Editor's Message

Dear Readers,
Back
in the Dark Ages before Internet and cell phones, chatting over the back fence
with neighbors was the cool way to get news  Think of
this site as your virtual back fence: a place to share your views with neighbors
all over East County!

We started this publication to fill a news void, give voice to people whose
voices aren’t being heard in existing media--and show all those beach
dwellers and downtown denizens that there actually is life east of
I-15.  

Okay, so we don’t have beaches.   Or sand fleas.  But
we do have beautiful lakes, mountains, and deserts.   No coastal
fog here -- just plenty of sunshine and solar panels sprouting up faster than
wildflowers after a spring rain.

We don’t have over-the-line tournaments or sandcastle building contests.  But
we’ve got grape stomps,  jazz and bluegrass festivals, rodeos, parades,
free concerts, movies in the park, and Indian pow-wows -- just a few of this
month’s festivals! (See our calendar for
more events).  Bonus point: No weekend beach traffic jams East of I-15.

You can still find vestiges of the Old West in East County, with rural towns
proudly celebrating their heritage.  San Diego’s eastern region
is also home to all 19 Native American tribal reservations in San Diego County.  Where
else can you find cowboy and Indian museums – as well as tribal-owned
resorts, spas, golf courses, casinos, shopping malls and theaters with celebrity
entertainers?

We’re eager to connect our readers by building a virtual community.  Concerned
about wildfires, healthcare, land use projects, border issues or other community
topics?  Have a hot tip on a story we should cover?  Let us know.  Post
your views here.  Found a great back roads bistro we should review?  Please
share!   Irked at public officials’ stances or votes? Sound
off.  (If you don’t know how they voted, or want to contact your
elected representatives, check our Citizens Action
Center.) 

Our mission is to build better communities.  We’ll profile people
making a positive difference, keep you informed about important issues, and
cover exciting events beforehand  so you can attend with family
and friends.  Our community resource section and columns offer
a wealth of useful tips and info. 

We also have a wildfire e-mail alert service plus live updates during emergencies – all
free, thanks to our generous donors and sponsors.  (See our “Donors
and Sponsors” section to help support our independent community
media and emergency alert services.) 

Most importantly, please let us know what you think – and what else
you’d like to see in our upcoming issues.

Miriam Raftery
Editor, East County Magazine

Posting Guidelines

Welcome to the Back Fence Blog, your place in cyberspace to share news and views with neighbors here in San Diego’s eastern region.

We respect all viewpoints and encourage participation by everyone in our community. Please keep posts brief and courteous (no name-calling, threats, hate speech, libel or profanity) and respect copyright laws. Comments will be screened to be sure guidelines are followed, so expect a brief delay before seeing remarks posted.

If you notice an inappropriate post, please contact webmaster@eastcountymagazine.com or editor@eastcountymagazine.org.