Features, Food & More
Latest articles
MONSTERS ON THE LOOSE: THE TRUE STORY OF THREE UNSOLVED MURDERS IN PROHIBITION-ERA SAN DIEGO
By Richard Carrico
Reviewed by Pennell Paugh
April 2, 2025 (San Diego) - San Diego denizen and resident Richard L. Carrico pieces fragments of evidence together for cold cases, while shedding light on a dark chapter in San Diego's history.
Monsters on the Loose tells the tragic, true stories of three females who were murdered early in 1931: Virginia Brooks, Louise Teuber, and Hazel Bradshaw.
Local law enforcement, out-of-town criminologists, and investigators, from what would become the FBI, pursued hundreds of leads. Statewide, newspapers covered every angle and clue and sometimes played a role in the investigations. Yet, the killer(s) were never identified and brought to justice
Carrico criticizes the methods used by San Diego police. They picked easy targets to investigate and they narrowed their suspect list way too soon. As a result, murderers got away undetected.
More than ninety years after the murders, Carrico emerges as an advocate for the victims, meticulously reconstructing their stories. Immersed in dusty files, long-forgotten oral histories, and newly discovered investigation records, his objective is to seek justice for the three victims. In fact, the author claims he may have even solved one of the murders.
Below is an excerpt from the novel. Of the murder of ten-year-old Virginia, Carrico says:
“Friends and family said that Virginia was a quiet girl. She would rather read than play with the neighborhood children. Although some afternoons she attended Campfire Girls meetings, she seemed happiest curled up with a book or two. She had two brothers, Gordon (aged twelve), and George (aged five). The Brooks family had recently moved to San Diego from Englewood, Oregon, where John Brooks, a tall, gaunt fellow, worked as a tree feller in a logging camp. The family had moved a great deal in the past decade; Blanche Brooks gave birth to each of her three children in a different state.
“Blanche wore her dark hair short and sometimes severely parted on the side. Blanche often wore unstylish utilitarian dark long dresses with lace running down the front from the neckline. Even before his daughter’s disappearance, John presented a stoic appearance and a receding hairline. He often wore faded denim overalls over a work shirt and dark work trousers. Blanche worked hard to keep his work clothes clean and mended. Just because they were not well-to-do didn’t mean that they couldn’t be presentable.
”In San Diego, John found employment as a part-time truck driver, chauffeur, and mechanic. Times were lean in the second full year of the Great Depression. The Brooks children often wore hand-me-downs from relatives in the Los Angeles area and Blanche handmade some of their clothes. Blanche appeared in line at the day-old bread counters at local bakeries, including a local favorite, Snowflake Bread. Blanche did the Brooks family laundry by hand and pinned it with wooden clothespins to dry on cotton clotheslines strung between metal poles in the small backyard.
“In February 1931, the family lived on the outskirts of San Diego at 5602 University Avenue. In the city directory for 1931, compiled in 1930, street addresses for University Avenue ends two blocks short at 5450. This shows that east of 54th, postal addresses were yet to be assigned. University Avenue was called the University Avenue Extension, showing that prior to that the paved and maintained avenue ended near 54th Street. Small houses and wooden shacks dotted the valley floor east of 54th Street. An aerial photograph of the area from 1928 reveals a few houses east of 54th Street; in fact, there are only one or two near the Brooks residence. Their small house sat at the bottom of a steep hill that rose to the north. Sage brush, buckwheat, and sumac dotted the undeveloped hillsides and canyons.”
I’ve read several San Diego historical books and none of them held my interest as well as Monsters on the Loose. The author’s writing is easy to read. To provide context, he mentions historical events in the world at large during the time of each crime. From his descriptions, I could imagine what nearby neighborhoods looked like back then. I came away feeling immersed in San Diego’s culture in a time before I was born. In particular, I loved learning about what things cost in the 30s. What were the fads, social changes affecting women, and innovations in cars that gave teens new freedoms.
Richard Carrico grew up in San Diego before serving in the U. S. Army in the late 1960s. He earned a B.A. in Anthropology from San Diego State University and an M.A. in History from the University of San Diego. He taught history, anthropology, and Native American studies at San Diego State University for thirty years before retiring in 2024.
Carrico is an award-winning author of non-fiction and historical fiction with a focus on indigenous people and true crime. He has published five books. Strangers in a Stolen Land, is about San Diego County’s Native Americans, and is used as a textbook at several universities. His most recent book, Monsters on the Loose won second place at the 2024 Book Fest and was a Silver Falchion Award Finalist at the 2024 Killer Nashville event. His short story, “Animals Who Talk, Sing, and Dance” received an Honorable Mention Award from Writer’s Digest Magazine. His most recent piece, Habla Espanol? If You Rodeo You Do was published in Cowboy Up rodeo magazine.
