By Miriam Raftery

October 11, 2025 (San Diego) --  Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 518, authored by Senator Akilah Weber Pierson, M.D. (D-San Diego), the first law in the to move beyond study to create a commitment toward advancing reparative justice for descendants of slaves and building lasting systems of equity for Black Californians. The measure was coauthored by local Assemblymember LaShae Sharp Collins.

By Paul Levikow

October 10, 2025 (San Diego) – The weekly ICE Out of San Diego rally at the San Diego Federal Building downtown yesterday focused on the government shutdown, while also including messages about ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents’ detention efforts.

Dave Lagstein of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 221 was one of the event organizers. He told the crowd of about 50-60 protesters that having the event every week gets a little confusing because, “There are so many things we need to stand up for.”

He added, “The top thing that’s in the news right now is the government shutdown and it is really important that we continue to get out the word. Trump and the Republicans have shut down the government because they want to cut off healthcare, double healthcare costs so they can fund ICE.”

Violet, an El Cajon resident who attended the rally, did not want to give her last name. She said it was important for her to attend the rally “because I see a lot of sadness, a lot of heartbreak a lot of division, a lot of hate, a lot of racism, and trauma in families.” The community leader, organizer and advocate said there might be plans to hold events in East County.

By Mike Allen

October 5, 2025 (Santee) -- The vacant lot behind the Cameron YMCA will soon be vacant no longer.

The Santee City Council voted 3-0 to approve a 285-unit condominium project on the 22.17-acre site which had long been used by dog walkers, model car and plane users, and overspill parking during big events at the Town Center Community Park. Mayor John Minto and Councilman Ronn Hall were absent and on vacation for the Sept. 24 meeting.

Healthcare premiums will double for millions of Americans if Republicans don’t renew subsidies

By Alexander J. Schorr

Photo: Cedar Fire in October, 2003 burned over 276,000 acres, destroyed 2,232 homes and killed 15 people.  October is peak wildfire season in our region, yet the shutdown threatens wildfire preparedness and disaster relief.

October 2, 2025— The US federal government has shut down after Republican and Democratic lawmakers failed to resolve a budget stand-still. The political impasse is expected to put 40% of the federal workforce— about 750,000 people— on unpaid leave. Please follow live updates as to the status of the governmental closure at this time.

President Donald Trump has threatened to fire federal workers amid the latest government shutdown after a failure to resolve and pass short-term funding bills. Despite holding a Republican Majority throughout the branches of government, Trump blasted Democrats, saying that “We can do things during a shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible.” He went on to say that would entail “cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.

There is no requirement to fire any federal workers due the shutdown, NPR reports. The last time the government shut down, during Trump’s first term as president, workers were temporarily furloughed.

By Jeanne Kuang, CalMatters

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign upfor their newsletters

October 1, 2025 (Sacramento) - Democrat Toni Atkins is dropping out of the crowded 2026 race to succeed Gavin Newsom as California governor, she announced Monday. 

East County News Service

Photo:  2007 Harris Fire in Potrero, one of many wildfires for which FEMA provided disaster relief funds in our region

September 30, 2025 (Sacramento) -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta, as part of a multistate coalition, yesterday sought emergency relief from the U.S. District Court for the District Court of Rhode Island to stop the unlawful reallocation of hundreds of millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Homeland Security Grant Program funding away from states like California.

President Donald Trump has said he plans to eliminate FEMA completely as early as December and return responsibility for disaster prevention, response and relief for survivors entirely to states. “"We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it back to the state level," the president said in JUNE, NPR reported, adding that the agency would immediately "give out less money" to states recovering from disasters.

East County News Service

Photo:  sign posted by East County residents when two sexually violent predators were proposed for release in their neighborhood

September 27, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) - Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) announced the passage of his Senate Bill 380, which directs the Department of State Hospitals to examine placing sexually violent predators in state-run transitional housing facilities upon release. Current law allows for their conditional release into the community where they pose a significant risk to the public safety.

East County News Service

September 25, 2025 (Sacramento) -- Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) announced passage of his SB 525, which if signed by the Governor would help manufactured and mobile home owners afford to acquire full replacement cost insurance policies.

By Miriam Raftery

September 19, 2025 (Sacramento, CA) – After passing both the Assembly and State Senate unanimously (with one abstention), a bill aimed at preventing placement of Native American children in foster care away from their tribes and providing supportive services is now awaiting action by Governor Gavin Newsom.

Assembly Bill 1378 would amend state law to let tribes and tribal organizations partner with the California Department of Social Services to provide services to help keep Native American children safely at home and out of foster care.

According to the bill’s author, Chris Rogers (D-Santa Rose),  Native American children in California are placed in foster care at about four times the rate of other children.

By Alexander J. Schorr

Image: Birthday message from Trump to Epstein, released by Epstein’s estate.

September 16, 2025 — By a one-vote margin, House Republicans blocked release of files related to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his client list.

Among San Diego County representatives Darrell Issa spoke in support of Trump and voted to block release of the Epstein files, while the region’s four Democratic members voted for release of the files.

The Congressional action comes despite release by the Epstein estate this week of a lewd drawing of a prepubescent torso reportedly sketched by Donald Trump as a birthday gift for Epstein, according to the Epstein estate which released the sketch created decades ago. Trump has denied making the drawing, which bears his signature.

Leslie Thompson (photo, left) of El Cajon speaks out about Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Sept. 9 El Cajon City Council meeting

By Paul Levikow

Sept. 11, 2025 – (El Cajon) Protestors showed up at the El Cajon City Council meeting again this past week to continue voicing opposition to the city’s resolution regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

They also reminded Councilmember Phil Ortiz that their efforts to have him recalled from office are ramping up.

Their appearance came a day after the United States Supreme Court overturned a U.S. District Court Judge’s temporary restraining order in Los Angeles that barred federal agents from stopping people without reasonable suspicion.

The Supreme Court ruling allows agents to stop and detain people based on ethnicity, spoken language, type of work they do or their location.

By Paul Levikow

September 9, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – Former San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott on Thursday announced she’s running for the California State Senate District 40 seat, currently held by Republican Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, who will be leaving office due to term limits.

By Paul Levikow

September 3, 2025 (El Cajon) – East County car enthusiasts have cause for celebration, after the El Cajon City Council on Tuesday approved a two-month extension of the Cajon Cruise on Main Street and Prescott Promenade, this time hosted by Downtown Café.

The revived car show will rev up on Wednesday nights Sept. 10 through Oct. 22 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., featuring classic and show cars.

In prior years, the car show ran six months, from April through October. But this year, due to a funding shortfall, the event customarily hosted by the downtown merchants’ organization ran for only two months, from June 4-July 30.