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SMOKEY SKIES OVER MIRAMAR TODAY & TOMORROW

Printer-friendly version September 11, 2009 (San Diego) – Emergency response training today at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station sent billowing into the air, visible from nearby freeways. A training exercise also triggered false reports of a plane crash and brush fire.   Additional smoke will be visible tomorrow, when a controlled burn will be held at the base in

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EAST COUNTY ACTIVIST FILES ETHICS COMPLAINT AGAINST SEMPRA/SDG&E LOBBYIST; ATTORNEY COULD FACE DISBARMENT

Printer-friendly version September 11, 2009 (Boulevard) – Donna Tisdale, Chair of the Boulevard Planning Group (photo), has filed a formal ethics complaint with the California Bar Association against Sempra/SDG&E lobbyist Heidi DeJong Barsuglia. Barsuglia has been implicated in a sex scandal involving Assemblyman Mike Duvall, as we have previously reported.    In an e-mail to East County Magazine, Tisdale noted

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THE GREAT DEBATE! 4 CANDIDATES FOR SHERIFF FACE-OFF SATURDAY IN EL CAJON

Printer-friendly version East County Magazine Editor Miriam Raftery to Co-Moderate September 11, 2009 (El Cajon) – East County’s top law enforcement issues will be on the front burner at the hottest political debate in town Saturday, when four candidates for San Diego County Sheriff will face off on issues ranging from border protection to a jail expansion in Santee.  

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4TH ANNUAL SAFE & SOUND FIRE EXPO IN EL CAJON SATURDAY, SEPT. 12

Printer-friendly version  On September 12, 2009, the San Miguel Fire District will host our 4th Annual “Safe and Sound” Fire Expo. The event will be held at the Rancho San Diego Towne Center/YMCA, 2891 Jamacha Rd. El Cajon 92019, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.   “Our community has always faced significant fire dangers, but now with recent budget cuts,

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GAME OF THE WEEK: FOOTHILLERS TO BATTLE NORSEMEN

Printer-friendly version  by Christopher Mohr September 10,2009 (El Cajon) – In the second Game of the Week, we’re going to stay at Valhalla to see a couple of East County rivals square off. Grossmont makes a short drive south to face Valhalla Friday night. Grossmont (1-0) had a dramatic 16-14 win at home last week against Otay Ranch. After missing

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SEMPRA ISSUES VIDEO STATEMENT ON LOBBYING SCANDAL, LAUNCHES INTERNAL INVESTIGATION

Printer-friendly version By Miriam Raftery September 10, 2009 (San Diego) – Sempra Energy today issued a video statement expressing “shock” at news that a lobbyist for the company has been implicated in a sex scandal with Mike Duvall (R-Orange County), vice chair of the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee. Duvall resigned yesterday, after his videotaped boasts were widely publicized, as East County

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COMPETITORS STILL SOUGHT FOR S.D. SENIOR OLYMPIC BALLROOM COMPETITION SEPT. 13 IN EL CAJON: “WHERE YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD TO BE A CHAMPION”

Printer-friendly version  September 11, 2009 (El Cajon/Rancho San Diego)—If you’re over 50, now you can put on your dancing shoes–and be a good sport!  Going for the gold, competitors in the San Diego Senior Olympics this year will waltz into Cottonwood Golf Club in Rancho San Diego on September 13th to dance the night away in the Senior Olympic Game Competition.

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CPUC PULLS PLUG ON SDG&E PROACTIVE POWER SHUT OFF PLAN

Printer-friendly version  SAN FRANCISCO, September 10, 2009 – The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today denied, without prejudice, San Diego Gas and Electric Company’s (SDG&E) request to proactively shut off power when certain fire conditions are present.  According to a press release issued by the CPUC, the Comission denied the request "because SDG&E has not met its burden to demonstrate that

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ANDERSON’S IOU BILL PASSES ASSEMBLY UNANIMOUSLY; SENATE MUST ACT BY FRIDAY BEFORE LEGISLATURE ADJOURNS

Printer-friendly version  September 8, 2009 (Sacramento) – AB 1506, authored by Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-Alpine) has passed the Assembly by a unanimous vote. The measure would require the state of California to accept its own IOUs as payment for taxes or fees.   “Your letters and voices came through loud and clear and generated momentum that carried onto the Assembly

