By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office

October 6, 2023 (San Diego) - It’s no trick! Take advantage of an October treat during National Dog Adoption Month.  The San Diego County Department of Animal Services is waiving dog adoption fees throughout October to help find loving homes for dogs who have been in the shelter for more than 14 days.

The Aztecs will have two games broadcast on national television

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

October 5, 2023 (San Diego) - The Mountain West released the women’s basketball conference schedule Friday. The Aztecs schedule is highlighted by two home games that will be broadcast on national television.

"We have folks getting injured on the job because they're trying to do too much and see too many people and work too quickly," said one union leader, demanding better staffing levels. "It's not a sustainable situation."

By Jake Johnson, staff writer, Common Dreams

Photo:  Kaiser Permanente workers are seen on strike in Roseville, California on October 4, 2023. (Photo: SEIU-UHW)

Reprinted under a Creative Commons license from Common Dreams

October 4, 2023 (San Diego) - Tens of thousands of healthcare workers across the United States began a three-day strike against Kaiser Permanente on Wednesday to protest the nonprofit hospital giant's alleged unfair labor practices, bad-faith bargaining, inadequate wages and chronic staff shortages that employees say are harming them and patients.

By Cecilie Shamanow

October 4, 2023 (El Cajon) – The TV/Film studio at Granite Hills High School in El Cajon has been decommissioned, raising concerns from a taxpayer watchdog. The Career Technical Studio was built and supplied with state-of-the-art equipment using bond money provided by the taxpayers of East County as well as grant money. The TV/Film class was designed to allow students to gain hands-on experience in filming, editing and broadcasting.

Governor Gavin Newsom has selected Laphonza Butler to complete Senator Feinstein's term in the U.S. Senate

By Lynn La, Cal Matters

October 2, 2023 (Sacramento) -- Late Sunday evening, Gov. Gavin Newsom confirmed that Laphonza Butler, president of EMILYs List — a political action committee focused on electing pro-choice, Democratic women — will replace the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and finish out her term through 2024.

October 2, 2023 (Jamul) -- Fabrice Borel of Jamul snapped a photo of this beautiful bobcat, which was so close he says he thought it might jump into his vehicle.

California, where hunting bobcats has been illegal since Jan. 1, 2020, now has an estimated 70,000 to 100,000 bobcats, according to the California Fish and Wildlife Dept. 

By Rebecca Person

Photos by Rebecca Person and photographers who asked to be anonymous

October 1, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) -- Waves of border crossers quietly filter into the high desert towns of Jacumba Hot Springs and Boulevard in the farthest eastern corner of San Diego County.

Local residents and volunteers there respond with rounds of water and supplies. Surprisingly, many locals are unaware of the human drama unfolding all around them. Some who do encounter bands of migrants on back country roads use caution, fearing arrest for assisting illegal border crossers.

By Miriam Raftery

October 1, 2023 (Washington D.C.) – President Joe Biden has signed a stopgap bill to prevent a government shutdown threatened by right-wing Republicans.  The measure funds the government for 45 days.

All five members of San Diego County’s Congressional delegation voted Saturday keep the federal government open.  The  Spending Reduction and Border Security Act, as the stopgap bill was called, passed with House Democrats joining some Republicans to pass the measure, though 91 Republicans voted against it.

The Senate later passed the stopgap measure, which President Joe Biden signed over the weekend.

The stopgap bill will provide short-term funding for federal employees, from military members and Border Patrol agents to air traffic controllers and national park rangers. But it does not include aide to Ukraine, which far-right Republican legislators have refused to support.

East County News Service

October 1, 2023 (Lemon Grove) - Sheriff Kelly Martinez reminds the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Some prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving. While medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.

By Jakob McWhinney, Voice of San Diego

Photo by Ariana Dresler, Voice of San Diego

October 1, 2023 (San Diego) -- For many workers, the pandemic upended the concept of the commute. Instead of getting in their cars and sitting in traffic to make it to the office, they went from their bed to their couch or dining room table. They curated office spaces in the corner of their living room, purchased a computer monitor for their laptop and maybe even upgraded their Wi-Fi.