By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

August 9, 2021 (Sacramento) -- Hundreds of thousands of Medi-Cal recipients who experienced financial hardship during the pandemic are paying monthly premiums when they don't have to - presumably unaware that the state is waiving the monthly payments during the pandemic.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  LMPD Chief Ray Sweeney

August 8, 2021 (La Mesa) – At the first of four town hall meetings held by La Mesa Police billed as community outreach and listening sessions, newly appointed Chief Ray Sweeney promised to work with community members to make changes. The Chief spoke of changes in the work, then fielded questions from the public.

East County News Service

Photo: Tijuana River Valley; CC by SA via Bing

August 8, 2020 (Spring Valley)  – The Spring Valley Cleanup Crew and a coalition of San Diego activists are uniting for a protest in front of Rep. Juan Vargas' (D-CA) office this Monday, Aug. 9 at 8:30 a.m. to demand additional funding be deployed for the Tijuana River Valley crisis.

By Miriam Raftery, East County Magazine

August 3, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) –East County Magazine’s staff is shocked and saddened to learn that our beloved multicultural journalist Briana Paul Gomez, 31, died in a rollover vehicle crash Sunday morning, August 1, 2021.

“We are all devastated at this tragic loss of a young reporter passionate about diversity issues,” said Miriam Raftery, Editor of East County Magazine. “Briana always strived to tell all sides of the issues she covered and had a promising future as a journalist. She was generous, compassionate, and a cherished friend as well as a talented writer. Our hearts are with her family, especially her young daughter.”

By Miriam Raftery

“We have really nothing to give our youth, nothing to pass down. All we have are false promises. These windmills are supposed to bring us some glimmer of hope, but all they’ve brought us are despair.” –Tribal elder Denis Largo

August 7, 2021 (Campo) – U.S. District Court Judge Janis Sammartino has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Backcountry Against Dumps, a local citizens’ group, against the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of the Interior. The lawsuit sought to challenge the agencies’ approval of Terra Gen’s Campo Wind project on the Campo Indian reservation.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Congresswoman Jacobs speaks at midnight rally outside Capitol, calling for an eviction moratorium to protect renters.

August 7, 2021 (San Diego) – This week, the Biden administration issued a temporary ban on evictions across most of the U.S. in areas with high rates of COVID-19, an estimated 90% of the nation. Biden took the action despite questions over its constitutionality, after Congress allowed an eviction moratorium to lapse due to lack of Republican votes in the Senate to prevent millions of Americans from potentially winding up homeless.

By Miriam Raftery

August 6, 2021 (La Mesa) – Two masked men reportedly armed with handguns broke into a home in the 7600 block of Eastridge Drive in La Mesa last night around 9:21 and struck a resident who was home at the time. 

By Miriam Raftery

August 6, 2021 (San Diego) – The U.S. Border Patrol reports an unprecedented wave of Brazilian nationals apprehended along the San Diego-Mexico border. Since Oct. 1, 2020, agents have apprehended over 7,300 Brazilian migrants – up from 330 for the entire fiscal year 2020.  Every month since April of 2021, over 1,000 Brazilian nationals entered the U.S. across the Mexican border in the San Diego area – a staggering increase of more than 114,000%  from the same timeframe in FY20, where SDC had just six total apprehensions of Brazilian nationals. 

East County News Service

August 6, 2021 (Lemon Grove) - The Lemon Grove Improvement Council is hosting a Back to School Supply Drive for this coming school year.  From now until August 13th, you can donate any school supplies, such as backpacks, notebooks, three-ring binders, pencils, pens, markers and erasers.

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

Photo:  Pearl Harbor survivor Stu Hedley joked in 2019 that he was turning 89 the next month before telling people to transpose the number to 98. Photo by Chris Stone

August 5, 2021 (San Diego) - Stu Hedley credited a lesson his dad taught him for saving his life at Pearl Harbor in 1941. 

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

Photo:  celebrating the first anniversary of of the Spring Valley Community Alliance are, L to R, SVCA President Braulio Sanabra, Regional Manager Charles Gailband of County Park and Rec., and SVCA Vice President Chris Pierce. Photo courtesy IPS.

August 5, 2021 (Spring Valley) - Braulio Sanabria felt uncomfortable with what was happening in and around Lamar County Park in Spring Valley. There were discarded mini alcohol bottles, drug paraphernalia, graffiti, drug sales and homeless encampments. So he decided to do something about it. What began as one man with a trash bag on a summer day in 2020 has evolved into the Spring Valley Community Alliance (SVCA). The effort grew organically as more and more neighbors began joining Sanabria on Sunday mornings to pick up trash, adopt a highway, report graffiti and take pride in the neighborhood. SVCA recently celebrated its first anniversary with a community cleanup, picnic and celebration at the park on Bancroft Drive.

East County News Service 

August 4, 2021 (Santee) – Today, the San Diego Sheriff’s department announced it has identified a possible suspect, John Patrick “Pat” Hogan, in the 1980 murder of 20-year-old Michelle Louise Wyatt.  Hogan died in 2004, however the Sheriff’s department hopes to speak with anyone who may have information on this case or who knew Hogan in the late ‘70s or early ‘80s.

Source:  Escondido Art Association

Image via Monika Grafik from Pixabay

August 3, 2021 (Escondido) - The public is invited to the monthly Escondido Art Association artists’ reception held at the Artists Gallery at 121 W. Grand Avenue, Escondido, on Saturday, August 14, 2021 from 4pm until 6:30pm. Come on by the gallery, meet the artists, and enjoy complimentary refreshments.

By José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office

San Diegans have largely turned to traditional vaccination clinics to get immunized against COVID-19

August 1, 2021 (San Diego) - Retail pharmacies are now the primary provider of vaccines, administering over 100,000 doses from July 1 through July 28. They were followed, in order, by community clinics (nearly 20,000 doses), private medical providers (almost 17,000 doses), County sites (about 13,000 doses) and hospitals (just under 9,000 doses) during the same time frame.

“I want to thank every San Diegan who has been vaccinated and the many partners working daily with the County to ensure vaccines are readily available in every part of our region,” said Wilma J. Wooten (photo, right), M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “Masking and other public health guidance are additional measures to help us safely navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccinations are our key for getting out of it.”

The County has been working with its vaccination partners to get the word out to San Diegans who are hesitant about getting immunized.

Update: All lanes open reports Caltrans San Diego, and Fire Scanner reports “[r]esources will be on scene mopping up the fire for the next couple of hours.”

By Jonathan Goetz

August 1, 2021 (Santee) – A vegetation fire nick-named the #MissionFire has closed the two westbound State Route 52 lanes at Fanita Drive, reports Caltrans San Diego.

@SDCountyFires broke the story on twitter and reports that crews have upgraded to a “high wildland response,” firefighter lingo for a serious response and a sign that this fire is being taken very seriously and may pose a great danger to the surrounding community.

The fire burned at least one acre and "multiple explosions" were heard in the area, behind Sprouts at 9361 Mission Gorge Road, they report.

This is a breaking story and updates may be posted above or in a new article.

If you have photos, details, or an eyewitness account on this or any local emergency please contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org

Thanks to the Grossmont Healthcare District and San Diego Regional Fire Foundation for their generous sponsorship of our East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts!