ROADWAY HAZARDS REPORTED FROM STORM
Update: 10 News reports cars underwater in Ramona. Update: Heartland Fire also reports flooding in La Mesa on Avocado between 70th St. and Guava. The City of La Mesa has cancelled its Sundays at Six concert tonight due to flooding around Harry Griffen Park. July 19, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – The CHP incidents page reports numerous roadway hazards related to the stormy weather, including some rockin’ and rollin’ mud, rocks and flooding. Here are the latest details: State Route 79 at Chihuahua Valley: Sig Alert issued, roadway shut down I-8 east, old Sunrise Highway: large rocks down in lanes Highway 79 at Horizon View Drive: Rock slides blocking lanes State Route 78 at Wynola: Mud and rockslide blocking one side of highway Old Julian Highway just west of Camel Dairy: road blocked both ways by rocks I-15 south connection to Highway 52: rider down in lane Ramona View Dr. in El Cajon: roadway completely washed out For more details visit http://cad.chp.ca.gov/Traffic.aspx
FLASH FLOOD WARNING AND WATCH NOW IN EFFECT
East County Alert July 19, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning due to imminent threat of flooding in certain mountain areas, where residents are urged to move to high ground. There is also a flash flood watch in effect for all San Diego County valleys, deserts and mountain areas, including places where debris flows are possible. Below are full texts of both alerts: THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN DIEGO HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR… EAST CENTRAL SAN DIEGO COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA… * UNTIL 500 PM PDT * AT 155 PM PDT…DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. UP TO THREE INCHES OF RAIN HAVE ALREADY FALLEN. FLASH FLOODING WILL LIKELY BEGIN SHORTLY. THESE THUNDERSTORM CELLS WERE NEARLY STATIONARY. * SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL LIKELY EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE… JULIAN…HWY 78 BETWEEN BANNER AND S2…CUYAMACA RANCHO STATE PARK…NORTHERN MOUNT LAGUNA…HWY 78 BETWEEN S2 AND BORREGO SPRINGS RD…HWY S1 BETWEEN LAKE CUYAMACA AND MOUNT LAGUNA…LAKE CUYAMACA…HWY 79 BETWEEN JULIAN AND LAKE CUYAMACA…DESCANSO… BANNER…BOULDER CREEK AND SANTA YSABEL INDIAN RESERVATION. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF AN INCH OR TWO ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WARNED AREA. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… FLOOD WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 1024 AM PDT SUN JUL 19 2015 …FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE MOUNTAINS…DESERTS…AND INLAND VALLEYS INTO THIS EVENING… …THE WATCH HAS BEEN EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THE VALLEYS OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY… .SUBSTANTIAL TROPICAL MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE REMNANTS OF TROPICAL CYCLONE DOLORES WILL REMAIN ENTRENCHED ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TODAY. GREATER SURFACE HEATING WILL RESULT IN MORE INSTABILITY AND A GREATER THUNDERSTORM RISK NEAR THE MOUNTAINS… VALLEYS AND DESERTS. SLOWER MOVEMENT OF THE THUNDERSTORMS…IS EXPECTED TO BRING A GREATER RISK OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING. CAZ048-055-056-058-060>062-065-200500- /O.CON.KSGX.FF.A.0003.000000T0000Z-150720T0500Z/ /00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/ SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE- SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-APPLE AND LUCERNE VALLEYS- COACHELLA VALLEY-SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS- SAN GORGONIO PASS NEAR BANNING- 1024 AM PDT SUN JUL 19 2015 …FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PDT THIS EVENING… THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR * PORTIONS OF CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA…INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS…IN CALIFORNIA…SAN GORGONIO PASS NEAR BANNING. IN SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA…APPLE AND LUCERNE VALLEYS… COACHELLA VALLEY…RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS…SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS…SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS- THE INLAND EMPIRE…SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS AND SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS. * UNTIL 10 PM PDT THIS EVENING * SUBSTANTIAL MOISTURE…COMBINED WITH DAYTIME HEATING…IS EXPECTED TO RESULT IN THUNDERSTORMS TODAY INTO THIS EVENING… ESPECIALLY OVER AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE SLOWER MOVING WITH GREATER POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED. THERE IS A THREAT OF DEBRIS FLOWS…ESPECIALLY IN AND BELOW RECENTLY BURNED AREAS. ALL RESIDENTS LIVING ON OR NEAR HILLSIDES OR MOUNTAIN SLOPES SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE DEBRIS FLOWS. DEBRIS FLOWS MAY OCCUR AT ANY TIME…EVEN DURING PERIODS WITH LITTLE OR NO RAIN FALLING. Sign up to receive free East County Alerts at the top right side of our hompeage and get alerts via e-mail, with option to also receive our free weekly East County Magazine newsletter. You can also follow EastCountyAlert on Twitter.com to get free alerts on your mobile phone.
