PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN DIEGO, CA PERMIT NO. 835
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THE RANCHO SANTA FE NEWS
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MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 13, N0. 6
MARCH 17, 2017
“The simple answer is that the drought is over in San Diego County. However, there are some important details our customers should know about,” says Jessica Parks, public information officer for the Santa Fe Irrigation District. Photo by Tony Cagala
Wounded warrior trials Jack Standfield of Martinsville Ind., and a member of the Wounded Warrior Battalion East at Camp LeJuene N.C. competes in the sitting shot-put on the first day of competition at the Marine Corps Trials held last week at Camp Pendleton. Photo by Pat Cubel
Drought over in county, SFID still encourages water efficiency By Christina Macone-Greene aging customers to avoid
ACA, immigration, border wall part of Issa town hall discussions By Ruarri Serpa
OCEANSIDE — For over two hours, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) fielded questions from a largely contentious crowd at a town hall in Oceanside on Saturday morning. Questions centered around reforming the Affordable Care Act, with many people demanding direct answers from Issa about his position on the proposed Republican legislation to repeal the healthcare bill and replace it. “If the Congressional Budget Office says that costs will go up, and less people will be covered, will you support it?” asked Steve Linke, of Carlsbad. “You know…” Issa began, before being overwhelmed by people chanting, “Yes or No.” Ultimately he said he “doesn’t want to spend the same money, to cover less people.” The town hall was held in two sessions at the Junior Seau Beach Community Center to accommodate
Congressman Darrell Issa holds two town hall events on Saturday in Oceanside. Photo by Pat Cubel
the large demand to attend a town hall. Issa hasn’t held a town hall meeting in the district since last fall, and
activists have been protest- speak with him. In February, he spoke ing outside his Vista office every week for the past TURN TO TOWN HALL ON 14 few months demanding to
RANCHO SANTA FE — The recent heavy rainfall in San Diego County, along with the substantial snowfall in California’s Sierra Nevada, has many wondering if the California drought is officially over. Public information officer for the Santa Fe Irrigation District (SFID) Jessica Parks said that county reservoirs are filling up due to the record-breaking rainfall in January and February. She noted that another added benefit from the rainfall was how SFID customers turned off their irrigation systems which lowered the demand for water. “Since Dec. 1, 2016, we have had over 10 inches of rainfall. This is great since we usually only have about 10 inches for a whole year,” Parks said. “We still have a few more months of the ‘wet season’ to go, and we expect more rain is coming.” So is the drought over? “The simple answer is that the drought is over in San Diego County. However, there are some important details our customers should know about,” Parks said. “First, while there are currently no mandatory conservation requirements, we continue encour-
wasting water and to use water efficiently.” Parks also wants people to know that the San Diego County Water Authority declared an end to the drought in the region due to a combination of the heavy local rainfall, record-setting rainfall in the Northern Sierra, and the heavy snowpack in the Upper Colorado River Basin. “Finally, the state extended its Emergency Drought Regulations on Feb. 8 for another 270 days,” she said. “The Santa Fe Irrigation District has joined with the County Water Authority and others in requesting that the state rescind this regulation.” Despite the heavy rainstorms that pummeled the county, Parks said that SFID has so far avoided any damages from the storms this year. She attributed this to the district’s investments in upgrading its water systems and its field crews being on alert. While the State of California has received significant rainfall, Parks noted that even during very wet periods it makes sense to use water wisely. “The district remains in Level 1, voluntary water TURN TO DROUGHT ON 14