By Miriam Raftery

September 9, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – High winds, rain and potential for storm damage have led several East County school districts to curtail classes today, the San Diego County of Education has announced. Others are holding minimum days due to the inclement weather.

• Mountain Empire Unified School District has closed all schools today.
• Spencer Valley School District schools will close at 11:30 a.m., with all after-school activities cancelled this afternoon.
• Julian Union High School will follow a minimum day schedule.
• Julian Union Elementary Elementary School District also has a minimum day.
  

By Miriam Raftery

September 1, 2022 (San Diego's East County) -- Firefighters have held the #Border32Fire to 4,438 acres today, only slightly more than last night, thanks to the courageous efforts of crews working in extreme fire conditions overnight. The fire is now 14% contained, thanks to milder fire activity today. Find links below to our coverage of the harrowing conditions faced by firefighters.

Tonight, starting at 6:30 p.m. residents in the following areas are being allowed to return home, the Sheriff has announced:

• West of Cochera Via Drive
• East of Potrero Valley Road

Residents returning to Potrero must enter from eastbound State Route 94.  Those returning to Dulzura must enter from westbound State Route 94.

The following road closures remain in effect until further notice:

Application period begins Sept. 6 for phase 1 of the Ag Pass program

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Horses at a Clydesdale farm near Boulevard during Shockey Fire in 2012

September 1, 2022 (San Diego) --  Tragic stories have emerged during past local wildfires of livestock that perished not from flames, but from lack of food, water, or medical care. Farmers may lose crops due to lack of irrigation. That’s led some farmers and ranchers to risk their lives and not evacuate, knowing that they would not be allowed back in to care for their animals or crops.

That’s about to change.  On Tuesday, County supervisors voted to approve issuing an agricultural pass (Ag  Pass) that will allow a farmer or rancher limited access to their land  in evacuated areas during emergencies in order to care for livestock or crops during emergencies, once emergency responders deem conditions safe.

The program comes too late for those evacuated from the #Border32Fire currently threatening Potrero, Tecate and Dulzura. Overnight, some residents posted frantic messages on social media seeking help for animals trapped inside the evacuation area, after volunteers with horses trailers were denied access. The new program would not help volunteers, but would allow commercial ranchers and farmers or their managers who undergo safety training to be allowed limited access in future emergencies.

 The plan was proposed by East County Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond.

June 28, 2022 (San Diego) -- 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

• Santee divvies up extra Covid money to tackle homelessness by the river (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Sheriff’s Department makes changes to health care services, drug-treatment programs for inmates (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Plane crashes while landing at Gillespie Field; no injuries reported (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Trump Aide and Ex-San Diego Politician Peter Navarro Indicted on Contempt of Congress Charges (Times of San Diego)
• Some San Diego police claim a COVID swab test violates their religion (KPBS)
• As housing prices skyrocket, La Mesa won’t raise fees to improve parks
• Seized Russian Superyacht Docks In San Diego (Patch)

STATE

• 'California Dream for All' program could help thousands of first-time home buyers (CBS)
• California Voters to Weigh Constitutional Right to Abortion (NBC 7)
• California’s COVID-19 case rate jumps again as new subvariants spread throughout state (Sacramento Bee)
• California may require labels on pot products to warn of mental health risks (NPR)

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

East Count News Service

Image: Mariupol, 22 000 civilians are dead, by Daniil Movchan

June 14, 2022 (San Diego) – Today, San Diego hosts a unique exhibition of Ukrainian artists called “Ukrainian Voice. Your choice!" There are 58 artists from Kyiv, Kharkov, Lvov, Odessa, Mariupol, Bucha, Irpin, Militopol and other Ukrainian cities showcasing their work, telling their war stories through contemporary art.  Each artist is considered a voice of Ukraine to be heard. What is also remarkable is that most of the authors still remain in Ukraine, fighting for the freedom of their homeland.

The art exhibit, “Ukrainian Voice. Your choice!” – which also features video and audio installations – will be held at the “Bread & Salt” gallery in Logan Heights. It illustrates the war from the beginning of the invasion to the present day, telling stories of bravery, sadness, desolation and hope captured in real time as the conflict rages on. The show is free to the public. All funds raised from purchases of artwork and donations will be sent directly to Ukrainian families in need.