CITY OF EL CAJON ANNOUNCES NEW ONLINE GOALS DASHBOARD
Source: City of El Cajon
April 1, 2025 (El Cajon) - The City of El Cajon is excited to announce the launch of a new online dashboard, providing residents with real-time updates on the progress of the City Council’s 2025 Action Plan. This innovative tool offers transparency and insight into the City’s priorities and ongoing initiatives. Residents can explore the dashboard at https://www.elcajon.gov/your-government/elected-officials/2025-city-council-action-plan
"We believe government works best when residents have direct access to information about how their city is serving them," said City Manager Graham Mitchell. "This dashboard provides an easy-to-use, transparent view of the progress we’re making on the initiatives outlined in our City Council Action Plan."
The 2025 City Council Action Plan reflects El Cajon’s commitment to enhancing public safety, improving infrastructure, fostering economic development, addressing the impacts of homelessness, and supporting community well-being. The dashboard will be updated regularly to reflect progress and ensure accountability.
Residents are encouraged to explore the dashboard, provide feedback, and stay engaged with the City’s ongoing efforts. For more information, visit www.elcajon.gov.
For more information, contact Chris Berg, El Cajon’s Marketing and Engagement Manager, at 619.441.1511 or cberg@elcajon.gov(link sends e-mail).
- Read more about CITY OF EL CAJON ANNOUNCES NEW ONLINE GOALS DASHBOARD
- Log in or register to post comments
PADRE DAM DIRECTORS SPEAK IN ALPINE ON RATES, FIREFIGHTING AND WATER SAFETY
Story and photos by Karen Pearlman
Photo, left: Padre Dam Municipal Water District board members Kim Hales (who represents Alpine) and Suzanne Till share information with ratepayers on Sunday afternoon, March 30, at The Alpine Club.
April 1, 2025 (Alpine) – Just a few days before San Diego County Water Authority will give presentation to the Padre Dam Municipal Water District Wednesday about wholesale water rates in 2026 and 2027, Alpine residents gathered to share some concerns about rate increases, as well as fire safety and water purification.
Two Padre Dam directors spoke Saturday at The Alpine Club. Alpine resident Anne Craig spearheaded the March 30 visit that brought Dr. Suzanne Till, who serves in Padre Dam’s Division 2 area, and Kim Hales, who oversees Division 4, including Alpine.
On Wednesday, Dan Denham, general manager of SDCWA will be talking about "Wholesale Water Rates: Strategies for Long-Term Stability at Padre Dam’s Wednesday meeting at its facility outside of Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve.
Photo, right: James Thomas asked questions about billing cycles for Padre Dam Municipal Water District
“I was the one that asked them to come out here and try to get as many people to come,” Craig said of the directors who spoke on Saturday. “It’s really funny. Everybody’s willing to complain about water and the cost but they’re not really willing to come and listen to what the governments are doing and that’s a bit frustrating too.”
Is there enough water to fight a wildfire?
While the cost of water is about to rise, wildfire danger is high on the list of concerns for Alpine, which has been hit several times in recent years with major blazes.
After the fiasco with the wildfires in January that hit Los Angeles County -- where water was not always available and a reservoir was empty – people are taking a closer look at what their needs would be in case a similar incident happens in East County.
Hales and Till told Alpine residents that they are as protected as can be.
Hales reminded residents that in the last electrical shutdown in Alpine, the town did not lose its water.
“They have backup generators in order to keep the water flowing out here because Padre Dam also understands if the fires are up here, firefighters need that water as well as the residents,” Hales said. “They’re equipped with backup generators, and I think back up to the backup as well, so they were forward thinking on that.”
Till said that Padre Dam takes extra steps when a Santa Ana weather pattern is expected in the region.
“If the fire danger is extreme, we pump up extra water up into this area,” Till said. “And then when we talk about the actual pumping infrastructure, there are many redundancies. Let’s say a pipe burst or something goes down, we have multiple ways to get water up here.”
The Cycles of Billing
James Thomas, who said he’s been a resident of Alpine since 1973, asked Till and Hales why the district’s billing cycles are not consistent. He said some cycles include an extra week, putting him into a higher tier, resulting in higher rates.
Till has been on the Padre Dam board since 2020 and said that when she was first running for a seat, she learned that the district’s billing cycle is a top question residents.
Padre Dam water rates increase with each of three different tiers. Each tier is incrementally higher and based on specific allotments. Residential water rates in Tier 1 are $9.06 per hundred cubic feet of water (where one HCF is 748 gallons); Tier 2 is $10.23 per HCF and Tier 3 is $11.76 per HCF.
Photo, left: Anne Craig organized the forum to make sure Alpine residents are able to have their voices heard.
“The way the rates are structured is you get X amount of water in Tier 1,” Thomas said. “For X amount of money you get into Tier 2 the price goes up. You get into Tier 3 and the price goes up even greater. The billing cycles are not uniform… 365 divided 12 is 30.41, but my billing cycles are 28 and then the next month it's 35 and then it's another number and another number. When you get into a billing cycle that’s 35 days as compared to 28, you’re gonna get in the next tier, you’re gonna pay more money. It’s simple math to me 365 divided by 12.”
Till said she will be meeting with Padre Dam General Manager Kyle Swanson this week to request that the concern be brought up on a future board agenda. She and Hales suggested that concerns like that be shared by constituents in an email to the district.
Getting Water Up and Water Rates Going Up
Anyone who’s lived in California or owned property in the state knows that water in Southern California comes with a hefty price, and one that’s about to go up again.
The costs of water in San Diego County, which by population is the state’s second largest county, are some of the highest around.
The San Diego County Water Authority notified residents that water rates will soar about 14% this year. The increase in rates is related to water treatment, water supply reliability, and water purchases largely tied to importing water. SDCWA imports the majority of the county’s water from outside the region and charges “pass-through costs.”
Last year, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California adopted a two-year budget with rate increases of 8.5% in both 2025 and 2026, with the rates for treated water going up 11% this year and 10% next year.
“Everybody should be able to afford safe clean drinking water we should not have to go through this,” Till said. “And we’re talking 20% rate hikes of what’s projected 39.4 rate hikes over the next three years. That’s the reality of it… County Water Authority is around 39% rate percent rate hike for everybody in San Diego County over the next three years.”
Till said that while water rates are about to increase, she cautioned residents to “remember it does cost money to run those generators, it does cost money to run those pumps, it does cost money to put in (built in backups).”
“It’s not that we’re just providing your water, and for some people sewer, but we’re also assisting with protection for fire safety, too,” she said.
Till said Padre Dam relies 100 percent on imported water but to help allay the costs and take control of its own water supply, Padre Dam has been working on the East County Advanced Water Purification Program. (AWP) It has been partners with Helix Water District, the city of El Cajon and the County of San Diego on the project for a decade.
Planned to go online in late 2026, Padre Dam started the process with a demonstration facility that started operating at Santee Lakes in 2015.
The East County AWP will purify recycled water using advanced technologies like membrane filtration, reverse osmosis and advanced oxidation, ultimately producing near-distilled water. That water will then be blended with water in Lake Jennings, the reservoir overseen by Helix Water District, and treated again before being distributed as drinking water.
The project is one of the first surface water augmentation projects in California. When completed, it is expected to be able to provide 30 percent of Padre Dam's water supply locally.
Sourcing Energy from Bacteria
Another component leading to higher rates is the costs of electricity through San Diego Gas & Electric, Till said. The AWP plant will have its own energy source, so the district won’t have to rely on SDG&E.
The AWP’s final component involves the construction of a $50 million energy recovery system that will produce two megawatts of renewable energy generated from digester biogas and organic waste.
Hales, who is a biologist, said the energy source is part of its purification process, involving the bacteria that helps to break down the organics.
“Bacteria release gases and many industries will tend to use those gases, you know CO2 and that kind of thing, they tend to just burn it,” Hales said. “Instead of burning it off, those gases can be used for power. And so it’s being put back into the system as a power source. It’s a pretty slick system and because it’s locally controlled water, there’s a little more control over where money is being spent.”
Expected to be complete in 2028, the system will supply up to 40 percent of the electricity for the AWP’s water recycling facility as well as a solids handling facility, a product water pump station and a new Education Center.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SUSPENDS SOME STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT PLANS
By G. A. McNeeley
April 1, 2025 (Washington D.C.) — Some student loan borrowers are seeing their payment plans get suspended, which means their payments are rising. This has to do with changes at the Education Department implemented by President Donald Trump’s Administration.
Approximately 43 million Americans have some kind of student loan debt, according to Newsweek.
The Education Department reported that Americans collectively have $1.5 trillion in student debt nationwide.
