By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office

January 10, 2025 (San Diego) - The County’s Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board is taking applications to fill an opening on its board.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Henri Migala: Palisades Fire in Los Angeles

January 9, 2025 (Los Angeles) – Over 179,000 people are under evacuation orders as massive fires continue to burn across Los Angeles County, with no containment as yet on the worst conflagrations.  Fire officials’ estimates of homes lost range from several hundred to over 1,000, and at least five people have died.

The Palisades Fire has scorched over 1,700 acres, burning all the way to the Pacific Ocean.  Videos posted online show massive destruction of homes along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Most of Pacific Palisades has been destroyed, with evacuations as far away as Santa Monica. It remains 0% contained.  Low water pressure left some hydrants without water and high winds have restricted firefighting aircraft, leaving the blaze to burn out of control in its crucial early hours, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Eaton Fire has charred over 10,000 acres in Pasadena and Altadena.  It is 0% contained; this is the fire in which five people are confirmed dead, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The Sunset Fire in Hollywood Hills also forced evacuations. It has burned 42.8 acres and is 0% contained, per the Watch Duty App.

McElroy speaks out against mass deportations as "incompatible with Catholic doctrine" in first appearance as Archbishop

By Miriam Raftery

Photo of Cardinal McElroy by Chris Stone, Times of San Diego

January 8, 2025 (San Diego) – Pope Francis on Monday named San Diego’s Cardinal Robert McElroy has the new Archbishop of Washington D.C., where is expected to provide a strong moral voice opposing some policies of the incoming Trump administration.

McElroy was appointed by Pope Francis to serve as Bishop in San Diego in 2015 and in 2022 was elevated to Cardinal. He replaces retiring Cardinal Wilton Gregory,77, as Archbishop in the district that includes the nation’s capitol and is home to more than 667,000 Catholics.

Archbishop McElroy, in an online press conference Monday, acknowledged that each nation has a right to control its borders, but he denounced Trump’s call for mass deportation of immigrations.  “We are called always to have a sense of the dignity of every human person, and thus plans which have been talked about...of having a wider indiscriminate massive deportation across the country would be something that would be incompatible with Catholic doctrine.”

By Miriam Raftery

January 8, 2025 (La Mesa) – Dozens of public speakers at yesterday’s Grossmont Healthcare District meeting urged the board to move its 9 a.m. meetings to evenings in order to accommodate people with full-time jobs. The proposal was made by newly elected director Nadia Farjood, a working mother who says her new full-time job at the District Attorney’s office prevents her from attending daytime meetings.

The district represents about 520,000 residents. Around 271 people signed a petition in support of Farjood’s proposal, and around 40 showed up in support at yesterday’s meeting. But despite testimony from union representatives, healthcare workers, district residents and local elected officials, Farjood’s proposal failed, with no other director in support.

Some speakers voiced concern not only for Farjood, but for the potential chilling effect on would-be candidates who may be persuaded from running for office if they have full-time day jobs.

By Jessica Brodkin Webb

January 7, 2025 (El Cajon) --In 13 days, President-elect Donald Trump could potentially begin to make good on his campaign promise to pursue mass deportations of immigrants and refugees living in the United States.

“As President I will immediately end the migrant invasion of America," Trump said in a Sept, 2024 speech and although he has not released specific details of how he might direct such a plan at a federal level, community leaders stand divided on how best to respond at the local level.

Under current California law, state and municipal governments are barred from working in conjunction with federal law enforcement agencies to actively pursue deportation for anyone who has not committed a serious crime. That approach stands in direct opposition to Trump’s proposed plan to conduct mass immigrant deportations.

El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells, in a letter to the Calif. Attorney General, says he plans to propose that his city fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities. San Diego’s Board of Supervisors majority, by contrast, has urged county authorities not to turn over any immigrants to federal authorities, while the County Sheriff has said she will take the middle ground and follow state law, cooperating only when immigrants have committed serious crimes.

Besides posing a challenge for local elected officials who must decide how they will answer to conflicting state and federal guidelines, an element of murkiness also exists for prominent community members and social service agency heads who spend many hours each week working directly with refugees.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Henri Migala

January 7, 2025 (Los Angeles) – The fast-moving Palisades Fire has burned 2,921 acres as of tonight, according to Cal Fire.  The wildfire that began around 10:30 a.m. in Pacific Palisades has now forced evacuation of approximately 10,000 residents from 30,000 homes in Malibu, Topanga and Pacific Palisades, also forcing closure of portions of Pacific Coast Highway.

The fire is expected to worsen overnight, with extremely dangerous winds up to 100 miles per hour possible, the National Weather Service predicts. Already, gusts up to 70 miles per hour have fueled the conflagration. Wind speeds are expected to peak tomorrow, though strong winds are forecast through Friday.