June 13, 2022 (San Diego) -- 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

• Ex-Christian youth theater employee pleads guilty to sex abuse charge (10 News)
• Navy to ‘pause’ non-deployed flight operations Monday after spate of crashes (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Lemon Grove will likely have a balanced budget, but not for the best reasons (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• East County cities pledge to find more homes for the homeless. How many places actually exist? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Surge of fentanyl deaths, staffing shortages create backlog in county Medical Examiner’s Office (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• New leader takes over Taylor Guitars, as founder steps back (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego County family sues over alleged Hepatitis A infections linked to strawberries (10 News)
• Lemon Grove residents would have an easier time building accessory units under proposal (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Rules for Outdoor Dining Spaces About to Get More Strict in City of San Diego (NBC San Diego)
• What to know about Bishop McElroy, who will soon be a cardinal (Catholic News Agency)

STATE

• California lawmakers push gun control legislation toward final approval by Gov. Newsom  (Sacramento Bee)
• The California Highway Patrol has 1,000 officer vacancies. A new campaign aims to fill them (Sacramento Bee)
• Invasive jumping earthworms spotted in California (Ecowatch)
• Pelosi’s Husband Faces Drunken Driving Charge in California (New York Times)

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

April 11, 2022 (San Diego) -- 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 firefighter leads mission to help search and rescue efforts in Ukraine (10 News)
• As spring open house season approaches at famed Hubbell art compound in Santa Ysabel, a torch is passed (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• La Mesa will use federal money to aid new businesses amid high vacancy rates (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Other cities have tried sending less serious 911 calls to nurses, not hospitals. Did it work? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Rise Up Industries in Santee helps former prisoners (10 News)
• Attorneys argue case over ex-La Mesa police officer's firing (KPBS)
• East County asphalt company must improve safety after emissions reach potentially dangerous levels (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego police shoot armed man, 60, in garage of San Carlos home (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STATE

• Proposed bill would shorten California workweek to 32 hours. Here’s what you need to know (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• California Is About to Test Its First Solar Canals (Smithsonian)
• Superblooms of fungus’: Climate change is making valley fever worse (Los Angeles Times)
• California Lawmakers Extend Eviction Ban for Some Renters (NBC San Diego)
• California corporate diversity law ruled unconstitutional (10 News)
• California to pay $55 million for massive wildfires (AP)
• California drought: Sierra snowpack falls to one of lowest levels in 70 years (Mercury News)

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

View video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Shc-5Og5pc

Note: This interview was recorded in early February.

March 22, 2022 (San Diego) – Joseph Rocha, the Democratic Party's endorsed candidate in the newly redrawn 40^th State Senate district currently represented by Republican Brian Jones, recently sat down for an in-depth interview with East County Magazine that originally aired on KNSJ radio.  He’s running to focus on jobs, housing, infrastructure, veterans and climate change among other important issues. The interview addressed these topics and more.

Rocha is a veteran of both the Navy and Marine Corps. He served as a bomb dog handler in the Persian Gulf and later, after obtaining his law degree, as a Marine Corps captain and prosecutor. He’s also a former intern at East County Magazine, where in 2008 he gained interest in politics while interview candidates for Congress and City Council. 

“I think the adversity in my life has given me the passion for service,” he says.  “I’m second generation Mexican-American,” he says. His mother was a grocery store worker who struggled with addiction; his father worked as a truck driver, raising five children. “These bread and butter, working class issues of the middle class have been a core passion of mine since I can remember," Rocha says.

March 2, 2022 (San Diego) -- 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

• Some school districts in rural San Diego County can’t catch a break with COVID  (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego restaurants pull Russian vodka and wear flags of solidarity to protest war in Ukraine (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego passes San Francisco as least affordable city in the United States (KUSI)
• Baber announces he won’t seek reelection in La Mesa (SD Rostra)
• San Diego's Decades-Old Valley Farms Market Closes BBQ Shack & Releases Plans For New Brewery Restaurant (SanDiegoVille)
• Anger surfaces at SDSU over rule requiring faculty to include Kumeyaay acknowledgment in syllabi (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego firefighter dies of COVID-19 complications (10 News)
• Trial Ordered For Man Accused Of Killing Ex's Twin Daughters (Patch)

STATE

• Will Russia’s attack on Ukraine push gas and food prices even higher? (Los Angeles Times)
• Fast-moving wildfire grows to 500 acres in Cleveland National Forest (Los Angeles Times)
• More college freshmen want to attend University of California schools (San Jose Mercury)
• San Francisco voters recall 3 school board members  (NPR)
• Newsom Rips Into Fox News, OAN, Newsmax, Calling Them “Propaganda Networks”; Announces New State Unit To Combat Misinformation (Yahoo News)

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

East County News Service

Photo: Joylin Gutierrez, 6, and her suspected captor, her non-custodial parent Wendy Guttierez

Update:  Authorities indicate the abductor may have taken Joylin Gutierrez into Mexico.

