San Diego mail carriers to lead food drive on May 9

by Karen Pearlman | April 30, 2026 5:46 am

East County News Service

April 29, 2026 (San Diego County) — The U.S. Postal Service will carry more than just mail Saturday, May 9 during the 34th annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

Recognized as the largest single-day food collection effort in the United States, the event mobilizes the National Association of Letter Carriers and the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank in replenishing local food pantry shelves before summer.

(more…)[1]

Endnotes:
  1. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/san-diego-mail-carriers-to-lead-food-drive-on-may-9/#more-124317

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/san-diego-mail-carriers-to-lead-food-drive-on-may-9/

San Diego County to host first focus group on rural winery expansion

by Karen Pearlman | April 30, 2026 5:02 am

East County News Service

April 29, 2026 (San Diego County) — Wine not change for the better? That’s a question that will likely be tackled soon as San Diego County officials seek to modernize the region’s winery ordinance.

To start the grapes rolling, the county needs residents to share their thoughts on the backcountry economy’s future — balancing a burgeoning wine industry with the quiet of rural life.

The County of San Diego Planning & Development Services has announced the first in a series of focus group meetings about the Tiered Winery Rural Residential Expansion Project. The first meeting, set for noon Wednesday, May 13, marks a critical step in a multi-year effort of updating the ordinance.

(more…)[1]

Endnotes:
  1. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/san-diego-county-to-host-first-focus-group-on-rural-winery-expansion/#more-124314

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/san-diego-county-to-host-first-focus-group-on-rural-winery-expansion/

Treat your sweetheart to Valentine’s chocolate and wine at San Pasqual Winery in La Mesa

by Karen Pearlman | April 30, 2026 4:20 am

East County News Service

January 26, 2026 (La Mesa) – San Pasqual Winery in La Mesa invites you to enjoy an evening of wines paired with artisan gourmet chocolates by Swete Petite Confections on February 12 and 14 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

(more…)[1]

Endnotes:
  1. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/treat-your-sweetheart-to-valentines-chocolate-and-wine-at-san-pasqual-winery-in-la-mesa/#more-124310

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/treat-your-sweetheart-to-valentines-chocolate-and-wine-at-san-pasqual-winery-in-la-mesa/

Mas-Issge Deuseyo! New JJang Korean Barbecue in La Mesa provides yummy Korean dishes and culturally artful moments

by Karen Pearlman | April 30, 2026 4:17 am

By Heidi Hope

December 21, 2025 (La Mesa) – JJang BBQ, a new all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue restaurant in La Mesa, delivers a traditional Korean eatery ambience from sizzling hot meats that you cook at the table to tangy sides and a colorful painting on the wall. I cooked and tasted three different meats, including pork belly (samgupsal), Bulgogi beef and boneless beef rib. Each has a mouthwatering Teriyaki flavor.

I was overjoyed at the distinctively savory tastes and textures; some layers were soft, some were chewy.

(more…)[1]

Endnotes:
  1. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/mas-issge-deuseyo-new-jjang-korean-barbecue-in-la-mesa-provides-yummy-korean-dishes-and-culturally-artful-moments/#more-124305

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/mas-issge-deuseyo-new-jjang-korean-barbecue-in-la-mesa-provides-yummy-korean-dishes-and-culturally-artful-moments/

82 square mile quarantine area declared after Mexican fruit flies found in La Mesa: all 4 East County cities, some unincorporated areas and San Diego neighborhoods are included

by Karen Pearlman | April 30, 2026 4:11 am

Source: Donna Durckel[1], County of San Diego Communications Office

March 10, 2025 (San Diego) — The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has declared a new quarantine area affecting the cities of La Mesa, El Cajon, Lemon Grove, San Diego, and Santee as well as Spring Valley and Bonita in San Diego County after Mexican fruit flies were found during a routine inspection in La Mesa.

Residents should not move produce grown in these areas off of their properties, since this pest can infest more than 50 types of fruits and vegetables.

The quarantine zone covers approximately 82 square miles. It is bordered by:

View the quarantine map[2].at link, or scroll down to view map at bottom of this page.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner, and the CDFA are working collaboratively to contain the infestation and provide guidance to fruit growers, wholesalers, retailers and home gardeners.

Eradication Efforts

This is CDFA’s standard, science‑based approach and is considered the safest and most effective method to reduce population density.

