JUDGE OVERTURNS SAN DIEGO COUNTY’S TRANSPORTATION GUIDELINES
By Miriam Raftery View the court’s ruling April 9, 2025 (San Diego) – San Diego Superior Court Judge Joel Wohlfei has struck down San Diego County’s Transportation Study Guide. The decision in a lawsuit filed by Cleveland National Forest Foundation (CNFF) and the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation (CERF) is a win for environmentalists seeking to reduce emissions from vehicles to reduce impacts on climate change, but a setback for opponents of a controversial vehicle miles traveled (VMT) proposal that the county previously scrapped following objections the building industry and an East County supervisor. Duncan McFetridge, a Descanso resident and Director of CNFF, told ECM the ruling is “major victory.” He adds, “It’s time for the County to stop taking shortcuts and instead implement its low VMT climate policy. We’re running out of precious time to start solving our transportation and housing problems in San Diego. The County’s continued delays hurt San Diegans and the environment.” Sara Ochoa, Program Director a CERF, states in a press release, “We know we can’t meet our climate goals without significant reductions in automobile travel…We should build housing and transit where it makes sense, instead of dooming future generations to wildfire risks and soul-crushing commutes.” Senate Bill 743, a state law passed in late 2022, requires local agencies to assure that development projects are designed to minimize environmental harm and reduce vehicle miles traveled by limiting sprawl development in rural areas, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. The County said VMT mandates could cost home builders $60,000 to $200,000 per unit. The County’s transportation plan sought to provide exemptions to SB 743 VMT requirements for infill and village areas where transit exists or is expected to be added soon. It also sought to exempt small projects that the County contended would have minimal environmental impacts. But Judge Wohfei wrote, “None of the `evidence’ relied on by the County to support its assumptions concerning its infill threshold comes from independent outside sources or reflects anything other than unsubstantiated opinions….such opinions are not substantial evidence.” Similarly, regarding small projects, the Judge concluded, “…there was no effort by the County to develop any evidence that small projects generating 110 or fewer trips are likely to cause a less than significant transportation effect in San Diego County…Our independent review of the rest of the record confirms that no such evidence was offered. The County back in 2011 adopted a General Plan that encouraged growth in village cores in places such as Lakeside, Spring Valley and Ramona–places with village centers, services, jobs, and a need for housing. A Voice of San Diego article in 2024 noted that by encouraging small lot development, the General Plan helped make homes more affordable in places like East County, which are typically easier for first time homebuyers to enter the market. But after SB 743, the County shelved its General Plan and implemented strict VMT guidelines—so strict that th Building Industry Association declared the county “dead to us,” as some homebuilders pulled out of the area, according to an opinion piece in Voice of San Diego in 2024 written by Lori Holt Pfeiler, CEO of the Building Industry Association. According to Pfeiler, the strict VMTs backfired, leading some homebuyers to purchase houses in Temecula and commute to jobs in San Diego, actually causing more vehicle emissions. Supervisor Joel Anderson pushed County Counsel to review case law, leading the County to reverse course and create a transportation plan that allowed projects to be built if they are consistent with the General Plan, exempting them from requirements to mitigate for vehicle miles traveled. The lawsuit filed by the environmental groups successfully argued that the County’s transportation plan violated requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as well as SB 743. Now, the County may opt to revise its transportation guidelines to comply with the court ruling, or file an appeal. “
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S IMPACT ON SOCIAL SECURITY
Changes at the SSA, such as staff cuts and office closures, are affecting customer service and beneficiary payments, and causing long phone wait times By G. A. McNeeley April 8, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – After President Donald Trump returned to The White House, one big focus of his presidency has been to eliminate wasteful spending in the federal government, which has been led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), underneath Elon Musk. However, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has been the subject of mixed messages from the Trump Administration. Social Security is a program that has sent retirement and disability benefits to over 70 million people, through the SSA, according to TIME. Trump has maintained that he won’t touch Social Security, while some of his cabinet members cast doubt on whether or not those who receive Social Security benefits should be concerned. At the same time, reports of DOGE making cuts and closing offices at the agency have led experts to wonder whether the SSA will have the staff required to ensure the checks are counted and delivered on time. What Is Happening To Social Security? The Trump Administration has called for substantial layoffs for SSA employees, with leadership saying it will cut 7,000 of its 57,000 staff. However, on March 27, the SSA said claims of office closures were “false.” Jason Fichtner (senior fellow at the National Academy of Social Insurance) and Kathleen Romig (director of Social Security and Disability Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) both raised concerns. Fichtner and Romig told The Hill that these cuts will affect the services that people receive when they visit Social Security’s website (which has experienced glitches), call their phone number (which has long wait times), or visit a field office (which can be crowded). These cuts might make it more difficult for eligible Americans to claim benefits (particularly those with disabilities), who might run the risk of dying before receiving the money they’re eligible for, according to CNBC and The Hill. Fichtner and Romig also both served in senior roles at the SSA, and each of them has decades of expertise on Social Security, according to The Hill. There’s also been concern about the introduction of new identification policies that require people to go to field offices or access information online, instead of utilizing phone calls. This might alienate older people, and people from rural communities. On March 18, the SSA announced it will be “implementing stronger identity verification procedures,” that would end the verification of an individual’s identity over the phone. “Requiring rural Americans to go into an office can mean having to take a day off of work and drive for hours merely to fill out paperwork,” Nancy LeaMond (AARP Executive Vice President) said in a statement on March 19. “We urge the agency to reverse this decision, or for Congress to step in and stand up for older Americans everywhere.” In a statement made on the SSA website on March 26, the agency said that some people will be exempt from these new rules, allowing those applying for Medicare, Disability, or Supplemental Security Income to complete their claim by other means. “We have listened to our customers, Congress, advocates, and others, and we are updating our policy to provide better customer service to the country’s most vulnerable populations,” Lee Dudek (Acting Commissioner of Social Security) said in the statement. These changes are set to go into effect on April 14 for everyone else, according to Time. What Has The Trump Administration Said? The Trump Administration made it clear that it doesn’t plan to cut benefits from Social Security. In a “fact check” posted to The White House’s website on March 11, Trump said that they will “not cut” the program. However, the Trump Administration also indicated it believes in cutting wasteful spending within the Social Security program, according to TIME. “The Social Security Administration made an estimated $72 billion in improper payments between 2015 and 2022,” The White House’s website said. “What kind of a person doesn’t support eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending that ultimately costs taxpayers more?” Trump’s nominee to be the SSA Commissioner is Frank Bisignano (CEO of Fiserv). Bisignano said he’d be an “accountable leader” at the SSA, and that he had “no intent” of benefit cuts occurring under his watch, at his confirmation hearing. Newly-instated Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also received backlash after he said that “a fraudster always makes the loudest noise,” on social media. What Are The Experts Saying? According to Pamela Herd (Professor of Public Policy at the University of Michigan), people should be concerned about Social Security. With significant staff cuts, she told TIME that it’s less a question of whether or not benefits will get cut, but whether the SSA will have the staff to actually “deliver the benefits that the Congress has mandated that they deliver.” “People are waiting for hours to get through on the phone, and then getting cut off before they can actually talk to a representative. The field offices, that honestly were already a bit overwhelmed [already], are now completely overwhelmed,” Herd added. “So there’s a real disconnect between the statement, ‘I’m not going to cut benefits,’ and in practice, what is going on in the agency.” Herd told Time that while DOGE cuts are supposedly about eliminating waste and fraud, the staffing and procedures that are being cut and changed at the SSA are “needed” to prevent fraud and abuse. “You can’t manage 20% of the federal budget on a shoestring. You need actual capacity in that agency, and they’ve made a series of choices in the last six weeks alone that have significantly undermined capacity of that agency,” Herd added. “People aren’t going to be able to pay their bills if the agency can’t deliver
READER’S EDITORIAL: DISTRICT 1 ELECTION ISSUES AND NEGLECT
By Jennifer Lynn April 9, 2025 (Spring Valley) — I’ve written about this and spoken with the Representative from the County Registrar of Voters, who set up a table at two candidate forums, about Spring Valley being left out on the county web page and almost all media just stating cities and or South Bay. Spring Valley has never been referred to as the South Bay. The zip code (91977) wasn’t even on the county page until the last week of March!Imagine a board member at the County’s Spring Valley Community Planning Group meeting on March 25 didn’t know what district she was residing in. This meeting is recorded. When Griselda from District 1 showed up at the above meeting on March 25, I explained Spring Valley, where I live, is NOT La Presa but Spring Valley and that 91977 was not listed (see below). Griselda was surprised and searched my address. When I showed her that on the evening of March 25, I did see it was corrected within a day or two and wrote to Griselda to thank her but that’s pathetic, appears unfair and unjust that it took that long! The larger issue is Spring Valley has been divided up between Supervisors. The largest unincorporated area. The Chamber of Commerce for Spring Valley states that there are actually three Supervisors; is totally absurd – see photo! Spring Valley should have one Supervisor. We’ve been underfunded, underserved and just neglected. We rely on the county as our voice as we are not incorporated. Appreciate a true response and not just “well we will look at this in 2030” — fix the mistakes! The opinions expressed in this reader’s editorial reflect the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. To submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org
DISTRICT 1 SUPERVISOR RACE SET FOR RUNOFF
East County News Service April 9, 2025 (San Diego) – The balance of power on the County Board of Supervisors remains in limbo, as the special election to fill the District 1 vacancy left by Nora Vargas’ resignation now appears headed for a runoff. No candidate has received 50% or more needed to decided the race outright. As of this morning, Chula Vista Mayor John McCann, a Republican, has 43.58% and Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre, a Democrat, has 31.62%. Mail-in ballots will continue to be counted until one week after Election Day. San Diego City Councilmember Vivian Morena is in third with 13%; the remaining four candidates received single digits. “Now, the stakes couldn’t be higher. This runoff is a clear choice between Democratic values that put working people first, and a Trump Republican agenda that would be a complete disaster for all of San Diego County,” Aguirre said, Times of San Diego reports. Aguirre wants to prioritize infrastructure funding and ramping up efforts to secure funds to address the U.S.-Mexico border sewage pollution crisis that has closed beaches in the South Bay for over a year. McCann, a Navy veteran, has a platform to increase funding for law enforcement, cut government waste, oppose unnecessary tax hikes and block the mileage tax, according to his website. The other candidates are Chula Vista Deputy Mayor Carolina Chavez; energy consultant Elizabeth Efird; business owner and former Imperial County Supervisor Louis Fuentes; and marketing firm associate Lincoln Pickard. The seat became vacant in December when Vargas unexpectedly announced after winning that she would step down due to personal safety concerns. Vargas’ resignation has left a partisan split on the County Board of Supervisors, with two Republicans and two Democrats. If the vote count holds and no candidate receives more than 50% of votes, a special election will take place in July between the top two vote getters.
SAN DIEGO SEALS SET SIGHTS ON PLAYOFFS
By Karen Pearlman SAN DIEGO — The National Lacrosse League 2024-25 regular season is coming to a close and the San Diego Seals (8-8) are hitting the home stretch soon. The Seals are concluding their regular season with a two-game home-and-home series against the Albany FireWolves (6-10). The first game is set for Saturday, April 12 at Albany’s MVP Arena (capacity: 17,500) with faceoff set for 4 p.m. It also marks the end of an arduous four-game stretch of road games for the Seals, who’ve traveled to Calgary, Rochester, N.Y., and Halifax, Nova Scotia for their last three games. The Seals are currently fighting to qualify for the NLL playoffs. Buffalo, Saskatchewan, Halifax and Rochester have all clinched playoff spots while eight teams are fighting for the final four spots. That includes the Seals, Vancouver (9-7), Georgia (8-8), Colorado (8-8) and Calgary (8-8), Ottawa (7-9), Albany and Philadelphia (6-10). The Seals will have their hands full with the FireWolves. Albany was the team that eliminated the Seals from last season’s NLL playoffs. The Seals have lost their last two games but prior to that had won five of six. Albany comes in after a loss, scoring a season-low four goals falling to Vancouver 10-4 last Friday night. Before that, Alpany had won three straight, beating Philadelphia, Georgia and reigning NLL Champion Buffalo Bandits. The FireWolves are 4-4 this season at MVP Arena. Saturday night’s game will be broadcast in San Diego on KUSI-TV and streamed to a global audience on ESPN+. It will also mark the 100th game behind the bench for Seals Head Coach Patrick Merrill. Last weekend, the Seals played their 100th all-time game as a franchise but Merrill missed the final game of the 2021-22 season because of