Trump has made efforts to dismantle the Education Department, and said that student loan programs could be moved to different agencies if the department is eliminated. Nearly half of all Education Department workers are being laid off, as the agency undergoes major restructuring.
What’s Happening To Student Loan Programs?
The Trump Administration got rid of online and paper applications for income-driven repayment plans from the federal aid website, Newsweek reports..This change occurred as the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked income-driven repayment plans in February. This means former President Joe Biden's “Saving on A Valuable Education” (SAVE) plan, and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) options aren’t available.
Now that these income-driven repayment plans are being suspended, borrowers can’t qualify for potential forgiveness or lower monthly payments based on their income or family size. Also, any payments that borrowers make no longer count towards the 120 qualifying payments they need to get to student loan forgiveness under the PSLF.
Many borrowers will also see monthly payments increase, because of these changes, according to Newsweek.
SAVE allowed 8 million borrowers to work toward student loan forgiveness, and allowed them to ignore their student loans for months. However, forbearance is scheduled to end this year, with the first payments arriving in December.
PSLF allowed public service employees to have their student loan balances cleared after 10 years of minimum payments.
"The PSLF Program has misdirected tax dollars into activist organizations that not only fail to serve the public interest, but actually harm our national security and American values, sometimes through criminal means," Trump's order says. "The PSLF Program also creates perverse incentives that can increase the cost of tuition, can load students in low-need majors with unsustainable debt, and may push students into organizations that hide under the umbrella of a non-profit designation and degrade our national interest, thus requiring additional Federal funding to correct the negative societal effects caused by these organizations' federally subsidized wrongdoing."
Based on Trump's executive orders and the federal court’s actions, it's unclear whether millions of borrowers will qualify for student loan forgiveness anymore. The future of SAVE and PSLF are both in jeopardy.
Education Department Staff Are Being Laid Off
Adding to the uncertainty are layoffs at the Education Department, which oversees the federal loan system, according to AP.
An hours-long outage on Wednesday, March 12, affected the federal website for student loans and financial aid (StudentAid.gov(link is external)), underscoring the risks in rapidly gutting the Education Department, according to ABC News.
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), who handle colleges’ financial aid awards, received reports of users experiencing technical issues and having trouble completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The developers and IT support staff who worked on the FAFSA form were affected by the Education Department’s layoffs, along with the termination of probationary employees. The Education Department has reduced its staff by half, to about 2,000, since Trump took office.
A list of laid-off staff obtained and verified by AP News shows that over 300 people were cut from Federal Student Aid (two dozen of them worked in their technology division). The list included the entire team responsible for systems supporting the FAFSA form.
While laid-off staffers were technically employed until Friday, March 21, they had limited access to their email, phones and computers, making a response to the outage difficult, according to ABC News.
What Can Student Loan Borrowers Still Do?
All borrowers currently enrolled in income-driven repayment plans should “get a sense of when your recertification deadline is, and get a sense of what options are available to you if the form is not available online to recertify your income,” Aissa Canchola Bañez (policy director at the Student Borrower Protection Center) told AP News.
Bañez told The Hill that borrowers need to download their payment history from the Federal Student Aid portal, screenshot tracking information if they’re on a plan that allows for forgiveness, and reach out to Congress members to help with their case.
“Members of Congress have entire teams that are dedicated to accessing casework on behalf of constituents that are having challenges with the federal agency, and these loans are directly from the Department of Education, and so borrowers should reach out for help from the members of Congress, regardless of their party, and demand that their members start working on their behalf, especially if they’re not able to get answers from the department,” Bañez told The Hill.
“Try saying something like, ‘I need your help to understand how to get into an affordable repayment option, which I’m entitled to under the law,’” Bañez told AP News. “‘Even though this federal department has taken down these applications, I need your help.’”
What Are The Experts Saying?
Kevin Thompson (a finance expert and the founder and CEO of 9i Capital Group) told Newsweek, "The Biden-era SAVE repayment plan has been blocked, and as a result, some borrowers are now seeing their loan payments quadruple (no longer being based on income).”
"Borrowers should expect higher payments moving forward, which could lead to a surge in defaults and credit score hits. If the Trump Administration takes a harder stance on student loan relief, things may become even more challenging for those struggling to repay,” Thompson added.
Michael Ryan (a finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com) told Newsweek, "Many payments now don't even cover accruing interest, creating negative amortization where loan balances grow despite regular payments. A particularly troubling aspect is that high-balance borrowers with moderate incomes could end up in perpetual debt if forgiveness timelines are eliminated as proposed in the College Cost Reduction Act."
