East County Roundup: Local and statewide news

October 21, 2025, 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

• Local Congressional members denied access to federal courthouse basement amid detention concerns (10 News)
• One dog dead, another ill following methamphetamine exposure at Ocean Beach (CBS 8)
• Lemon Grove to shut down large homeless encampment as part of new effort  (KPBS)
• Drone attack hits government office in Tijuana, Attorney General says (NBC San Diego)
• ICE appears to shift San Diego courthouse detention strategy (NBC 7)
• Lawsuit filed in San Diego challenges newly signed California Glock ban (ABC 10 News)
• 2 students arrested, accused of bringing BB gun to Spring Valley middle school (ABC 10 News)
• Poway to clear thousands of trees from wildfire evacuation routes (KPBS)
• Planning group accuses city of lack of transparency with development funds (Voice of San Diego)

STATE

• SNAP benefits warning issued in California (Newsweek)
• Los Angeles County declares state of emergency over immigration raids (ABC News)
• Gavin Newsom signs law overhauling local zoning to build more housing (KPBS)
• California makes Diwali and official state holiday (AP)
• Newsom just vetoed a bill to regulate license plate readers — even as fresh evidence of misuse emerges (KPBS)
• Videos could tank Katie Porter’s bid to become California’s next governor (Cal Matters)
• Newsom halts PFAS cookware ban amid concerns over cost, consumer choice (ABC 10)
• Another immigrant dies in ICE custody in California, this time in the Imperial Valley (KPBS)

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

LOCAL

Local Congressional members denied access to federal courthouse basement amid detention concerns (10 News)

Two San Diego congressmen were denied entry during an oversight visit to investigate reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is detaining people in substandard conditions in the basement of the downtown federal courthouse. Congressmen Juan Vargas and Scott Peters attempted to conduct the oversight visit after receiving calls from concerned community members about the detentions in the basement.... A woman who requested anonymity...said her niece reported seeing about 200 people in the facility with only one toilet, no beds, and meals consisting of frozen burritos and raw potatoes.

One dog dead, another ill following methamphetamine exposure at Ocean Beach (CBS 8)

Some San Diego dog owners are reporting that their dogs became ill and, in one case, died after being exposed to methamphetamine at Dog Beach in Ocean Beach.

Lemon Grove to shut down large homeless encampment as part of new effort  (KPBS)

The encampment along North Avenue is one of several along California State Route 94 the city and RTFH are tackling using an $8.4 million Encampment Resolution Fund grant. The Lemon Grove project has already seen more than 30 people staying at the encampment placed into housing with case management and ongoing support.

Drone attack hits government office in Tijuana, Attorney General says (NBC San Diego)

The Baja California Attorney General's Office said part of the building, four private vehicles and two official vehicles were damaged. No injuries have been reported, officials said. The explosion happened at the anti-kidnapping unit facilities of the Baja California Attorney General's office in Playas de Tijuana around 7 p.m. It prompted the U.S. consulate there to issue a security alert for American citizens. Baja California Prosecutor María Elena Andrade said the explosives were homemade, using plastic bottles with nails and metal fragments inside to create an explosion.

ICE appears to shift San Diego courthouse detention strategy (NBC 7)

ICE is now detaining people at the check-in area for immigration hearings despite a court order.

Lawsuit filed in San Diego challenges newly signed California Glock ban (ABC 10 News)

...Assembly Bill 1127, which was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 10, bars California firearms dealers from selling semi-automatic firearms that include a "cruciform trigger bar," which lawmakers behind the bill say allows semi-automatic guns to be converted into fully automatic weapons.

2 students arrested, accused of bringing BB gun to Spring Valley middle school (ABC 10 News)

Two students at a Spring Valley middle school were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of bringing a BB pistol onto the campus.

Poway to clear thousands of trees from wildfire evacuation routes (KPBS)

Poway is starting to remove an estimated 2,500 trees along fire evacuation routes. The project was years in the making. The city got nearly $2 million from two Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazardous Tree Removal Mitigation grants to remove mostly dead or dying trees on two major evacuation routes.

Planning group accuses city of lack of transparency with development funds (Voice of San Diego)

For eight years, David Smith constantly monitored the Navajo Community Planning Group’s development impact funds. The Navajo area includes the communities of Allied Gardens, Grantville, Del Cerro and San Carlos.  “We had over $3.5 million in the DIF account,” said Smith, a former board member of the community planning group. “Then all of a sudden I looked down to the fund balance and we were at 287 grand. And I’m like, ‘well wait a minute. What? What happened? Where did all our money go?’” 

STATE

SNAP benefits warning issued in California (Newsweek)

California SNAP recipients could miss out on November payments in the short term as the federal government shutdown continues. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that the government shutdown will likely delay food benefits for millions of Californians who use CalFresh cards for food.

Los Angeles County declares state of emergency over immigration raids (ABC News)

Los Angeles County officials voted on Tuesday to declare a state of emergency over ongoing federal immigration raids. The proclamation gives the county the power to assist residents they say have been impacted financially by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) action....Los Angeles County is home to over 3 million immigrants, according to supervisors, who said the ICE raids have "caused widespread fear" and led to "decreased attendance at workplaces, disruption of local economies, and strain on critical services such as schools, hospitals, and places of worship." 

Gavin Newsom signs law overhauling local zoning to build more housing (KPBS)

 Newsom’s sign-off on Senate Bill 79 means that apartment developers will soon be able to pack more homes into neighborhoods within half a mile of major rail, subway, and bus rapid transit stops, overriding local zoning restrictions and any possible objections of surrounding neighbors. Buildings immediately surrounding these transit hubs will be entitled to max out as high as nine stories, with those farther out topping out at roughly four.

California makes Diwali and official state holiday (AP)

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law Tuesday to go into effect on Jan. 1. It would authorize public schools and community colleges to close on Diwali. State employees could elect to take the day off and public school students will get an excused absence to celebrate the holiday. The new law recognizes that Diwali is also celebrated by Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists.

Newsom just vetoed a bill to regulate license plate readers — even as fresh evidence of misuse emerges (KPBS)

Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have required regular purges of license plate databases and regularly audited how automated plate readers are used. He said the regulations would have impeded criminal investigations.

Videos could tank Katie Porter’s bid to become California’s next governor (Cal Matters) -- In the broadest sense, political campaigns resemble military operations with mission goals, strategic plans to achieve them, logistical support and tactical maneuvers to weaken opposing forces.

Newsom halts PFAS cookware ban amid concerns over cost, consumer choice (ABC 10)

Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have banned the sale of nonstick cookware containing so-called “forever chemicals,” a move that’s stirred fierce debate among chefs, lawmakers and environmental advocates.

Another immigrant dies in ICE custody in California, this time in the Imperial Valley (KPBS)

Imperial County immigrants’ rights groups are calling for an investigation into the death of Huabing Xie, an immigrant from China.