Award-winning nonprofit media in the public interest, serving San Diego's inland region

Award-winning nonprofit media in the public interest, serving San Diego's inland region

Breaking News

Explore What Matters

Stay informed on the issues that shape East County. From local news and emergency alerts, to community celebrations

News Center

News Issues

Politics

Wildfires and Emergencies

Events & Arts

Visit East County

People

Communities

Features

Get East County Wildfire, Emergency Alerts

Critical wildfire and emergency notifications delivered instantly.Join Neighbors who stay informed and prepared with our award winning Journalist

Latest Stories

Sponsorship Placement

Register to Vote!

Printer-friendly versionVoter registration drives are being held at several East County locations listed below.   You must be registered by October 20th to vote in the November 4th presidential election. Registering in person means you don’t have to worry about forms getting lost in the mail or arriving too late.   If you’re not yet registered, you can sign up at any

Read More ...

WATER SHORTAGE REVIVES RECYCLED WATER PROPOSALS

Printer-friendly versionBy E.A. Barrera Photos by Daisy Sharrock October 1, 2008 (SAN DIEGO) – Water is the single biggest issue facing the future of San Diego County. Even the process for updating San Diego County’s land use general plan – the so-called General Plan 2020 process – depends on the availability and amount of water the area will sustain. "Water

Read More ...

Health Tips

Printer-friendly version HUMAN WEST NILE VIRUS CASES REACH FIVE TOTAL SAN DIEGO August 18, 2008 — Another confirmed locally-acquired human case of West Nile virus (WNV) brings the year-to-date total to five—including one patient in East County, according to the County Health & Human Services Agency (HHSA).   FDA DECISION ON BPA OUTRAGES HEALTH ADVOCATES FALLS CHURCH, Va., Aug 20, 2008

Read More ...

A Firestorm of Controversy – Still No County Fire Department Five Years After Cedar Blaze

Printer-friendly versionBallot measure will ask voters to approve tax for fire services By E.A. Barrera Photos courtesy of La Mesa Fire Department “Given the existing high-risk conditions that are projected to continue into the future, destructive firestorms will certainly occur again. Yet, even armed with this knowledge and after the Cedar Fire wake-up call, the San Diego region is woefully

Read More ...

DYING TO COME TO AMERICA – Immigrant Death Toll Soars; Water Stations Sabotaged

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery September 1, 2008 (Holtville)–“These people came here looking for opportunity. Not one of them expected to die,” said Enrique Morones, erecting a hand-made wooden cross at a gravesite marked only by a brick engraved with the name Jane Doe. A few years ago, there were twenty bricks in this pauper’s graveyard at Holtville in Imperial County,

Read More ...

Tough Medicine, Part I

Printer-friendly versionGrossmont Hospital Investigations Raise Oversight Concernts, Criticisms By Sara McInerney, staff writer, and editor Miriam Raftery September 14, 2008 (La Mesa)–Revelations of preventable patient deaths and alleged neglect at Sharp Grossmont Hospital have led some community leaders to demand increased oversight even as new complaints of patient care at Grossmont surface. Grossmont is one of four hospitals in San Diego

Read More ...

Tough Medicine, Part II

Printer-friendly versionCommunity Leaders Call for New Hospital in East County: Long Waits in Grossmont ER, Patient Deaths Heighten Urgent Need By Sara McInerney, Staff Writer September 18, 2008 (La Mesa)–Government investigations into at least three preventable patient deaths at Sharp Grossmont Hospital have raised serious questions about the facility’s capacity to service the needs of East County’s growing population. Closure of

Read More ...

Democratic Candidates Urge Voters to Unite for Change at East County Rally

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery "I’ve been a Republican for 35 years and I became a Democrat in January," La Mesa Councilmember David Allan told a crowd of approximately 350 people at the East County Uniting for Change picnic on Sunday at Harry Griffith Park in La Mesa. Sponsored by the La Mesa-Foothills, East County and Santee Democratic Clubs, the event

Read More ...

Budget Crisis Hits Home

Printer-friendly versionState workers in East County struggle to cope with prospect of huge pay cuts, lay-offs; Judge orders Sept. 12 hearing on Governor’s wage-slashing orders By Miriam RafteryPhotos by Aida Canonizado Mildred Scarber, a state employee who works at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in El Cajon, was shocked to learn that Governor Schwarzenegger has ordered all state employees’

Read More ...

Taxing Issues

Printer-friendly versionLa Mesa Council candidates address budget gap, public safety and future growth By Miriam Raftery State budget cuts have left La Mesa facing a potential budget shortfall of several million dollars.  In exclusive interviews with East County Magazine, challenger Shannon O’Dunn as well as incumbents David Allan and Ruth Sterling shared their views on  bridging the budget gap as

Read More ...

