By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

April 19, 2023 (San Diego) - San Diego County is scheduled to conduct its first routine aerial larvicide drop of the year next week on up to 51 local waterways to help stop mosquitoes from potentially spreading diseases like West Nile virus.

East County News Service

Photos courtesy of San Diego Humane Society

April 17, 2023 Jamul)-- An 8 year-old horse named Dobby is safe this afternoon, after falling 100 ft off a trail in Jamul Sunday. San Diego Humane Society’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) was called to assist Cal Fire and the San Diego County Department of Animal Services (DAS) near Honey Springs Ranch Truck trail yesterday afternoon.

“Eight members of our ERT hiked 4-5 miles down to reach the horse, who was standing on an incline,” says Nina Thompson,  San Diego Humane Society’s Director of Public Relations. “They got him across a stream, to get him on flat ground. At approximately 1 a.m., they returned a second time to provide food, water and a blanket, to keep him as comfortable as possible overnight.”

Advocates describe "crisis," call for state, county and city of San Diego to take action

By Miriam Raftery

Hear our interview aired on KNSJ

April 16, 2023 (San Diego) – Last year, hospitals in San Diego County discharged over 500 vulnerable patients onto the streets late at night in violation of state law, according to Amnie Zamudio and Joanne Standlee, co-founders of Housing 4 The Homeless (H4H).  In an interview with ECM, they described dumping of homeless or indigent patients, many wearing only hospital gowns and booties. Those discharged after midnight included seniors with dementia,  people in wheelchairs,  patients with catheters, and an elderly man with a broken hip. 

By Ken Stone,Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Duncan D. Hunter shakes hand with his father, former Rep. Duncan L. Hunter, at start of Ramona forum in May 2019. Photo by Ken Stone

April 15, 2023 (San Diego) - A disturbing report from National Public Radio on Thursday said former Rep. Duncan Duane Hunter, when he fought in Fallujah, was partly to blame for a friendly fire incident that killed two fellow Marines and an Iraqi interpreter.

By Daniela Torres

Video by ECM interns Daniela Torres and Jacob Pamus

April 14, 2023 (El Cajon)-- The first of four town halls in order to address homelessness in El Cajon was held on April 4, amidst concerns from the city’s residents.

Outrage and controversy have been sparked after the arrests of two sex offenders at a Motel 6 last month for allegedly sexually assaulting an underage girl. The offenders were placed there under the People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) motel voucher program funded by the County of San Diego.

By Miriam Raftery

April 13, 2023 (El Cajon) – Robert Gehr, a senior citizen in El Cajon, was shocked to discover when he went shopping for groceries at Food 4 Less in El Cajon that $1,118 in CalFresh benefits had been stolen off of his Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card.  Since he had only used the card at that store, Gehr and police believe he was a victim of a skimmer device attached by a thief to the store’s card reader.

The County has only reimbursed$120 for the most recent month’s benefits—and Gehr may never see the rest of his stolen benefits returned—benefits that he’d been saving up for months Such scams are alarmingly prevelant -- and hit hard on vulnerable recipients, including low-income individuals, seniors on fixed incomes, and disabled people.

Bianca Sosa-Graciano, program specialist at Self-Sufficiency Services with the County’s Health & Human Services Agency, told ECM that scammers ripping off benefits on EBT cards is a “nationwide issue at this time.”

By Miriam Raftery

April 12, 2023 (La Mesa) - Helix Water District will hold a hearing on proposed rate hikes and increased service charges. The hearing will be on Wednesday, April 26^th at 5 p.m.in the Helix Water District board room (7811 University Ave., La Mesa). 

By Miriam Raftery

April 11, 2023 (San Diego) – During a special meeting convened today,  San Diego County Supervisors passed a vote of no confidence and approved a letter calling on disgraced Supervisor Nathan Fletcher to resign immediately. The vote was 4-0, with Fletcher absent while undergoing treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and alcohol abuse.

On March 29, Fletcher announced his resignation effective May 15, after an MTS employee went public with allegations that Fletcher sexually assaulted and harassed her when he was MTS chair. Fletcher, who is married with children, has denied those allegations but said he had a “consensual” relationship. The woman, Grecia Figueroa, has denied this and filed a lawsuit against Fletcher and MTS. Fletcher has resigned as MTS chair and dropped his campaign for the State Senate.

Nora Vargas, Chair of the County Board of Supervisors, said before the vote, “"My priority is ensuring that we are able to serve the people of San Diego” noting that Fletcher has been absent for the past two weeks and hasn't answered the troubling allegations against him. "We encourage him to resign immediately so he (can) focus solely on his treatment, and the people of San Diego can move forward with the representation they deserve."

Calls grow for Fletcher to step down immediately from Board of Supervisors; second woman claims harassment by Fletcher

By Miriam Raftery

April 9, 2023 (San Diego) – The Metropolitan Transit Board (MTS) on Thursday announced that it will hire outside counsel to conduct an independent investigation into allegations of sexual assault and harassment made by MTS public information officer Grecia Figueroa  against Nathan Fletcher, ([photo, left), who was chair of MTS at the time.

Grecia was fired on February 6, the date Fletcher announced his intent to run for the State Senate. Fletcher withdrew from that race on March 26 and announced he was entering rehab for PTSD and alcohol abuse. After the MTS allegations surfaced soon after, he  resigned from the MTS board and announced he will resign as Supervisor effective May 15.  Fletcher, who is married with children, has denied sexually assaulting or harassing Figueroa but claimed a “consensual” relationship.

Acting MTS Board Chair Stephen Whitburn issued a statement after a closed-door session of the MTS board,  Whitburn indicated that findings in the independent investigation will be made public. The transit board has also cut off legal support to Fletcher, who must pay for his own defense. ”Mr. Fletcher failed to act in good faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in the best interest of MTS,” Whitburn stated.

By Miriam Raftery

April 7, 2023 (Jamul) – By a unanimous vote, the Jamul-Dulzura Community Planning Group on March 28 approved a letter sent to Mark Slovick, deputy director of San Diego County’s Planning & Development Services.  The letter asks County staff to take action on several concerns to mitigate impacts of  Jamul Casino’s plans to build a hotel and event center.

The planners voice concerns that the tribe’s plans do not adequately address potential traffic, fire safety, environmental and noise concerns.

The recommendations include:

By Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski, ProPublica

This story was originally published by ProPublica.

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.

April 6, 2023 (Washington, D.C.) - In late June 2019, right after the U.S. Supreme Court released its final opinion of the term, Justice Clarence Thomas boarded a large private jet headed to Indonesia. He and his wife were going on vacation: nine days of island-hopping in a volcanic archipelago on a superyacht staffed by a coterie of attendants and a private chef.

Unsealed indictment alleges pay-offs to three people with negative claims about Trump were fraudulently covered up in order to protect his presidential campaign

By Miriam Raftery

View District Attorney Alvin Braggs' press conference after arraignment

View Trump's speech at  Mar-a-Lago after arraignment

April 5, 2023 (New York) – Former President Donald Trump was arrested yesterday in Manhattan and pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of a conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election. 

If convicted, Trump could be sentenced to up to four years for each count, though the court could determine whether terms would be served concurrently or consecutively.  Trump’s lawyers have until August to file motions, with the next court hearing scheduled for December 4.  Barring further delays, a trial could be held early next year, just as the 2024 primaries get underway.

Trump, also a candidate running in the 2024 presidential race, was booked and fingerprinted, but not handcuffed nor was a mugshot taken. After the arraignment, he was released pending trial and returned to his home in Florida, where he gave a blistering speech railing against the prosecutor and judge despite a judicial warning to refrain from rhetoric that could incite violence.

Webinars will be held every Wednesday on a variety of topics to improve financial health

Source:  SDCCU

April 3, 2023 (San Diego) - San Diego County Credit Union^® (SDCCU^®), one of Southern California’s largest locally-owned financial institutions, is proud to host weekly financial wellness webinars throughout the month of April in celebration of National Financial Literacy Month. Webinars are open to the public and free to attend. 

By Jacob Pamus and Miriam Raftery

March 31, 2023 (San Diego) – A Manhattan grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump on criminal charges related to alleged pay-offs made to porn star Stormy Daniels, the  New York Times and other media outlets confirm.  The indictment remains sealed until the arraignment, though sources have told media outlet including CNBC that Trump could face around 30 criminal charges.

Trump is the first former president to be indicted. He is also a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, so his arrest casts unprecedented uncertainties into the campaign. 

He is expected to turn himself in for an arraignment on Tuesday,, PBS reports. His attorneys have indicated that he will plead not guilty. It is anticipated that he will be fingerprinted, have a mugshot and DNA sample taken,but as is customary with New York defendants in white collar crimes, he will likely be released until the trial.