By Karen Pearlman

East County News Service

Photo via Dolores Huerta’s press office

March 19, 2026 (San Diego) – Dolores Huerto, cofounder of the United Farm Workers Union, has issued a statement on her Facebook page on revelations that she and other women were sexually abused by co-leader Cesar Chavez. 

In her statement, she talks about being pressured and later forced to have sex with Chavez,  why she stayed silent and is now speaking out, the two children by Chavez that she's maintained relationships with, and her renewed commitment to support workers' rights and women's rights.

“I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Cesar Chavez in 1972, public domain image by Cornelius M. Keyes via National Archives and Records Administration                                          

March 18, 2026 (San Diego) – Latino leaders across the state and nation are expressing shock after a bombshell investigation by the New York Times revealed evidence of sexual abuse against women and girls by  César Chávez , famed cofounder of the United Farmworkers Union and a prominent national leader of the Latino rights movement who died in 1993.

By Miriam Raftery

March 18, 2026 (San Diego East County) – Deputies from the Rancho San Diego Sheriff’s Station responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon at 12:20 a.m. in the 16000 block of Loose Creek Road in Jamul. Upon arrival, deputies did not locate any victims at the residence.

“Shortly afterward, the Alpine Fire Protection District notified the Sheriff’s Office that a shooting victim had arrived at their station. Emergency personnel initiated lifesaving measures;” says Lt. Juan Marequez with the Sheriff’s department.  Despite those efforts, the man succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the fire station.

Photo courtesy County of San Diego

East County News Service

March 17, 2026 (San Diego County) -- As the marine layer thins and temperatures climb across the region, San Diego’s original residents are beginning to stir.

From the coastal sage scrub of Torrey Pines to the rocky canyons of Mission Trails Regional Park, the Southern Pacific rattlesnake is officially back on the move, the County of San Diego warns.

Rattlesnake season in Southern California typically spans from March through October, but experts warn that the peak "shaking" occurs between April and June.

East County News Service

March 14, 2026 (San Diego’s East County) – An extreme heat watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for San Diego County over the next week. Temperatures will start to climb Sunday, with high temperatures 20 to 30 degrees above normal starting Tuesday. By mid-week, temperatures above 100 degrees are forecast, with potential to break record high temperatures.

There is a high risk for heat-related illnesses for people, pets and livestock. Stay well hydrated and avoid outdoor activities during the heat wave. Those without access to air conditioning can visit a county library, community center, or indoor mall.

By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

March 12, 2026 (San Diego) -- The Registrar of Voters is now hiring poll workers for the June 2 Gubernatorial Primary Election. Poll workers play an essential role in elections and can receive a daily stipend while serving their community.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo via U.S. Navy: F/A-18E Super Hornet on flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 2, 2026. 

March 10, 2026 (Washington D.C.) – Ten days after the U..S. began bombing Iran, the Pentagon announced today that approximately 140 U.S. service members have been wounded, including eight with life-threatening injuries.  Seven U.S. military members have been killed as a result of Operation Fury,  the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran, and Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the Mideast.

Residents, gardeners should take precautions to protect against deadly disease transmitted by snails, slugs, and animals that ingest them

By Miriam Raftery

March 9, 2026 (San Diego’s East County) – Rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis), a brain-eating parasite, has been found for the first time in San Diego County. It can be transmitted to humans, pets and wildlife with potentially deadly results. It was found in 10 opossums taken in by wildlife rescuers across the county that were euthanized after falling ill. The locations where the opossums were found include La Mesa, the College Area, Bonita, Peñasquitos, Cardiff by the Sea, Carlsbad, Point Loma, and San Diego. In addition, rat lungworm was also found in three rats and a wallaby at the San Diego Zoo.

By Jennifer Vigil, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

March 6, 2026 (San Diego’s East County) -- East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego's inland regions, published in other media.  This week's round-up stories include:

LOCAL

• San Diego gas prices surge amid Middle East tensions (Times of San Diego)
• Lithium-ion battery fire at SDSU leaves at least one student injured (Times of San Diego)
• ICE in San Diego is monitoring activists through Operation Road Flare (Daylight San Diego)
• Tijuana businesses reopen, yet residents remain cautious following cartel attacks (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Joe Musgrove completes another step on path to recovery from 2024 surgery (Times of San Diego)
• CBP’s Request for All San Diego County Parcel Data Raises Questions Among Officials (Newschunks)
• ICE agents deny US Senator, San Diego County supervisors access to Otay Mesa immigrant detention center (KPBS)
• .Federal agents detain immigration court observers in downtown San Diego (KPBS)
• County launches aging dashboard as senior population grows (KPBS)
• He saw an abandoned trailer. Then, he uncovered a surveillance network on California’s border (KPBS)

STATE

• California’s next insurance commissioner will have ‘brutal’ balancing act (Cal Matters)
• 8 dead in Tahoe avalanche; victims include moms of Sugar Bowl youth team skiers (Sacramento Bee)
• Bernie Sanders kicks off billionaires tax campaign with choice words for the ‘oligarchs’ (Politico)
• Billionaires Spielberg, Zuckerberg eyeing East Coast, stirring concerns about California’s wealth-tax proposal (Los Angeles Times)
• Canadian snowbirds are still unhappy with Trump. And Palm Springs is feeling the chill (Los Angeles Times)
• Frustrated families sue the state to stop antisemitism in California schools (EdSource)
• Senators decry surge in deaths at ICE detention facilities, citing poor medical care (Los Angeles Times)
• Part of California’s Highway 1 shut down due to rockslides and debris (San Francisco Chronicle)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Miriam Raftery: Bishop Shaleta in May 2024 at opening of incubator business center for refugees and immigrants in El Cajon

March 5, 2026 (El Cajon) – San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies today arrested Chaldean Bishop Emmanuel Shaleta at the San Diego International Airport, where he was attempting to leave the country. He is charged with eight counts of embezzlement, eight counts of money laundering, and one count of aggravated white collar crime enhancement, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s department.

East County News Service

March 4, 2026 (San Diego’s East County) – A suspect accused of stealing a Jeep Wrangler in Santee and crashing into parked cars near Parkway Plaza in El Cajon following a pursuit has been arrested and is hospitalized with serious injuries.