To report suspicious activity in the San Diego area, contact FBI San Diegoat 858-320-1800, or submit a tip to tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL FBI.
East County News Service
October 27, 2023 (San Diego) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in San Diego has asked media outlets to alert the public to threats associated with the Israel-HAMAS conflict. The FBI and the Dept. Of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a joint public service announcement on Oct. 25. The agencies are also asking the public to report any suspicious activity.
“The FBI is continuing to monitor threats associated with the Israel-HAMAS conflict, both in the United States and overseas. As the conflict continues, the FBI has seen an increase in reports of threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities and institutions, raising our concern that violent extremists and lone offenders motivated by or reacting to ongoing events could target these communities,” the FBI announcement states. “We take all potential threats seriously and are working closely with our law enforcement partners to determine their credibility, share information, and take appropriate investigative action.”
Annual signature luncheon to feature conversation on human connection
East County News Service
October 25, 2023 (San Diego) - Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) is hosting its annual signature luncheon at 12 p.m. on Thursday, November 2 with nationally renowned Rabbi and author Sharon Brous for a discussion on human connection.
By Shauni Lyles, County of San Diego Communications Office
Photos by Bing AI (prompt: Jonathan Goetz with East County Magazine)
October 25, 2023 (San Diego) -- San Diego’s new Crop Report covering the County’s 2022 growing season shows production was higher than last year at $1.78 billion in value, making it the seventh year in the past 10 years in which the region has seen an increase.
October 24, 2023 (Spring Valley)-- on October 20 around 3:34 a.m, California HIghway Patrol reported that a 54-year-old man was struck and killed while walking in the number 3 lane of eastbound State Route 94, east of Spring Street.
By Anita Lightfoot, County of San Diego Communications Office
October 24, 2023 (San Diego) - San Diego County doctors share the top 6 tips to help you fight winter viruses and stay healthy.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6 months and older get a flu shot every year. It takes about two weeks for immunity to develop, so get vaccinated early.
October 23, 2023 (El Cajon) - – The California State Senate, California Department of Transportation, and California firefighters have teamed up to recognize the accomplishments of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Division Chief William “Bill” Clayton, by renaming a section of Interstate 5 in his honor.
By Shauni Lyles, County of San Diego Communications Office
Photo by PublicDomainPictures on Pixabay
October 22, 2023 (San Diego) -- Are you seeing more urban coyotes in your neighborhood? If so, don’t panic! The County’s Department of Animal Services (DAS) has some tips to keep them away and help you, your family and pets stay safe.
"It is embarrassing that MAGA House Republicans continue to let the petty sniping and infighting in their own party prevent them from working with the president," President Joe Biden's campaign said.
Photo: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) speaks at the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland on February 27, 2018. (Photo: Gage Skidmore/flickr/cc)
October 20, 2023 (Washington, D.C.) - In what could be the final nail in the coffin of Ohio GOP Congressman Jim Jordan's speakership bid, U.S. House Republicans on Friday secretly voted to drop the far-right 2020 election denier's candidacy, leaving the fractured party without a nominee for the chamber's top job more than two weeks after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's ouster.
October 19, 2023 (El Cajon) – Mark Lewis, who served El Cajon as mayor and city councilman for 25 years overseeing major changes the community, has died of complications from a stroke suffered last year. His family members were with him at a hospice center, where he passed away on October 12, 2023 at age 75.
“He loved El Cajon and everyone in it,” his wife, Sarah Christine “Chris” Lewis, told East County Magazine.
He led the city through a recession and a centennial, leading efforts to revitalize downtown, bring "fun" to city residents and create a cleaner, greener community for future generations.
The affable mayor, known for his sense of humor and commitment to a clean environment, also served as the County of San Diego’s waste management coordinator, chaired SANDAG’s public safety board, was foreman of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Grand Jury, served on the Draft Board and on the Indian Gaming Commission.
A complex, larger-than-life figure, Lewis also wrote poetry and authored a book of Haiku dedicated to mankind "in the hope that those who read it,will act in some way,as to improve the existence of man." In his younger days,he enjoyed stints as a stand-up comedian.
But he was most proud of leading efforts to revitalize downtown El Cajon and implement green programs that cleaned up the city’s air pollution.
October 20, 2023 (El Cajon) -- Enjoy a healthy Halloween and free admission to The Water Conservation Garden on Thursday, October 26 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. courtesy of the Grossmont Healthcare District.
October 19, 2023 (Washington D.C.) – Today, the US State Department issued a worldwide travel advisory. “Due to increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution.”
The State Department advises that U.S. citizens should stay alert in locations frequented by tourists; enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)) to receive security updates and make it easier to locate you in an emergency; and follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
The U.S. government has authorized the departure of family members of U.S. government personnel and some non-emergency personnel on a case-by-case basis from Mission Israel and Lebanon.
