By Miriam Raftery

January 1, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – It’s been a tumultuous year, as our region emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic only to face new challenges: drought, the homelessness crisis, wildfires, monkeypox, inflation and rising gas prices, the fentanyl crisis, concerns over sexual predators, human trafficking, and federal dumping of asylum seekers in our region.

Elections swept new faces into office from city councils to county sheriff. Development issues raged, from Fanita Ranch in Santee to proposed high rises in La Mesa and a hotel/event center at Jamul Casino. National and international news sparked local protests and concerns, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the January 6 commission findings, and the Supreme Court’s overturning of abortion rights.  

Here are the top issues and stories we covered in 2022: