East County News Service

June 28,2025 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police have arrested three men and a juvenile for attempting to kill a teen boy, 17, insider Spencer’s at Parkway Plaza on June 24.

“One suspect pointed a handgun at the victim’s head and appeared to pull the trigger,” says Lieutenant Will Guerin. Fortunately, the weapon jammed and did not fire.

All four suspects fled the scene.  El Cajon Police detectives reviewed surveillance footage, which confirmed the assault and attempted murder. According to Lt. Guerin, the video clearly identified the suspects as Abraham Rodriguez, 19, Isidro Vazquez, 24, and Jermaine Taylor, 23, along with a 16-year-old male juvenile who was the shooter.

East County News Service

June 27, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – East County Magazine editor Miriam Raftery won two awards from Society for Professional Journalists in the San Diego SPJ Journalism competition. The honors bring ECM’s total awards to 149 since our founding in 2008. 

In the series category for daily reporting and writing, Raftery took third place for her series on the Water Conservation Garden’s growing pains.  The series chronicled the Garden’s financial struggles, brief closure, and reopening after operations were taken over by the Garden’s joint powers authority. View the series:  part 1, part 2, and part 3.

Raftery also won third places in the opinion/editorial category for her editorial published last July 4 , titled As we celebrate Independence Day, our democracy is at risk. Several of the threats to our democratic system of government  that she warned of have since come to pass via authoritarian actions rolled out by the Trump administration following the blueprint outlined in Project 2025.

Photo at Forester Creek in Santee by Karen Pearlman

East County News Services

June 27, 2025 (Santee) -- If you care about the environment and don't mind getting a little dirty, then a clean up at Forester Creek may be the perfect fit for you!

June 25, 2025 -- As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• DOGE Is Busier Than Ever—and Trump Says Elon Musk Is ‘Really Not Leaving’ (Wired)
• 128 million Americans under heat advisories as scorching temperatures break records (CBS)
• Protests grow across the U.S. as people push against Trump's mass deportation policies (NPR)
• Trump directs ICE to expand deportations in Democratic-run cities (10 News)
• DHS Issues New Guidance Limiting Lawmakers’ Visits to ICE Facilities (NOTUS)
• Islamist terror leader calls for Trump, JD Vance assassinations over pro-Israel views in disturbing video: ‘Take revenge’   (New York Post)
• Judge blocks administration from enforcing anti-diversity and anti-transgender executive orders (AP)
• More than a dozen lawmakers tied to stock trades, transactions ahead of Trump’s early tariff pause (CNN)
• Minnesota assassination suspect charged with lawmaker's murder (USA Today)
• Judge blocks administration from enforcing anti-diversity and anti-transgender executive orders (AP)
• A 2nd judge halts more of Trump’s voting executive order  (NPR)
•  American Bar Association Sues Trump Over ‘Unprecedented’ Threats to Legal Profession (NOTUS)
• Supreme Court upholds Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth (CNN)
• Federal Watchdog Agency Finds the Trump Administration Illegally Impounded Library Funds (NOTUS)

WORLD

• Winners and Losers of '12 Day War' After Iran and Israel Agree Ceasefire (Newsweek)
• US strikes failed to destroy Iran's nuclear sites, intelligence report says (Reuters)
• Trump says U.S. will talk to Iran next week (NBC News)
• As Trump shuts out migrants, Spain opens its doors and fuels economic growth (Washington Post)
• Knesset set to vote on disbanding in first step to possible Israeli election (Reuters)
• At least 200 killed in Air India plane crash as one British passenger reportedly survives (BBC)
• Families of missing Ukrainians gather as prisoner exchange begins (BBC)

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

June 25, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include:

LOCAL

• New app helps connect unhoused people to shelters in San Diego County (Fox 5)
• San Diego's inflation rate highest in the nation for May
• The Supreme Court just issued a ruling on nuclear waste. What does that mean for San Onofre? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Cars keep tumbling downhill into popular La Mesa restaurant parking lot (NBC 7)
• Council passes San Diego budget that restores library hours, fire rings and more — but at a cost to some city workers  (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• ‘This is a Muslim ban’ – airport protest among nationwide rallies against Trump travel ban (Times of San Diego)
• Supervisor Candidate Left Trail of Unpaid Debts, Taxes 