Impact of the Quarantine

The quarantine applies to growers, wholesalers, retailers, and nurseries handling any host fruits or plants. Home gardeners are urged to consume homegrown produce onsite and avoid moving it off their property to help prevent the spread of the pest.

Residents who suspect their fruits or vegetables may be infested should call the state’s toll‑free Pest Hotline: 1‑800‑491‑1899.

The Mexican fruit fly can infest more than 50 types of fruits and vegetables, posing a significant threat to California’s agricultural exports, local food supply, and backyard gardens. More information is available at: www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/go/MexFly[3]

While invasive fruit flies sometimes appear in agricultural regions, most detections occur in suburban and urban communities. These pests often enter the state by hitchhiking in fruits or vegetables brought back illegally by travelers from infested areas.

To help protect California’s agriculture and natural resources, CDFA urges travelers to follow the Don’t Pack a Pest guidelines (www.dontpackapest.com[4]).

Endnotes:
  1. Donna Durckel: https://www.countynewscenter.com/author/ddurckel/
  2. View the quarantine map: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/mexfly/regulation.html
  3. www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/go/MexFly: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/go/MexFly
  4. www.dontpackapest.com: http://www.dontpackapest.com/

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/82-square-mile-quarantine-area-declared-after-mexican-fruit-flies-found-in-la-mesa-all-4-east-county-cities-some-unincorporated-areas-and-san-diego-neighborhoods-are-included-3/

Thousands facing new eligibility rules for CalFresh and Medi-Cal starting in April

by Karen Pearlman | April 30, 2026 4:05 am

East County News Service
March 16, 2026 (San Diego County) — Federal and state policy changes set to roll out over the next year will potentially alter the landscape of public assistance for more than 1 million San Diego County residents.
Starting April 1, new eligibility requirements and work mandates will begin to take effect for recipients of CalFresh and Medi-Cal, marking one of the most significant shifts in social safety net administration in recent years.
The changes are largely driven by the federal One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R. 1), signed into law last July, which introduced stricter oversight and work requirements for nationwide benefit programs. While local officials emphasize that the majority of recipients will still qualify for coverage, the scale of the impact is vast: the County currently supports nearly 400,000 residents through CalFresh and more than 800,000 through Medi-Cal.

(more…)[1]

Endnotes:
  1. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/thousands-facing-new-eligibility-rules-for-calfresh-and-medi-cal-starting-in-april-2/#more-124297

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/thousands-facing-new-eligibility-rules-for-calfresh-and-medi-cal-starting-in-april-2/

Feeling thirsty? Find refreshing and organic beverages at R&B Tea in San Carlos

by Karen Pearlman | April 30, 2026 1:57 am

By Heidi Hope

January 24, 2026 (San Diego) – R&B Tea is a new boba shop located in San Diego’s San Carlos community. R&B Tea delivers a fun and rejuvenating aura through the upbeat music, warm welcome from the workers, exciting paintings on the wall along with a variety of significant drinks made from fresh and organic ingredients.

Boba, often called bubble tea, is a sweet tea mixed with milk featuring tapioca balls, often flavored with fruit or syrup.

From milk tea/cream series to pure milk, fresh tea, yoghurt series leading to coffee, stormy series, lemonade, sparkling, frosty fruit milk and tea series to fresh fruit tea, R&B provides diverse drink options to enjoy and customize through balancing sugar and ice level and add-ons such as boba, cheese cream, jelly and more. Yummy!

(more…)[1]

Endnotes:
  1. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/feeling-thirsty-find-refreshing-and-organic-beverages-at-rb-tea-in-san-carlos/#more-124287

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/feeling-thirsty-find-refreshing-and-organic-beverages-at-rb-tea-in-san-carlos/

Supreme Court hears case that could strip temporary protected status from Haitian and Syrian immigrants and others

by Miriam Raftery | April 30, 2026 1:54 am

 

East County News Service

April 29, 2026 (Washington D.C.) — Washington, DC —  As yesterday’s America’s Voice virtual event detailed (recording here[1]), the Haiti and Syrian temporary protected status (TPS) cases being argued before the Supreme Court today could not only strip TPS protections from immigrants from those two nations, but potentially for more than 1.3 million people from every TPS-designated nation, in what would be the largest example in U.S. history of stripping legal status.