Ryan added that borrowers should expect significant default increases in May, as millions of borrowers see payments going up by an average of $200 a month.
The SBA Will Now Handle Student Loans
Trump signed an executive order to move student loans to the Small Business Administration (SBA) on the same day that agency announced it was cutting 40 percent of its workforce, according to The Hill.
While advocates have been displeased with the student loan system for a long time, they worry more problems would be created than solved, by giving the biggest program the Education Department controls to an agency that’s seeing a sweeping reduction in force.
Moving student loans to the SBA, which “has no background of familiarity with the student loan program, with the rights afforded to student loan borrowers under the Higher Education Act (it will only make things worse for borrowers),” Bañez told The Hill.
Experts are advising borrowers to reach out to their loan officers and carefully document their repayment efforts, according to The Hill.
The president has offered no follow-up details on logistics for student loan borrowers, but the move was cheered by the Department of Education and the SBA.
“Whether it’s a loan for a business or a business degree, SBA is prepared to restore efficiency and accountability to our taxpayer-funded loan programs,” Kelly Loeffler (head of the SBA) said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). She also confirmed administration plan to cut about 2,700 positions out of its workforce of nearly 6,500.
Borrowers are in a precarious situation, with millions caught in limbo as The Trump Administration seeks to take away student loan forgiveness programs that were established and expanded by former President Biden.
Currently, advocates say they have little hope to offer the 45 million individuals with federal student loans, according to The Hill.
Sources:
LEMON GROVE INCIDENT COMMEMORATED AT NEW NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING SPACE
Mayor Snow presented proclamation to Roberto Alvarez, son of plaintiff in landmark legal case
By Karen Pearlman
Photo: mural artist Mario Chacon, by Christina Alvarez
April 1, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – Mario Chacon stood near the mural he painted three years ago with two assistants in Lemon Grove, and paused to give some thought on what the artwork represents.
The mural on the side of the building at 7963 Broadway depicts the story of one of the first historic successful public school desegregation cases in the United States.
“It was remarkable to me that here in one generation they tried to deny access to education, to a whole generation of children,” Chacon said. “And then one generation later, the son of the litigant is now a professor at UC San Diego.”
Twenty-three years before the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case changed the trajectory of educational facilities and ended state-sponsored segregation, Mexican-American parents challenged the Lemon Grove School District’s attempt to segregate their children.
Called “Roberto Alvarez v. the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District,” the case is also referred to The Lemon Grove Incident.
Chacon’s artwork shows the grammar school at the center of the fight, and someone sending children to another school. Another part of the mural shares the names of all the schoolchildren who were involved in the case. There are depictions of newspapers telling the stories of the day, women in a packing house and a banner depicting the first farmworkers union.
There’s also a courtroom scene showing a student at a witness stand.
Chacon shared his thoughts on Sunday, March 30, where a crowd of nearly 100 people showed up at the site of the mural to celebrate the 94th anniversary of the event.
“I learned about the case many, many years ago when I was in college,” Chacon said. “It’s always been in the back of my mind this this this thing is practically forgotten, but so important.”
Lemon Grove Mayor Alysson Snow presented a proclamation to Alvarez’s son, Roberto Alvarez Jr., who is a researcher and director of the Center for Global California Studies at UC San Diego.
Alvarez Jr. shared the story of the litigation and spoke to the crowd about how other school desegregation cases came before (and have come since) The Lemon Grove Incident. He said he was proud of the legacy of his father, their classmates and the adults who spoke on their behalf and mentioned the principal at the time Jerome Green, who was eventually let go.
He said the name of every child who was involved in the legal case.
“They had that courage to stand up and fight back during a very, very vicious and violent period of time,” Alvarez said.
Photo, right by Karen Pearlman: Roberto Alvarez, son of the original plaintiff in the case ending segregation in the Lemon Grove School District, speaks to a crowd March 30 in front of artist Mario Chacon’s mural.
Roberto Alvarez Jr.’s father was in fifth grade at Lemon Grove Grammar School when he became the face of and the lead representative of the landmark case.
The senior Alvarez went on in 1950 to found Coast Citrus Distributors, a San Diego-headquartered wholesale fruit and vegetable business still operating in California, Texas, Florida and five locations in Mexico.
Grace Communion Lemon Grove church opens meeting space at mural site
Grace Communion Lemon Grove, a local church, hosted the event at its new home at the venue where Chacon’s mural is located.
