East County Community TImes May 23, 2019 by Jay Renard

El Cajon Valley Host Lions Club Gunsmoke IX Pg 6 - 7

MAY 17 - 23, 2019 Vol. 1 No. 16

The East County Community Times

East Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Only Photojournalism Publication

2019

Grossmont Healthcare Heros Lunch Get Your Community Fix! www.ecctimes.com

NEWS In the

PAGE TWO • MAY 17 - 23, 2019

Dianne’s Corner

Hunter Bill Closes “Child Brides” Immigration Loophole

Washington, DC - Congressman Duncan Hunter (CA-50) introduced the “Stop Harmful Adolescent Marriage Act of 2019” (SHAM Act). Current immigration policy allows for U.S. citizens to petition their overseas spouse regardless of whether either partner is under the age of 18. While there are age restrictions of over 21 to petition for parents or siblings, a U.S. citizen who marries an underage individual in a recognized legal marriage can file their immigration paperwork and bring them into the U.S. “It is actually quite shameful that this type of legislation would even be necessary,” said Congressman Hunter. “Regardless, this loophole exists and the fact remains that current U.S. immigration policy reinforces the harmful condition of child brides. That is not who we are, we’re going to close it. This is an issue I believe everyone can support and work with me to get this addressed as soon as possible.” By simply making the base petition age for all spouses to be a minimum of 18, the SHAM Act also would address the reverse situation where an underage U.S. citizen married to an individual of any age from another country, as long as the marriage is recognized as legal, would be allowed under current policy to bring their spouse into the U.S. Each year, 12 million girls are married under the age of 18. Below are details from two news articles (cited) describing this issue in greater detail: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/immigration-officials-let-8-000-child-brides-into-the-us-saylaws-will-need-to-change-to-stop-that https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/senators-seek-change-immigration-law-curb-child-marriages-n982426 The U.S. government approved more than 5,000 immigration requests for visas or green cards from foreign adults who asked to bring child spouses, or boys and girls under the age of 18, to the country from 2007 to 2017, according to the results of a Senate committee investigation. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which considers these types of requests for admission prior to the State Department’s final approval of them, granted exactly 5,556 approvals to adults over a 10-year period, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee wrote in a report issued Friday. Another 2,926 applications in which the minor asked to be admitted with his or her adult spouse were also approved. Approximately 200 minors filed petitions seeking to come to the U.S. with an underage spouse. The majority of cases were older men seeking to emigrate with underage girls. Some of the most extreme examples consisted of a 71-year-old man who had married a 17-year-old woman in Guatemala and a 48-year-old who had married a 14-year-old in Jamaica. In 149 cases, the adult spouse was over the age of 40. In 28 cases, the adult was over the age of 50. The new finding does not indicate that the Department of Homeland Security violated any laws. USCIS said in an email to the Washington Examiner Friday evening that it followed the Immigration and Nationality Act in making recommendations on each case. The immigration law does not set a minimum age for the spouse or fiancée of a person seeking admission to the U.S. “As we have explained to lawmakers, while there are no statutory age requirements or legal provisions for petitioning for a spouse, USCIS does not approve fiancé visa petitions where either the beneficiary or petitioner’s age at marriage violates the laws of the U.S. state in which the couple plans to reside, nor does the agency approve spousal petitions where either the beneficiary or petitioner’s age at marriage violates the laws of the country in which they were married,” said USCIS spokesman Michael Bars. Bars said the agency requires birth date verification of the couple when an application is filed and implemented a system that automatically flags petitions of those involving a minor. The application is then forwarded to a special office within USCIS for consideration. However, they said any changes to the standard by which they and the State Department consider applicants lies with Congress. “Ultimately, it is up to Congress to bring more certainty and legal clarity to this process for both petitioners and USCIS officers,” Bars said. CIS officials considered these types of requests by looking at whether the marriage would be legal in the state the couple planned to live in. States have varying marriage ages. Some, including Maryland, New York, and Virginia, allow children under the age of 16 years old to wed with court permission. The approximately 8,000 approved requests were among 3.5 million that were received in that decade span. Only 2.6 percent of requests are rejected by the State Department. Still, the committee chairman, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told the Associated Press it “indicated a problem ... a loophole that we need to close.” The challenge will be how to create a federal law or policy that does not stomp out state laws. Mexican nationals were granted the most approvals of “child bride” visas or green cards, followed by Pakistan, Jordan, the Dominican Republic, and Yemen. Mike Harrison District Chief of Staff / Communications Director Congressman Duncan Hunter