Such action could significantly impact the San Diego region, particularly East County, where many TPS immigrants now reside including Syrians who fled civil war and Afghans who helped the U.S. military. (more…)[2]

Endnotes:
  1. recording here: http://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.j-2F64YLi3KtiKxJzXyS0ArQuO590l9i89GQV1xKiD9ohGBpt8Rg959wNrVKc-2Bb2LVJsFeSHeJsCmPTUMdP0bnda16G2vDF-2Fv1PZJKgT6njmEIK2IAe4tQCIwJ2D9mos-2BBGpTiMlqnGM4Y1xs384dGsA7rj0wwWJAR-2BoECONB8vu1b4Ree2dLFYKL1siMP2VNXOsWgRz2YLfFNn5NsHfcqIulVaI-2BK-2FpMXagQdr3UGm56nzmaufHZQwN7igQGgft7zv98c-2B8iWviewHTJHKQfVa0jGH51uds8jHqVu-2BFKBpuTWMApEITtZC7yJtJe0kGxznTGNzGfZwCjno1qLMjqV8yQNLxCiGkUoh7xz67xOn8FRRI-2BXXU-2FisbKhFC3demRc-2B0Dttg77F5PCSlt0BYlQuLKnqi-2Bxoa5UC7py5o3KSCf69bgQx-2FNIKXMOwnSP9v8E75-2BKWdBzCiBVO58H55OJdRNhhM3q-2FVK-2FmPIVYxaPuRAf0HAiPGBB1oORDOZYCdT7s3t1UOBSB2SFlW9an-2FQsASl-2BgE8rDw4FEynX59d0SZzGtJEynshYq3U5VqEXgxKGoIcxcikOMG8FouFZ0qOIGsXdQ2EDo5D5ra-2By-2FFBR8qA-3DBO0M_pIbxPfpDI69aAybPrpOfgyuIJIszbbBktn5q-2FHNjpK7OKBDeMvK6JNDF1L48VFL8TnmPOVd2cg90vwU6D7LVVK4QWUYVu77y1aAz77oAhu0-2F6rMvScxuDF5gbpXPshHm5X-2F4UcP09GPbZ26TwdxnapYdbFeWcaOpO0V3rMoPYrHTYNfec8ngDC0yTMwdXzJ-2FParsXi3LLkbtyce2IaQZFSeAhyVdVRKru8YGoJINNorRPuqqriLAecgE2P2T-2Fkil9DIxyGBM-2BdP2OShZAc-2FGRL6239zGA6s9Q-2BAVPuvfEpOvKvZvmkaROS43lSMu4cq1sq84itywouy14-2BCtQPCQVdqWelJo9u-2FT9KFxYjhSxtiyCOUKOtgbYaQKE77-2FKar9XKwuaOK1nLNvszcEF6E4bQ-3D-3D
  2. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/supreme-court-hears-case-that-could-strip-temporary-protected-status-from-haitian-and-syrian-immigrants-and-others/#more-124288

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/supreme-court-hears-case-that-could-strip-temporary-protected-status-from-haitian-and-syrian-immigrants-and-others/

Welcome to our new site! Tips for our readers

by Miriam Raftery | April 29, 2026 10:33 pm

 

Dear Readers:

April 28, 2026 (San Diego’s East County) — Our new, redesigned website has finally launched!  Posting comments will be restored soon.   We’re deeply grateful to the Prebys Foundation for their generous grant for our new site layout, new logo, improved navigation, plus security upgrades. We also thank our many readers who sent donations.  Here’s what’s new, and some tips for navigating our new site.

We are proud to unveil our beautiful new “Visit East County[1]” section!   It includes a video about East County, detailed articles on our nine regions in East County[2] , numerous guides to activities[3] such as dining, golf, live entertainment, and more.  You can also view “Best of East County” seasonal attractions[4] updated regularly. If you’d like to sponsor Visit East County to help us bring more visitors to East County with seasonal stories each month, please let me know!

We have a new Wildfire & Emergency Resources[5] section to help keep you safe. Thanks to the San Diego Fire Foundation and San Diego River Park Foundation.

Everyone with an account to post comments will soon be sent an email to reset your password on the new site so you can soon start posting again. We had to be sure the site was safe from the AI bots that were attacking us, with new security programs installed first.

