By Miriam Raftery

September 19, 2025 (Sacramento, CA) – After passing both the Assembly and State Senate unanimously (with one abstention), a bill aimed at preventing placement of Native American children in foster care away from their tribes and providing supportive services is now awaiting action by Governor Gavin Newsom.

Assembly Bill 1378 would amend state law to let tribes and tribal organizations partner with the California Department of Social Services to provide services to help keep Native American children safely at home and out of foster care.

According to the bill’s author, Chris Rogers (D-Santa Rose),  Native American children in California are placed in foster care at about four times the rate of other children.

By Alexander J. Schorr

Image: Birthday message from Trump to Epstein, released by Epstein’s estate.

September 16, 2025 — By a one-vote margin, House Republicans blocked release of files related to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his client list.

Among San Diego County representatives Darrell Issa spoke in support of Trump and voted to block release of the Epstein files, while the region’s four Democratic members voted for release of the files.

The Congressional action comes despite release by the Epstein estate this week of a lewd drawing of a prepubescent torso reportedly sketched by Donald Trump as a birthday gift for Epstein, according to the Epstein estate which released the sketch created decades ago. Trump has denied making the drawing, which bears his signature.

Leslie Thompson (photo, left) of El Cajon speaks out about Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Sept. 9 El Cajon City Council meeting

By Paul Levikow

Sept. 11, 2025 – (El Cajon) Protestors showed up at the El Cajon City Council meeting again this past week to continue voicing opposition to the city’s resolution regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

They also reminded Councilmember Phil Ortiz that their efforts to have him recalled from office are ramping up.

Their appearance came a day after the United States Supreme Court overturned a U.S. District Court Judge’s temporary restraining order in Los Angeles that barred federal agents from stopping people without reasonable suspicion.

The Supreme Court ruling allows agents to stop and detain people based on ethnicity, spoken language, type of work they do or their location.

By Paul Levikow

September 9, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – Former San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott on Thursday announced she’s running for the California State Senate District 40 seat, currently held by Republican Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, who will be leaving office due to term limits.

By Paul Levikow

September 3, 2025 (El Cajon) – East County car enthusiasts have cause for celebration, after the El Cajon City Council on Tuesday approved a two-month extension of the Cajon Cruise on Main Street and Prescott Promenade, this time hosted by Downtown Café.

The revived car show will rev up on Wednesday nights Sept. 10 through Oct. 22 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., featuring classic and show cars.

In prior years, the car show ran six months, from April through October. But this year, due to a funding shortfall, the event customarily hosted by the downtown merchants’ organization ran for only two months, from June 4-July 30.

Suspensions are temporary and in some cases, indefinite

By G. A. McNeeley 

August 29, 2025 (Washington D.C.) -- Australia, Japan, Mexico, and Taiwan have joined a growing list ofcountries that are suspending certain parcel shipments to the United States, following the implementation of new rules under President Donald Trump’s Administration that will end tariff exemptions, according to CNN. Dozens of countries suspended postal services to the United States, to take time to adjust to the new rules and account for increased expenses. 

The “de minimis” exemption, that previously allowed shipments of goods worth $800 or less to enter the U.S. duty free, was eliminated on Friday, August 29. 

Starting today, packages will be subject to fees relating to the tariff rates applying to their country of origin, making postage more expensive. Postal services will either have to cover the increased cost or pass it on to customers, according to The Guardian. 

By Paul Levikow

Image, left, via United Neighbors

August 26, 2025 (East County) – Large-scale, high-rise apartment complexes could soon be built within a half mile of a bus stop or trolley station near you, under a proposed state law that would take away local control of developments and turn single-family neighborhoods into high-density housing.

State Senate Bill 79, the Abundant & Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, was introduced by Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) earlier this year and passed by the Senate in June by a vote of 21-13. Sen. Brian Jones (R-Santee) voted no. Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, M.D. (D) voted yes. They both represent East County. The vote was not entirely down party lines; Catherine Blakespear, a North County Democratic from Encinitas, voted no.

The State Assembly is scheduled to hold its next hearing Friday in the Appropriations Committee and could release the bill for a full Assembly vote next week. Meantime, rallies opposing SB 79 were held around the state over the weekend, including local residents rallying in a Clairemont park.

By Paul Levikow

August 21. 2025 (Sacramento) -- The California Senate and Assembly voted in favor of Gov. Gavin Newsom's state congressional redistricting plan Thursday, in an effort to counter balance the Texas legislature’s efforts to turn five Democratic leaning districts to favor Republicans.

The vote went mostly along party lines. Among East County legislators, State Senator Brian Jones and Assembly member Carl DeMaio, both Republicans, voting no, while State Senator Akilah Weber-Pierson and Assemblymember LaShea Sharp Collins, both Democrats, voted yes.

The passage by a two-thirds majority in both chambers comes on the heels of the California Supreme Court’s Wednesday rejection of a lawsuit filed by Republicans to block the redistricting plan.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed the legislation within hours of passage by the Senate and Assembly.

Both states convene legislators expected to vote August 18 on drawing new Congressional district lines

By Alexander J. Schorr      

Miriam Raftery contributed to this report

Photos, left:  Texas Governor Greg Abbott and California Governor Gavin Newsom push dueling redistricting plans

August 17, 2025 — It's a race against the clock between California and Texas, with governors of both states striving to draw new Congressional district maps promptly, instead of waiting for the next census as is customary.

The two states have the most Congressional seats in the nation (52 and 38 respectively), so the results of reapportionment could determine which party will control Congress after the 2026 midterm elections.

Key votes in both state legislatures could occur as early as Monday, August 18. Both states seek a partisan edge, instead of utilizing independent, nonpartisan redistricting options, though California's Governor contends his effort is a necessariliy response to a partisan gerrymandering battle launched by pro-Trump Texans.

Updated Aug. 21 with a statement from King.

By Karen Pearlman

August 14, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – After several months of rebuffs from the city of Lemon Grove, proponents of a recall effort to remove Lemon Grove Mayor Alysson Snow from office have finally received the city’s OK to move forward on their petition.

Snow, meanwhile, has filed a lawsuit in San Diego County Superior Court against the organizers of a recall effort, including main petitioner Kenneth King. The city of Lemon Grove’s election official Joel Pablo, the Lemon Grove City Clerk, is also named.

Snow, elected last November, is alleging that the group is fraudulent in its attempt to remove her from office. The lawsuit seeks to immediately halt the circulation of the petition that Snow claims fraudulently appends voters’ signatures to a previous Notice of Intention to Recall Petition, which Snow calls a “False NOI.”

By Paul Levikow

August 14, 2025 (El Cajon) – The El Cajon City Council was reassured Tuesday about police responses to mental health calls for service after recent news coverage and concerns expressed by County officials. Some changes have been made in the wake of a ruling by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that was handed down last year stemming from a fatal encounter with police in Las Vegas with a man experiencing a mental health crisis. The item on the agenda Tuesday was for informational purposes only. No action was required by the City Council.