February 22, 2022 (Spring Valley) -- The Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station wants your help in locating a missing six-year-old girl from Spring Valley.

On Tuesday, February 22 around 1:15 p.m., Joylin Gutierrez was taken from Kempton Elementary School located in the 700 block of Kempton Street in Spring Valley. Joylin  is Hispanic, three feet tall with long brown hair and brown eyes.  She was last seen wearing a pink or purple sweater.

 Joylin is believed to be with her biological, non-custodial parent, 45-year-old Wendy Gutierrez.

They were last seen around 4:00 p.m. in the area near East Plaza Boulevard and South Harbison Avenue in National City.

By Miriam Raftery

Image: CC via Bing

February 18, 2022 (San Diego) – After revelations that San Francisco police used DNA collected from rape kits to charge a rape victim with a property crime, San Francisco’s District Attorney Chesa Boudin dismissed the charges and called the police actions a violation of the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.

So East County Magazine asked the San Diego Sheriff department whether it has submitted rape victims’ DNA collected at hospitals to a database that could be used to link rape victims to other crimes.

Within hours of our request, Lieutenant Amber Baggs, the Sheriff’s Media Relations Director, sent this response:  “No we do NOT do this.  I read the article as well and checked with our Crime Lab Director. We do not match victim's DNA to other crimes. Thank you for asking so this can be clarified.”

By Miriam Raftery and  Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

Photo via El Cajon Citizens of the Year

February 1, 2022 (El Cajon) – Pastor Harold Brown overcame homelessness and other hardships to become a community leader dedicated to helping others. As founder and CEO of the East County Transitional Living Center (ECTLC) in El Cajon, he championed programs that have helped thousands of people escape homelessness and find hope instead of despair. Brown was also senior pastor of Christian Fellowship  of El Cajon.

Following a long battle with lung cancer, he was hospitalized last week with pneumonia and passed away yesterday morning.

Community leaders voiced sorrow as well as praise for Rev. Brown’s remarkable achievements.

By Miriam Raftery

January 9, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – Major colleges, universities and community colleges across the region have temporarily shifted back to virtual instruction due to the COVID-19 surge fueled by the Omicron variant and holiday gatherings.

East County News Service

Image via Public Domain Photos

December 30, 2021 (San Diego) – COVID-19 cases have spiked in the past 24 hours, with 5,976 cases reported yesterday, up from 3,650 cases one day earlier, County Health and Human Services reports.  To reduce the spread, County health officials are urging San Diegans to keep New Year’s celebrations small and limit them to family and close friends who are vaccinated and boosted if eligible to prevent the surge of COVID-19 cases that occurred last winter.

The County is also asking the public and businesses to continue following the current state and local guidance to slow the spread.

Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the county’s deputy public health officer, says given the record number of cases and rapid emergency of the Omicron variant, “If you have New Year’s celebrations, limit them to people who live with you and make sure everyone present uses the strategies we know work.”

By Miriam Raftery

December 29, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) – Turbulent times continued in 2021, marred by a persistent pandemic, vaccine rollouts, political divisiveness including an insurrection at the nation’s capitol, and local controversies such as growing homelessness, a housing shortage, power outages, protests over mask mandates, and SANDAG’s proposed mileage tax, to name a few.

Some national issues, such as pandemic relief, the infrastructure bill, the end of the Afghanistan war, and court rulings on immigration had strong impacts on our region.

There were bright spots. California reopened its economy mid-year, allowing all businesses and event venues to finally reopen. Hometown hero Joe Musgrove pitched the Padres’ first no-hitter. Residents organized to halt sexually violent predators from being placed in a Mt. Helix community. La Mesa named a new police chief committed to rebuilding community trust. Major land acquisitions by the county preserved riverfront land in Lakeside and the former Starr Ranch in Campo for posterity.

Two new Congressional representatives from East County took office and a special election sent a new Assemblywoman to Sacramento, while redistricting at year’s end will bring even more sweeping changes in 2022. 

Below is a rundown on the top stories that impacted East County in 2021: