Thanks To Our Sponsors
Be a sponsor!
Breaking News
Explore What Matters
News Center
Hearing May 15 on proposed release of sexually violent predator Gary Snavely in Borrego Springs: public comments sought
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 11, 2026 (Borrego Springs) – The San Diego Superior Court has ordered the conditional release
Supporters flee Swalwell’s governor campaign amid allegations of sexual assault
Printer-friendly versionBy Jeanne Kuang and Yue Stella Yu, CalMatters This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Photo: U.S. Rep. Eric
News Issues
Hearing May 15 on proposed release of sexually violent predator Gary Snavely in Borrego Springs: public comments sought
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 11, 2026 (Borrego Springs) – The San Diego Superior Court has ordered the conditional release
Attacked by AI-cyberbots: Please help us fund critical security upgrades
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery April 10, 2026 (San Diego’s East County) – Our East County Magazine website is being attacked
Politics
Supporters flee Swalwell’s governor campaign amid allegations of sexual assault
Printer-friendly versionBy Jeanne Kuang and Yue Stella Yu, CalMatters This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Photo: U.S. Rep. Eric
Latest No Kings rallies draw 70,000 in San Diego County, 8 million nationwide
70,000 San Diego County residents join 8 million nationwide in No Kings demonstrations, the largest ever U.S. protest By Miriam Raftery March 31, 2026 (San…
Wildfires and Emergencies
Cal State University San Marcos and nearby homes evacuated due to brush fire
East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts April 5, 2026 (San Marcos) – The #MoreeFire in San Marcos has led to evacuations, including the California State…
Help shape fire priorities in San Diego County
East County News Service April 4, 2026 (San Diego County) — With “fire season” now a year-round threat, public input is growing in importance as…
Events & Arts
Cheers to the Valley Wine Festival April 18 in Ramona
East County News Service April 5, 2026 (Ramona) – The Ramona Chamber of Commerce is inviting the public to savor the 2026 Cheers to the…
Destination East County: Festive events in mid-April and May 2026
By Miriam Raftery April 5, 2026 (San Diego’s East County) – As April continues, drifting into the merry month of May, there are many unique…
Visit East County
DESTINATIONS: Borrego and beyond — a beautiful backcountry day
Printer-friendly versionBy Karen Pearlman, with photos by Karen Pearlman and Miriam Raftery Feb. 22, 2026 (San Diego County) — With
We need your help! We have more news tips for East County issues than our budget can cover
Printer-friendly versionLast year tapped our resources at East County Magazine more than any on record, with so many major news
People
Donate to help pets in need at Alpine Pet Food and Supply Drive April 4
East County News Service March 14, 2026 (Alpine) – Dog and cat food, treats, grooming supplies, new pet toys, feeding
Descanso resident named American Honey Queen
By Miriam Raftery February 18, 2026 (Descanso) — You could call it sweet success. The American Beekeeping Federation has chosen
Communities
Hearing May 15 on proposed release of sexually violent predator Gary Snavely in Borrego Springs: public comments sought
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 11, 2026 (Borrego Springs) – The San Diego Superior Court has ordered the conditional release
San Diego County has free parking perks for seniors
Printer-friendly versionSan Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson holds up his senior parking pass at Mt. Woodson Gateway County Preserve in
Features
San Diego County has free parking perks for seniors
Printer-friendly versionSan Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson holds up his senior parking pass at Mt. Woodson Gateway County Preserve in
Don’t miss Santa Ysabel and Wynola on your way to visit Julian
Printer-friendly versionTiny mountain towns often overlooked by travelers in East County’s back country By Paul Levikow Photos by Miriam Raftery
What East County Topic Matters Most to You?
Get East County Wildfire, Emergency Alerts
Latest Stories
Sponsorship Placement
2 RESCUED FROM OVERTURNED VEHICLE IN LAKESIDE
Printer-friendly version Story by Captain Mark Grow, Lakeside Fire Protection District Photos by Firefighter-Paramedic Steve Russo, Lakeside Fire Protection District Winter Gardens: On November 7th, at 10:54 AM, units from the Lakeside Fire District were dispatched to a “Rescue Vehicle Accident” in the 8600 block of Winter Gardens Blvd. On arrival crews discovered a vehicle still on it’s roof with
TRADE IN YOUR HOLIDAY LIGHTS FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENT LEDS–FREE!