THE SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS, BY WAY OF OKLAHOMA
A Fighting Chance, by Elizabeth Warren (Picador, 2015, New York, NY, 377 pages). Book Review by Dennis Moore July 19, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – Elizabeth Warren, the senior senator from Massachusetts, a former Harvard Law School professor and an expert on economic issues, as well as the author of nine books, including All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan and The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Parents Are Going Broke, has written an insightful book that should resonate with us all; A Fighting Chance.Warren is widely credited with developing the idea for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and she helped set up the new agency as an assistant to President Obama, which is reflected in her writing and thinking throughout this book. As chair of the TARP Congressional Oversight Panel and as the senior advisor to the National Bankruptcy Review Commission, this background makes it clear why many thought that Warren would be a strong challenger to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the campaign for President of the United States. As a child in Oklahoma, Warren yearned to go to college and become a teacher – an ambitious goal, given her family’s modest means. Yet, by 1995, she was a distinguished law professor with a deep understanding of why people go bankrupt. And then came the call that changed her life. Would she come to Washington, D.C., to help advise Congress on rewriting the bankruptcy laws? This New York Times Bestseller, answers that question. Thus began an impolite education in the bare-knuckled ways of Washington. She fought for better bankruptcy laws and lost. She tried to hold the federal government accountable during the financial crisis but became a target of the big banks. She hatched an idea for a new agency designed to protect consumers and was denied the opportunity to run it. Warren gives the how and why in this thorough accounting of her life, A Fighting Chance. In this passionate, funny, rabble-rousing book, Warren shows why she has become a hero to all those who believe that America’s working families deserve a fighting chance. Setting the tone in Warren’s well written and insightful book, is a passage titled; The Game Is Still Rigged, which states: “And now that I’ve been in the United States Senate for two years, I’ve had a chance to see it up close and personal. More than ever, I am convinced that the game is rigged. There are a thousand ways to describe it: Wall Street bankers crashed the economy in 2008, and now they’re making millions of dollars more than they did before the crash. Across the country, workers did their jobs honestly and carefully, but 8.7 million men and women were laid off during the Great Recession and the average family is now making less than before the crash. When the recession hit, the federal government loaned trillions of dollars to the biggest banks in the country, quietly and out of sight, at interest rates near zero. At the same time, the federal government loaned money to college students at interest rates that were more than ten times higher than those offered to big banks – giving the government tens of billions of dollars in profits made off the backs of students.” In further regard to Senator Warren’s disdain for Wall Street bankers, recently as a member of the Senate Banking Committee, Warren took Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf to task at a hearing and excoriated him by stating that he should resign and that he should be criminally investigated. This was in the aftermath of Wells Fargo being fined $185 million for corporate malfeasance. United States Senators Elizabeth Waren (D-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) recently sent a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Tom Perez and Wage and Hour Division Administrator David Weil requesting that DOL investigate whether Wells Fargo violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) with respect to its account executives, bank tellers, branch managers, and customer service represetatives. See attached and reference letter here. Senator Warren is relentless in her pursuit of wrongdoing by the banking industry, and in particular, Wells Fargo. She followed up with her Senate Banking Committee hearing with Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf, after he did indeed resign, with the attached letter to Steven Sanger of Wells Fargo here. This sounds a bit cynical, and perhaps the reason why Senator Warren decided against running for President, despite the popularity she had generated throughout the country for her views. After reading her book, and in hindsight, I can better understand why Senator Warren decided against running for President. She was going to need President Obama’s support, and with her and the President having some serious differences with the international trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), it became clear that she was not going to get that support. President Obama was actually quoted as saying regarding TPP: “I love Elizabeth. We’re allies on a whole host of issues. But she is wrong on this.” Senator Warren countered, by stating: “The Obama Administration says I am wrong – we shouldn’t worry about TPP. So why can’t the American people read the deal?” A Fighting Chance says a lot about the character of Senator Warren, and if not now, perhaps at some future point in time she might rethink her run for President. This is an insightful book that gives us a clear view to the inner workings of politics and government in Washington. Dennis Moore is the Associate Editor of the East County Magazine in San Diego and the book review editor for SDWriteway, an online newsletter for writers in San Diego that has partnered with the East County Magazine, as well as a freelance contributor to EURweb based out of Los Angeles. Mr. Moore can be contacted at contractsagency@gmail.com or you can follow him on Twitter at: @DennisMoore8.
GROSSMONT IMPROVES PATIENT READMISSION RATES AND OUTCOMES
East County News Service July 19, 2015 (La Mesa)—Hospitals must release their rates of readmission and serioscomplications, due to a new Medicare requirement in the Affordable Care Act—and pay penalties for poor results. That’s producing positive results, pushing hospitals to work to improve those numbers and patient wellbeing. For example, a study by BetterDoctors.com found that from mid-2010 to mid-2013, Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa ranked fourth worst in the nation for readmissions and complications. The good news is that since then, Grossmont’s numbers have improved dramatically, according to Better Doctors and Grossmont, and penalty fees have dropped sharply as a result. Th hospital has also won several awards and honors for its patient care. Andrea D’Eramo, analyst at Better Doctors, says Grossmont scored worse than the national average back in the mid-2010 to mid-2013 timeframe in several categories: Heart Failure 30-Day Mortality Rate Pneumonia 30-Day Mortality Rate Accidental cuts and tears from medical treatment Collapsed lung due to medical treatment Serious complications Rate of readmission after discharge from hospital As for severe violations, the hospital had one in 2008 and another in 2010, but none since then, D’Eramo told East County Magazine. Those violations were operating on the wrong side of a 93-year old patient’s brain, and the other for failing to appropriately transition a 45-year old patient from a ventilator to a respiratory therapist and nursing staff.. D’Eramo notes that many hospitals have been subject to administrative penalties including other hospitals in San Diego County. Fortunately, she says, “We see that Grossmont Hospital is moving swiftly in the right direction,” citing fines that have fallen from .36% in fiscal year 2013 to just .04% for 2015—or nearly a 90% drop. “This decreasing trend illustrates the hospital is working toward lowering readmissions and is achieving better numbers, even if they are not caught up to national averages yet,” D’Eramo told East County Magazine. John Cihomsky, vice president of PR and Communications for Sharp HealthCare, which operates Grossmont Hospital advised East County Magazine that he is pleased to learn from Sharp’s Clinical Effectiveness Department that the hospitals care teams have been working hard over the past several years. As a result, he says, Grossmont “will no longer be listed as `worse’ in any of the six categories” that BetterDoctor reported on in its analysis. The new data will cover through June 2014, he added. Cihomsky also notes that the hospital has attained many positive outcomes not listed in the BetterDoctors report. For instances, he says, “the data excluded any analysis of our Hospital Acquired Infection results. Sharp Grossmont scored better than the national rate in four of six categories.” Those categories included antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus bloodstream infections, intestinal infections, central-line bloodstream infections, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections. In the other two categories, surgical site infections from hysterectomies and colon operations, the hospital was on par with the U.S. benchmark. He added , “Sharp Grossmont is proud of the efforts being made in quality improvement across the campus.” Those efforts are reflected in the hospital’s David and donna Long Center for Cancer Treatment being honored with the 2015 Women’s Choice Award as one of the nation’s best hospitals for cancer care. The hospital was also recently re-accredited by the commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation FAciliteis and in April, was approved for the Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. There can be many reasons for hospitals to have higher than average readmission rates and complications. Kaiser Family Foundation did a study which found hospitals with relatively higher shares of low-income patients, as well as teaching hospitals, tend to incur penalties, for example. Other potential factors can include a high rate of elderly patients, patients who don’t speak English, undocumented, uninsured or rural patients who may delay seeking emergency treatment.