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ASSEMBLYMEMBER SALDANA RECOMMENDS RENEWABLE STRATEGY FOR BACKCOUNTRY IN LIEU OF SHUT-OFF PLAN

Printer-friendly version September 9, 2009 (San Diego)–Assembly Member Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego) urged the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to collaborate with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and other stakeholders in developing a long-term distributed generation strategy to reduce the risk of wildfire and provide safe power generation in case of emergencies.   Saldaña’s made her recommendations in a letter

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Hot San Diego Padres poised for post-season run

Printer-friendly versionPhoto courtesy San Diego Padres Instagram East County News Service Sept. 25, 2025 (San Diego) — The San Diego Padres are playoff-bound, clinching a postseason berth earlier this week with a strong performance that bookends a regular season defined by a scorching start and solid finish. The Padres hold a record of 87-72 heading into a final weekend series

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Jones’ mobile home insurance bill passes Legislature: measure would protect owners in case of disaster

Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service September 25, 2025 (Sacramento) — Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) announced passage of his SB 525, which if signed by the Governor would help manufactured and mobile home owners afford to acquire full replacement cost insurance policies. “Mobile home owners should not be treated like second rate citizens when it comes to

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USDA secures new long-term fire-retardant contract, saving taxpayers millions

Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service Sept. 24, 2025 (Washington D.C.) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins has signed a new five-year contract for American-made fire retardant with Perimeter Solutions, supporting the U.S. Forest Service and Department of the Interior’s aerial wildland fire suppression programs. The agreement secures significant savings, putting the American taxpayer first, while strengthening our manufacturing base by

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School threat in Spring Valley

Printer-friendly versionSource:  San Diego County Sheriff September 23, 2025 (Spring Valley) – Two juveniles have been arrested on suspicion of bringing a replica firearm (BB gun) to an East County magnet school.  On Tuesday, September 23, just after 11:30 a.m., deputies from the Rancho San Diego Sheriff’s Station responded to STEAM Academy, located in the 1000 block of Leland Street

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California releasess its own vaccine recommendations as RFK shifts federal policy

Printer-friendly versionBy Ana B. Ibarra and Kristen Hwang, CalMatters  This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters Photo:  Amaya Palestino, 6, receives a COVID-19 vaccine at one of St. John’s Well Child and Family Center mobile health clinics in Los Angeles on March 16, 2022. Photo by Alisha Jucevic for CalMatters September 23, 2025 (Sacramento) – In

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Woman who sued Nathan Fletcher now seeks restraining order against his wife, Lorena Gonzalez

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery Photos: left, Grecia Figueroa, right, Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher September 17, 2025 (San Diego)  — Grecia Figueroa, the woman who filed an unsuccessful harassment  lawsuit against former Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, has now filed a request seeking a restraining order against Fletcher’s wife, labor leader Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher. “It is vile and oppressive to use your position of power to

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School trustee Bazzo to run for 40th District state Senate seat in 2026

Printer-friendly versionBy Chris Jennewein and Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association   Photo:  SDUSD Trustee Sabrina Bazzo. (File photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego)   September 22, 2025 (San Diego) – San Diego Unified School District Trustee Sabrina Bazzo has announced that she will run for state Senate in the

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Trump ramps up bullying and censorship efforts against media

Printer-friendly versionBy G. A. McNeeley    September 20, 2025 (Washington D.C.) — Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has been waging an aggressive campaign against the media, unlike any in modern U.S. history, according to PBS News. Those efforts have included lawsuits against major media outlets, threats to yank broadcast licenses of networks that cover him unfavorably, calling

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Newsom signs laws to resist Trump’s immigration crackdown; including ban on masks for ICE agents

Printer-friendly versionBy Cayla Mihalovich and Jeanne Kuang, CalMatters This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. September 20, 2025 (Sacramento) – Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed a set of bills meant to check the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown in California, including a first-in-the nation measure to prohibit officers from wearing masks and others that limit

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Need money for college? Here are scholarship opportunities.

Printer-friendly version East County News Service. September 19, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – Each year, Supervisor Joel Anderson sends out a scholarship and grant list  which is updated annually. “I am aware of the financial barriers that many students and parents face when applying for colleges and other training programs,” says Anderson. “Having three children who went through this

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