Passages: Suzanne Chambers, ex-Otay Water CFO, Dream Dinners franchisee, community volunteer

by Karen Pearlman | May 16, 2026 11:58 pm

By Karen Pearlman
Jan. 17, 2026 (Spring Valley) – Spring Valley resident Suzanne “Suzie” Chambers passed away surrounded by family members at her home on Jan. 2 at age 78, after a five-year battle with cancer.
Born Aug. 25, 1947 in Seattle, Wash., Chambers moved to San Diego in the 1970s with her first husband, Jim Garcia. She attended San Diego State University, then went on to build a life rooted in service, leadership and community.
She began her career with the Otay Water District in 1976 and later became the district’s first female executive and chief financial officer, retiring in 2000.

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Endnotes:
  1. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/passages-suzanne-chambers-ex-otay-water-cfo-dream-dinners-franchisee-community-volunteer/#more-124761

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/passages-suzanne-chambers-ex-otay-water-cfo-dream-dinners-franchisee-community-volunteer/

Ram Media Foundation’s Borrego Sun Launches Community Media Apprenticeship Program for Borrego Springs Youth

by Miriam Raftery | May 16, 2026 9:18 pm

 

Source: Ram Media Foundation

May 16, 2026 (Borrego Springs) — Ram Media Foundation has launched a new community media apprenticeship initiative designed to provide local youth and emerging creators with hands-on experience in journalism, digital media, photography, video production, social media, marketing, and community communication. (more…)[1]

Endnotes:
  1. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/ram-media-foundations-borrego-sun-launches-community-media-apprenticeship-program-for-borrego-springs-youth/#more-124725

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/ram-media-foundations-borrego-sun-launches-community-media-apprenticeship-program-for-borrego-springs-youth/

Frontier Airlines’ ‘GoWild’ Pass: the deal that sounds too good to be true — because it is

by Eliza Bethalper | May 16, 2026 7:08 pm

A San Diego traveler’s firsthand account of an all-you-can-fly promotion that delivered nothing at all

By Henri Migala

May 16, 2026 (San Diego) – Imagine paying a flat annual fee and then flying anywhere an airline flies — as many times as you want — for nothing more than government taxes and fees. That’s the promise behind Frontier Airlines’ GoWild All-You-Can-Fly Pass, a promotion the ultra-low-cost carrier has been heavily marketing to budget-conscious travelers. It sounds like a dream. For me, it turned out to be something else entirely.

(more…)[1]

Endnotes:
  1. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/frontier-airlines-gowild-pass-the-deal-that-sounds-too-good-to-be-true-because-it-is/#more-124742

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/frontier-airlines-gowild-pass-the-deal-that-sounds-too-good-to-be-true-because-it-is/

Review: Phool: First Contact by Pramod V. Argade

by Eliza Bethalper | May 16, 2026 6:42 pm

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

May 16, 2026 (San Diego) – San Diego writer Pramod V. Argade has released a science fiction epic that comments on our time¾Phool: First Contact. In this debut novel, Argade not only shows the foolishness of individuals ignoring inconvenient truths, he shows how dangerous fact denials can be on a worldwide scale.

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Endnotes:
  1. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/review-phool-first-contact-by-pramod-v-argade/#more-124738

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/review-phool-first-contact-by-pramod-v-argade/

Lakeside Veterans Wall of Honor to recognize those who served in U.S. military

by Miriam Raftery | May 16, 2026 6:40 pm

 

By Miriam Raftery

May 16, 2026 (Lakeside) – As Memorial Day approaches, efforts are underway in Lakeside to create a wall of honor honoring Lakeside resident who have served in the United States military.

“ ur vision is to provide a dedicated space in the unincorporated community of Lakeside, Ca. to commemorate those who have made immense sacrifices in the service of our country,” states the website[1] launched by Lakeside Veterans Wall of Honor, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, which is seeking funds to fulfill its mission. (more…)[2]

Endnotes:
  1. website: http://lakesideveteranswallofhonor.org/
  2. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/lakeside-veterans-wall-of-honor-to-recognize-those-who-served-in-u-s-military/#more-124718

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/lakeside-veterans-wall-of-honor-to-recognize-those-who-served-in-u-s-military/

Book Review: I Am the Light by Henry Herz

by Eliza Bethalper | May 16, 2026 6:36 pm

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

May 16, 2026 (San Diego) — I Am Light is one of a three-book picture book series written by San Diego author Henry Herz. By treating sunlight as a character who is narrating about itself, the author explains where light is found, how fast it travels, and how photons behave. The reader learns to appreciate light at its source and where light is found in the world’s creatures as well.