Both Governor Gavin Newsom and the City of Los Angeles have issued emergency declarations.  “This is a highly dangerous windstorm that’s creating extreme fire risk—and we’re not out of the woods,” Newsom said.

Update January 7, 2025 A GoFundMe site has been set up to help the victims' families with funeral costs, emotional support, and legal costs to pursue justice.

East County News Service

January 6, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – The victims of a fatal pedestrian crash on New Year’s Day in Lemon Grove have been identified as Nadia Charles and Junior Joseph Juste.  Both 20 years old, they were cousins who immigrated here from Haiti last year in hopes of a better life in the United States, after surviving earthquakes,poverty, violence and political instability in their homeland.

Source: SDG&E

January 6, 2025 (San Diego)  – Due to extreme fire weather conditions and forecasted Santa Ana winds, San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) has notified 64,866 customers that it may have to turn off power to reduce wildfire risk as early as Tuesday. Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) are approved by state regulators as an important safety tool of last resort to mitigate fire risk during dangerous weather conditions. 

This week marks the driest start to the rainy season in San Diego County in 174 years. As a result of these dry conditions and expected Santa Ana winds, the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for parts of Orange and San Diego Counties beginning Tuesday evening through late Wednesday night. SDG&E’s meteorology team is closely monitoring weather conditions. 

Power shutoffs are possible in the following areas:

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: surveillance footage from New Orleans terror attack

January 3, 2025 (San Diego) – A U.S. military veteran drove a rented electric pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s Day revelers in New Orleans shortly after 3 a.m. on New Year’s morning, killing 14 people before he was fatally shot by police officers. Authorities found improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted in the area; ABC news reports that an explosion to a hotel has been tied to the driver, The FBI reports that he posted videos declaring support for the terror group ISIS shortly before the attack, which the FBI confirms was an act of terrorism.

Later in the day, a U.S. Army Green Beret on leave detonated a rented Tesla filled with explosives and fireworks in front of Trump Tower in Las Vegas; his motive is not yet clear. The medical examiner confirmed that the driver shot himself before his body was burned in the explosion. Both attackers were U.S. citizens.

Tonight, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in San Diego is asking locals to be vigilant and report any threats, though the FBI and Sheriff’s department assure that there are no known threats in our region.

The Alliance’s Intricate Float Honored Historic Arrival of Giant Pandas

Source: San Diego Zoo Wildflfe Alliance

Photo by Emily Senninger, courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

January 2, 2025 (San Diego) – The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance won top honors at the 136^th annual Rose Parade® Presented by Honda with a float commemorating the historic arrival of giant pandas. For the second consecutive year, the Alliance received the Sweepstakes Trophy given for most beautiful entry, encompassing float design, floral presentation and entertainment.

The San Diego Zoo’s float, “Friendship Across the Earth,” transported viewers across Asia’s magnificent ecosystems and honored Yun Chuan (“yoon chu-an”) and Xin Bao (“sing bao”), the first giant pandas to enter the United States in 21 years. Five-year-old male Yun Chuan and four-year-old female Xin Bao made their public debut at the San Diego Zoo on August 8, 2024—designated “California Panda Day” by Governor Gavin Newsom. The 2025 Pasadena Tournament of Roses theme, Best Day Ever, celebrated life’s best moments. 

Story and photos by Henri Migala

Video links of the event are found at the end of the article.

December 31, 2024 (El Cajon) - On December 21, the Syrian community of San Diego County held a community gathering in Kennedy Park in El Cajon to celebrate Syria’s liberation. Approximately 300-400 members of the Syrian community, including men, women and children, including elderly, attended the gathering to share their excitement for the fall of the Bashar Assad regime in Syria by dancing, sharing food, waving Syrian and US flags, and sharing stories.

By Mike Allen

Photo: Workers at GKN opening ceremony

December 18, 2024 (El Cajon) -- The site that was once planned as an Amazon warehouse is taking shape to house some of the most sophisticated machinery in the world, as well as the skilled workers to run it.

Just across the street from Gillespie Field at the confluence of Cuyamaca Street and Weld Avenue is the new home for GKN Aerospace, a top tier aircraft components supplier and refurbisher of engines for such customers as Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, General Electric and Boeing.

GKN has been operating in El Cajon for more than 70 years, but its two segments, OEM (original equipment manufacturer) and Repair Solutions, have been growing at such a nice clip, soit needed added room.

By Miriam Raftery

December 17, 2024 (El Cajon) – The driver who fled the scene after hitting and killing a pedestrian on December 8 at 5:14 p.m. near 1368 East Main Street has been arrested for felony hit and run.  Police used information from a witness and the city’s Flock license plate reader system to obtain a photo of the white Dodge Ram truck involved in the collision, leading to the driver’s arrest.

The victim, 63-year-old Richard Michael Santana of El Cajon, died at the scene of the accident.  He was struck while crossing the street outside of the crosswalk. 

Visas required for other European countries as well