Called “The Neighborhood,” GC Lemon Grove’s venue has meeting space and will host local events including book clubs, workshops, paining events, trivia and board game nights and more, seeking to help neighbors connect with neighbors.
Plans show the space will open later this summer.
GC Lemon Grove Pastor Anne Stapleton shared some thoughts about Alvarez and also plans for the site where the mural is located.
She mentioned how “The Neighborhood” was exactly the right name for the spot. Parents of the students who were involved in the court case in 1931 formed Comite de Vecinos de Lemon Grove – or the Lemon Grove Neighbors Committee.
“We are going to carry on the tradition of being in the neighborhood, and we are going to see that all people are equal and we stand up for people who don’t have a voice,” Stapleton said. “That’s what we’re all about.”
Photo, left by Karen Pearlman: Pastors Mark and Anne Stapleton of Grace Communion Lemon Grove, on the site where a mural depicts the Lemon Grove Incident, speak to those gathered March 30 to celebrate the landmark legal decision that ended school segregation in Lemon Grove.
Stapleton asked anyone who was in attendance who is related to anyone painted on the mural or mentioned on the mural to stand up, and about 20 people rose. They were roundly applauded by others in attendance.
Wildfires
COULD OUR REGION RUN OUT OF WATER IN A MAJOR WILDFIRE, AS HAPPENED WHEN L.A. FIRE HYDRANTS RAN DRY? HELIX WATER SHARES INFORMATION WITH LA MESA’S CITY COUNCIL
“It could happen, at any water system in the United States. The systems were not designed for what we what we witnessed in L.A.,” says Helix Water District general manager Brian Olney, though Helix has taken steps to reduce risk
By Karen Pearlman
March 20, 2025 (La Mesa) -- The city of La Mesa is being proactive on educating residents on emergency situations for water needs in case of out-of-control wildfires such as the January blazes that devastated Los Angeles County. Concerns about fires and lack of water to fight them led to elected officials in the city of La Mesa to have Helix Water District share insight and information about protection in a presentation at the March 11 City Council meeting.
Reports are still coming in, but the fires earlier this year in Los Angeles are thought to have caused an estimated $250 billion in total damages, with more than 18,000 homes and structures destroyed. While the fires were aided by drought conditions, low humidity, a buildup of vegetation and hurricane-like winds, part of the equation also included local infrastructure issues, troubles tapping into water, and empty fire hydrants and reservoirs.
“I know there’s been a lot of confusion after the fires and a lot of questions about what goes on,” said Helix Water District General Manager Brian Olney (photo, right). “Are we prepared? Yes, we’re prepared for what we know can happen.” He added, “The events in in Los Angeles obviously really put some visuals and some things into our minds about what really happens in a water system, and ‘Can that happen here with us?’ I think it opens us up to have really healthy discussions about ‘What are the expectations?’ and ‘What can a water system survive?’”
Olney explained that fire hydrants can run out of water during high demand. He said while the systems are designed to meet current standards, urban wildfires’ demands “far exceeds whatever was expected or possibly anticipated in terms of the design of that system.”
Most urban water systems are not designed to fight wildfires, he said. Urban water systems are designed to meet normal and peak demands, and provide water to fight fires for two to four hours.
He said when several fire trucks are hooked up to a fire hydrant to put out fires at several homes, the system can manage that for multiple hours at a time, “but when you have 50 fire hydrants that run into a neighborhood and they’re hitting every fire hydrant in place, there’s no chance that there will be enough water left in that system.”
Olney said some homeowners who leave their homes during a fire turn on their irrigation systems, putting added demand onto the system, overwhelming and outpacing the pumping capacity designed into the systems.
“So could this happen in La Mesa?” Olney asked. “Yes, it could. It could happen, at any water system in the United States. The systems were not designed for what we what we witnessed in L.A.”
La Mesa City Councilmember Patricia Dillard (photo, right) asked Olney about protection needs, especially concerning some of the more hilly areas of the city.
“We definitely have the capacity to go out and we can turn valves, we can isolate systems, we can turn water off in an area that doesn’t need the water, and kind of focus it,” Olney said. “We can isolate certain things, but we currently don’t have technology installed in our system where we can shut off an individual house in that area and not to have all the water just go to the to the fire hydrants. “There is some technology that exists out there that does allow you to shut off individual homes, but it’s quite expensive and so we’re not quite down that path yet.”
