CREDIT CARD SECURITY COMPROMISED FOR MTS RIDERS
East County News Service March 1, 2016 (San Diego) – If you’ve used your credit or debit card to purchase monthly trolley or bus passes through the Metropolitan Transit System’s Compass Card fare collection system, your security may be compromised. A KPBS investigation resulted in an admission by MTS that its system is not in compliance with industry best practices for preventing fraud, such as having data encrypted, maintaining firewalls and testing security systems regularly. All credit card merchants are supposed to comply with such requirements. A public records request turned up a contract between MTS and AppliedTrust, a data security firm in Colorado, to identify security gaps and make recommendations to fix those gaps. MTS has indicated full compliance will take a couple of years and cost $7 million or more – leaving riders potentially vulnerable to security breaches in the short run, though some improvements should be in place by mid-summer. San Diego City Councilmembers Todd Gloria and David Alvarez, both board members of MTS, have told KPBS that the security concerns were never brought before board members. Alvarez indicated he will seek information from MTS staff. Failure to comply with security standards can be costly, as Target discovered when its security breach led the retail giant to pay out over $100 million in settlements with customers and banks, and hundreds of millions more to fix the problems. T-Mobile, E-Bay, Home Depot and other large companies have also suffered credit security breaches in recent years. Besides credit card or debit card holders seeking reparations should they suffer damages, MTS could potentially also face fines from lenders that process its transactions for its failure to secure users’ confidential data. Since MTS operates as a public entity, taxpayers and transit riders could ultimately be stuck with the bills for any damage resulting from negligence on the part of MTS.
COST DOUBLES FOR NEW SAN MIGUEL FIRE STATION
East County News Service March 1, 2016 (El Cajon) – A new fire station on Pepper Drive in El Cajon will cost up to $1.8 million to build, including the land acquisition cost. The San Miguel Fire District approved the expenditure last week of $1.4 million for construction costs – more than double the original cost projection. The San Miguel District has faced financial troubles in recent years, turning over firefighting services to Cal Fire in 2012. The District’s board approved the most expensive of three options for the new station, which will be located only about a mile from another new station set to be open in a month in Lakeside. The second station will be run by the Lakeside Fire Protection District, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The San Miguel District has said its new station is needed to meet firefighting demands in the rural community known as County Service Area 115, an unincorporated area that’s less than a square mile. It’s been the center of a jurisdictional squabble, with San Miguel once trying to annex the area. That plan has been abandoned and instead, the County is now proposing to have four fire agencies divide up the responsibilities of serving the small area and divide up revenues based on the number of call responses. Those agencies include Lakeside, Santee, El Cajon and San Miguel. San Miguel would get just 20% of the $350,000 in revenues under the current plan. Not all agencies have signed on, however, and the plan could yet be changed. The new station San Miguel is building will house one fire engine and three firefighters. The board was split on its decision to approve the increased funding, with the action narrowly passing in a 4 to 3 vote. The Union-Tribune reports that Director Theresa McKenna criticized the prior board for a lack of due diligence including not funding an adequate septic system. Other increased costs include access for the disabled and changes to meet earthquake safety and stormwater management needs, as well as lighting changes.
ARMED SUSPECT NEAR ALVARADO HOSPITAL IN SDSU AREA
Update 11:05 a.m.: The suspect is now in custody and the lockdown has been lifted. March 1, 2016 (San Diego) 10:50 a.m. — San Diego State Police have issued a shelter-in-place alert due to suspect believed armed with a handgun near Alvarado Hospital. 10 News reports police attempted to stop a vehicle on I-8 near College Avenue and the suspect fled toward Alvarado. If you are in this area, police ask that you stay inside and do not call police unless you have an emergency. Sign up to receive free East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts via e-mail at the top right side of our homepage at www.EastCountyMagazine.org and you can also receive a free weekly copy of our newsletter. You can also follow EastCountyAlert on Twitter for a brief text message on your mobile phone. We recommend all of the above since you don’t know what form of communication will work best in a regional emergency.