an illness so this weekend will mark his 100th behind the Seals’ bench. Though they were held to 10 goals in last Saturday’s loss at Halifax, the Seals are averaging a healthy 13.6 goals per game in their last eight contests in which they’ve gone 5-3. It’s a marked improvement over the five games prior in which they averaged just 8.2 GPG while going 1-4 during the stretch. Over the course of the season, San Diego’s 194 goals scored are fifth-most in the NLL, while their 187 goals allowed are sixth-fewest in the league. On the flip side, Albany’s 170 goals scored are tied for 11th in the League while their 188 goals allowed are eighth-most in the NLL. The Seals are doing well behind the hot shooting of forward and team captain Wes Berg, whose 44 goals are third in the NLL this season. He also has 36 assists, for 80 total points on the season. Berg’s been hot of late, scoring 15 goals in the Seals’ last four games. Berg has a tremendous supporting cast that includes fellow forwards Rob Hellyer (28 goals and 59 assists for a team-leading 87 points), Ryan Benesch (23G and 37A for 60 points, third on the team) and Ben McIntosh (22G and 38A for 60 points, tied with Benesch for third on the team), alongside transition man Zach Currier, whose 171 loose balls secured are third-most in the League. In order to come out on top, the Seals will look to contain Albany’s high-scoring forwards Alex Simmons (33 goals and 51 assists), Tye Kurtz (28G, 45A), Ethan Walker (24G, 41A) and Dyson Williams (23G, 32A). You can follow the Seals on social media @SealsLax on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, or at https://www.sealslax.com/ Tickets to Seals home games at Pechanga Arena start at just $15 and are available at https://sealslax.com/
JOURNEY OF THE HEART: AUTHOR TANYA HARRIS HOSTS BOOK SIGNING EXPERIENCE AT KROC THEATRE APRIL 16
East County News Service April 8, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – Tanya Harris lost her 13-yeare-old son, Treyvon, who was struck by a car outside his school in Lemon Grove in 2019. Now she has authored a book, Journey of the Heart: Should I Stay or Should I Go?” The book recounts her soulful, faith-filled exploration of love, resilience and a powerful question of the heart asked in many relationships. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on April 16, Harris is hosting a book signing “experience” at the Joan B. Kroc Theatre, 6611 University Ave., San Diego, described as “an interactive healing experience filled with music, testimony, art, and purpose.” The event will feature a live DJ blending soulful music with reflective worship and an all-genre soundtrack, as well as artists performing live R&B, gospel, hip-hop, rock and inspirational tracks for an uplifting vibe. There will also be community connection and resource tables for emotional and spiritual support. The author will sign books with personal dedications. Set on Ash Wednesday, a day symbolic of reflection and new beginnings, the event invites community members to examine their own emotional crossroads and find clarity, courage, and healing. The event flips the narrative from cliché to courage, offering a safe space for individuals navigating whether to hold on or let go – in relationships, faith, or personal transformation. This event is free and open to the public. Learn more, read a sample or purchase the book here: https://www.everand.com/book/845730818/Journey-of-the-Heart-Should-I-Stay-or-Should-I-Go-Can-we-stop-living-our-lives-with-questions-and-start-living-them-with-exclamation
HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY AFTER STABBING IN EL CAJON
East County News Service Photo by Robert Gehr April 8, 2025 (El Cajon) – El Cajon homicide detectives are investigating a fatal stabbing. Officers responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls around 2:41 a.m. reporting the stabbing in the 200 block of Cypress Avenue. Officers quickly responded and found the stabbing victim, who was transported by paramedics to a hospital where he later died. “The preliminary investigation revealed the victim and suspect are known to each other,” said Sergeant B. Stanley. “At this time, the suspect has not been located and remains outstanding.” The victim’s identity is being withheld pending family notification. This remains an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the El Cajon Police Department at (619) 579-3311, or anonymously through San Diego County Crime Stoppers at www.sdcrimestoppers.org
LEMON GROVE HOSTS EGGSTRAVAGANZA APRIL 19
East County News Service April 8, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – Lemon Grove invites you to hop on over to the Lemon Grove Recreation Center at 3131 School Lane, Lemon Grove for the city’s ninth annual Eggstravanza from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Saturday, April 19. Egg hunts with 10,000 eggs are scheduled by age group at the following times (age and time): 0-1 10 a.m. 2-5 10:15 a.m. 6-8 10:20 a.m. 9-12 10:30 a.m. Bring your own basket; a golden egg will be given out in each age group. This event also includes arts and crafts, an obstacle courts, snacks for sale and more free fun. Photos with Benny the Bunny are available at the Arts and Crafts Room from 9-9:30 a.m. and 10:30-11 a.m