BURNED BODY FOUND IN ALPINE
March 9, 2014 (Alpine) –Sheriff’s deputies received a report shortly before 5 a.m. today of a body found by a Sweetwater Authority employee. The body had been set on fire and was still smoldering when found on a dirt road off Sequan Truck Trail in Alpine, said Lt. Lt. Glenn Giannantonio with the Sheriff’s Homicide unit. Sheriff’s Homicide, Bomb Arson and Crime units are investigating the horrific discovery. If you have any information about what may have happened, investigators ask that you call 858-974-2321.
BAYOU BROTHERS BRING ZYDECO, R&B AND BLUES MUSIC TO SANTEE WED. MARCH 12 AT MARDI GRAS
By Miriam Raftery March 10, 2014 (Santee)—“The musicianship is top notch and the music is infectious. I’m loving every minute of it!” says bass player Danny Perez of Santee, the newest member of the popular Bayou Brothers band. The Bayou Brothers will bring their rollicking, foot-stomping, musical gumbo style to Santee’s Pinnacle Peak restaurant on Wednesday, March 12 for East County Magazine’s own Mardi Gars party from 6-10 p.m. It’s a sound straight out of New Orleans’ dance clubs, Louisiana blues festivals and backyard crawfish boils complete with drums, accordion, keyboard, guitar, rub-board and three-part harmony. The styles range from blues to R&B to zydeco. Rick Lee, a drummer who founded the Bayou Brothers back in 1996 with friends who had toured through the South and picked up the flavor of zyedco music, calls it “Louisiana party music.” John Chambers, accordionist, says zydeco is a mixture of Cajun, soul, and a little bit of blues. It includes several dances and the term means “Pick it up a notch or put a little more salt in the snap beans!” he quips. The beat is so catchy that while the group was performing recently at the San Diego Zoo, a zookeeper urged them to look over their shoulders. “A baby rhino was actually dancing to our music,” Rick says. “Dug the zydeco,” quips John, who wrote a song called “Zydeco Rhino” as a result that will also be the title of their soon-to-be-released CD. Jack Stevens, a guitarist from El Cajon, is another recent addition to the band. “Their guitar player was in Europe playing the blues,“ he recalls. Invited to fill in, he soon became an official Bayous Brother. John’s zippy accordion riffs are lively and upbeat. This is not your father’s accordion music. “We don’t do polkas in zydeco,” he grins. The band won the San Diego Music Awards last year for best blues band, though they play a range of styles including original music such as Zydeco Shoes and Cajun Casserole, traditional tunes and favorites written by others, from Jambalaya to Cupid’s Shuffle to Ramblin’ Man. It all started with a gig at Sistah Judy’s house on Mt. Helix. Since that housewarming party, the band has had bookings as far away as England, including two tours through the United Kingdom, one with legendary Blues Hall of Famer Lazy Lester. “Now we’ve come full circle,” says Rick. Sistah Judy is a member of the band too, playing the rub-board. She has a rubboard club on the band’s website (www.bayoubrothers.net) with photos of audience members she’s invited on stage to play. “It brings out a fun side in people,” she says. “It always puts a smile on their faces.” Famous folks, including a San Diego mayor and the mayor of Gloucester, England have played rub board with the band. Locally, the band has entertained at Gator by the Bay and the San Diego Blues Festivals and next up, East County Magazine’s Mardi Gras Party. At East County Magazine’s Mardi Gras Party on Wednesday, March 12, in addition to the Bayou Brothers, guests will be given free masks and beads, a Cajun/Creole dinner feast by Pinnacle Peak, King’s cake cooked up by the Grove Pastry Shop, and have a chance to win over $6,000 in prizes in drawings and a silent auction. Prizes include some unique items including a $3800 Taylor SolidBody Guitar, a tour of a zebra ranch at Hearts & Hands in Ramona, tickets to Wild in the Country at Lions Tigers and Bears, a daycation at Santee Lakes, lodging in Hawaii, dinner at Mediterraneo, wines from wine judge Bradford Bruce, more wines and tastings from local wineries, books by local and national authors, golf at Cottonwood Golf and Carlton Oaks, Bayou Brothers CDs, Viejas buffet and bowling gift certificates and more. There’s also a “Crazy Tie” contest and the winner can win a gift certificate to Viejas Outlet Centers. For tickets to the Mardi Gras party and more information, visit http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/15048 .
SHERIFF NOW HIRING: RADIO TRAINEES & EMERGENCY SERVICES DISPATCHERS
March 8, 2014 (San Diego)–They are the first line of public safety. They answer calls from people during the worst moments of their lives. They give up family time, weekends and holidays; work graveyard shifts and make critical decisions during life and death situations. When a call for help is made, the voice on the other end is a Sheriff’s Dispatcher. The Sheriff’s 911/Communication Center is looking for Emergency Services Dispatchers and Radio Trainees. Recruitment for these positions will remain open until FRIDAY, MARCH 14TH. Applicants will be required to undergo a comprehensive background check. RADIO TRAINEE Applicants must be capable of taking charge of situations in a sensitive and straightforward manner while showing consideration and respect for others. Candidates must be 18 years of age and have effective oral and written communication skills in English. All candidates must pass the Criti-Call performance test as administered by the County of San Diego. As a Sheriff’s Radio Trainee, you will respond to 9-1-1 emergency and non-emergency calls and be responsible for dispatching deputies in the field. This requires a candidate who can assess a situation accurately, make quick decisions, and use good judgment to ensure the safety of patrol deputies. For more information on the education, experience, licenses, skills, and abilities needed for this vacancy, as well as salary, visit http://goo.gl/Z6T30m. EMERGENCY SERVICES DISPATCHER Sheriff’s Emergency Services Dispatchers are responsible for handling a full range of radio and telephone emergency and non-emergency communications involving a variety of local governmental operations (law enforcement, fire, medical, etc.). Candidates must have one year of full-time experience as a Public Service Radio Dispatcher for a municipal law enforcement or fire agency within the last three years. For more information on the education, experience, licenses, skills, and abilities needed for this vacancy, as well as salary, visit http://goo.gl/dUUNbp. AFTER MARCH 14TH, THESE POSITIONS WILL OPEN AGAIN FOR APPLICATIONS EVERY FIRST AND SECOND WEEK OF EACH MONTH. For additional questions, contact the County’s Job Hotline at (858) 505-6576. The San Diego Sheriff’s 911/Communication Center is staffed 24 hours per day, 365 days a year. Emergency Services Dispatchers process more than 1,600 calls for law enforcement services each day, with approximately one-third of those being 9-1-1 calls. In addition to providing communications services to the various divisions in the department, the center provides communications services for a myriad of other county agencies, including Public Works, Probation, and the District Attorney’s Office. The State’s recommended maximum average answering time for 9-1-1 calls is 10 seconds; San Diego Sheriff’s dispatchers’ annual average answering time on 9-1-1 calls was 5 seconds. In addition, Sheriff’s dispatchers answered 364,450 calls on the administrative (non-emergency) lines with callers waiting an average of only 22 seconds. Contact Information: County of San Diego Human Resources Job Hotline 858-505-6576
WIND WARNING ISSUED AS FIREFIGHTERS CONTINUE BATTLING GUN FIRE, NOW 30% CONTAINED
By Nadin Abbott Photo, left taken March 8, 2014 by Greg Bowerman, creekcrossingphotography.com Additional photos by Tom and Nadin Abbott Update March 10: This fire is now contained. Update March 9, 2014 — The fire has burned 125 acres and is 30% contained according to the Incident page set up for the Gun Fire: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3783/ . The wind advisory has been upgraded to a wind warning with gusts up to 70 mph on ridges possible. March 8, 2014 (Mt Laguna) A fire that started around 1 p.m. in the afternoon in the Kitchen Creek area in Cleveland National Forest spread to 75-100 acres. The blaze was 5 percent containment by 4:40 p.m. with no estimate yet for full containment. A wind advisory has been issued for tomorrow and ECM news partner 10 News reports that crews could be battling this fire for days. Sustained winds of 15-30 mph with gusts up to 55 mph are forecast. Power is out to more than 500 residences in Japatul Valley, Buckman Springs, Morena Village, Guatay, Pine Valley and Mount Laguna due to a power shut off to protect firefightings working closer to powerlines. SDG&E estimates power will be restored at 5:30 a.m. Sunday. According to Forest Service Public Information Officer Wende Cornelius, the fire started near a gun range, hence the name. When we arrived on scene there were many curious onlookers with phones and cameras taking pictures at the staging area. Th e Sheriff’s office was diverting people off I-8 East to Sunrise Highway, and from there to Old Highway 80 East. At one point they discussed shutting both directions, but East was kept open as a way to move traffic through and towards Buckman Springs. A hard block remained on Kitchen Creek Road. According to Wende Cornelius with Cleveland National Forest, earlier closures and voluntary evacuations were lifted. According to Cornelius “It is too soon as to the cause of the fire. It is still under investigation.” Cornelius also added that the fire has not caused its own weather, which large fires can do. We watched those winds literally switch in an instant from the first lookout on Mile Marker 14, which looked into Kitchen Creek Valley. The eddies of smoke rose, which betrayed a difficult wind pattern for crews to navigate. This is the reason why fixed wing aircraft were grounded for a while, though we did watch one spotter and three tankers do fire retardant drops, as well as helicopters. We also watched a hand crew make its way into rough terrain, hiking about five miles in. They carried with them backpacks and hand tools. Cornelius told ECM that while the rain helped last week, it did not help with making the fuel wetter, and we observed how dry it was as well. Included is a picture of a small break of a Manzanita brush that was so dry it literally broke in my hand. While at this time we have no voluntary or mandatory evacuations, it is important, Cornelius told ECM, to still pay attention to the course of this fire. She also told ECM that power has been cut to Mount Laguna by SDG&E since the local branch of the distribution network was too close. As to resources, while this fire is under the command of the Forest Service, they have assets from Cal Fire, Heartland, the US Border Patrol, San Diego Sheriffs Office, California Highway Patrol and Heartland Fire and Rescue.