MEMORY RESTORED IN 75% OF MICE WITH ALZHEIMER’S
East County News Service March 1, 2016 (San Diego) – Here’s some memorable news: researchers in Australia have been able to fully restore memory loss in 75% of mice with Alzheimer’s, using a pioneering new treatment. The technique uses ultrasound technology, a non-invasive procedure, to clear out neurotoxic amyloid placques from the brain that cause memory loss in Alzheimer’s patients. The sound waves opened up the blood-brain barrier for several hours, long enough to stimulate the brain’s microglial cells to active and clear out toxic beta-amyloid clumps responsible for the most devastating Alzheimer’s symptoms. This ground-breaking research was done at the Queensland Brain Institute, affiliated with the University of Queensland. Results of the dramatic findings were published in Science Translational Medicine. The mice had no damage to surrounding brain tissue and performed normally on all memory tasks after the treatment. The treatment is affordable and holds promise to finally offer a cure for the devastating cognitive decline caused by Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Jürgen Götz, on of the researchers on the team, said in a press release,.”We’re extremely excited by this innovation of treating Alzheimer’s without using drug therapeutics,” one of the team, “The word ‘breakthrough’ is often misused, but in this case I think this really does fundamentally change our understanding of how to treat this disease, and I foresee a great future for this approach.” Next up, the team plans tests on larger animals including sheep and hope to launch human clinical trials starting next year.
FEBRUARY BROKE HEAT RECORDS—BUT RAIN IS ON THE WAY
East County News Service March 1, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – It’s official – last month was the hottest February ever I San Diego County since record-keeping began way back in 1875. The National Weather Service reports the average high temperature in February 2016 was a balmy 74.5 degrees, while the average low was 53.5 degrees. Only a half inch of rain fell – but that dry weather is about to change. This weekend, a low pressure trough is forecast to bring rain to coastal areas and snow in East County’s mountains, starting Sunday. Also watch for fog during your morning driving this week.
CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES URBAN AGRICULTURE INCENTIVE ZONE
New Program to Reduce Blighted Properties and Encourage Community Gardens in Neighborhoods East County News Service March 1, 2016 (San Diego) — The San Diego City Council unanimously approved an Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone, a program that will help expand community access to fresh produce through a property tax incentive for urban agriculture on vacant, blighted land. The new program will provide communities throughout the entire City an economic tool to incentivize the development of community gardens on eyesore properties. The proposal was authored by Councilman Scott Sherman. An Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone reduces the property tax of a participating parcel owner in exchange for a minimum five year contract for the usage of the site for urban agriculture. Properties must be between a tenth of an acre and three acres, with the entire property dedicated for agriculture. The new measure is made possible as a result of State Assembly Bill 551 introduced by Assemblymember Phil Ting, which was signed into law during the 2013 state legislative session. “I appreciate the support of my Council Colleagues for approving my measure that will incentivize the development of urban agriculture in all San Diego neighborhoods as well as give residents and property owners an additional tool to transform blighted property in their communities,” said Councilmember Sherman in a press release. Board of Supervisors Chairman Ron Roberts states, “Urban agriculture has the potential to expand economic opportunities, improve community health, and help fight against obesity and diabetes.” He adds that he hopes to see other cities in the region follow suit. Roberts indicates a similar incentive measure is expected to come before the County Supervisors in the next three months, KPBS reports. “The new Agricultural Incentive Zone will help further our mission of developing and maintaining an equitable, healthy, and sustainable food system in San Diego, ” said Elly Brown, Alliance Director of the Food System Alliance. “This new initiative will help bring fresh fruits and vegetables to residents in Southeast San Diego, many of whom live within what is considered a food insecure area,” said Diane Moss, CEO of Project New Village. “The new program will not only bring much needed produce to communities in need, it will also help introduce the joy of farming to those who may have never had the opportunity to grow their own produce,” said Eric Larson, Executive Director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau.
STRONG LINK FOUND BETWEEN ZIKA VIRUS AND PARALYZING CONDITION
East County News Service February 29, 2016 (San Diego) – Zika has recently been suspected of causing Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder. It can leave patients partially paralyzed, sometimes permanently, also causing breathing problems in severe cases after the patient’s immune system attacks nerve cells, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Now results of a study published in the medical journal The Lancet confirm that nearly all of the blood samples from 42 Guillain-Barré patients in French Polynesia in the South Pacific two years ago also tested positive for Zika virus. Scientists called the findings “compelling,” the BBC reports. The neurological problems developed about six days after patients were infected with Zika virus. They estimate that about 1 in every 4,000 people who contract Zika could develop Guillain-Barré and advise countries at risk of Zika to prepare for some Guillain-Barré cases as well. A Zika outbreak in Brazil has also been suspected of causing several thousand cases of babies born with microcephaly, a normally rare condition that causes small skulls and brain damage. Thus far, microcephaly cases have not been found in other nations with severe Zika outbreaks, however, so it’s possible the Brazilian cases could have another cause such as chemical larvicides sprayed on water.
COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION RELEASES EMF SURVEY RESULTS FOR ALPINE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Viejas announces funding for EMF measurements at school By Miriam Raftery February 29, 2016 (Alpine) — The San Diego County Office of Education on Friday released a draft Survey and Exposure Assessment or electrmagnetic fields (EMF) for Alpine Elementary School. The study concludes that the Sunrise Powerlink transmisison line buried on Alpine Blvd.does not pose a significant safety or health risk to the school site.” The study further finds that readings in and around buildings at Alpine Elementary “while not representative of a pristine EMF environment, were within a normal range of exposures one could expect in a society with electric power.” The County study examines 94 measurements taken inside and outside the school and cites several reasons for concluding the site is safe. A comprehensive study of California public schools shows that 80% of those schools and 83% of the classrooms had average magnetic fields less than 1 milliGauss (mG), the study states, adding, “The EMF measurements across the Alpine Elementary School site (excluding non-student areas and the parking lot, which had higher levels) averaged less than 0.9 mG overall, and 0.75 for classrooms.” Those levels are slightly less than those at most schools previously studied in a 2001 survey. There are no federal or state standards for what is considered a safe EMF exposure, although pooled analyses of epidemiological studies have shown a “consistent pattern of a two-fold increase in childhood leukemia associated with average exposure to residential power frequency magnetic field above…3 to 4 mG” (the equivalent of 0.3 to 0.4 microtessla), the study states. Average values at Alpine were found to be less than those levels. The state of California does require that new schools be built at least 37.5 feet from an underground 230 kilovolt (kV) power line, the voltage of Sunrise Powerlink in Alpine, according to the report. Although there is no standard for existing schools, the closest school boundary for Alpine Elementary is 50 feet from the buried Powerlink, farther than the allowable distance for a new school. The Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians has announced that it has pledged $5,000 to the Alpine Education Foundation to fund an electromagnetic field (EMF) study of Sunrise Powerlink high voltage lines buried near Alpine Elementary School. “In response to elevated EMF levels measured near the school, the Alpine Community has raised concerns regarding possible health risks to local children. High EMF levels have potential links to leukemia and other serious health issues. The study will measure between 15 and 20 separate locations on the property and in classrooms,” a press release issued by Viejas states. “We share in our community’s concerns over this issue and we appreciate the steps that the Alpine Education Foundation is taking to support the families of Alpine,” commented Viejas Tribal Chairman Robert Welch. Allison Torres, spokesperson for SDG&E, noted that SDG&E in 2014 reached its 1,000 megawatt renewable energy goal, the purpose of Sunrise Powerlink when initially proposed. She concluded, “I hope this information helps show how Sunrise is truly benefiting the entire region with green, clean energy.”
SENATOR ANDERSON CALLS ON STATE AGENCIES TO PROVIDE ANSWERS ON ALPINE EMFS
By Miriam Raftery Correction: A prior article in ECM stated that Senator Anderson supported construction of Sunrise Powerlink. His office indicates he took no position on the project. We regret our error. February 29, 2016 (Alpine) – “Keeping constituents safe is my top priority,” Senator Joel Anderson states in a letter today to Supervisor Dianne Jacob. “I want to make sure all available and appropriate state resources are deployed so that my constituents are provided answers to their questions about the electric and magnetic field (EMF) levels in our community.” Senator Anderson’s letter indicates he has contacted three state agencies regarding the EMF concerns, including the California Department of Health (CDPH), which advised him that they will review measurements taken by local governments to see how they compare with other schools that were surveyed by the CDPH in a previous study. “I would like to proceed with this review as quickly as possible,” the Senator told Jacob. He asked to receive any data, readings or other testing information collected by her office or other county departments as a result of recent concerns over EMF levels in Alpine, so that CDPH can move forward with its review. Anderson indicated he has asked for clarity from both the California Department of Toxic Substance Control and California Public Utilities Commission as to resources their departments can provide and their authority to investigate or review data collected by third parties. He indicated he has been in contact with the Alpine School District and received copies of the reports produced by the San Diego and Imperial County Schools Risk Management Joint Powers Authority and Placeworks that each conducted EMF measurements and analyses at Alpine Elementary School. “We will be sharing these reports with CDPH,” concluded Senator Anderson, who also sent a copy of his correspondence to the CDPH.
