By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

January 11, 2023 (San Diego) - Thousands of flights throughout the United States were canceled and delayed Wednesday morning because of the failure of a Federal Aviation Administration computer system.

East County News Service

Photo via Supervisor Nathan Fletcher: Supervisor Fletcher speaks with a homeless person during 2022 Point-in-Time count

January 9, 2023 (San Diego) – The San Diego Regional Task Force on Homelessness needs more volunteers to participate in its 2023 Point in Time Count on January 26.  Mandated by the federal government, the count provides data that is critical for securing funding to help reduce homelessness, as well as obtaining information on homeless people’s needs.

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Becca Taylor oversaw downtown party celebration of Democrats’ November victories. Photo by Chris Stone

January 5, 2023 (San Diego) - Rebecca “Becca” Taylor was an aviation electrician in the Navy. Now she has the San Diego County Democratic Party wired to become its elected leader.

By Miriam Raftery

Update January 15, 2023: The victim has been identified by the County Medical Examiner as Shawn Russell Hill, 57, of El Cajon.

January 4, 2023 (El Cajon) – A man on a motorized scooter was hit by a truck this morning in El Cajon and became trapped beneath the vehicle. Good Samaritan bystanders ran over and used floor jacks to lift the truck off the victim, who was unconscious when police arrived. 

By Miriam Raftery

January 4, 2023 (San Diego) – A series of powerful Pacific Storms and atmospheric rivers are set to douse our region starting tomorrow morning, as well as most other areas of California.  The National Weather Service issued a rare high surf warning; waves up to 13 feet are forecast along San Diego beaches, along with coastal and urban flooding possible.  High tide Thursday will be in the mid-afternoon, when marine hazards will be significant. The public is advised to avoid all area beaches and boaters should stay off the water.

Countywide, heavy rainfall and winds up to 60 miles per hour in mountains and deserts are also forecast, with snow above 6,000 feet, making commutes difficult countywide. The storms are expected to be so severe on Thursday, Jan. 5 that CalTrans has activated freeway signs statewide warning motorists to stay home and avoid driving.  This week’s storms could dump two to five inches of rain in our mountain areas.  A flood watch is in effect for much of California.

But that’s just the beginning – since five atmospheric rivers are slated to hit Southern California through January 9 – and the fifth is forecast to be the most intense.

“This is a prolonged period of rain expected through Mid-January,” says Alex Tardy with the National Weather Service in San Diego.

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:

By Miriam Raftery

January 1, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – A winter weather advisory remains in effect until 10 p.m. tonight due to a winter storm bringing rain across the county, with snow forecast above 5,500 feet. Ice, snow and fog could make travel difficult at higher elevations. Gusty winds are also forecast.

Stormy weather will continue for most of the week. The National Weather Service predicts a chance of showers each day, with rain likely on Monday night, Tuesday night, and Wednesday night.  Be careful on rain-slicked roads and if traveling at higher mountain elevations, carry chains.

By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office

December 30, 2022 (San Diego) - The County and CAL FIRE are offering sandbags to residents and businesses in the unincorporated areas as another round of storms prepares to hit the region on New Year’s Eve. The storm is expected to bring heavy rain and high winds.

By Miriam Raftery

December 28, 2022 (San Diego) -- The California Highway Patrol has provided a summary of new laws rolling out in 2023 that will impact drivers, vehicle owners and roadway safety. The new laws include measures aimed at increasing bicycle safety, cracking down on sideshow and high-speed contests, and establishing alerts for missing indigenous persons and for fatal hit and runs. Other new laws aim to address the shortage of peace officers, limit jaywalking tickets, cut down on catalytic converter thefts and make it easier to report stolen items offered for sale online.

East County News Service

December 27, 2022 (El Cajon) – Two people were injured when a motorcycle rear-ended a Volkswagen on Christmas Eve in El Cajon.

The motorcyclist, a 62-year-old El Cajon man, was riding a 2017 Harley Davidson motorcycle eastbound on Broadley Avenue over State Route 67 when he struck a 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan that was stopped at a red light, directly in front of the motorcycle, according to Officer Matthew Baranowski with the California Highway Patrol.

East County News Service

December 27, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- In early 2021, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors directed staff to develop a "socially equitable" cannabis program as the first step towards implementing commercial cannabis at the County level. The County contracted Womxn’s Work Consulting to create a report called the "Social Equity Assessment for Commercial Cannabis."

By Miriam Raftery

December 26, 2022 (Lemon Grove) – Leslie Nunez Rosas, 25, died Friday morning in a multi-vehicle collision on State Route 94 near the College Avenue exit in Lemon Grove.

East County News Service

Photo via San Miguel Fire Dept. on Facebook

December 26, 2022 (La Mesa) – A blaze that may have begun in a Christmas tree yesterday damaged four units at a La Mesa apartment complex, displacing six people and killing a dog. 

By Miriam Raftery

December 24, 2022 (El Cajon) – A small plane experienced an emergency over Gillespie Field in El Cajon last night, when its landing gear failed to lock into place.  Heartland Fire Department responded in preparation for a potential emergency landing while the plane, which had an hour and a half of fuel, circled repeatedly over the area for nearly an hour looping left to right, struggling to manually lower the landing gear. 

By Chuck Westerheide, County of San Diego Communications Office

Video by José Eli Villanueva

December 21, 2022 (San Diego) - The San Diego County K-12 Youth Services Community Grant Program awarded $6.4 Million in grants to more than 40 local organizations to offer services like tutoring, after-school programs, business development and anti-bullying campaigns.  The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office recovered millions of dollars as part of a public corruption case to be used to care for children by reducing inequities and improve opportunities for local students. The interactive play, Safa’s Story, is one project benefitting from the grant.