By Miriam Raftery, East County Magazine

January 21, 2018 (San Diego) -- A 6.3 earthquake struck in the Gulf of California at 8:17 a.m. approximately 48.4 miles North-Northeast of Loreto and 76.5 miles southwest of Pueblo Yaqui in Mexico, according to an alert sent by the U.S. Geological Survey.  The quake is not yet posted on the USGS quake events webpage, perhaps due to the furlough of federal employees during the government shutdown.

There have been several smaller quakes in the past week along the same fault line, including some farther north and one small tremor north of the border in Seeley. 

By Miriam Raftery

January 20, 2018 (Washington D.C.) – Congress failed to pass a short-term spending bill by Friday night’s deadline that would have funded the federal government only until February 16^th. As a result, the federal government is starting a shutdown effective today—the first anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The key sticking point was Republicans’ failure to protect Dreamers, or young people brought here as children of undocumented immigrants.  Trump cancelled former President Barack Obama’s executive order protecting Dreamers but gave Congress six months to pass legislation to protect them before deporting them. That timeline is nearly up. The shutdown also means no renewal of funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, which has expired.

By Jonathan Goetz

January 17, 2018 (Lemon Grove) – On Tuesday, Lemon Grove City Attorney Jim Lough presented to Council Ordinance changes for the Municipal Code that the Council chose to table.  Council wanted more time to review it and compare differences between the new verbiage and the old verbiage.  Lough is expected to bring it back for a vote Tuesday, February 20.

East County News Service

January 17, 2018 (San Diego) -- The National Weather Service has issued a high surf advisory for Friday through Saturday, when waves as high as 12 feet and dangerous rip currents are forecast. This high surf will be very dangerous, especially for inexperienced swimmers.

By Miriam Raftery

January 16, 2018 (El Cajon) – The arrests of a dozen activists at Wells Park in El  Cajon for defying the city’s ban on feeding homeless people on public property over Martin Luther King Jr.'s  birthday weekend has made news around the world.  Headline stories have been reported in the BBC in England and Canada, Britain’s the Guardian newspaper,  MSN,  Huffington Post, and other national and international media.

A national petition on the Care2 site calling on El Cajon to end the ban has been signed by 37,000 people.

Yesterday the city has issued a statement standing behind its actions as appropriate to prevent spread of Hepatitis A during a countywide health emergency. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)has also issued a statement condemning the arrests as “unconstitutional and “cruel.” Activists arrested and their attorneys also held a press conference denouncing the ban and threatening legal action.

By Miriam Raftery

January 15, 2018 (San Diego) — A new storm will move into San Diego later this week, though precipitation is expected to be lighter than last week’s heavy downpour, but with hazards in coastal areas and some snow in the mountains locally.

By Paul Kruze and Miriam Raftery

Photo: Screenshot from video on James Elia’s Facebook page

January 14, 2018 (El Cajon)—Defying a city of El Cajon ban on feeding homeless people in public places,  a dozen individuals including a 14-year-old minor were arrested and given misdemeanor citations by El Cajon Police today, then released.

The feeding was one of many held around the country this weekend to carry on the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who in a 1964 lecture to Nobel laureates voiced concerns about those who “have no houses or beds to sleep in.“ Rev. King added, “If we feel this as a profound moral fact, we cannot be content to see men hungry, to see men victimized with starvation and ill health, when we have the means to help them.”

El Cajon’s City Council voted to adopt a temporary ban on feeding the homeless in public places during the countywide hepatitis emergency declaration, since there have been many cases among the homeless in the outbreak, which county health officials believe originated in El Cajon.

By Mike Allen

January 12, 2018 (Santee)--Smoking or vaping on Santee’s city trails such as the Walker Preserve and near Mast Park will no longer be legal following the City Council’s amending its code at its Jan. 10 meeting.

The newly amended law, that also bans smoking electronic cigarettes in the same areas, takes effect after the second reading of the measure Jan.24.

With the vote, Santee joins the rest of the 18 cities and San Diego county in prohibiting smoking on public trails, which is an obvious fire hazard. But the change didn’t go far enough for nearly all the speakers who testified before the council took its vote.

Attorney General Becerra helps secure victory for Dreamers as court blocks implementation of Trump Administration’s rescission of DACA until a final decision is reached in the litigation

By Miriam Raftery

January 10, 2018 (Sacramento) – A California court has issued a nationwide injunction to temporarily protect Dreamers, or young people brought here as children of undocumented immigrants, or young people brought here as children of undocumented immigrants, before a Trump administration order forces them to be deported. Trump rolled back DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals executive order issued by Barack Obama.

Congress is grappling with legislation that could permanently protect the Dreamers. But  the clock is ticking. President Trump has indicated he is open to a bill to protect the Dreamers, but only if it also includes funding for a border wall.  While Democrats and some Republicans support protection for dreamers, hard liners in the Republican Party oppose it and its unclear whether Democrats would back billions to build a border wall.

January 9, 2018, 4:30 p.m. -- The National Weather Service in San Diego has issued an Areal Flood Advisory for San Diego County until 7:00 PM.

Doppler radar indicated moderate to heavy rain moving through San Diego County, especially the northwestern sections. This will likely cause urban and small stream flooding in the advisory area from the mountains west to the coast. Rainfall rates of up to one-half inch per hour could locally occur.

Some locations that will likely experience flooding include Chula Vista, Oceanside, Carlsbad, El Cajon, Vista, Encinitas, National City, La Mesa, Poway, portions of the San Diego city limits, North Park, Hillcrest and Midway District Including Lindbergh Field.

By Miriam Raftery

January 9, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – 71^st Assembly candidate James Elia is speaking to support an investigation into the SDG&E planned power outages in December that left many thousands of residents across the county without electricity, in some cases for a full week.

By Miriam Raftery

January 9, 2018 (Alpine) – Two key hearings that could determine the future of students in Alpine are coming up: a court appeal and a State Board of Education hearing  January 19 at which the Board will consider a recommendation by the Department of Education to deny a unification petition, and a January 11 appeal of a lawsuit over funds to build the long promised Alpine High School.

By Miriam Raftery

January 8, 2018 (El Cajon) – Firefighters from the San Miguel Fire Department have set up a Go Fund Me page to help a family of 20, including many adopted children with disabilities.  A fire outside the Hauer family’s home yesterday damaged two vehicles, including a specialized van used to transport youngsters with medical needs.

By Miriam Raftery

January 7, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – 2017 was a tumultuous year by any standard – from storms and wildfires that impacted our region to political turmoil at the national, state and local levels.

There have also been positive and inspiring stories, lawmakers embroiled in controversies, and important community actions.

Here are the top stories, arranged alphabetically by category, that impacted people in our region.