READER’S EDITORIAL: END OF DEBATE, LOCAL CLEAN ENERGY WILL KEEP THE LIGHTS ON
By Kathleen Connell March 8, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will soon make a decision on how to replace the power from San Onofre. This is a decision with consequences for generations to come. The choice is local clean energy such as rooftop solar, energy efficiency, and conservation or natural gas power plants, i.e., fossil fuel generation. Local clean energy fights climate change, doesn’t pollute our air, already supports hundreds of well-paying local jobs, and lowers electricity bills. Natural gas power plants ramp up greenhouse gases, worsen air quality, average only 10-20 permanent employees, and raise electricity bills for all of us because they are funded by ratepayers and cost anywhere from $1 billion to $5 billion each. And we are shackled to these monuments of the past for decades. SDG&E, of course, would like to build more gas plants and accompanying infrastructure like transmission lines because their 20th century business model, which they expect us to accommodate, depends on it. In an equally myopic form of behavior, they consistently push for legislation and policies at the state capitol and CPUC, respectively, that attack rooftop solar. When he recently resigned from the CPUC’s governing body due to poor health, Commissioner Mark Ferron had this to say in his final report to fellow commissioners: “. . . I suspect that they [utilities] would still dearly like to strangle rooftop solar if they could.” SDG&E has been repeating one word over and over again to lock up support for more gas plants. The word is blackout and it strikes fear in the hearts of Chamber of Commerce leaders and many elected officials, from city council members all the way up to the governor who can’t help but remember what happened to Gray Davis as a result of the statewide electricity crisis. Something historic just happened, however, that debunks SDG&E’s prophecy of doom. Last month the CPUC issued a “proposed” decision on San Onofre replacement power. For the first time ever for a decision of this type, it did not insist that gas plants be in the mix. It states: “We will not require any specific incremental procurement from gas-fired resources. This means that all incremental procurement as a result of this decision may be from preferred resources.” Translation: all of the energy needed to replace San Onofre can come from clean (preferred) resources like energy efficiency and rooftop solar because the lights will stay on without more gas plants. We have known that this was the case for some time—there haven’t been any San Onofre related blackouts since it went down two years ago. This new declaration by the CPUC should finally put it to rest for those that have taken SDG&E at their word despite all the evidence to the contrary. There is a weak spot in the proposed decision, however, that is of concern. The decision unequivocally states that additional gas plants are not necessary yet it doesn’t completely shut the door on them. SDG&E may apply to fulfill a portion of the need with “any source,” which includes both clean and dirty energy. If given the opportunity, SDG&E will certainly ignore the public good and seek more gas plants. Why give them this chance? In his final report, CPUC Commissioner Ferron issued the warning that, “. . . the Commission will come under intense pressure to use this authority to protect the interest of the utilities over those of consumers and potential self-generators, all in the name of addressing exaggerated concerns about grid stability, cost and fairness. You—my fellow Commissioners—all must be bold and forthright in defending and strengthening our state’s commitment to clean and distributed energy generation.” Distributed energy generation means rooftop solar and other small scale generation rather than utility scale projects. The full commission is scheduled to vote on San Onofre replacement power on March 13. We ask the commissioners to heed their former colleague’s call to defend local clean energy by shutting the door all the way on more fossil fuel power plants. Prof. Kathleen Connell serves on the Steering Committee for Power with the Sun, a program of the Sierra Club San Diego Chapter. The views and opinions are those of the author and not necessarily those of the East County Magazine. Rebuttals are encouraged to contact the East County Magazine for consideration in posting.greenhouses gases,