By Daniela Torres

Video by ECM interns Daniela Torres and Jacob Pamus

April 14, 2023 (El Cajon)-- The first of four town halls in order to address homelessness in El Cajon was held on April 4, amidst concerns from the city’s residents.

Outrage and controversy have been sparked after the arrests of two sex offenders at a Motel 6 last month for allegedly sexually assaulting an underage girl. The offenders were placed there under the People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) motel voucher program funded by the County of San Diego.

By Miriam Raftery

April 14, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) -- There’s a wide assortment of events coming up across San Diego’s East County, including Cajon classic cruises, a butterfly jungle,  Earth Day celebrations, music festivals and concerts, a Lego building event, a wine and food festival, Campo Days, Wild in the Country at Lions, Tigers and Bears in Alpine,  a Western Days parade, a rodeo, and Descanso Day.

Scroll down for full details on these and more great events.

Source: San Diego County Sheriff

April 13, 2023 (San Diego) -- The San Diego County Sheriff's Department is holding a community engagement meeting about military equipment on Monday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the County Operations Center (5520 Overland Ave., San Diego).

By Miriam Raftery

April 13, 2023 (El Cajon) – Robert Gehr, a senior citizen in El Cajon, was shocked to discover when he went shopping for groceries at Food 4 Less in El Cajon that $1,118 in CalFresh benefits had been stolen off of his Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card.  Since he had only used the card at that store, Gehr and police believe he was a victim of a skimmer device attached by a thief to the store’s card reader.

The County has only reimbursed$120 for the most recent month’s benefits—and Gehr may never see the rest of his stolen benefits returned—benefits that he’d been saving up for months Such scams are alarmingly prevelant -- and hit hard on vulnerable recipients, including low-income individuals, seniors on fixed incomes, and disabled people.

Bianca Sosa-Graciano, program specialist at Self-Sufficiency Services with the County’s Health & Human Services Agency, told ECM that scammers ripping off benefits on EBT cards is a “nationwide issue at this time.”

April 12, 2023 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Supreme Court faces urgent test in abortion pill battle(The Hill)
• Mifepristone: US abortion pill access in doubt after rival rulings (BBC)
• The FDA approves the overdose-reversing drug Narcan for over-the-counter sales (NPR)
• 'Live free and die?' The sad state of U.S. life expectancy (NPR)
• Why the COVID-19 death rate varies dramatically across the U.S.  (NPR)
• STDs are on the rise. This morning-after-style pill may help (AP)

SCIENCE AND TECH   

• In his new cybersecurity strategy, Biden identifies cloud security as a major threat(NPR)
• ‘I’ve never seen anything like this:’ One of China’s most popular apps has the ability to spy on its users, say experts (CNN)
• Perennial rice: Plant once, harvest again and again (NPR)
• It takes a few dollars and 8 minutes to create a deepfake. And that's only the start (NPR)
• Carbon dating reveals famed Baja cave paintings to be much older than previously thought (KPBS)
• What are the most popular Crypto scams to watch out for in 2023? (Time)

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

April 13, 2023 (El Cajon) -- The City of El Cajon is hosting a FREE April Pools Day event to help kick off May as National Drowning Prevention Month on Friday, April 21, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Fletcher Hills Pool, located at 2345 Center Place in El Cajon.   

Drowning is the leading cause of injury death among children between the ages 1 to 4 years, and nearly 4,000 Americans drown each year. A study published in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found statistical evidence that children that participated in swim lessons had an 88% reduced risk of drowning.

“Living so close to the beach, we want children to learn to swim and parents to learn how to keep their family safe around water,” said Frank Carson, Director of Parks and Recreation. “The City of El Cajon is proud to offer a full range of aquatic programs to our community.”

Participants can learn about water safety, sun safety tips, or partake in mini CPR lessons. The event will feature free swimming, a free bag filled with activities (one per family), and crafts.

April 13, 2023 (Santee)  ECM intern Daniela Torres visited “Hop Down the Bunny Trail,” a free family-friendly event hosted by the city of Santee on April 1 at the Santee Trolley Square center.

By Kristen Hwang, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters 

Photo:  200 mg mifepristone and 800 μg misoprostol, the typical regimen for early medical abortion.  By VAlSiurua, CC BY-SA 4.0

April 12, 2023 (Sacramento) - California’s Democratic lawmakers have spent the past year enacting legislation to protect abortion rights in the wake of Roe v. Wade’s reversal, but a ruling Friday by a Texas federal judge is one thing they can’t touch. 

By Carolyn McGavock

April 11, 2023 (Alpine) -- The closure of the Loveland Fishing Access in Alpine has the public at odds with the Sweetwater Authority. Recently, SWA drained Loveland Reservoir to deadpool, killing the fish population and the fishing program which was established jointly with the national forest service. Hiking and bird watching along the shoreline are also enjoyed there. When the reservoir was empty, Sweetwater claimed the resulting erosion had created a hazard. Since then, rain has refilled the reservoir and covered the erosion leaving the public area as safe for hiking and bird watching as it had been during the 25-year history of the recreational program. However, SWA’s public relations officer, Gwyneth Shoecraft, recently reported, “At this point we do not know the timeframe for restoring access.”

Some advocates suspect that the lake is closed to hide the fact that the fish population was killed and the publicly purchased fishing pier is in pieces. Advocates fear that SWA plans to exclude them permanently and are appealing to public officials in the forest service for representation.

East County News Service

April 11, 2023 (Santa Ysabel) – You’re invited to discover the night at a galaxy season star party at the Santa Ysabel Nature Center on Saturday, April 15 at 6 p.m.  In addition, a proclamation will be presented from County Supervisors to commemorate International Dark Sky Week April 15-22.

East County News Service

April 11, 2023 (Mt. Helix) – Atkinson Plumeria Farm in La Mesa will be hosting a plumeria cutting and tropical plant sale this weekend, April 15-16.

Eleven vendors will be selling hundreds of cultivars,  thousands of cuttings and rooted plants from small to large in a many different colors; some as low as $5.These are water-wise plants.

Plus there will be other tropicals such as hibiscus, air plants, hoyas, heliconia, ginger, and more.

By Miriam Raftery

April 11, 2023 (Descanso) – Descanso’s first community fair was held in 1899 under a tent near the creek. The tradition has grown through the years to include a parade and community fair, which this year will be held on June 3. The festivities take place at the historic Descanso Town Hall, 24536 Viejas Grade Road in Descanso, a small rural town east of Alpine.

East County News Service

April 12, 2023 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – For its annual Earth Day celebration, the Desert View Tower and Boulder Park will host a Boulder Fair on Saturday, April 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

April 10, 2023 (San Diego) - San Diego County’s Health and Human Services Agency honored 17 people and organizations Monday as Public Health Champions for their work in advancing public health and protecting and promoting the health and safety of San Diegans.

The Agency’s 2023 Live Well San Diego Annual Public Health Champion Awards Ceremony coincided with National Public Health Week. The annual observance is an initiative of the American Public Health Association and ran earlier this month.

Last week's gathering marked the first in-person celebration of the event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.