Update April 4:  The tariffs rolled out are broader and steeper than those initially proposed. Read the full list of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on nearly every nation, which range from 10% to 99%. Noticeably absent from the list of Russia, which has zero tariffs imposed.

By Karen Pearlman

Photo by Emma Palmer: San Diego County Building Industry Association CEO Lori Pfeiler; Lucas Coleman, Director of World Trade Center San Diego; and San Diego City Councilman Raul Campillo.

March 26, 2025 (San Diego) -- One week ahead of plans by President Donald Trump to put a 25 percent additional tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, as well as a 10 percent tariff on imports from China, San Diego City Councilmember Raul Campillo and local business leaders  warned of severe economic consequences for the San Diego County region.

By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

March 26, 2025 (San Diego) - Have you ever wanted to speak about an issue at a San Diego County Board of Supervisors meeting?

By Tesa Balc, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Rep. Sara Jacobs in her congressional office. (File photo courtesy of Jacobs’ office via Facebook)

March 24, 2025 (Jacumba) - A San Diego Democrat said Saturday that Republicans have told her they will not back President Donald Trump if he defies court orders.

Eligible low-income residents aged 55, older may receive funds for housing

Source: City of La Mesa and Jewish Family Services

March 21, 2025 (La Mesa) – The City of La Mesa and Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) are launching the City’s first-ever Older Adult Rental Assistance Program, assisting seniors aged 55 and older who are at risk of homelessness. The program, operated by JFS, will provide 40 participants with a $500 monthly housing subsidy paid directly to their landlords for 12 months and individualized case management. Applications are being accepted beginning the last week of March. Priority will be given to applications filed by April 4.

According to the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, nearly half of unhoused Californians are 50 and older, and more than 41% are experiencing homelessness for the first time in their lives.

"With many seniors on fixed incomes challenged by increasing expenses, this program serves as a vital lifeline,” said La Mesa Mayor Mark Arapostathis. “The program will help rent-burdened older adults in La Mesa maintain housing stability and financial security, allowing them to age in place with dignity.”

By G. A. McNeeley 

Photo courtesy of Brian McNeeley

March 19, 2025 (Washington D.C.) — The Agriculture Department predicts egg prices could rise by more than 40%, on top of already steep price rises in 2024. While egg producers blame bird flu outbreaks, the Justice Department this month announced an investigation into whether egg producers might be sharing information and engaging in price gouging, ABC News reports. 

President Donald Trump’s campaign platform including a pledge to bring down inflation including egg prices, but so far, prices continue to skyrocket.  Now, the administration is offering its first details on its plan to fight avian flu and ease costs. 

By Karen Pearlman  

Photo via San Diego County Sheriff:  Homeless encampment fire in Santee,  February 2025

March 14, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) -- With an estimated one out of every five fires in San Diego County started in encampments where homeless individuals congregate, San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson has said enough is enough.  

“Nobody has a right to burn my constituents’ homes down, whether they intend to or not,” Anderson said, two days after the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to update the county’s Unsafe Camping Ordinance. It would apply to property that the county owns or leases and specified areas such as parks, open space and certain public works facilities. 

At their meeting on Tuesday, March 11, the supervisors voted 4-0 to empower appropriate authorities “to ensure public safety and do more than just cite repeat offenders,” Anderson said.  A final draft ordinance is expected to be presented by county staff to the board in about two months, when a final vote will take place.

LIVESTREAMING UPDATE:   For those unable to attend  in-person, here are platforms where organizers plan to livestream this event:  

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/indivisiblencsd/ 
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@indivisiblencsd  
• Youtube Live - https://www.youtube.com/@IndivisibleNCSanDiego
• Twitch.tv - https://www.twitch.tv/indivisiblencsandiego; 

By Miriam Raftery

March 14, 2025 (Escondido) – After weeks of rebuffed requests for Congressman Darrell Issa  (R-48)to hold a community townhall to discuss constituents’ concerns, activists have scheduled an “Empty Chair Town Hall” at the California Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, March 23 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The event, hosted by Dr. Allison Gill from the "Mueller, She Wrote" podcast, will provide constituents with the opportunity to voice questions and concerns they would typically address directly to their congressional representative, particularly regarding potential cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and Veterans Services.

Following recommendations outlined in the "Indivisible Guide" (indivisible.org/resource/guide), this Empty Chair Town Hall is part of a nationwide effort encouraged by Indivisible National during the congressional recess from March 13-23.

"When our elected officials refuse to engage with their constituents, democracy suffers," said  Pamela Albergo of Indivisible North County San Diego. "Rep. Issa hasn't held a town hall since 2017, but the concerns of his constituents haven't gone away."

An open letter sent to California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff

By Chuck Brown, Spring Valley

March 13, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) - The House passed legislation to fund the government through Sept. 30 and thereby avert a shutdown at the end of this week.

By Miriam Raftery

March 12, 2025 (El Cajon) – By a unanimous vote, El Cajon’s City Council yesterday voted to adopt an ordinance prohibiting the sale of vaping or e-cigarette devices disguised as other products. 

By Miriam Raftery

March 10, 2025 (San Diego) -- As President Donald Trump rolls out hefty tariffs on imported goods from America’s biggest trading partners—Mexico, Canada, and China,  American businesses and consumers are bearing the brunt, with higher prices on everything from steel and lumber to food and consumer products.

The action has drawn opposition even from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, normally a staunch Republican ally. In a press release, the Chamber warns, “Tariffs on Canada and Mexico will have a real, devastating impact on thousands of small businesses across the nation — and on all Americans in the form of higher prices.”

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

March 9, 2025 (Los Angeles) -- The American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association are suing the Trump administration over a threat of funding cuts and investigations of schools that integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into their policies or lessons.

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  President Donald Trump addresses Congress.  Screenshot from C-SPAN

March 5, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) - President Donald Trump told Congress Tuesday that “the American dream is surging bigger and better than ever before” and promised that new tariffs on Mexico — despite worrying San Diego businesses — will help achieve that goal.

By Miriam Raftery

March 3, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Threats issued by President Donald Trump targeting colleges, universities and student protesters are illegal and unconstitutional, according to legal and civil liberties experts.

Today, Trump posted on his social media account, “All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came.  American students will be permanently expelled or depending on on the crime, arrested.NO MASKS!”

The post comes on the heels of two executive orders issued by Trump which seek to pressure higher education officials to target immigrant students and staff for exercising First Amendment freedom of spech rights, including pro-Palestinian protesterrs or students critical of the U.S. government, culture, institutions or founding principals. Today's Truth Social post goes further, demanding that even students who are U.S. citizens be expelled and imprisoned for participating in campus protests if deemed "illegal.".

This story was originally published by ProPublica

By Brett Murphy and Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.

Photo:  Malnutrition, cc via Bing

March 3, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) - For weeks, some of the federal government’s foremost authorities on global health have repeatedly warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other leaders about the coming death toll if they carried out the Trump administration’s plan to end nearly all U.S. foreign aid around the world.

East County News Service

March 2, 2025 (San Diego) – Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer held a public briefing this week to inform the community on how the Trump Administration is disrupting essential local services in San Diego County. This includes active federal funding freezes, administrative delays, and policy changes that are “making it harder for us to protect public health, provide housing assistance, and respond to emergencies,” Lawson-Remer warns.

Problems she highlighted include, in her words: