EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: LOCAL AND STATEWIDE NEWS

August 15, 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

• Justice Department releases new list of so-called ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’, includes San Diego County (Times of San Diego/AP)
• San Diego veterans volunteer to stand with Afghan at immigration court (KPBS)
• New reading program leads to remarkable literacy improvements at Poway Unified (ABC)
• Sprawling class-action lawsuit over county jails’ safety nears trial, as judge refuses to dismiss claims (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• ICE agents detain parent near elementary school during morning drop-off (KGTV)
• Dems eye redistricting plan to flip 5 GOP seats, including Issa’s in San Diego County (Times of San Diego/AP)
• 12 deaths at San Diego's Safe Sleeping sites raising concerns among some participants (10 News)
•  UC San Diego approved for major enrollment expansion (CBS 8 )

STATE

• California will move forward with redistricting vote to counter Texas, Newsom says (ABC News)
• Fast-growing brush fire forces thousands to evacuate north of Los Angeles  (AP)
• California police misconduct records now available in public database  (KPBS)
• Long-shot ballot initiative could have huge effect on California insurance (KPBS)
• Auditor: California could save $225 million a year by letting state employees work remote  (KPBS)

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

LOCAL

Justice Department releases new list of so-called ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’, includes San Diego County (Times of San Diego/AP)

The Justice Department identified some three dozen states, cities and counties as so-called sanctuary jurisdictions on Tuesday, two months after the federal government quietly removed a much longer list that included many localities that support the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration policies... Trump officials have long warned that the federal government would go after jurisdictions that resist the president’s plans for mass deportations.

San Diego veterans volunteer to stand with Afghan at immigration court (KPBS)

For the first time under a new volunteer initiative, San Diego veterans were at an immigration court Wednesday to support an Afghan refugee — a former journalist who fled the Taliban. The program, called Battle Buddies, was launched by two nonprofits: Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and #AfghanEvac.

New reading program leads to remarkable literacy improvements at Poway Unified (ABC)

The district has implemented a multi-sensory approach to teaching reading that's dramatically improving literacy rates among its youngest students….According to district data, kindergarteners went from 43% performing below grade level in winter to 91% reading on or above grade level by year's end.  First graders improved from 59% below grade level in fall to 84% on or above grade level by the end of the year...

Sprawling class-action lawsuit over county jails’ safety nears trial, as judge refuses to dismiss claims (San Diego Union-Tribune)

A federal judge has denied the county’s request to dismiss key parts of a sweeping class-action lawsuit filed by attorneys representing people incarcerated in San Diego County jails. The decision means the long-running case challenging the treatment of people in sheriff’s custody is closer to being set for trial.

ICE agents detain parent near elementary school during morning drop-off (KGTV)

Parents and students witnessed immigration enforcement agents detain a woman just a block away from an elementary school playground during the morning drop-off on Wednesday….  Video shows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents wearing bulletproof vests exiting unmarked cars with flashing police lights near Camarena Elementary in Chula Vista around 8 a.m….The road was partially blocked as cars filled with children waited to be dropped off at school….According to Cena, a young boy and girl were in the car speaking with agents.

Dems eye redistricting plan to flip 5 GOP seats, including Issa’s in San Diego County (Times of San Diego/AP)

California Democrats are considering new political maps that could slash five Republican-held House seats in the liberal-leaning state while bolstering Democratic incumbents in other battleground districts. The move comes in direct response to efforts by Texas Republicans to redraw House districts in order to strengthen the GOP hold on the chamber in 2026.

12 deaths at San Diego's Safe Sleeping sites raising concerns among some participants (10 News)

 A dozen people have died at San Diego’s two Safe Sleeping sites for the homeless since they opened in 2023, Team 10 has learned....City spokesman Matt Hoffman said nearly 500 homeless people died countywide last year.

 UC San Diego approved for major enrollment expansion (CBS 8 )

The University of California Board of Regents has approved plans for UC San Diego to increase its student enrollment to 56,000 by 2040, potentially making it one of the largest schools on the West Coast. This expansion represents a significant increase from the university's previous enrollment target of 42,400 students by 2035, which was surpassed in 2023.

STATE

California will move forward with redistricting vote to counter Texas, Newsom says (ABC News)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he is moving forward with putting proposed new congressional maps for the state on the ballot on a Nov. 4 special election in an attempt to counter mid-decade redistricting being pushed by Republicans in Texas.

Fast-growing brush fire forces thousands to evacuate north of Los Angeles  (AP)

A fast-growing brush fire has forced thousands of people to evacuate in a mountainous area north of Los Angeles.  The Canyon Fire ignited Thursday afternoon and grew to more than 7.6 square miles (19.7 square kilometers) by 11 p.m., according to the Ventura County Fire Department. At least 400 personnel were battling the blaze along with several planes and helicopters. It remained uncontained late Thursday and was spreading east into Los Angeles County, officials said. 

California police misconduct records now available in public database  (KPBS)

The Police Records Access Project database, now available to the public, contains roughly 1.5 million pages of records from 12,000 officer-misconduct and use-of-force cases in California.

Long-shot ballot initiative could have huge effect on California insurance (KPBS)

 Proposed ballot initiative aims to repeal Prop. 103, the California law that regulates home and auto insurance.

Auditor: California could save $225 million a year by letting state employees work remote  (KPBS)

Proponents of remote work for California state employees are celebrating a new state audit that finds having employees work from home could save the state hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate and facilities costs.