By Alan W. Cole, San Diego

December 21, 2018 (San Diego) -- It’s hard to have your voice heard when you’re a teenager. I’m a 14-year old boy and it seems no one wants to listen. What I want to say is, “Keep the Boy in Boy Scouts!” Girls want and are now allowed to join Boy Scouts. I’m not against girls, I’m just pro boys in Boy Scouts. In our world today boys have little opportunity to be with other boys. Girls being allowed to join Boy Scouts is resulting in a name change. Girl Scouts is suing Boy Scouts to keep the Boy in! If the suit is not successful, next February the 108-year old tradition will be broken and Boy Scouts of America will be changed to Scouts of America. This change leaves out the boy and our voice.

By Cheryl A. Reiff, rancher and business owner

October 26, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) -- I am greatly concerned by The Administration's attempts to weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA) thru nine currently proposed regulatory changes.  The proposed changes to the ESA, presented by Secretary Zinke and his Deputy Secretary Bernhardt, will make it very difficult to protect the wild animals that are already threatened with extinction (This is why they are listed as “endangered”). 

By Dr. Anthony Mc Ivor

October 21, 2018 (La Mesa) -- This year’s City Council election offers La Mesa an exciting and encouraging choice. Exciting, because for the first time in many years the challengers present a bright contrast to the incumbents. And encouraging, because La Mesa surely needs the integrity, fresh ideas, community insights, and sheer energy the challengers are bringing to the contest.

By Ricken Patel, Avaaz

July 21, 2018 (San Diego) - It’s now shockingly clear that Donald Trump is Putin’s poodle.

But we need the world to understand why, before it’s too late…

Trump's businesses went bankrupt so many times in the 1990s that many legitimate banks wouldn’t lend to him anymore. He turned to Russian oligarchs -- Putin’s ruling clique -- to bankroll his projects, and launder their dirty money for them. This was, and continues to be, a huge part of his business. He’s a Russian money launderer.

Twelve recommendations to protect communities from wildfire, based on science and needs of our families and greatest risk

By the Chaparral Institute

Photo: Devastation of the Fountaingrove II community in Santa Barbara during the 2017 Tubbs fire was predictable. The area had burned in 1964 and the city was warned by its own planning department that the area was too dangerous to build homes in, but development was approved despite not following general plan guidelines.

May 17, 2018 (Escondido) -- The lead purpose of Governor Brown’s Executive Order of May 10, 2018 is to “Protect Communities from Wildfire.” The order emphasizes that “eight of the state’s 20 most destructive fires have occurred in the past four years.”

By Michael Schwartz, Executive Director, San Diego County Gun Owners PAC

May 7, 2018 (El Cajon) -- While reading a recent  reader’s editorial in East County Magazine about a school board meeting, I was surprised the author grossly misrepresented what happened at the school board meeting. I thought about ignoring the ridiculous claims, but when misinformation gets published in a media outlet, it is important that the truth is heard. 

An open letter to the Grossmont-Union High School District governing board asserts changes led to “very late buses, lost children” and other serious problems

By Holly Hernandez, California School Employees Association President, Chapter 607 Alpine

April 30, 2018 (Alpine) -- CSEA has concerns with transportation issues that have been reoccurring since last Tuesday April 10^th, 2018.

During Bargaining on April 12^th, 2018, it was voiced by Holly Hernandez that GUHSD would not be able to go to four routes in Alpine. After four days of drastically failing at the attempt to comply with only four bus routes, the following occurred; very late buses, lost children, routes getting to bus stops in the mornings very early because of last minute route changes, parents not being notified of changes, incorrect student rosters, kindergartners being on the bus for up to 1 hr. 45 minutes, and very worried and frustrated students and parents.

By Mary England, Councilmember 2000-2012 retired

March 25, 2018 (Lemon Grove) -- It seems that several of the current Lemon Grove Council members and the City Manager do not believe in “leading by example.”  The recent lawsuits, one that was settled for thousands and thousands of dollars, as well as the recent one just filed against a Councilmember and the City, with the Mayor being a person of interest, will undoubtedly cost more money.

An example from the San Diego Union-Tribune

By Joel A. Harrison, PhD, MPH

March 19, 2018 (San Diego) -- As a retired epidemiologist, especially interested in public health, I have been following the so-called “vaccine controversy” for many years. Recently I wrote a rather long paper that was published on a popular blog, Science-Based Medicine. I wrote this Reader’s OpEd for East County Magazine because the False Balance in this case was in our own local newspaper, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and the opinion piece by Terry Roark that my paper refutes point by point concerns California Senate Bill 277 which limits exemptions for vaccinations, clearly a topic that many East County Magazine readers will be interested in. My hope is that this short Reader’s OpEd will interest East County Magazine readers to go to the longer article, which can be accessed by clicking here. Note that the longer article allows one to link to a downloadable pdf version

By Mary Harris

Photo courtesy SimonP on Wikipedia

March 12, 2018 (Alpine) - The next meeting of the Alpine Community Plan Update is around the corner. Look for information that will be posted soon here on ACN. People living in Alpine need to attend and let their county representatives know what is on their mind. Let your voices be heard loud and clear ! Tell them what YOU want and what you don't want.Some say that in the next twenty years, Alpine's population may double. Development is on the rise. What do you want to see preserved in Alpine ? What do you value here enough to fight for?

By Sue Strom, Advocates of Safe Airport Policies (ASAP)

January 21, 2018 (El Cajon) -- We hope your year is off to a happy and healthy start.  However, for those of us concerned about heavy local traffic, safety, noise, toxic air and lead overhead, with protections for homeowners few and far between, the new year is already daunting.

FAA approval for an increase in air traffic... a state of the art flight training center... the lengthening of the 27L training runway...the redesign and enlargement of the Bradley Street interchange off hwy 67... and the development of 9 five acre parcels of land for aviation usage called the Cajon Air Center are all coming together step by step over the next several years to form the perfect storm.

By Andrew Zelt

December 15, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- To the GOP:  after this week's stunning defeat of Roy Moore in Alabama, the Republican Party of San Diego must take a closer look at itself.  It must remind itself what it's true principles are and what it is fighting for.  It cannot become so wrapped up with an unwavering support of a candidate that no matter what that candidate might do wrong, they are still willing to support them.  A politician is accountable to the people.  It's time the Republican Party of San Diego follows the people's lead and holds a candidate responsible for their actions.  In Alabama, the GOP had a weak candidate embroiled in controversy and lost a seat that couldn't have been safer for a Republican candidate.  Sound familiar?