STATE

• Newsom agrees to ease budget cuts as California seeks more time to fix growing deficit (Cal Matters)
• California bill proposes misdemeanor for officers who cover their face on duty (The Guardian)
• California violated civil rights of female students by allowing trans athletes to compete, feds say (AP)
• How the federal immigration raids could disrupt California’s economy (Los Angeles Times)
• Scenes Of 'Fear And Panic' Prompt Southland Mayors Call For ICE, Soldiers To Get Out )Patch)
• California police are illegally sharing license plate data with ICE and Border Patrol (Cal Matters)
• LAPD Won’t Do Immigration Enforcement — But Will Shoot You With Rubber Bullets for Protesting ICE (Intercept)
• Troops deployed to LA have nowhere to sleep and lack supplies: Newsom (Axios)

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

By Kristin Kjaero

June 21, 2025 (San Diego) - - On June 26, San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) will vote on a staff recommendation to end its sponsorship and funding for the Water Conservation Garden.

The Garden says accessibility to the public is at risk if SDCWA withdraws, and started an online petition campaign to request that an option to stay, be added to the Committee's agenda. The petition has received 1,319 signatures in its first 24 hours. One can also send an email addressed to committee members via their clerk at  kwalker@sdcwa.org.

The proposal to end SDCWA’s support of the Garden will go first to the Administration and Finance Committee at 9 a.m. which will consider two options: to withdraw, or to withdraw and donate $150,000 over the next two years. The result of the Committee's vote will then move to a list of consent items at the full SDCWA Board meeting at 2p.m.

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

June 23, 2025 (San Diego) -- June is Pride Month and transgender advocates are speaking out, seeking equal recognition in society and in the workplace.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled President Donald Trump can enforce a ban on transgender people in the military while litigation proceeds.

Martha Gomez, director of workforce development for the nonprofit Trans Can Work, said the attacks on transgender people ultimately hurt society as a whole.

"Transgender people are at the forefront of a lot of those cuts and those attacks," Gomez pointed out. "The truth is that these DEI cuts, they hurt all of us as a nation to not have opinions outside of just one."

The armed forces are also changing the names of transgender members of the military back to their names at birth. Trans Can Work encourages all employers to consider the harm of deadnaming people and to make sure health care policy and legal paperwork is inclusive.

By Mike Allen

June 23, 2025 (Santee) -- While golfing and expansive courses are diminishing nationally, the owner of Santee’s only golf course is pushing a plan that would convert the current 1950s facility to a modern country club resort including 242 new houses, a 42-room hotel, a redesigned course, and other amenities.

The project that was formally announced last year has completed an environmental impact report (EIR) posted on the city’s website (www.cityofsanteeca.gov) outlining in detail all aspects of the development, its ramifications and how those impacts can be mitigated. The public comment period on the document opened June 10 and is slated to close July 24.

By Miriam Raftery

Image:  Lands proposed for sale in Rep. Darrell Issa's district

June 18, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – Senate Republicans have slipped language into the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” budget reconciliation measure that would allow sale of up to 250 million acres of federal public lands in 11 states including California. 

The Wilderness Society calls this a “disturbing giveaway that sets an extremely dangerous precedent.”

A map of lands to be sold includes much of Cleveland National Forest in San Diego’s East County, as well as portions of Mt. Laguna and Pine Valley, plus large tracts of U.S. Forest and Bureau of Land Management lands in northeast county, desert areas near Anza Borrego Desert State Park, and even some coastal locations.

Over 16 million acres are proposed for sale in California, including Big Sur, an iconic and picturesque section of California’s coastline.

Find links to contact your Congressional members and Senators at the bottom of this article.

By Miriam Raftery

Image: Screenshot from BBC video of Iranian nuclear facility bombing by U.S.

June 21, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – The U.S. has bombed three Iranian nuclear sites,  President Donald Trump announced tonight on social media.  The BBC confirmed the action, posting video of smoke rising above an Iranian nuclear site.

The action, done without Congressional approval, has drawn mixed reactions from lawmakers. Some praised the destruction of any potential nuclear weapons development by Iran, a state supporter of terrorism, while others voiced concerns over escalation of tensions in the region.  Some Congressional members also denounced the action as unconstitutional, since it was done without the approval of Congress, which the Constitution requires for acts of war.