Printer-friendly version WSDG&E® is exchanging up to three old holiday light strands for an equal number of complimentary color light-emitting diode (LED) holiday light strands to customers throughout San Diego County. SDG&E® and its community partners are hosting eight light exchanges throughout the County, ringing in energy savings and increased safety for the holiday season. No Cost LED
CHARGERS AND MTS PARTNER FOR “STUFF THE BUS” FOOD DRIVE
Printer-friendly version Need for food in East County cities rises sharply November 7, 2009 (San Diego) — The San Diego Chargers and Metropolitan Transit Service are partnering to run a series of food drives starting Nov. 10 and ending with a game day food drive at the Chargers vs. Philadelphia game at Qualcomm Stadium Nov. 15. Starting Tuesday, Nov. 10 MTS
EAST COUNTY ROUND-UP: NOVEMBER 7, 2009
Printer-friendly version East County Roundup Includes the Most Important Stories About East County, or relevant to our readers, published by other media. Top stories from the past month include: • Motorist to stand trial in young mother’s death • Obama ushers in a new era for Indian Country • Local GOP party calls
TRIO OF FIRES IN LAKESIDE CAUSE ONE DEATH; SHERIFF’S INVESTIGATING “SUSPICIOUS” BLAZE
Printer-friendly version November 6, 2009 (Lakeside) – Three fires last night in Lakeside are under investigation by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, East County Magazine has learned. A traffic accident in the 9500 block of Blossom Valley Road last night sparked a fire which spread into trees. Alpine Fire District and Cal Fire responded to the blaze and determined that
AMA AND AARP ENDORSE HEALTHCARE REFORM PROPOSAL NOW BEFORE CONGRESS, LOCAL LEADERS WEIGH IN
Printer-friendly version HUNTER AFFIRMS OPPOSITION TO PUBLIC OPTION; OTHERS OBJECT TO DROPPING AMENDMENT TO LET STATES PASS STRONGER HEALTHCARE REFORMS By Miriam Raftery November 5, 2009 – The Democratic-sponsored healthcare measure currently before Congress got a booster shot today with the endorsement of two major groups, the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). The American Medical
THREE ARRESTED IN HEALTHCARE PROTEST AT SAN DIEGO BLUE CROSS
Printer-friendly version November 5, 2009 (San Diego) – Mary Bell, 25, cannot get health insurance anymore since overcoming a kidney infection two years ago. On Monday, Bell and two others (photo, left) were arrested following a three-day vigil at Blue Cross in San Diego. Blue Cross executives declined to meet with the protesters, who sought to ask the insurance giant
PADRES, CHARGERS PITCH IN TO HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR ALPINE POP WARNER PLAYER BATTLING CANCER AT NOV, 9 BENEFIT
Printer-friendly version November 5, 2009 (Alpine)-Meet 13-year-old Vincent "Vinnie" Higgins of Alpine, who just discovered he is facing a life changing illness. Vinnie has bone cancer, and he and his family can use some help. The Joan MacQueen Middle School eighth-grader has been an Alpine American Little League player. This year he was playing for the Alpine Pop Warner
H1N1 FLU FOUND IN CAT, FERRET AND OTHER ANIMALS
Printer-friendly version November 5, 2009 – The first known case of H1N1 (swine flu) in a cat has been diagnosed in an Iowa housecat, the New York Times reports (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/the-cat-who-got-swine-flu/ ) Since the cat never goes outdoors and other family members had flu-like symptoms previously, it is believed likely that the virus was transmitted from human to cat. Family members
OVER 1,200 STIMULUS JOBS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, REPORT SHOWS
Printer-friendly version November 1, 2009 (San Diego)–Federal stimulus spending has generated 1,290 jobs in San Diego County, according to data reported this week on the first round of job creation under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). While the report represents a landmark in government transparency, more must be done to make sure high quality jobs are created
Shane Harris leading backlash against parking fees in Balboa Park
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service Jan. 9, 2026 (San Diego County) — San Diego public advocate Shane Harris has introduced a new ordinance to fully repeal paid parking in Balboa Park and restore free public parking. To support this effort, Harris has launched this online petition to demonstrate broad public support for making Balboa Park parking free again. Harris has also called a
‘Reign of terror’: ICE builds appalling record of killings, beatings, kidnappings, and more
Printer-friendly versionBy Jake Johnson, Common Dreams Photo: Renee Good, 37, U.S. citizen and mother of a-6-year-old, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minnnesota. January 9, 2026 (Minneapolis) – Federal immigration enforcement agents, unleashed and emboldened by President Donald Trump, have been rampaging through the streets of cities across the United States for months, racking up an appalling record of abuses and alleged crimes,