DEPOT SPRINGS BEER COMPANY OWNER BUBBLES FORTH
By Leon Thompson February 29. 2016 (La Mesa) – Aaron Dean, owner of the Depot Springs Beer Company, in an exclusive interview with East County Magazine, spoke exuberantly about the brewery/restaurant/music/event venue now under construction in a neighborhood shopping center on Fletcher Parkway at Dallas Street—and his vision for the facility’s contribution to revitalizing the community. Dean says he wants the kind of place where families can go. “Depot Springs was conceived with the community, families and even its surrounding neighbors in mind. We envision a place where you may drop in two or three times a week.” He grew up in La Mesa and lives nearby with his family. “My grandfather bought an interest in this shopping center back in 1959. I remember visiting retailers with him, collecting rents.” At Depot Springs Beer Company, he explains, “We’re all about great food that will be locally sourced when possible.”Executive Chef Matt Richman is a San Diego native who likes tapping into his heritage for inspiration when blending California ingredients with Latino and Mediterranean flavors, according to his bio on Facebook. ” Dean told ECM, “It won’t be bar food. We’ve kicked it up a notch. Yes, we’ll have flatbread pizzas and burgers, but we’ll also have fish and steak. There will be lots of healthy food options for kids without the usual corn dogs or noodles.” The brewery on-site will feature a variety of craft beers. “People will be very, very happy with our beers. These will be drinkable beers, refreshing,” Dean pledged. “This is not about highest alcohol content, rather it is about crafting a fine crowd-pleasing brew. We will have our craft beers and IPA’s plus seasonable beers like pumpkin or chocolate.” Depot Springs will also have a respectable wine list including wines from local craft wineries. “There will be a full liquor bar for amazing craft cocktails. though personally I’m a beer and wine guy,” Dean notes. “Mostly I want people to have that craft experience from sodas to wines to beers.” Sodas? Yes, even root beer and soft drinks will be crafted. “It’s important not to be a chain,” says Dean, who indicates the facility will be open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunches. But the experience will be about more than just food and beverages. He adds, “We invested an amazing amount in an outdoor movie screen and outdoor lawn. Kids will have plenty of room to play, but not your usual slides and tubes. The kids’ area will be media-free. The kids here can learn art and walk away with something they have crafted. We have dedicated over 2000 square feet for the ‘kids zone.’” While many in the community have voiced support for this revitalization project, a few neighbors voiced concern in a recent La Mesa town hall meeting at Parkway Middle School across the street, as ECM previously reported. http://eastcountymagazine.org/la-mesa-town-hall-reveals-community-unrest-brewing-over-beer-and-outdoor-music-venue Concerns focused mainly on noise and parking. Dean emphasized that he has reached out to neighbors and made some changes to his initial plans. “Now it’s much smaller. There is no second story. We will have indoor and outdoor stages. The indoor facility will have a bar, restaurant and small event space within the restaurant,” says Dean, adding that the outdoor courtyard will be used for music, movies and other events. Seating will ultimately be determined by the fire department and the vision that Aaron Dean has for the center. He wants people to truly enjoy amplified acoustic music, from blues to jazz to classic rock. To contain noise, he’s building an 18-foot-high wall around the perimeter. “Speaker technology these days is tremendous. You won’t hear the noise. We have spent a lot on a sound system with sophisticated speakers. Every decibel is controlled,” he said, adding, “this is not a concert venue. I won’t have hip-hop or punk that would disturb the neighborhood. We are a family oriented facility. No where in San Diego is there a place on a constant basis to take my children and listen to great music..” Besides repairing, paving and striping the parking lot, Dean said Depot Springs Beer will provide incentives for those who take the trolley, which stops about a quarter mile away. “Show us your trolley tickets or taxi receipt, show us you biked or walked here and we will give you something,” he said, adding, “We will have a shuttle to Grossmont Center and to the trolley station during peak hours. Our staff will park off site. Souplantation and Michael’s are working with us to do the same; that is a total of 65 cars that won’t be in the parking lot for long hours.” Dean has assembled an impressive team for the project. “We have an amazing team–talent and experience derived from Gaslamp district development,” he said. Our Executive Chef is Matt Richman. He is a culinary trained chef and will bring amazing food to the project. Our Head Brewer is Stuart Long. Stuart spent 3.5 years working at Lost Abby and helped start Silver Moon in Oregon.” He adds, “Our brewer and executive chef will be accessible. What’s been lost (in other businesses) is customer service. We will be creating 50 to 60 permanent jobs. I would rather pay more for good help that is loyal and not have the turnover. You will find us extremely customer service based.” There will also be special benefits for loyal customers. “We are going to have a membership program that’s unique,” Dean told ECM. “We will invite our members to special dinners with the brewer and executive chef. There will be private events, brewery tours or movies, a place for non-profits and clubs to hold meetings.” Depot Springs hopes to have the doors open in Late June this summer. The brewery, if all goes well, will open a month earlier. For more information, you can visit http://depotsprings.com/ or check their Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/depotsprings/. We are told that fans of Facebook will receive special offers.