The most merciful thing that the large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.” Or we could choose the wisdom of Mother Teresa, ”The greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion, which is war against the child. The mother doesn’t learn to love, but kills to solve her own problems. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want.” 41 years of bloodshed is enough. The time has come to choose to cherish life and defeat the merchants of death. We shall overcome! The opinions in this editorial reflect the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine.
EARTHTALK®: CLIMATE CHANGE IS KILLING WHITEBARK PINE TREES ACROSS WEST
E – The Environmental Magazine Photo by Frank D. Lospalluto/Flickr: Clark’s Nuthatch on whitebark pine Dear EarthTalk: How is it that climate change is responsible for killing whitebark pine trees and thus impacting mountain ecosystems? — Dale Livingstone, Salem, OR January 24, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)–Whitebark pine trees are a “keystone” species in high-altitude ecosystems across the American West, meaning they play an important role in maintaining the natural structure of many of our most iconic mountain regions. Wildlife from grizzly bears to songbirds are dependent on whitebark pine seeds for nourishment, while forest stands of the trees stabilize and shade the snowpack in winter, which helps reducing avalanches and helps extend snowmelt flows into the dry summer months. “This slow melting process not only keeps rivers cool for trout and other aquatic wildlife but also helps maintain sufficient water resources for the people living in the arid American West,” reports the non-profit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a leading U.S. environmental group. Given how important the iconic tree is to Western mountain ecosystems, it’s no wonder that NRDC and other green groups are distressed by its recent decline due to changing environmental conditions. “White pine blister rust, a lethal disease accidentally brought to the continent on imported seedlings, has wiped out roughly 50 percent of the whitebark pine in the Rocky Mountains since its arrival in the early 20th century,” reports NRDC. “In some areas such as Glacier National Park, it has killed 85 to 95 percent of the whitebark pine. Infected trees can take a long time to die, but the disease can also cause their cone production to drop significantly, affecting grizzlies and other wildlife.” And now a newer threat, expanding populations of mountain pine beetles, is exacerbating the effects of blister rust. These small insects bore into mature pine trees, killing them by eating critical tissue under the bark. “Cool year-round temperatures and freezing winters once kept this beetle confined to low-elevation forests, where native lodgepole pines evolved natural defenses against beetles,” reports NRDC. “Global warming, however, has allowed the mountain pine beetle to expand its range into high-elevation forests, where the whitebark pine is virtually defenseless against this newcomer and its explosive attacks.” NRDC fears that this one-two punch—beetles attacking mature whitebark pines and blister rust killing smaller ones—could have a devastating impact on high-altitude forests across the American West. In late 2008 the group petitioned the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to protect the tree under the Endangered Species Act. A year and a half later the agency indicated that the tree might be worthy of endangered species status, although the case is still under review. “Endangered Species Act protections could help federal agencies focus their whitebark efforts and could bring increased resources for research, conservation, and restoration efforts,” adds NRDC. Everyday people who live in or near whitebark pine territory can help the cause by taking photographs and writing down observations about the changing health of high-altitude forests and the prevalence of Clark’s nutcrackers, red squirrels and grizzly bears, each of which depends on the trees for sustenance. The Whitebark Pine Citizen Scientists Network, a project sponsored by NRDC and TreeFight.org, coordinates this research and synthesizes the findings to give researchers and policymakers more information so they can make sensible land management and species protection decisions. CONTACTS: NRDC, www.nrdc.org; Treefight.org, www.treefight.org. 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.
CUYAMACA, GROSSMONT COLLEGES BEGIN SPRING SEMESTER IN GROWTH MODE
January 25, 2014 (El Cajon)–Spring semester begins Monday at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges with more class offerings, instructors and students than last year as the college district continues an upward trend, thanks to a slow, but steady growth in the state economy. The East County colleges are continuing along a restorative vein, attributable to an improved economic climate and ongoing support from Proposition 30, a temporary sales tax and, for wealthier Californians, income tax hike approved by voters in November 2012. The revenue enhancements reflect an upward tick, with the governor’s proposed 2014-15 budget calling for a modest increase in mandatory education funding for public schools and community colleges, as well as additional dollars to restore student access and one-time funding for student success programs. The added dollars to the district coffers mean a projected enrollment growth of just less than 3 percent from last spring, from a total of 27,647 students to an anticipated 28,430. Course sections for spring reflect growth as well, with this semester’s classes totaling 2,413 compared to 2,058 last spring — an increase of about 17 percent. During the years of the state budget crisis that began in 2008, the number of full-time faculty members in the district dropped from 325 to 266. With the improved budget situation, the district has been able to hire eight faculty members and is recruiting or in the process of filling 25 positions, including a physics instructor at Cuyamaca and digital media/journalism instructor at Grossmont College. “We have much to look forward to this year, as we stay focused on our primary mission – the learning and success of our students – and celebrate their return next week,” Chancellor Cindy Miles said. “As the recent White House Summit on College Opportunity shows, the national discussion is turning to college as the gateway to the middle class and the importance of ensuring access for those with the greatest needs.” More than half the students in this district are on financial aid, even with California community colleges being the most affordable institutions of higher education in the country. Two-thirds are unprepared for the rigors of college academics, the chancellor added, making the additional dollars proposed in Sacramento for student success initiatives all the more important. While the current picture shows a marked departure from the doom and gloom of recent semesters, the fortified dollars for education do not return the district to prerecession levels. Four consecutive years of debilitating funding cuts starting in 2008 totaled $16 million to the district, forcing the colleges to slash 1,600 classes and to turn thousands of students away. “We’ve got a ways to go, but thankfully, we are starting out strong,” Miles said. “With legislative revisions and a clearer revenue picture, our hopes are high that the final budget targeted for the end of June will smile upon our community colleges.” On a separate front, work is progressing on Proposition V, the district’s successful East County ballot measure from November 2012 that brings $398 million to the colleges to address longstanding facility, infrastructure, technology needs, veterans’ services and workforce training. The district’s updated facilities master plan, with a more detailed look at the placement of new facilities, was approved last year and the district is currently nearing completion of design guidelines, space standards, and material and systems standards – required elements that will guide all Prop. V building projects. “We are confident that these facilities and infrastructure improvements will allow us to continue providing a high-quality education to our students, while we remain focused on the bottom line to ensure we spend every dollar wisely,” said Governing Board President Bill Garrett. For more information about Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges, go to www.gcccd.edu