San Diego Superior Court seeks citizens for Civil Grand Jury
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service Jan. 9, 2026 (San Diego County) — The San Diego Superior Court has announced an emergency extension for the 2026-27 Civil Grand Jury application deadline, moving the cutoff to Jan. 30, 2026. The move is an effort to bolster a dwindling pool of applicants for what is often called the county’s most powerful “watchdog” over
County public health officials urge childhood and adolescent vaccine schedule
Printer-friendly versionBy Fernanda Lopez Halvorson, County of San Diego Communications Office Image credit: Shutterstock January 9, 2026 (San Diego) – County public health officials continue to encourage childhood and adolescent vaccinations recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The County’s vaccine schedule aligns with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the West Coast Health Alliance. These recommendations follow a recent decision
Santana shooter granted resentencing hearing, may soon be freed
Printer-friendly versionJanuary 8, 2026 (Santee) – It’s been 25 years since 15-year-old Andrew “Andy” Williams shot and killed two students and injured 13 other people at Santana High School in Santee. He was sentence to 50 years to life in prison. But due to a new state law allowing juvenile offenders with life sentences to petition for resentencing, a Superior
“Forever chemical” crisis seeps into Southern California: from Sweetwater Reservoir to Orange County, districts grapple with how to protect drinking water supplies
Printer-friendly versionPhoto: PFAS have been detected in Sweetwater Reservoir, via Sweetwater Water Authority By Karen Pearlman Jan. 8, 2025 (San Diego County) — “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink” goes the line from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s 1798 poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, describing sailors surrounded by undrinkable ocean water. That old phrase also fits today. Obtaining clean,
Gavin Newsom forecasts a rosier California budget and banks on AI boom continuing
Printer-friendly versionBy Yue Stella Yu, CalMatters This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters Photo: Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during the State of the State address in the Assembly chamber at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Jan. 8, 2026. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters January 9, 2026 (Sacramento) – Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office on Friday forecast a “modest shortfall”
Tensions with Greenland rise: the United States is escalating conflict globally
Printer-friendly versionBy Alexander J. Schorr January 8, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) — After repeated threats by Trump administration officials to invade Greenland by military force if necessary, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers the President hopes to purchase Greenland, not attack it. Rubio’s statement came after Denmark’s Defense Ministry’s confirmation that its military is under a standing order to “shoot
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services changes recommended vaccine schedule for children
Printer-friendly version HHS justifies its decision, but health experts including American Academy of Pediatrics criticizes action By G.A. McNeeley January 8, 2026 (Washington D.C.) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on January 5 announced that it is slashing the number of diseases for which vaccines are recommended for children from 17 to 11. The action drew swift condemnation from
Reader’s Editorial: Venezuela could yield more profits from ecotourism than from oil
Printer-friendly version By Renee Owens, wildlife biologist Photo by Renee Owens: capybaras and sunset in Venezuela’s llanos January 7, 2026 (San Diego’s East County) — Having lived and worked in Venezuela, I can no longer remain silent amidst all the clueless rhetoric. Venezuela is more than a cliché of dictators and oil. It is a wondrous place and a cautionary tale
Get Wildfire Alerts & Wildfire Emergency News
Partner To ECM
Our Engaged Audience
5 to 10 million hits
per month!
5 to 10 million hits
per month!
A quarter million visits
each month
Most widely read news site dedicated to
San Diego’s East County
Winner of over 150
journalism awards
“Sponsoring East County Magazine is a great way to reach our loyal and engaged readers, who value organizations and businesses that support nonprofit, independent news in the public interest and wildfire/emergency alerts that keep people safe and informed. Sponsors can choose to underwrite our community news site, support a favorite section or a new special section, underwrite an event, or sponsor our wildfire and emergency alerts.”
— Miriam Raftery, Founder of East County Magazine
Community Links
Thanks To Our Major Sponsors
📬 Subscribe to ECM – 100% Free, Trusted by East County Since 2008
- Emergency alerts
- Breaking news
- No spam ever