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Endnotes:
  1. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/book-review-i-am-the-light-by-henry-herz/#more-124735

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/book-review-i-am-the-light-by-henry-herz/

Hundreds attend SDG&E virtual workshops on proposed 145-mile Golden Pacific Powerlink as state champions grid resiliency

by Karen Pearlman | May 16, 2026 6:19 pm

Preliminary graphic of a proposed map outlining planned Golden Pacific Powerlink

By Karen Pearlman

May 15, 2026 (San Diego County) — Four virtual open house meetings about the Golden Pacific Powerlink [1] provided hundreds of online attendees insight on the proposed grid that will bring a 500-kilovolt transmission line project of around 150 miles, spanning from outside of El Centro to San Onofre.

The new energy line has been in the plans for several years, with California energy leaders projecting a significant surge in electricity needs through 2045. The Powerlink is planned as a way to meet that demand for reliable electricity for homes, transportation, businesses and industry in the state.

The Powerlink is a massive 500 kV (carrying 500,000 volts) transmission project is intended to stabilize California’s aging and congested power grid, and part of the state’s vision since 2023 for strengthening the statewide grid.

(more…)[2]

Endnotes:
  1. Golden Pacific Powerlink : https://goldenpacificpowerlink.com/
  2. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/sdge-outlines-145-mile-golden-pacific-powerlink-as-state-champions-grid-resiliency/#more-124685

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/sdge-outlines-145-mile-golden-pacific-powerlink-as-state-champions-grid-resiliency/

Data centers are guzzling California’s water. We have no idea how much

by Eliza Bethalper | May 16, 2026 6:17 pm

By Rachel Becker, CalMatters

This[1] story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

Photo via Data Center News on YouTube

May 16, 2026 (San Diego) – Data center builders don’t tell the public how much water they use, according to a new report — and the industry is encroaching into water-stressed and vulnerable communities.

The report, by the think tank Next10 and researchers at Santa Clara University, finds that planned data centers — the ganglia of artificial intelligence — are spreading to regions reliant on overtapped groundwater and strained surface water, with potentially major effects in the Central and Imperial Valleys.

(more…)[2]

Endnotes:
  1. This: https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2026/05/california-data-centers-water-transparency/
  2. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/data-centers-are-guzzling-californias-water-we-have-no-idea-how-much/#more-124727

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/data-centers-are-guzzling-californias-water-we-have-no-idea-how-much/

State launches new funding to help flood victims repair and rebuild homes

by Miriam Raftery | May 16, 2026 6:11 pm

By Miriam Raftery

May 16, 2026 (San Diego)—The California Dept. of Housing and Community Development has just launched  new round of funding through the ReCoverCA program to help homeowners and landlords repair and rebuild single-family homes damaged by floods, as well as replace flooded mobile homes. The funds are available to eligible applicants who suffered damage in declared federal disasters including the January 2024 floods in San Diego County, as well as severe storm from February through July 2023.

Applications are now being accepted at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/funding/recoverca/eligibility[1].  Apply early, since funding is limited. (more…)[2]

Endnotes:
  1. https://www.hcd.ca.gov/funding/recoverca/eligibility: https://www.hcd.ca.gov/funding/recoverca/eligibility
  2. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/state-launches-new-funding-to-help-flood-victims-repair-and-rebuild-homes/#more-124712

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/state-launches-new-funding-to-help-flood-victims-repair-and-rebuild-homes/

El Cajon Church joining nationwide Memorial Day ‘Taps Across America’ tribunte

by Karen Pearlman | May 16, 2026 2:27 am

East County News Service

May 15, 2026 (El Cajon) — East County residents can unite with thousands of communities across the country this Memorial Day for a synchronized musical tribute honoring the United States’s fallen service members.

The First Presbyterian Church of El Cajon will host a live local observance as part of Taps Across America, a nationwide initiative that brings musicians and citizens together to mark the National Moment of Remembrance.

Guests should arrive early as the gathering will take place at 3 p.m. sharp, Monday, May 25 near the flagpole at the church at 500 Farragut Circle in El Cajon.

(more…)[1]

Endnotes:
  1. (more…): https://eastcountymagazine.org/el-cajon-church-joining-nationwide-memorial-day-taps-across-america-tribunte/#more-124706

Source URL: https://eastcountymagazine.org/el-cajon-church-joining-nationwide-memorial-day-taps-across-america-tribunte/

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