Olney said the district is in touch with local fire chiefs from Heartland Fire, Lakeside Fire Protection and San Miguel Fire districts. “We’re not only working them on a daily basis to let them know what we’re doing in our system, where we’re taking things out of service so they would have kind of reduced flow, but we’re also working with them on ideas,” Olney said. ‘How do we improve the communication?’ ‘What information do they need moving forward to help these types of responses?’”
He said the fire districts are aware that Helix can provide data in real time of where there might be issues in the water system, and can direct them to another part of the system that has capacity to help them plan on what resources they need.
“We absolutely can have crews out in the field and we can manipulate areas of the system to kind of redirect water where we need it so that it is there,” he said, adding that the Helix crews and firefighters can open and close the 16,000 valves and 6,600 hydrants in Helix’s water distribution system.
While Helix Water District hasn’t been tested in fight major wildfires, other water agencies in San Diego County have. Several faced issues in losing portions of their water system, running out of water during the major wildfires that hit the region in 2003 and 2007.
As part of its strategy to keep that from happening, Helix “has shared resources agreements with all the municipalities and water agencies so we can share people, equipment, emergency response mechanisms,” Olney told the Council.
He said Helix has a direct link to San Diego Gas & Electric, and also stays ahead of things like power outages. Its system can be backed up and run either through stationary or mobile power generation systems. The district has installed diesel-powered, backup generators at critical sites.
City Council member Laura Lothian (photo, right) said she thought one of the most shocking stories from the L.A. fires was the empty Santa Ynez Reservoir, a 117-million-gallon water resource near Pacific Palisades that was under renovation and empty when the fires ripped through the region.
She asked about the amount of water that would be available at Lake Jennings and Olney said the district keeps 75 days’ worth at minimum. He said that currently the reservoir is holding about 130 days’ worth of water.
“We’re not going to run out of water in terms of putting water into the system,” he said. “All the water in there is what we’ve purchased to put in there so it’s completely manipulated and managed by the district itself.”
The district has invested and continues to invest in diverse, reliable water supplies to ensure that the region has the water it needs. Its water comes primarily from the Colorado River and the state water project in Northern California as well as Lake Jennings, the El Capitan Reservoir and Lake Cuyamaca. Its water suppliers also include the Carlsbad Desalination Plant and the Emergency Storage and Carryover Project.
Helix Water District is the second largest water utility in the county, serving more than 275,000 people in La Mesa, Lemon Grove, El Cajon and other areas in the county.
DON'T RELY ON LUCK: SURVIVE AND RECOVER IN A DISASTER
By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office
Video by José Eli Villanueva: prepare for a disaster with an emergency supplies kit, or “go bag.” When disaster strikes, often there are only a few minutes warning to evacuate. So, don’t wait until the warning comes, when you will likely be anxious and stressed, assemble your kit today and put it in a handy place to grab on your way out.
March 19, 2025 (San Diego) - Giving yourself and your family the best chance in a local disaster isn’t just about luck, it’s about planning and preparing for various hazards to lower injuries, deaths and perhaps even damages.
- Read more about DON'T RELY ON LUCK: SURVIVE AND RECOVER IN A DISASTER
- Log in or register to post comments
SANTEE COUNCIL MAKES FIRE PROTECTION ITS TOP PRIORITY
By Mike Allen
Photo by Scott Lagace: Santee firefighters saved the life of an unconscious woman during a July 2024 fire that engulfed her mobile home, also administering oxygen to save a cat.
- Read more about SANTEE COUNCIL MAKES FIRE PROTECTION ITS TOP PRIORITY
- Log in or register to post comments
SUPERVISORS WEIGH OPTIONS TO ADDRESS UNSAFE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS TO REDUCE FIRE DANGER
By Karen Pearlman
Photo via San Diego County Sheriff: Homeless encampment fire in Santee, February 2025
March 14, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) -- With an estimated one out of every five fires in San Diego County started in encampments where homeless individuals congregate, San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson has said enough is enough.
“Nobody has a right to burn my constituents’ homes down, whether they intend to or not,” Anderson said, two days after the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to update the county’s Unsafe Camping Ordinance. It would apply to property that the county owns or leases and specified areas such as parks, open space and certain public works facilities.
At their meeting on Tuesday, March 11, the supervisors voted 4-0 to empower appropriate authorities “to ensure public safety and do more than just cite repeat offenders,” Anderson said. A final draft ordinance is expected to be presented by county staff to the board in about two months, when a final vote will take place.
At that time, Supervisors will have options for changing the current ordinance.
One option includes adding provisions related to fire risk; adding protections in specific areas (including open spaces and public works infrastructure); and a notification period of 24 hours for those living in unsheltered encampments, to give them time to move personal property.