All subsections from our old site are still here! But a few have been consolidated or moved to other sections.  Use the dropdowns by hovering over sections in the top menu to find all your favorite places.

You can  see the top 12 stories chosen by our editor in the “breaking news” newsflasher at the top of our site, just like on the old site.  Below that, we now have feeds for our top nine most-read sections, showing you the most recent headlines in each.

If you don’t want to miss anything, go to the “latest stories” below section feeds, or in the top menu under News Center, click “latest stories[6].”  That will show you everything from every section posted most recently.

We’re still working on a few issues. The site should soon be running faster, with a few formatting issues fixed.  If you find any nonworking links, missing photos or articles, or other errors, or If anything is confusing, please let me know at editor@eastcountymagazine.org[7].

If you’re not yet a subscriber (it’s free!) sign up to get our free newsletter and our wildfire/emergency alerts here: https://eastcountymagazine.org/subscribe/[8]

If you love our work and want to help us report more local stories in your community, please donate at https://eastcountymagazine.org/donate/[9]  or better yet, become a sustaining monthly donor to help us budget ahead to insure the most important stories each month will be covered.

We hope you enjoy our new and improved East County Magazine website!

Please reply in the comments below with your feedback, ideas and suggestions!

Best wishes,

Miriam Raftery, Editor

www.EastCountyMagazine.org[10]

(619)698-7617

 

 

Endnotes:
  1. Visit East County: https://eastcountymagazine.org/visit-east-county-center/
  2. nine regions in East County: https://eastcountymagazine.org/our-regions/
  3. guides to activities: https://eastcountymagazine.org/our-guide-to-activites/
  4. Best of East County” seasonal attractions: https://eastcountymagazine.org/best-of-east-county-attractions/
  5. Wildfire & Emergency Resources: https://eastcountymagazine.org/wildfire-and-emergency-resources/
  6. latest stories: https://eastcountymagazine.org/latest-stories/
  7. editor@eastcountymagazine.org: mailto:editor@eastcountymagazine.org
  8. https://eastcountymagazine.org/subscribe/: https://eastcountymagazine.org/subscribe/
  9. https://eastcountymagazine.org/donate/: https://eastcountymagazine.org/donate/
  10. www.EastCountyMagazine.org: http://www.EastCountyMagazine.org

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/welcome-to-our-new-site-tips-for-our-readers/

Need some laughs? Laurel and Hardy comedy films May 30 in El Cajon

by Eliza Bethalper | April 29, 2026 9:16 pm

East County News Service

April 29, 2026 (El Cajon) — Saps at Sea, the San Diego Laurel and Hardy group, presents:  “Some Laurel and Hardy Firsts!” on  Saturday May 30 from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. (doors open 4:30) at First Lutheran Church of El Cajon, 867 S Lincoln Ave, El Cajon.

The cartoon is “Plane Crazy” (1928), the first Mickey Mouse cartoon to be produced,  but the fourth to be released.

Next is another important first: “The Lucky Dog” (1921).  This Stan Laurel film features a character actor named Oliver Hardy.  It would be five years before they made another film together, and made history!  And our own Russ Peck will provide live piano music!

In “One Good Turn” (1931), an elderly woman gives food to Depression victims Stan and Ollie, so they decide to help her out.  Stan’s young daughter Lois was upset that Stan always got the worst of it from Ollie, so in this film the tables are turned…  Another first!

“The Finishing Touch” (1928) is a rollicking, fast-action silent movie. The Boys have a contract to build a house in one day.  Think they can do it?

“The Stolen Jools” (1931) features an all-star cast helping to find Norma Shearer’s jewelry.

Next is Marc De Coninck’s Tribute to Babe… the first time we are showing this film.

And our finale is “The Midnight Patrol” (1933).  Rookie cops Stan and Ollie respond to a burglary in progress!  “Look out boys. Somebody’s stealing your spare tire.  That is all.”

Donation is $10 per person and includes desserts. This event is free for Kids 12 and under. You can bring in takeout or other food.

(more…)[1]

Endnotes:
  1. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/need-some-laughs-laurel-and-hardy-comedy-films-may-30-in-el-cajon/#more-124284

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/need-some-laughs-laurel-and-hardy-comedy-films-may-30-in-el-cajon/

Copyright ©2026 East County Magazine unless otherwise noted.