October 19, 2023 (Spring Valley) - ECM Sports is back to work after a long break and we’re finally in Spring Valley for our first-ever Thursday night football game, as the Norsemen from Valhalla head to Monte Vista to face the Monarchs. Both teams are a little worse for wear; Valhalla is 2-7 overall and winless at 0-3 in Grossmont League play. Monte Vista is 2-6, 1-1 in league.
CITY OF LA MESA HOSTS COMMUNITY DISASTER PLANNING SEMINAR
October 19, 2023 (La Mesa) – In observance of National Preparedness Month, the City of La Mesa, in collaboration with the City’s Community Relations and Veterans Commission, Heartland Fire & Rescue, and the County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services, will host the upcoming Livable La Mesa Community Conversation. This event aims to educate La Mesa residents on creating a ‘personal disaster plan’ and effectively assisting friends and family with disabilities or unique access needs during emergencies.
October 18,2023 (San Diego) -- Sola Mahfouz, who now lives in the U.S., recounts her life story to Malaina Kapoor, a writer and producer of the nationally syndicated public affairs radio program, In Deep.
The city of Kandahar, where Mahfouz’s family lived, became the site for battles between the Taliban and the government. Born in 1996, just two years after the Taliban’s rise in power, Mahfouz shares how Afghanistan’s women lived in a state of oppression.
The book begins:
I began to grow up the day my mother warned me to stop laughing. She was terrified that even my momentary giggle could bring a strange man to our door, ready to yell, kidnap, or even kill to silence the sounds of a young woman. Don’t dance outside your room, she’d warn me. Don’t sing in the hallways, where the sound can carry. I was eleven years old.
October 16, 2023 (Lemon Grove)—Earlier this month the Lemon Grove City Council voted to approve adding additional revenue to an already existing contract with Rick Engineering Company for a sewer rehabilitation project that was previously approved with a winning bid from Rick Engineering not to exceed $508,694 even after a buffer of $25,306 in contingency funds was included.
Photo: President Joe Biden, speaking in Tel Aviv, Israel (screenshot)
October 18, 2023 (Tel Aviv)—President Joe Biden, in Israel today, announced plans for the U.S. to send $150 million in aid to both Gaza and the West Bank. He also reaffirmed America’s support for Israel’s right to protect its freedom following the Hamas attacks on Israel.
In addition, Biden said he believes that the devastation at the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza yesterday was the result of a missile launch by Islamic Jihad, a militant group in Gaza, though Hamas has claimed Israel attacked the hospital.
October 18, 2023 (Sacramento, CA) -- Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D. announces that Governor Gavin Newsom has finished taking action on all of her bills. “I am grateful to the Governor and all my colleagues in the Legislature for recognizing the importance of these bills. I look forward to engaging with the administration and stakeholders on the implementation of these new laws over the next several months,” said Assemblymember Weber (D- La Mesa).
Many of the bills that were signed positively impact public health, education and equity in California and can serve as a model for other states, according to Weber’s office. The bills that were signed are as follows:
October 17, 2023 (Lyons Valley) – “Happiness is saving a dog,” Cal Fire/San Diego Fire posted on Facebook today, along with photos of a dramatic rescue.
October 17, 2023 (Santee) - Every ghoul is welcome at Santee Lakes’ first-ever Spooktacular and Trunk-or-Treat on Saturday, October 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This will be a ghoulish day of games, a giant Halloween maze, face painting, creepy crafts, photo opportunities, and much more.
October 17, 2023 (San Diego) – The U.S.Justice Department has reached a settlement in a San Diego-based class action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of immigrant families separated at the international border by the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy.
The settlement is subject to a judge’s approval.
“The practice of separating families at the southwest border was shameful,” Attorney Merrick Garland said in a statement. ”This agreement will facilitate the reunification of separated families and provide them with critical services to aid in their recovery.”
Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said in a press release, “The ACLU has settled hundreds of lawsuits in our 103-year history, but none more important than this one. To America’s enduring shame, we tore children from the arms of their families to enact a xenophobic agenda. This settlement closes the darkest chapter of the Trump administration, but as welcomed as it is, the damage inflicted on these families will forever be tragic and irreversible.”
Photo, left: Amphibious assault ship USS Bataan, front, and the landing ship USS Carter Hall, by U.S.Navy Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Riley Gasdia
October 17, 2023 (Washington D.C.) – President Joe Biden is traveling to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu tomorrow, after which he will head to Jordan for a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, USA Today reports.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said that while Biden fully supports Israel’s “right and indeed the duty to defend its people,” the President will also work with Israel to develop a plan “that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza—and them alone,” Voice of America reports. He voiced concerns that Hamas, the terrorist organization that governs Palestine and launched the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, could intercept supplies of food, water, fuel and medicines.
Israel reports that the Hamas attacks killed at least 1,400 people in Israel and injured more than 4,121. Hamas has also taken an estimated 200 to 250 hostages. The dead and captured include American citizens as well as Israelis. Palestinian officials estimate that Israel bombings in Gaza, which Israel says targeted Hamas militants, have killed 2,778 people and injured 9,938.