Another option is to leave the ordinance as it is, which includes enforcement to prohibit and abate illegal encampments, remove improperly stored property on public property and protect vacant property (such as the San Diego River corridor) from fire and pollution.
Currently there are several existing state and local codes that address fire prohibitions and liabilities due to careless, negligent or intentional acts. These existing codes grant enforcement authority to local law enforcement and/or fire agencies to investigate and hold individuals accountable for unlawful acts as defined in code sections.
As for the role law enforcement and other agencies would play in enforcing the ordinance, Anderson said "We expect the draft ordinance, which will be coming back to the Board in about two months, will contain more detailed information on this piece."
Anderson has been a leader in leading changes in the back country.
He said that passing an Unsafe Camping Ordinance in the county’s unincorporated communities “is a crucial step to protect all residents,” and referenced January’s Center Fire in Rancho Bernardo that burned seven acres.
San Diego's Metro Arson Strike Team reported that the Center Fire, which forced people in homes and those in a daycare center to evacuate, was started in a homeless encampment
Anderson said that more than 1,100 fires in the last 12 months were connected to homeless encampments.
In a staff report related to the ordinance, it was noted that the County has, and would continue to have, a “services-first” approach, with a goal of connecting people with shelter, food and -- where appropriate -- substance use disorder and mental health treatment.
The County’s outreach team -- The Health and Human Services Agency, Parks and Recreation, Public Works and Sheriff’s Office Homeless Assistance Resource Team -- coordinates provision of services and resources including emergency housing to people experiencing homelessness in the unincorporated communities.
The 2024 Point in Time Count identified nearly 200 people experiencing homelessness in the unincorporated county area. (This number captures unsheltered individuals only and does not include 250 households already placed in the County’s emergency housing program.)
The county’s changes to the ordinance are also connected to the June 2024 Supreme Court decision in the case of City of Grants Pass v. Johnson. T which allows local governments to enforce camping bans through citations or arrest regardless of the number of shelter beds open.
The decision overturned Martin v. Boise, a Ninth Circuit case from 2018 that held that individuals could not be cited for sleeping on public property unless they were first offered alternative shelter.
In Grants Pass, the Supreme Court upheld enforcement of local ordinances regulating camping on public property even if no shelter beds were available. Under this new guidance, the county’s existing camping ordinances could be enforced.
While all Supervisors voted for drafting an update to the county’s Unsafe Camping Ordinance, Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe wants to be sure shelter space is available for anyone displaced. The County currently operates no homeless shelters, other than two safe parking areas for unhoused people living in vehicles, though plans are in the works to build sleeping cabins in Lemon Grove.
"We have a moral obligation before we put handcuffs on somebody to say, `We have a place for you to go," Montgomery-Steppe said, ECM news partner 10 News reports.
Asked if there is information on any separation of homeless encampment fires vs. fires started in migrant camps, Anderson said County Fire and CalFire have indicated that “these separate data points are not currently tracked in the unincorporated areas.”
An ECM article last year reported that at least six local fires between May 1 and June 1 were attributed to migrants or smugglers near the border, according to Cal Fire. Those fires ranged in size from less than an acre to 50 acres.
STORM SERIES MOVING INTO AREA: FLOOD WATCH ISSUED
East County News Service
Last week’s storms brought 6-10 inches of snow to our mountains with up to 1.5 inches in urban portions of our county. Now, multiple new storms are moving into the area, with rain now falling across the region and multiple atmospheric rivers soon to drench our region, with the heaviest rains Thursday, the National Weather Service predicts. A flood watch has been issued now through Thursday afternoon for San Diego’s inland and coastal areas, including cities such as La Mesa, Santee, Poway, and Escondido as well as San Diego. Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.
Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon could bring rainfall rates of .5 to 0.75 inches per hour, with up to an inch per hour possible in lower mountain areas, along with thunderstorms. Two to three inches of snow are forecast at higher elevations locally. A winter storm warning will remain in effect from Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning.
Travel could be very difficult to impossible. The hazardous conditions could impact the Tuesday morning and evening commutes. Very strong winds could cause extensive tree damage. Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous. Visibilities may drop below 1/4 mile due to falling and blowing snow.
Yet another storm is possible Sunday and Monday, with continued colder than normal temperatures.
Sign up to receive free East County Wildfire and Emergency Alerts via email on the top right of our homepage. You can also follow EastCountyAlert at X.
- Read more about STORM SERIES MOVING INTO AREA: FLOOD WATCH ISSUED
- Log in or register to post comments