Source: Cal Fire

May 30, 2025 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon, CA – The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) will suspend residential outdoor burning within the State Responsibility Areas (SRA) of San Diego County, effective Monday, June 2, 2025, at 8:00 a.m.

This suspension includes burning landscape debris, such as branches and leaves. This decision to suspend burn permits follows minimal winter rainfall, rising temperatures, and seasonal changes that have caused the grass crop and other vegetation to dry out quickly, increasing the risk of wildfires across the region.

 Since January 1, 2025, CAL FIRE and fire agencies statewide have responded to over 1,900 wildfires. While residential debris burning is suspended, CAL FIRE urges residents to enhance their wildfire preparedness efforts

By Karen Pearlman

Photos, left by ECM photographers:  La Mesa protest, riot and arson May 30-31, 2020.

May 30, 2025 (La Mesa) – It’s been five years since the last Saturday in May 2020, when the city of La Mesa found itself smack in the epicenter of racial justice protests and civil unrest that mirrored a nationwide outcry against police brutality. The protest later exploded into violence, ending with buildings in flames and a small-town community often likened to Mayberry left shell-shocked.

Since then, the city has made strides to improve communications, public outreach and policing, as the city's Mayor, Police Chief and City Manager told ECM in exclusive interviews shortly before the five-year anniversary of those turbulent events.

"We can cut plenty of other things," President Donald Trump told West Point's graduating class.

By Jake Johnson, Common Dreams

Photo: Screenshot via CSpan; Pres. Trump speaks at West Point graduation

May 26, 2025 (West Point Military Academ, New York) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday bragged to West Point's graduating class that he has refused to cut Pentagon spending and touted his push for an annual military budget of $1 trillion, arguing that other programs should be on the chopping block instead.

"Some people say, 'Could you cut it back?' I said, 'I'm not cutting 10 cents,'" the president said of Pentagon spending during his bizarre, campaign-style commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy.

"We can cut plenty of other things," Trump added, without specifying what he sees as better targets for cuts than the Pentagon, a sprawling morass of waste and abuse that recently failed its seventh consecutive audit.

Trump's remarks came after House Republicans, with his support, passed a massive budget reconciliation package that includes more than $100 billion in additional spending for the U.S. military and around $1 trillion in combined cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

By Miriam Raftery

May 24, 2025 (San Diego)  -- More details have emerged on the tragic crash of a Cessna plane into a military housing neighborhood near San Diego’s Murphy Canyon  on May 22^nd while attempting to land amid heavy fog at Montgomery Field.

All six people on board the plane died in the fiery crash. The pilot, Dave Shapiro, was the co-founder of the El Cajon-based music agency, Sound Talent group.  Shapiro also owned Velocity Aviation based at Gillespie Field in El Cajon.

According to Velocity’s website, he was a certified flight instruction who had logged over a million miles with 15 years of flight experience and was a licensed transport pilot for multi-engine planes, as well as holding licenses for everything from flying helicopters to aerobatics.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the airport’s weather alert system and runway approach lights were not working at the time, though the cause of the crash has not yet been determined. Shapiro was flying home from New Jersey and had refueled in Kansas.

East County News Service

Photo courtesy of ECM news partner 10 News

May 22, 2025 (San Diego) –Supervisor Joel Anderson today offered a statement on the deadly plane crash that occurred in a Tierrasanta neighborhood near Murphy Canyon, along with advice on organizations helping collect donations and items to assist residents displaced by the crash.

"My office is closely monitoring the situation in our district where a small plane crashed into a Murphy Canyon neighborhood,” Sup. Anderson says.”Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have been killed and we wish those who have been injured a full recovery. Thank you to our incredible first responders who helped evacuate more than 100 people to safety in the early hours this morning."

The following organizations are currently collecting donations for the families impacted by this devastating crash. For more information, residents can contact:

Zero8Hundred - 858-944-0800

Support The Enlisted Project (STEP) - 858-695-6810

Update 5 p.m.-- The music agency Sound Talent Group in El Cajon announced that three of its employees, including co-founder Dave Shapiro, who is also a pilot, were aboard the plane and died in the crash. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), six people were on the plane and all perished.

Update 8 a.m.-- SDPD reports all fires are out, except for one vehicle fire. They anticipate remaining on scene for 24 hours. Approximately 100 people are displaced.

May 22, 2025 (San Diego) -- Multiple homes and vehicles caught fire due to a Cessna plane that crashed in Tierrasanta. Evacuations are in place in the are of Salmon, Sample and Sculpin Streets per San Diego Police.  

.At least 15 homes in an area of military housing are impacted, per 10 News.  There are multple fatalities, but authorities believe all were aboard the plane.  While officials initially reported no hospitalizations, later reports indicate at least two residents were transported to hospitals for minor injuries and/or smoke inhalation.

An evacuation site is set up at Miller Elementary, 4343 Shields St.

By Alexander J Schorr

May 19, 2025 (San Diego) -- East County Magazine editor Miriam Raftery interviewed Nora Milner, an immigration attorney based in San Diego. This interview originally aired April 4 on KNJS radio, with a Youtube video available. Milner, who works at the Milner & Markee (LLP) law firm, specializes in immigration law.

In the interview, she voiced alarm over blatant denials of due process for immigrants under the Trump administration, warned that even citizens are not safe, and offered tips for those concerned about being visited by ICE or detained for potential deportation.

East County News Service

Photo via FBI:  The FBI is investigating this as a terrorism act, along with the U.S. Joint Task Force on Terrorism and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

May 18, 2025 (San Diego) – A vehicle bomb outside a Palm Springs fertility clinic yesterday killed one person and left four others injured. 

The suspect has been identified as Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms,  a military community, CBS reports, citing law enforcement officials. According to CBS, the suspect stated irrationally in writings and/or recordings that he was against bringing people into the world against their will. He reportedly claimed responsibility for the bombing.

By Miriam Raftery

May 17, 2025 (San Diego) – Curtis Morrison is an immigration attorney  and Democrat running for the 48^th Congressional district against Congressman Darrell Issa, a Republican.  He’s previously worked as a realtor and substitute teacher.

Last month he sat down for an in-depth interview with East County Magazine, originally aired on our radio show on KNSJ radio. View video, hear audio, or scroll down to read highlights.

2026 will be a pivotal election year, since Republicans hold a very slim majority in the House and Senate; if Democrats regain control of one or both house, they will have the power to reign in many of the Trump administration’s controversial actions.

Want to make a difference in your community? The City of La Mesa is currently recruiting volunteer members for several Boards and Commissions. The application deadline is July 1 at 5:30 p.m.

These are the boards and commissions with current openings:

• Arts and Culture Commission
• Community Parking Commission
• Community Police Oversight Board
• Community Services Commission
• Design Review Board
• Environmental Sustainability Commission 
• Mobility Commission
• Personnel Appeals Board
• Planning Commission
• Youth Advisory Commission

To apply for a board or commission submit a completed application to the City Clerk’s office.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Naturalization citizenship ceremony, cc via Bing

May 16, 2025 (El Cajon) – This year, El Cajon’s America on Main Street celebration won’t include a mass swearing-in ceremony for new citizens.

“The City reached out to the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services to make our annual request for their participation,” city manager Graham Mitchell told ECM. “Our contact person informed us that due to operational needs they are unable to participate this year, but asked that we keep them in mind for next year. “

The federal government’s denial of the city’s request to swear in new immigrations comes amid the Trump administration’s expanded operational crackdowns and mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and some green card holders. Withholding swearing in of new immigrants dashes hopes of many who went through the long and costly process to become U.S. citizens.

America on Main Street began in 2017 as a “patriotic celebration of our diversity,” according to Councilmember Gary Kendrick, a cofounder of the event.

By Miriam Raftery

May 16, 2025 (Descanso, CA) – Tammy and Brett Cooker opened their Descanso Junction Restaurant in 2003, in a century-old building on State Route 79.  Days later, the Cedar Fire roared through the region, destroying many homes and closing down I-8.   But the Cookers swiftly earned the community’s loyalty, keeping their doors open to serve up displaced community members, stranded motorists, and firefighters.

During the COVID pandemic, they weathered forced shutdowns of indoor dining, surviving winter's frigid mountain temperatures by investing in plastic bubbles for outdoor diners under oak trees out back. 

But now their business faces a new threat—this time, from Caltrans. Citing safety concerns, the state transportation agency wants to eliminate the20 perpendicular parking spaces in front of Descanso Junction and nearby businesses, replacing them with only six horizontal parking spots.

by Alexei Koseff

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

Gov. Gavin Newsom addresses the media during a press conference unveiling his revised 2025-26 budget proposal at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento on May 13, 2025. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

In summary

California is experiencing unexpectedly shaky economic conditions, as health care costs rise and Trump’s tariffs create ongoing uncertainty.

May 14, 2025 Gov. Gavin Newsom announced yesterday that California is facing a $12 billion budget deficit, spurred by soaring costs for social services as the state’s economy teeters from President Donald Trump’s chaotic tariffs strategy.

East County News Service

May 12, 2025 (Pine Valley) – James Michel, 86, from Yuma, Arizona was a passenger in a vehicle that rear-ended a stopped vehicle on I-8 west near Buckman Springs Road on April 24 shortly before 10 a.m.

He was transported to UCSD Medical Center in San Diego, where he died two weeks later, on May 8.