EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

June 3, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include:

LOCAL

• LaShae Sharp-Collins Wants More Homes Not Just Housing (Voice of San Diego)
• ICE just grabbed another man who’d been in a San Diego homeless shelter  San Diego Union-Tribune).
• An immigration raid at a San Diego restaurant leads to a chaotic scene (KPBS)
• El Cajon skilled nursing facility kitchen temporarily shut down for ‘major’ health violations (KPBS)
• Breeds & Brew Dog-Centric Beer Garden Opening in La Mesa (San Diegoville)
• Tijuana wastewater chemicals found in coastal aerosols, UCSD study finds (City News Service)
• Inside San Diego’s high-tech lab fighting future disease threats (KPBS)
• FAA didn't issue key notice about malfunctioning airport weather observation system before deadly San Diego crash  (KPBS)
• Man arrested after threat grounds flight to Honolulu from San Diego International Airport (Times of San Diego)
• San Diego’s highest paid city employees? Cops racking up overtime and earning over $400,000 (KPBS)
• Rep. Darrell Issa’s mail-ballot lawsuit may be thrown out of San Diego federal court (Times of San Diego)
• 73-unit Jericho Road townhouse development moves forward (La Mesa Times)

STATE

• California’s Economy Ranks 4th in the World (Voice of San Diego)
• Villaraigosa, despite climate credentials, pivots toward oil industry in run for governor  (Los Angeles Times)
• Trump’s FCC delays multilingual emergency alerts for natural disasters, sparking concern in L.A  (Los Angeles Times)
• California schools see 9% surge in homeless students as funds decrease  (Ed Source)
•  Newsom proposes to freeze Medi-Cal enrollment for undocumented immigrants (Cal Matters)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

LOCAL

LaShae Sharp-Collins Wants More Homes Not Just Housing (Voice of San Diego)

Voice of SD - We spoke with Assemblymember Sharp-Collins about her legislative priorities for the year. Here’s what we learned.. While apartments form part of what she refers to as a continuum of housing, she argues that individual homes are what build economic security and anchor people to the community. 

ICE just grabbed another man who’d been in a San Diego homeless shelter  San Diego Union-Tribune)

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement this week detained a man who’d been staying at a homeless shelter in downtown San Diego, marking at least the second time in two months that a resident of the large tent at 16th Street and Newton Avenue was taken into custody. The man was stopped early Thursday afternoon outside shelter grounds...

An immigration raid at a San Diego restaurant leads to a chaotic scene (KPBS)

... Video shared on social media and local news shows armed and masked agents in full tactical gear swarming the area near a popular Italian restaurant called Buona Forchetta late Friday afternoon.  A crowd of people gathers, filming and yelling in protest, surrounding cars and detention vans. Then, a momentary explosion of what appears to be a flash-bang grenade sends smoke floating through the street.

El Cajon skilled nursing facility kitchen temporarily shut down for ‘major’ health violations (KPBS)

County inspectors found a vermin infestation and other violations at San Diego Post Acute Center, prompting a temporary closure of its kitchen.

Breeds & Brew Dog-Centric Beer Garden Opening in La Mesa (San Diegoville)

... Founded by local entrepreneur Cameron Valentine, Breeds & Brew is set to blend the best of two worlds: a dog-friendly playground and a full-service craft beer and beverage venue. The 5,000-square-foot La Mesa property - once home to Bolt Brewery’s flagship location -- - features shaded outdoor seating, turfed areas, a container bar, and a ready-to-go brewery setup...

Tijuana wastewater chemicals found in coastal aerosols, UCSD study finds (City News Service)

Pollution from the Tijuana River makes its way into the air and decreases air quality as far north as La Jolla, according to a study released Wednesday by UCSD researchers.

Inside San Diego’s high-tech lab fighting future disease threats (KPBS)

San Diego now has a new state-of-the-art public health lab, ready to detect and respond to the next epidemic outbreak. / “We designed the space for how we wanted it,” lab director Jeremy Corrigan said at the lab's grand opening on Thursday. / At 52,000 square feet, the $93 million lab in Kearny Mesa is nearly three times bigger than the old lab in Point Loma. Corrigan said the bigger space means the county can test more samples, with quicker results for faster treatment.

FAA didn't issue key notice about malfunctioning airport weather observation system before deadly San Diego crash  (KPBS)

Leading up to the fatal plane crash near Montgomery Field Airport early Thursday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration didn't issue a notification to pilots that a key weather observation system at the airport was malfunctioning, according to a review of agency notification records.

Man arrested after threat grounds flight to Honolulu from San Diego International Airport (Times of San Diego)

A passenger’s unfounded statement alluding to a bomb aboard a passenger jet about to depart San Diego International Airport led authorities to ground the flight Tuesday.  Authorities evacuated Honolulu-bound Hawaiian Airlines Flight 15 and searched the aircraft and its contents, but found nothing suspicious...

San Diego’s highest paid city employees? Cops racking up overtime and earning over $400,000 (KPBS)

KPBS - Data from the first nine months of 2024 show multiple San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officers were again on track to make over $400,000 — with the bulk of it from overtime pay…. The staggering salary figures underscore the department’s struggle to fill officer vacancies and its desperate need to cover shifts. Beyond the fiscal considerations, there are also serious safety concerns.

Rep. Darrell Issa’s mail-ballot lawsuit may be thrown out of San Diego federal court (Times of San Diego)

Rep. Darrell Issa’s lawsuit seeking to prevent counting of mail-in ballots after Election Day could be thrown out of federal court on a technicality. The glitch? Issa might not be eligible to sue.

73-unit Jericho Road townhouse development moves forward (La Mesa Times)

A new housing complex is coming to La Mesa, although some nearby residents have qualms about how it will impact congestion and safety. During an unusually long meeting on May 13, the La Mesa City Council grappled with the city’s need for more housing and concerns about whether existing infrastructure can support it. Ultimately, the council approved the planned development.

STATE

California’s Economy Ranks 4th in the World (Voice of San Diego)

Voice of SD - San Diego’s regional economy helps fuel the state’s economic engine with cross-border industries.

Villaraigosa, despite climate credentials, pivots toward oil industry in run for governor  (Los Angeles Times)

Former Los Angeles mayor has received more than $1 million in campaign contributions and other financial support from fossil-fuel interests during his decades in public life. His support of the oil industry illustrates a broader divide in the Democratic Party about wanting to fight climate change, but not to the detriment of low-income Americans.

Trump’s FCC delays multilingual emergency alerts for natural disasters, sparking concern in L.A  (Los Angeles Times)

California Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán urged the Federal Communications Commission on Monday to follow through on plans to modernize the federal emergency alert system and provide multilingual alerts in natural disasters for residents who speak a language other than English at home. Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times

California schools see 9% surge in homeless students as funds decrease  (Ed Source)

 Improved identification and worsening family finances contribute to the increase, liaisons say. 

Newsom proposes to freeze Medi-Cal enrollment for undocumented immigrants (Cal Matters)

A year after granting Medi-Cal access to low-income immigrants without legal status, Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing to freeze enrollment of new recipients and charge premiums in a move expected to save the state more than $5 billion.