VINTAGE PHOTOS SOUGHT OF BORREGO DAYS DESERT FESTIVAL
July 19, 2015 (Borrego Springs) – October 23-25, the Borrego Days Desert Festival will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. Organizers are seeking vintage images from the early days of the event for use in marketing materials and posters. If you have vintage images to share, please call Kathleen M. Bennett at Resort Marketing, (760)416-0052 or e-mail kathleen@resortmktg.com. This year’s festival will be themed “Those Were the Days.” The Borrego Days Desert Festival has a long history of being “The” launch event for Southern California’s Desert Region’s peak season, enticing locals to come together after a long hot summer and to welcome snowbirds back for the fabulous desert weather. Kicking off the festival is a VIP reception for local dignitaries, notables, festival board members, and sponsors. On Saturday, festival goers will line the main street for the popular parade that includes a flyover, equestrians, marching bands, floats, clowns, dancers, and more. Not to be missed is the live entertainment, artists, food vendors, children’s activities, beer & beverage garden, commercial grade carnival fun zone (includes inflatable water slides, obstacle course, bull rides and more), outdoor shopping, collector automobiles, audience choice competitions and more–all of this in a party filled atmosphere fun for the entire family and located in the middle of town at the historic Christmas Circle. For more information, visit www.BorregoDays.com .
ALEC HOLDS NATIONAL CONVENTION IN SAN DIEGO JULY 22; PROTESTS EXPECTED TO DRAW THOUSANDS
East County News Service July 19, 2015 (San Diego) – The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) will host its annual convention on Wednesday, July 22 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Diego. The organization is funded by corporations and pushes state legislators to introduce “model” legislation that it calls “pro-business.” Speakers include Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz, Scott Walker and Mike Huckabee. The conference also will include other state and national legislators from across the nation. But progressive organizations are mobilizing thousands of people for a march, rallies and protests against ALEC, which critics say pushes forward anti-worker, anti-environmental measures drafted behind closed doors. Local State Senator Joel Anderson (R-Alpine) chairs ALEC’s California chapter. Among the groups planning to protest ALEC is the Courage Campaign, a statewide organization. In an e-mail to its supporters, Courage Campaign writes, “Legislators from across the country will arrive to take their marching orders from the Koch Brothers, giant corporations, and right-wing millionaires and billionaires. ALEC pushes model legislative bills designed to: restrict our ability to vote, increase gun violence, destroy our environment, end our right to organize, and give billions of dollars away in corporate welfare. “They want to destroy marriage equality in America and halt all progress for LGTB rights,” states Courage Campaign, which is holding a rally July 22nd at 3 p.m. in Embarcadero Park North, across the street from the Grand Hyatt Hotel where ALEC is holding its conference. (Those wishing to participate can RSVP here.) A march will be held at 3 p.m., arriving at the convention site at 4 p.m. Locally, Citizens Oversight, a government watchdog group founded in El Cajon, is inviting citizens to join in a “StopAlecFest” at 5 p.m. outside the Gran Hyatt at Kettner and Harbor Drive. https://www.facebook.com/events/1113726135320791 Ray Lutz, founder of Citizens Oversight, states, “ALEC is a pay-to-play operation where corporations buy a seat and a vote on ‘task forces’ to advance their legislative wish lists and can get a tax break for donations, effectively passing these lobbying costs on to taxpayers. Along with legislators, corporations have membership in ALEC. Corporations sit on ALEC task forces and vote with legislators to approve “model” bills.” ALEC claims to have over 1,000 bills introduced by legislators each year, with one in five enacted into law, Citizens Oversight states. “These bills are nothing more than a way for the rich and powerful to squeeze every last dime they can out of families like ours all across the nation,” Lutz says, adding, “We do things differently here in California and are a model for the nation, and it’s time we stand up to ALEC to let them know they are not welcome here.” Another San Diego organization mobilizing against ALEC is SD 350, which is urging its climate action supporters to meetup from 3:45 to 4:10 p.m. outside the Kansas City BBQ to protest ALEC’s anti-climate change policies funded by “fossil fuel giant corporate members like ExxonMobil and Peabody Energy.” For details, click here. In addition, unions are holding a rally at the Civic Center at 3 p.m. on the 22nd and on the 23rd at 5 p.m., Common Cause will sponsor a panel discussion at the Hilton Airport hotel. ALEC has responded to the growing criticism of its actions by insisting that legislators are elected and ultimately responsible to voters. The organization cites the First Amendment and claims its freedom to meet with lawmakers is a protected right. “Legislators and all Americans have the right to associate and exchange ideas in any forum they choose. This right is protected by the Constitution, and no one should be intimidated by those who want to silence speech,” ALEC states on its website.
FUNDS STILL NEEDED FOR ZELDIN AND FAMILY
Donate a van or repairs and East County Magazine will give your business a free ad on our site East County News Service July 19, 2015 (Rancho San Diego)—Last week we told you about a foster care family in need here in East County. (See our story). Debra Zeldin’s van was stolen and crashed by the thieves, and her insurance won’t cover the repairs. She’s helped over 60 foster kids including Russell, a 6-year-old who had a kidney transplant recently but “is still wheelchair bound with a tracheotomy. He is blind and developmentally delayed. See this Voices of Children video about his inspiring story: https://vimeo.com/76706300 . Despite fundraising efforts the Zeldin family is still far short of what’s needed to repair or replace their damaged van. You can help by making a check out to Debra Zeldin and mailing it to 8960 Johnson Drive, La Mesa, CA 91941 or donate to the “Van Fund” set up at Wells Fargo Bank at Grossmont Center, La Mesa, which also has a PayPal option. The account number is 1971183627. Or if you have a car repair or van sales business, or would like to donate repairs or a vehicle, please let us know by e-mailing editor@eastcountymagazine.org. We will give a free ad in East County Magazine to any local car dealer or repair shop willing to get this deserving family back on the road.
BOOK IT! ALPINE LIBRARY EVENTS
East County News Service July 19, 2015 (Alpine)—Libraries offer much more than books! The County Library in Alpine’s July calendar, for instance, offers story times for infants, toddlers and pre-school kids, as well as a bilingual story time every week this month. There are also FUN-tastic Fridays with crafts, games and activities for kids. For tweens and teens, summer programs include musical programs and meeting the author of two teen novel series. Grown-ups can enjoy programs ranging from computer classes to a crochet corner to the Alpine Book Club, and much more. View the July calendar or checkout this link for all future events.
RECORD RAINFALL DRENCHES COUNTY, BREAKS CENTURY-OLD RECORD
By Miriam Raftery Photo by Robert Gehr (c) 2015 July 19, 2015 (San Diego) – Saturday’s deluge, remnants of a hurricane off the Baja coast, set a new record rainfall for the month of July in San Diego and many other local cities, Alex Tardy, Meteorologist Manager at the National Weather Service, San Diego reports. At Lindbergh Field airport, 1.03 inches of rain has fallen so far this month, topping the old record of 0.92 inches set back in July 1902. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park got 1.16 inches and Ramona’s airport got a full inch. Campo received .99, while Alpine and El Cajon measured .95 inches on Saturday, putting all of these communities above normal for the whole month of July. The downpour forced cancellation of some events, such as Concert at the Lakes in Santee. Lifeguards evacuated people at San Diego beaches, where lightning strikes posed threats to swimmers and those on shore. The heavy rains drenched marchers in the Pride Parade in Hillcrest, but brought welcome relief from the drought in our parched region. Be sure to turn off sprinklers and irrigation systems for 48 hours after the rainfall to conserve water – it’s the law! For detailed climate information such as monthly maximums at selected locations try this page: http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=sgx
WARNING: RAIN BRINGS URBAN RUNOFF TO COUNTY BEACHES
County of San Diego July 19, 2015 (San Diego)–The County Department of Environmental Health has issued a General Advisory for the coastal waters of San Diego County due to recent rainfall. Swimmers, surfers, and other ocean users are warned that the levels of bacteria can rise significantly in ocean and bay waters, especially near storm drains, creeks, rivers, and lagoon outlets that discharge urban runoff. Urban runoff may contain large amounts of bacteria from a variety of sources such as animal waste, soil, and decomposing vegetation. While many coastal storm drains within San Diego County are permanently posted with white metal warning signs, additional temporary warning signs are not posted for General Advisories. Activities such as swimming, surfing and diving should be avoided in all coastal waters for 72 hours following rain. This includes all coastal beaches and all of Mission Bay and San Diego Bay. Elevated bacteria levels can persist after a rainstorm depending upon the intensity of the storm, volume of runoff and ocean and current conditions. For updates on beach closure information please call the 24-hr. hotline at (619) 338-2073.