The United Nations warns of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
October 17, 2023 (Los Angeles) -- More than 85,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers reached a historic tentative agreement on Oct.13 for a new contract that will substantially raise wages, bolster patient safety and make critical investments in the healthcare workforce at hundreds of Kaiser facilities across California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
AB 399 ensures impacted residents get to vote on detachment proposals
East County News Service
October 17, 2023 – The Water Ratepayers Protection Act of 2023 (Assembly Bill 399) was signed Friday by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, adding affordability safeguards for residents and businesses in the San Diego County Water Authority’s service area. The legislation, introduced by Encinitas Assemblymember Tasha Boerner and sponsored by the City of San Diego, expands voting requirements should agencies seek to withdraw or “detach” from the Water Authority.
Photo: cantor Hanan Leberman, in happier times, led congregants of Tifereth Israel Synagogue in song during Sukkot {SDJW photo}
October 16, 2023 (San Diego) - Cantor Hanan Leberman of Tifereth Israel Synagogue bade his congregation an emotional goodbye Sunday, Oct. 15, as he prepared to return to Israel to join his IDF Reserve unit now preparing for whatever may come in the war with Hamas.
Officials in Europe, Canada, and the U.S. have attempted to "backtrack" on the widespread unconditional support that's been expressed in the last week for Israel's assault on Gaza.
Photo, left: Bombing in Gaza, Al Araby cc by SA 3.0
October 16, 2023 (Israel) - The United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories expressed concern on Sunday that the international body has so far not publicly advocated for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, as rhetoric from the United States and other influential countries has offered tacit approval of an Israeli air campaign in the blockaded enclave where at least 2,670 Palestinians, including more than 700 children, have now been killed.
Weapons seized included handguns and parts to make AR-15 rifles
Story and photos by Miriam Raftery
Updated 10 p.m. with additional details from the Sheriff's department
October 16, 2023 (Spring Valley) – Roger Bell, 38, a suspect who prompted a five-hour SWAT team standoff in the Casa de Oro area of Spring Valley, is under arrest.
The incident began shortly after 11 a.m. when the Rancho San Diego and Lemon Grove Sheriff’s substations responded to a call reporting a stabbing in the 9600 block of Campo Road. They spoke with the victim, who said he was stabbed in the hand with a 10-inch knife by his roommate.
"The victim and a friend were reportedly threatened with a gun and held against theirwill by the suspect for two hours," saysDetective Guadalupe Catano.
Update: The missing child has been found, La Mesa Police Dept. advises.
East County News Service
October 16, 2023 (La Mesa) -- La Mesa Police seek public help to locate a missing 10-year-old boy, last seen in the 8000 block of Parkway Drive, La Mesa.
Ezra is white with short brown/red hair and hazel eyes. He is 4 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 85 pounds. He iswearing a green or turquoise gaming T-shirt and has a gray Adidas backpack.
October 16,2023 (Tecate,CA) -- Cal Fire/San DIego County Fire crews and a water-dropping helicopter are at the scene of a vegation fire in Marron Valley, west of Tecate. The fire has burned at least four acres on the U.S. side of the international border.
October 16, 2023 (San Diego) - San Diego State football’s Jack Browning (Lakeside, Calif./Grossmont College/West Hills HS) has been named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week, the league announced Monday. It is the second weekly conference honor for the defending MW Special Teams Player of the Year and the fourth of his career.
East County News Service
Annual signature luncheon to feature conversation on human connection
By 
Source: Cal Fire
"It is embarrassing that MAGA House Republicans continue to let the petty sniping and infighting in their own party prevent them from working with the president," President Joe Biden's campaign said.
“He loved El Cajon and everyone in it,” his wife, Sarah Christine “Chris” Lewis, told East County Magazine.
East County News Service
East County News Service
Story and photos by Liz Alper
Earlier this month the Lemon Grove City Council voted to approve adding additional revenue to an already existing contract with Rick Engineering Company for a sewer rehabilitation project that was previously approved with a winning bid from Rick Engineering not to exceed $508,694 even after a buffer of $25,306 in contingency funds was included.
“Happiness is saving a dog,” Cal Fire/San Diego Fire 
East County News Service
By Miriam Raftery
More than 85,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers reached a historic tentative agreement on Oct.13 for a new contract that will substantially raise wages, bolster patient safety and make critical investments in the healthcare workforce at hundreds of Kaiser facilities across California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. 
The Water Ratepayers Protection Act of 2023 (Assembly Bill 399) was signed Friday by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, adding affordability safeguards for residents and businesses in the San Diego County Water Authority’s service area. The legislation, introduced by Encinitas Assemblymember Tasha Boerner and sponsored by the City of San Diego, expands voting requirements should agencies seek to withdraw or “detach” from the Water Authority.
By Donald H. Harrison, 
East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts
Browning earns fourth career MW weekly honor
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