Leadership East County- Join the “Best Class of 2020” Leadership East County is now accepting applications for the “best class” of 2020. Class will start late August 2019. Past alumni include business leaders from Santee Lakes, Grossmont Healthcare District, Noah Homes, El Cajon Police Department, Heartland Fire, Waste Management and more! If you want to contribute to East County, experience behind the scenes tours of different industries, and meet like-

News and notes from County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Dianne Jacob Highway robbery: Your help is needed! Please join me in protesting efforts by our region’s lead planning agency, SANDAG, to rob our region of badly needed highway and road improvement funds. Beefing up public transit across the county is important, but the shift would gut TransNet funding needed to ease congestion and improve safety on state routes 52, 94, 125, 67 and other key arteries. SANDAG sold TransNet to voters as a way to improve highways and roads -- and it needs to stand by that promise! Let the agency know where you stand by emailing SDForward@sandag.org Lakeside gem: My fellow supervisors recently joined me in voting to restore and improve Lakeside’s Lindo Lake. We allocated $7.5 million to remove sediment, increase the lake’s depth and to add a fishing pier, bird watching station and other amenities. An East County jewel is getting a new and much-needed shine! Keeping the peace: I was honored to recently deliver the keynote speech at the annual Law Enforcement Memorial ceremony at Waterfront Park downtown. Too often, our women and men in law enforcement are subjected to “Monday-morning quarterbacking” following use-of-force incidents. We need to stand by those in law enforcement and give them the resources they need. Thank you to those in uniform for all you do. I know I speak for residents across our county when I say we can never thank you enough. For more District 2 news, go to www.diannejacob.com or follow me on Facebook and Twitter. If I can assist with a county issue, please call my office at 619-531-5522 or email dianne.jacob@sdcounty.ca.gov Have a great East County day! Dianne

Homes for Heroes

My name is Shannon Grindley and I am a local resident Realtor who is also an affiliate Realtor with Homes for Heroes. With my husband in Law Enforcement for almost 6 years, I wanted to find a way to use my career to give back to my community and those who serve it. Homes for Heroes had allowed me to provide a tangible “Thank You” to those Heroes in our community. When I work with First Responders, Military, Teachers, and Healthcare Personnel, I am able to provide an average of $2,500 back at close of escrow for buyers and save THOUSANDS for Hero sellers! My husband and I wished that we knew more about the program when we were buying our first home as well as when we sold it. I provide this service to heroes all over San Diego County and live right here in Santee. (Maybe you have seen me driving around the community). This is simply a way for me to give back to YOU Heroes without any red tape, long wait periods, or forms to complete. It is simple and easy to save thousands when buying or selling, and I would love the opportunity to share more about the program with you! May God Bless you and your loved ones; and thank you from my family to yours for all you do in our community! You can find out more information by calling me at 619-9771244, or by email at sgrindleysd@gmail.com. You can also visit Calhomesforheroes.com and find out more about the program.

On The Cover El Cajon – Wednesday, May 15 – The Grossmont Healthcare District, honored five community volunteers with a delicious buffet luncheon, special videos, and beautiful plaques at the El Cajon Courtyard Marriott.

minded leaders, this program is for you. Any questions please contact Steve Lachman at stevel@ eastcountychamber.org or info@eastcountychamber.org; at the San Diego-East County Chamber of Commerce,

Cover: Jay Renard Cover design: Jay Renard / The East Community Times

Times Business

SERVICE DIRECTORY PAGE THREE • MAY 17 - 23, 2019

Your Voice in the Community San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce

Office: 619.440.6161 Fax: 619.460.6164 info

WWW.EASTCOUNTYCHAMBER.ORG

YOUR AD HERE!

Simply mail your business card, along with your check for $25 per week (four week minimum = $100) and mail to:

The East County Herald

Business Services P.O. Box 2568 • Alpine, CA 91903 It’s that easy!

10315 Mission Gorge Road • Santee • 92071

www.SanteeChamber.com Phone: 619.449.6572 Fax: 619.562.7906

RONN HALL INSURANCE AND NOTARY SERVICES Office 619-562-8585 Cell 619-670-1200 RonnHall@RonnHall.com

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office 206.555.0123 cell 206.555.0133 sample@email.com 4567 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 98052 ‘It’s All About The Kids!’ www.yourcompanywebsite.com A Non-Profit Organization Benefitting East County Kids... Our Future!

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COMMUNITY Matters ADVANCED HEARING AID PAGE FOUR • MAY 17 - 23, 2019

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Jones’ Measure Requiring the California Cancer Registry to Keep Patients Informed is Approved by Key Committee Sacramento – Senate Bill 452, authored by Senator Brian Jones (R-Santee), passed the Senate Health Committee on April 24. This bill requires the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to send an informational brochure explaining the California Cancer Registry to each individual added to the registry. The California Cancer Registry (CCR) is operated by the CDPH. Regulations by the CDPH currently require the diagnosing physician to notify the patients of the cancer registry; however, cancer patients often report that they do not have knowledge of the registry. Once a researcher is approved to contact an individual cancer patient to participate in a research project, a letter along with an informational brochure about the CCR is sent to the patient. Until then, patients are often unaware that their personal information (including personally identifiable information such as name, birthdate, social security number, and address) and medical information have been shared. Jones commented, “Cancer patients should not have to find out about the registry’s existence when they get contacted by a researcher; they should know about it when their information is first entered into the registry.” Jones, himself a cancer survivor, learned about the registry through a constituent that came forward with a story about being contacted by a researcher before she had even decided to tell her family about her diagnosis of cancer. SB 452 passed out of the Senate Health Committee 9-0 and will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Brian W. Jones is Chair of the Senate Republican Caucus and was elected to the California State Senate in 2018 representing the 38th Senate District which includes Alpine, Escondido, Lemon Grove, El Cajon, La Mesa, Santee, Poway, San Marcos, Lakeside, Valley Center, Rancho Santa Fe, Julian, Ramona, Rancho San Diego, Bonsall,

House Leadership Playing Politics with Important Pre-existing Condition Issue Washington, DC -- Congressman Duncan Hunter (CA-50) made the following statement on May 9 after opposing legislation Democratic House Leadership forced onto the House floor regarding pre-existing conditions and healthcare: “Today, Democrats continued their partisan rhetoric with a bill that has nothing to do with pre-existing conditions but is called the Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act (H.R. 986). This legislation is a political ploy and attempts, to once again, undermine the goal of reducing health care costs, ensuring more flexibility, and protecting our most vulnerable. Specifically, this bill would repeal the Administration’s effort to expand a successful Obamacare provision that allowed states to waive certain ACA requirements in an effort to lower premiums. In fact, the President’s guidance provides the states the power to improve their specific markets through policies that best meet the needs of their residents; and has proven effective in seven states already by lowering premiums considerably. “The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator, Seema Verma, has made it clear that the State Relief and Empowerment Waiver Guidance prohibits states from excluding those with preexisting conditions. And I also want to make it clear that I oppose any legislation that undermines coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. “The Democrats partisan #ForThePolitics legislation sounds like a great bill, but in fact it is purely a mirage. In reading the text of the legislation that has been brought to the floor, the word “pre-existing conditions” is mentioned zero times. Rather than coming up with solutions, the other side continues to attack the President, and this makes it difficult for any meaningful progress. It is for this reason that I voted against this legislation. “With this in mind, I recently co-sponsored the Pre-existing Conditions Protection Act, which would reaffirm that enrollees cannot be excluded due to a pre-existing condition, including health insurance coverages in the individual and group markets. Most importantly, this legislation would restore section 2702 of the Public Health Service Act that prohibits discrimination against individual participants and beneficiaries based on health status, contingent on the enactment of legislation repealing Obamacare. “As I continue to work with the Administration and our colleagues in the House of Representatives, I will continue to support strategies and solutions that give our patients in the 50th District more access and lower costs, while also ensuring that we continue to protect our fellow citizens with pre-existing conditions.” H.R. 986 passed the House by a vote of 230-183 and will be referred to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Mike Harrison, District Chief of Staff / Communications Director, Congressman Duncan Hunter

