President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” will also give tax breaks to the wealthiest of Americans; Democrats and some Republicans raise objections 

By G. A. McNeeley 

June 21, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S. Dakota) faces backlash from Republicans, over the latest version of President Donald Trump’s budget bill, which ignores Republican senators’ concerns about Medicaid cuts, according to The Hill, as well as concerns over cuts to clean energy incentives. 

Democrats have been virtually united in opposition to these cuts as well, but with Republicans in control of both houses of Congress, Democrats lack power to force changes.

While slashing medical care for the poorest Americans, the House Republicans’ tax cuts for wealthy Americans and corporations would add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) analysis of the bill that Republican lawmakers narrowly approved last month, according to CNN. 

By Miriam Raftery

Image:  Lands proposed for sale in Rep. Darrell Issa's district

June 18, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – Senate Republicans have slipped language into the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” budget reconciliation measure that would allow sale of up to 250 million acres of federal public lands in 11 states including California. 

The Wilderness Society calls this a “disturbing giveaway that sets an extremely dangerous precedent.”

A map of lands to be sold includes much of Cleveland National Forest in San Diego’s East County, as well as portions of Mt. Laguna and Pine Valley, plus large tracts of U.S. Forest and Bureau of Land Management lands in northeast county, desert areas near Anza Borrego Desert State Park, and even some coastal locations.

Over 16 million acres are proposed for sale in California, including Big Sur, an iconic and picturesque section of California’s coastline.

Find links to contact your Congressional members and Senators at the bottom of this article.

UpdateJune 21:  The Ninth Circuit  Court of Appeals has ruled that Trump can retain control of the National Guard. ECM news partner 10 news reports.  It remains to be seen whether California will appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.  The Ninth Circuit ruling overturns the lower court ruling discussed in our June 12 article below.

By Miriam Raftery

June 12, 2025 (Oakland, CA) – In a blistering decision, U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer today ordered control of California’s National Guard be returned to the Governor, though the Judge stayed his order until tomorrow afternoon to allow the Trump administration time to file for an emergency appeal.

The judge’s order states that in ordering thousands of California National Guard members to Los Angeles amid civil unrest  over mass immigration enforcement, President Donald Trump’s actions were “illegal—both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.”

Judge Breyer rejected an argument by a Trump administration lawyer, who had claimed courts do not have authority to review a president’s decision on whether the National Guard was needed.

“That’s the difference between a constitutional government and King George,” stated Judge Breyer, a Clinton appointee and brother of former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.

East County News Service

June 12, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) -- “They’ve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too. far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings,” states the website No Kings, which is organizing protests nationwide on Saturday, June 14. The demonstrations are expected to draw millions of participants nationwide and locally, thousands.

San Diego County has 11 “peaceful” protests planned. View map. and click each location for details; times of rallies vary The local protests are slated to be held in  Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Del Mar, El Cajon, Escondido, Mira Mesa, Ramona, Rancho Bernardo, San Marcos, and two in downtown San Diego including Civic Center Plaza and Waterfront Park.

By Karen Pearlman

Photo by Karen Pearlman: wild birds at the Lake Murray reservoir

June 11, 2025 (San Diego) – The future of continued daily access to Lake Murray is looking a little brighter today.

With a 7-2 vote, the San Diego City Council on Tuesday approved a 2025-26 budget that preserves activities at Lake Murray and other city-operated reservoirs and lakes, avoiding many previously threatened cuts to hours and days of operation.

The action came after Friends of San Diego Lakes submitted a petition with more than 8,500 signatures of residents opposed to a proposal to close the popular lake on weekdays.

There will also be no cuts to recreation center hours or park restrooms, and while city libraries will remain closed on Sundays, the budget reversed proposed Monday closures for 16 branches.

It remains to be seen whether Mayor Todd Gloria will sign or veto the revised budget. 

By Karen Pearlman

June 10, 2025 (La Mesa) – Leaving behind a legacy of service, prolific leadership and unwavering commitment to civic matters, longtime La Mesa Mayor Art Madrid has passed away at age 90.

His leadership shaped the city, earning admiration and respect from residents, businesses and civic leaders around the region and across the country.

He passed away in his home in La Mesa on Friday, June 6, according to his daughter, Lisa Madrid.

Madrid was elected to public office in La Mesa six times, including two terms as a City Council member from 1981-1990 and four terms as mayor, leading the city from 1991-2014, including during the city's centennial celebration in 2012. He previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps, including a stint in Korea, then spent 35 years working for Pacific Bell before entering politics.

Bills tackle public safety, insurance crisis, and more

East County News Service

June 5, 2025 (Sacramento) -- This week, Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) announced that five of his "common sense" bills passed the Senate with unanimous, bipartisan support, and that they are now under consideration in the State Assembly.

Each proposal aims to address urgent issues facing Californians -- from public safety and insurance coverage to updating outdated state laws.

“These bills are focused on real problems and offer real solutions,” Jones said in a statement to the public. “From protecting communities from sexually violent predators to fixing gaps in insurance coverage for mobile homes, I’m proud to have unanimous support in the Senate and look forward to working with my colleagues in the Assembly to get them across the finish line.”

"We can cut plenty of other things," President Donald Trump told West Point's graduating class.

By Jake Johnson, Common Dreams

Photo: Screenshot via CSpan; Pres. Trump speaks at West Point graduation

May 26, 2025 (West Point Military Academ, New York) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday bragged to West Point's graduating class that he has refused to cut Pentagon spending and touted his push for an annual military budget of $1 trillion, arguing that other programs should be on the chopping block instead.

"Some people say, 'Could you cut it back?' I said, 'I'm not cutting 10 cents,'" the president said of Pentagon spending during his bizarre, campaign-style commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy.

"We can cut plenty of other things," Trump added, without specifying what he sees as better targets for cuts than the Pentagon, a sprawling morass of waste and abuse that recently failed its seventh consecutive audit.

Trump's remarks came after House Republicans, with his support, passed a massive budget reconciliation package that includes more than $100 billion in additional spending for the U.S. military and around $1 trillion in combined cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Robert Gehr:  A homeless person's tent on grassy area along Main Street in downtown El Cajon

May 24, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – The 2025 Point-in-Time count of homeless people conducted in January found large drops in homelessness countywide in nearly every community, with a 72% drop in families living on the streets-indicators that efforts to help the homeless are likely having positive results.

In East County, only El Cajon showed an increase. But the city argues that the count is inaccurate, including several census tracts that are not in the city limits or only partially in the city, as well as inflating the count in other areas within its city limits.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos, left by Robert Gehr:  

May 18, 2025 (El Cajon) – For 48 years, El Cajon has had water features and ducks near its civic center in the heart of downtown. But now the water features have been drained, leaving only bare, jagged rocks where once a waterfall and streambed flowed.

“The pond is now dry and converted into a dry riverbed for the moment,”  City Manager Graham Mitchell told ECM.  “The reason for the conversion is that the pump system has failed and the bed of the pond has many leaks.” Repair cost is estimated at $500,000, he added. “Because the City Council directed staff to explore possible uses for that space, it does not make sense to put $500,000 of repairs into the feature.”

Could some waterworks remain?  “Depending on how the space around The Magnolia is programmed, the pond could come back, or it may become something else,” said Mitchell. “However, those are questions that the City Council will address later.”

By Miriam Raftery

May 17, 2025 (San Diego) – Curtis Morrison is an immigration attorney  and Democrat running for the 48^th Congressional district against Congressman Darrell Issa, a Republican.  He’s previously worked as a realtor and substitute teacher.

Last month he sat down for an in-depth interview with East County Magazine, originally aired on our radio show on KNSJ radio. View video, hear audio, or scroll down to read highlights.

2026 will be a pivotal election year, since Republicans hold a very slim majority in the House and Senate; if Democrats regain control of one or both house, they will have the power to reign in many of the Trump administration’s controversial actions.

House Republicans want to ban state AI regulations for 10 years. California leaders are alarmed.

by Khari Johnson, Technology reporter, CalMatters.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

May 16, 2025

House Republicans moved to cut off artificial intelligence regulation by the states before it can take root, advancing legislation in Congress that, in California, would make it unlawful to enforce more than 20 laws passed by the Legislature and signed into law last year.

The moratorium, bundled in to a sweeping budget reconciliation bill this week, also threatens 30 bills the California Legislature is currently considering to regulate artificial intelligence, including one that would require reporting when an insurance company uses AI to deny health care and another that would require the makers of AI to evaluate how the tech performs before it’s used to decide on jobs, health care, or housing.

The California Privacy Protection Agency sent a letter to Congress Monday that says the moratorium “could rob millions of Americans of rights they already enjoy” and threatens critical privacy protections approved by California voters in 2020, such as the right to opt out of business use of automated decisionmaking technology and transparency about how their personal information is used.

By Alexander J. Schorr

Photo, left: Sign on table urging recall of four GUHSD trustees.

May 11, 2025 (El Cajon) -- The Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD)  governing board refused a last-ditch chance to rescind its layoffs of credentialed teachers, librarians, counselors, and psychologists at the May 8 board meeting, despite angry comments from constituents.

After the public session, the board adjourned to a private session and returned with a surprise announcement that the majority had voted to accept the resignation of newly named Chief of Staff Jerry Hobbs, who has become mired in controversy.

By Miriam Raftery

May 5, 2025 (El Cajon) – The initial round of 60 signatures to recall El Cajon Councilmember Phil Ortiz have been validated, City Clerk Angela Cortez confirms. The organizers, Latinos en Accion, now must publish their intent in a local newspaper and have 120 days to gather signatures from 20% of the 11,320 registered voters in District 4 in order to put the recall measure on the ballot.

Increasing the controversy, recall opponent Amy Reichert is slamming recall leader Mairene Branham for comments Branham posted as mair3n3 on an Instagram reel showing video of a press conference held by conservatives who oppose “sanctuary cities” and/or oppose the recall effort.

Branham posted, “Still is and will be better when all of the people in this video die off.”

By Alexander J Schorr and Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: Students, teachers, librarians, and community members rally outside GUHSD meeting April 24 in latest protest over layoffs.

April 27, 2025 (El Cajon) -- A recall effort is underway seeking to oust four trustees on the Grossmont Union High School District Board:  Scott Eckert, Robert Shield, Gary Woods,PhD, and Jim Kelly. At the April 24 GUHSD board meeting at Grossmont High School, Andy Trimlett held up four notices of intent to recall the trustees, telling the four trustees,  “You  have refused to listen to your community, so we are launching a campaign to remove you from office.”   

The recall effort follows two months of protests over the board majority’s elimination of 61 positions, including 49 credentialed teachers, counselors, assistant principals, and 9 teacher librarians, as well as 12 support staffers. Despite the outcry, at the April 24 meeting, when trustee Chris Fite made a motion to rescind the controversial firings, none of the other four trustees would second the motion. The action intensifies growing mistrust between community members and the four conservative trustees, with each side accusing the other of disrespect.

View video of recall announcement. Recall organizers have setup a website and an Instagram page. Since the GUHSD has district elections, signatures must be obtained in each of the four districts to qualify a recall election for the ballot.

Photo, right: Andy Trimlett announces recall effort against four GUHSD trustees