By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of 10 News, an ECM news partner

November 8, 2023 (San Diego) – Monica Montgomery Steppe is poised to fill the vacancy in district 4 left by the resignation of Nathan Fletcher on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. Steppe has 61% of the vote,  while her opponent, Amy Reichert, a private investigator who led efforts to block COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates, has 39%. Steppe, an attorney and San Diego city councilmember, stands to become the first black woman to serve as a San Diego supervisor.

Although the race is officially nonpartisan, her victory will also restore a 3-2 Democratic majority on the board of Supervisors, which has been split since Fletcher resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment and assault by an MTS employee. Fletcher has denied guilt but faces a civil lawsuit.

On social media, Steppe posted, “As your Supervisor, I look forward to teaming up with you to tackle homelessness, promote holistic public safety, and invest in the county.”

By Miriam Raftery

November 5, 2023 (San Diego) – After the House of Representatives finally elected a new Speaker, Mike Johnson, the first action was a bipartisan resolution in support of  Israel’s war against Hamas, also condemning Iran for aiding Hamas and other terror groups.  The resolution passed 412-10, with all five of San Diego’s Congressional representatives voting in favor.

But the local members differ sharply on other aspects of the Israel-Hamas conflict, including whether aid to Israel should be linked to humanitarian aid for Gaza and support for Ukraine.

by Chris Jennewein

Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association.

The historic Rotary International clock in Liberty Station. Photo by Chris Jennewein

November 5, 2023-- Daylight Saving Time for 2023 ended at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4, in California, with clocks resetting to 1 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.

By Chuck Westerheide, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  forensic sketch artist P.J. Puterbaugh created this image of the unidentified accident victim

November 3, 2023 (El Cajon) - San Diego County Medical Examiner’s investigators are asking for the public’s help to identify a woman fatally hit by a car while crossing Cuyamaca Street north of Weld Boulevard in El Cajon late in the evening of September 22.

East County News Service

November 2, 2023 (Ramona) -- The San Diego Sheriff's Search and Rescue (SAR) Unit has been activated to help locate a missing person in Ramona. Shortly after 2:30 p.m. today, the Sheriff's Communications Center received a call from the family of 66-year-old Zita Swanson. They told a Sheriff's Dispatcher that Swanson had walked away from her home in the 700 block of G Street in Ramona. She has not returned home.

Swanson does not have any known access to vehicles. She is not believed to be carrying a cell phone or purse. She has a history of walking away from home.

 Swanson is a Hispanic woman standing about 5'5" tall and weighing around 174 pounds with gray hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a Navy blue sweater and blue pants.

By Miriam Raftery

Image: Iranian flag 

November 1, 2023 (San Diego) – The Biden administration this week has imposed new sanctions  aimed at cutting off funding for Hamas, amid growing evidence that Iran provided weapons and training to Hamas prior to the terror group’s deadly attack on Israel. 

The New York Times reports that the new U.S. sanctions target:

• Companies and investors that Hamas uses to hide its control of assets
• Members of Iran’s military that train Hamas
• Members of Hezbollah and Palestinian Jihad, which have also attacked Israel
• A Jordanian national, Khaled Qaddoumi, who lives in Iran and acts as a liaison between Iran and Hamas.

The U.S.and Qatar have also agreed to block Iran’s access to $6 billion that was part of a deal to release five Americans imprisoned in Iran. None of that money has been spent, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has confirmed.

Source: U.S. .Food and Drug Administration

Photo:  Public domain image via Bing

October 31,2023 (Washington D.C.)  --The U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA) is warning consumers not to purchase and to immediately stop using 26 over-the-counter eye drop products sold at major retailers and online, due to the potential risk of eye infections that could result in partial vision loss or blindness. Patients who have signs or symptoms of an eye infection after using these products should talk to their health care provider or seek medical care immediately. These products are marketed under the following brands:

• CVS Health
• Leader (Cardinal Health)
• Rugby (Cardinal Health)
• Rite Aid
• Target Up & Up
• Velocity Pharma

See full list of product names at the bottom of this article.

By Miriam Raftery, East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

October 31, 2023 (Aguanga) -- The #HighlandFire  in Aguanga has swelled to over 2,200 acres overnight and is 0% contained in Riverside County just over the San Diego County line. Aguanga is just north of Warner Springs; smoke is impacting areas west of Aguanga including Escondido and Palomar.  Highway 79 is closed in both directions.

Road closures are in effect and evacuation orders have been issued north of the San Diego County line, south of State Route 79, east of Forest Route 8S07 and west of Crosley Truck Trail.  (See evacuation details at https://www.rvcfire.org/incidents/fact-sheets/HighliandFire-Oct2023.)

A reception and care center has opened at: Great Oak High School 32555 Deer Hollow Way, Temecula, Ca 92592. Large and small animals can be taken to: San Jacinto Animal Shelter 581 South Grand Avenue, San Jacinto, Ca 92582

Video posted by FirePhotoGirl on social media shows structures in flames. Cal Fire reports structures remain threatened threatened. 

East County News Service

October 29, 2023 (La Mesa) – A 38-year-old San Diego man was struck by a vehicle on Interstate 8 east., east of Baltimore Drive n La  Mesa on October 24. The victim  was walking in the #4 lane at 8:38 a.m. when he was hit by a white 2004 Chevrolet pickup truck.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Supervisor Jim Desmond at press conference calling for border closure

October 28,2023 (San Diego) – The Israel-Hamas war has inflamed anti-U.S. sentiments around the world, sparking protests outside U.S. embassies in several nations,. NBC news reports. That’s led some local conservative politicians including Supervisor Jim Desmond and Supervisorial candidate Amy Reichert to call for closure of the border to new immigrants, citing fears that militants allied with terrorist groups supporting Hamas could potentially cross the border into the U.S. with an aim to harm Americans.

How credible are those concerns?

By Shiloh Ireland

Photo, left:  Former San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/Clerk Ernest J. Dronenberg cuts ribbon to dedicate the Archive Reading Room in Santee

October 25, 2023 (Santee) – A ceremony was held today at the San Diego County Assessor/Recorder’s office in Santee, where Assessor/Recorder/Clerk Jordan Marks dedicated the Archive Reading Room to his predecessor, Ernest J. Dronenberg, Jr.  The event also celebrated Dronenburg’s legacy of public service.

The facility was full of guests, local county politicians and officials including Mayor Bill Wells of El Cajon, Santee City Councilmembers Ronn Hall and Vice Mayor Laura Koval,  Andrew Hayes, staffer for  Senator Brian Jones as well as an Assembly candidate and Lakeside Union School Board President,  Padre Dam Director Bill Pommering, Jordan Gascon, Chairman of the San Diego Republican Party, and others.

Bow ties were requested to be worn, since that was Dronenburg’s  signature look during his tenure.  Dronenburg was accompanied by his wife. His colleagues described him as a “numbers guy” and praised his service.

By Miriam Raftery

October 27, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – East County Magazine journalists Rebecca Person and Miriam Raftery picked up awards in San Diego Press Club’s  Excellence in Journalism Competition earlier this month. ECM has won 146 major journalism awards since its inception 15 years ago.

Rebecca Person received third place in the breaking news category for her article, “Jacumba Hot Springs community stunned by arrival of hundreds of migrants.” Person described efforts by local residents to aid migrants left without food, water, shade or shelter in sweltering desert heat.  Her coverage prompted an investigation by a human rights organization and filing of a federal complaint accusing Border Patrol agents of violating U.S. and international laws.

ECM editor Miriam Raftery received third place in the Radio interviews category for her interview on KNSJ Radio with Kathi Torres, a sex trafficking survivor who now works with Freedom from Exploitation, an organization that helps survivors of human trafficking.

To report suspicious activity in the San Diego area, contact FBI San Diego at 858-320-1800, or submit a tip to tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL FBI.

East County News Service

October 27, 2023 (San Diego) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in San Diego has asked media outlets to  alert the public to threats associated with the Israel-HAMAS conflict. The FBI and the Dept. Of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a joint public service announcement on Oct. 25. The agencies are also asking the public to report any suspicious activity.

“The FBI is continuing to monitor threats associated with the Israel-HAMAS conflict, both in the United States and overseas. As the conflict continues, the FBI has seen an increase in reports of threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities and institutions, raising our concern that violent extremists and lone offenders motivated by or reacting to ongoing events could target these communities,” the FBI announcement states. “We take all potential threats seriously and are working closely with our law enforcement partners to determine their credibility, share information, and take appropriate investigative action.”

East County News Service

October 24, 2023 (Spring Valley)-- on October 20 around 3:34 a.m, California HIghway Patrol reported that a 54-year-old man was struck and killed while walking in the number 3 lane of eastbound State Route 94, east of Spring Street.