MAY 17 - 23, 2019

THE EAST COUNTY COMMUNITY TIMES • YOUR COMMUNITY OUR COMMUNITY

PAGE FIVE

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Guests must be at least 21 years of age to enter the Casino. Guests must be at least 21 years of age to drink alcoholic beverages. Guests under 21 years of age are permitted in The Buffet only, but must be accompanied by an adult. Families are welcome at the Viejas Outlets and the Viejas Hotel. Please play responsibly. For help with problem gambling, call 800.426.2537

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2018

T R AV E L G U I D E

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THE EAST COUNTY COMMUNITY TIMES â&#x20AC;¢ YOUR COMMUNITY OUR COMMUNITY

MAY 17 - 23, 2019

PAGE SEVEN

2019 Healthcare Heroes Luncheon El Cajon – Wednesday, May 15 – The Grossmont Healthcare District, honored five community volunteers with a delicious buffet luncheon, special videos, and beautiful plaques at the El Cajon Courtyard Marriott. The 2019 Grossmont Healthcare Heroes are: Autumn Herwehe, Sharp Grossmont Hospital and community volunteer; Dan Reynolds, Grossmont Hospital Foundation and volunteer physical therapist; Yolanda Arroyo, RN, Volunteers in Medicine volunteer nurse; Frank Pucharski, ElderHelp volunteer; and Isabelle Termulo, Sharp Grossmont Hospital junior volunteer. Barry Jantz, Grossmont Healthcare District CEO, Erica Salcuni, Communications Specialist, and the entire Grossmont Healthcare District Board (Randy Lenac, Virginia Hall, Bob Ayers, Gloria Chadwick, and Michael Emerson) were there to congratulation all the 2019 honored volunteers. Volunteers are a significant part of care teams in local health organizations, working alongside doctors, nurses, community health workers, neighborhood navigators, community paramedics, and pharmacists to address the community’s medical and social needs. Each year, the Grossmont Healthcare District recognizes volunteer “Healthcare Heroes” who improve health and quality of life for East Region residents. Nominated by their peers, honorees are considered as true unsung heroes of healthcare. “Volunteers are a significant part of care teams in local health organizations, working alongside healthcare professionals,” said Randy Lenac, GHD board president. “The purpose of the Healthcare Heroes Awards is to recognize volunteers whose unsung work in healthcare might not otherwise be celebrated. We solicit the assistance of all East County residents in nominating their peers so we can recognize their commitment to care and inspire others.” Photos by Jay Renard/Community Times

MAY 17 - 23, 2019

THE EAST COUNTY COMMUNITY TIMES • YOUR COMMUNITY OUR COMMUNITY

San Diego River Days Santee – Saturday, May 18 - The Santee Historical Society held a celebration of the river and its incredible biodiversity at the historic Santee Barn. Participants were able to learn about the flora and fauna of our region and how we can protect it. Hands-on activities were available for kids including how to plant a monarch butterfly garden. Project Wildlife had “meet a wild animal up close.” Information was available on gardening, composting, and sustainable living. Tours were given of the historic Santee Barn Museum. The event was sponsored by the Santee Historical Society, Project Wildlife, and The Zen of Monarch Butterflies.

