Articles by Special to The Grapevine

Duncan Hunter investigations, Media February 9, 2020

UT Duncan Hunter doc receives mixed review

(Editor’s Note: The San Diego Union Tribune recently ballyhooed a documentary it created based on that newspaper’s coverage of California’s 50th Congressional District’s disgraced former representative Duncan Hunter, R-Vapeville. The 5-part series, accessed through this link ,debuted on Jan. 22 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. An hour-long version of “The 50th” first played on Jan. 26 on Cox Cable and Spectrum Cable in San Diego. Episodes are…

Courts/Law, Media, San Diego February 6, 2020

Trump/Russia OAN SD network loses lawsuit

An African-American man fired from his TV talk show producer job at One America News Network was not harassed on the basis of racial prejudice, but was fired in part because he lodged his complaint, a California jury found. The San Diego Superior Court jury on Monday, Feb. 4 awarded Jonathan Harris nearly $290,000 in damages, the Union-Tribune reported. The verdict followed roughly eight days…

Fire, Homelessness, San Diego January 14, 2020

Homeless folks tied to nearly 13% of fire calls

Fire incident calls tied to homelessness are on the rise in San Diego. Last year, they made up nearly 13% of all fire-related calls. “We’re addressing it as best we can,” said Assistant Fire Chief Chris Webber, who added that the growing homeless problem is “no secret.” While the number of all fire calls has fluctuated over the past five years, fire calls that mentioned…

Homelessness January 14, 2020

Esco homeless vet testifies to ongoing issues

Veteran homelessness has been cut nearly in half in the last 10 years, but tens of thousands of vets remain on the streets, and a program intended to help is short-staffed and thousands of housing vouchers are going unused. On Tuesday, members of Congress heard the story of a veteran known simply as “Mr. Brown.” Brown received an other-than-honorable discharge because of alleged drug use during his…

Duncan Hunter investigations, Politics January 14, 2020

Hunter resigns, doesn’t pass go, gets pension

One of these centuries soon—but really, soon—Congress has got to come to grips with the problem of its errant members. So far, for the crimes you commit, you can be ordered to stop voting on bills, you can be deprived of all committee assignments, and of course you won’t be held accountable for any number of absences from Congressional sessions, you can be expelled, you…

California, Riverside County January 13, 2020

In with the new California laws for 2020

It’s a new year and with that comes new laws. Hundreds of new laws emerged from the California Legislature’s 2019 session, changing the landscape for data privacy, law enforcement practices, evictions and more in 2020. Among the notable laws expected to affect a variety of businesses is Assembly Bill 5, introduced by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, to codify a 2018 California Supreme Court decision on workers’ rights. The bill makes…

Agriculture, Education, Health, Public Policy January 11, 2020

Coal-fired plant shutdowns saves lives, improves crop yields, UCSD study says

The decommissioning of coal-fired power plants in the continental United States has reduced nearby pollution and its negative impacts on human health and crop yields, according to a new University of California San Diego study. The findings published this week in Nature Sustainability use the U.S. transition in recent years from coal towards natural gas for electric power generation to study the local impacts of…

Sports, Vista January 11, 2020

SoCal Pro Wrestling mixes it up at ‘New Year’s Retribution’ on January 25

SoCal Pro Wrestling will be holding its thirteenth New Year’s Retribution event on Jan. 25 at the Boys & Girls Club of Vista, CA. The event will be headlined by Ju Dizz defending his SoCal Pro Heavyweight Championship against former champion Andy Brown. Ju Dizz defeated Dirty Doug to win the SoCal Pro heavyweight Championship on April 13, 2019. Since that time he has successfully…

Consumer News, Lifestyle, Lifestyle, Lifestyle/Society January 9, 2020

Sustainable tips for San Diego residents

Sustainability is not something that should be left to corporations. To protect the environment, being sustainable should be a very personal, one-on-one decision. Only when every person realizes the part they have to play in protecting the environment will noticeable changes happen. From San Diego whale sightings to the nutrients in farmed foods, there are so many things affected by the collective actions of people…

Rancho Santa Fe, Tourism, Travel January 3, 2020

World-Famous Chino Farm is just over there

Last week I made the easy trek to Chino Farm at Rancho Santa Fe. If the traffic gods are smiling, it’s just a short drive to the unprepossessing north San Diego County farm stand, where, upon arriving, if you didn’t know in advance you would never guess that anyone outside the immediate neighborhood has any idea the place exists. But, oh, do they ever. Thanks to patrons like…