Photos by Mell Schaer for the Community Times

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MAY 17 - 23, 2019

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THE EAST COUNTY COMMUNITY TIMES • YOUR COMMUNITY OUR COMMUNITY

Rancho San Diego

Every Great Event Begins and Ends at Hooleys!

2955 Jamacha Rd. 619.670.7468

La Mesa

5500 Grossmont Center Dr. 619.713.6900

Your Community Calendar Saturday, September 14, 2019 • 5:30-9:30pm Town Center Community Park East Tickets & Reserved Tables go on SALE March 1, 2019

Town Center Community Park East 550 Park Center Drive, Santee June 13 20 27

James Kruk & The Big Boss Men Country Night Patrick Howard Trampus Band Upstream

Elvis Tribute modern country Rock Caribbean, Reggae, Soca

July

Supporting People, Parks & Programs

Blues Night Bill Magee Blues Band

Lowdown Dirty Blues

Three Chord Justice

Premier country Band

Bump City Brass

Funk & Soul Dance Band

August

TICKET INCLUDES:

Unlimited Food Samples (While Supplies Last) Beverage Samples of Beer & Wine (While Supplies Last) Commemorative Sampling Cup & Lanyard Cup Holder

www.SanteeBluegrassFestival.com

Must be 21 years old & up · All Sales Final Must have ticket & ID to check in · We are not responsible for lost tickets

If you are interested in becoming a vendor or sponsor, please contact Jon Shellhammer: (619) 258-4100 x219 • jshellhammer@cityofsanteeca.gov

Straight Six

Rock, Rhythm & Blues

Wingstock Back to the Garden

Music from the Summer of 1969 Tribute to the Music of Queen Variety Musical Entertainment

Queen Nation

The Mighty Untouchables

This free communit y event has been made possible by the support of event sponsors:

Thursdays, 6:30

2019

City of Santee & Barona www.SanteeSummerConcerts.com

Saturday, June 8, 2019 9:00 am – 1:00 pm 550 Park Center Drive, Santee www.FidoFestSantee.com

MAY 17 - 23, 2019

THE EAST COUNTY COMMUNITY TIMES • YOUR COMMUNITY OUR COMMUNITY

El Cajon Valley Host Lions Club Gunsmoke IX El Cajon -Saturday, May 18 - The El Cajon Valley Host Lions Club and the Winchester Widows presented Gunsmoke IX Casino Night at the El Cajon Elks Lodge. The event included Black Jack, poker, Texas Hold Em, roulette, and craps. Heavy hors d’oeuvres were served by Rita’s Catering. Live blue grass music was provided by Shirthouse Band. The evening also included a silent auction, a 50-50 drawing, and an opportunity drawing. Kiley Grunstad was the emcee for the event. Proceeds from the evening go toward supplying eyeglasses to students and the underprivileged. Photos by Jay Renard/Cummunity Times

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MAY 17 - 23, 2019

THE EAST COUNTY COMMUNITY TIMES • YOUR COMMUNITY OUR COMMUNITY

51st Miss Alpine & Miss Mountain Empire (CYE) Pageants.

El Cajon - Sunday, May 19 was the 51st Miss Alpine & Miss Mountain Empire (CYE) Pageants. The event was held at Los Coaches Creek Middle School. Over the last 50 years, hundreds of young women have participated in this great community ambassador pageant program, giving thousands of volunteer hours to many organizations throughout San Diego County. The first Miss Alpine was crowned in April of 1968. She was 16-year-old Christine Higgins This year’s winners:Miss Alpine, Summer Sullivan, Miss Mt Empire, Isabella O’Neil, Teen Alpine, Maddie Yeager, Teen Mt Empire, Taylor Wansley, Preteen Alpine,Serenity Kennel, Jr Miss, Cadence Ditomaso. Photos by Kathy Foster for the Community Times

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