BABY BRACELETS & PACIFIER CLIPS RECALLED FOR HIGH LEAD LEVELS

Printer-friendly version Products were sold in resale and consignment shops nationwide     February 18, 2010 (Washington, D.C.) – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Allreds Design (doing business as Hidden Hollow Beads), has just announced a voluntary recall of Allreds Design baby bracelets and pacifier clips. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately. To see photos

Read More ...

WOMAN FOUND DEAD AT SOBER LIVING FACILITY IN SPRING VALLEY

Printer-friendly version February 17, 2010 (Spring Valley) Tina Marie Jordan, 51, was found dead in the apartment she shared with a boyfriend at a sober living facility at 10030 Juan Street in Spring Valley. On February 14, the apartment manager went to check on her after not seeing her all day.   The manager, along with two residents, discovered her

Read More ...

LAKESIDE WOMAN KILLED BY CAR WHILE JOGGING; MEMORIAL ON SATURDAY

Printer-friendly version February 17, 2010 (Lakeside) – Amy Beringhaus, 35, of Lakeside was struck by a car and killed yesterday morning on Los Coches Road in El Cajon while jogging with her husband, Shaun, and their dog.  According to authorities, she stepped off the sidewalk into an unmarked crossing area in the northbound land in front of an oncoming car.

Read More ...

UTILITY-BACKED BALLOT INITIATIVE DRAWS CRITICISM FROM LOCAL LEADERS

Printer-friendly version  Should cities and counties be barred from starting up public power entitities to compete against utility giants such as SDG&E–and offer clean energy options to residents?  Voters to decide.   February 17, 2010 (San Diego) – A June ballot initiative seeks to change California’s constitution to make it harder for cities and counties to give residents alternatives to

Read More ...

PRISONER RELEASE 101: FEB. 22 FORUM ON INMATE RELEASE UNDER NEW LAW

Printer-friendly version  February 17, 2010 (San Diego) – California is under federal court order to reduce the number of its prison inmates by 40,000. A new state law mandates that Calfironia slash its inmate population by 6,500 this year.  To comply, in January San Diego County jails gave early release to approximately 260 inmates.   Who are these prisoners? What

Read More ...

FALLBROOK MOM PLEADS GUILTY TO SOCIAL HOST ORDINANCE VIOLATION

Printer-friendly version Deborah Gibney Receives Probation, Fine February 17, 2010 — Fallbrook resident Deborah Gibney has pleaded guilty to violating the County of San Diego’s Social Host Ordinance. The guilty plea stemmed from an underage drinking party Gibney hosted in June of 2009. San Diego Sheriff’s Deputies were called to Fallbrook Hospital on the night of June 9, 2009. The

Read More ...

DID YOU FEEL THAT? EARTHQUAKES — AND WHAT TO DO WHEN ONE STRIKES

Printer-friendly version   February 17, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) — Early last Sunday morning, a magnitude (M)4.5 earthquake along with subsequent aftershocks struck Baja California, Mexico.  It was felt in East County and as far north as Oceanside.    Although we experience these temblors often, it is beneficial to know what to do if we find ourselves inside a building while at work, enjoying a meal at a

Read More ...

SEARCH LAUNCHED FOR MISSING FAMILY

Printer-friendly version    February 16, 2010 (Bonsall) – The San Diego Sheriff seeks public help to locate Joseph and Summer McStay and their two children. Last night, the Sheriff was asked by a relative member to conduct a check on the welfare of the family, who resided at 3473 Avocado Vista Lane in Bonsall. The family has not been seen

Read More ...

FEDERAL LAWSUIT FILED TODAY CHALLENGES APPROVAL OF SUNRISE POWERLINK BY BLM

Printer-friendly version  “The Bureau of Land Management totally disregarded laws to protect people and nature when it approved the Sunrise Powerlink.  Even the judge presiding over this project with the California Public Utilities Commission agreed with opponents that there’s no need for the project to be built anywhere let alone through communities and the Cleveland National Forest.” – attorney Stephan

Read More ...

ARSONIST SENTENCED TO 19 YEARS FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER OF NURSING HOME RESIDENTS IN EAST COUNTY

Printer-friendly version  February 16, 2010 (San Diego) San Diego-California Attorney General Edmund G. "Jerryy" Brown Jr. announced last week that Mary Louise Wilson, 54, of San Diego, has been sentenced to 19 years and 4 months in prison for attempting to "kill or seriously injure" nursing home residents by setting fires at the facilities, including nursing homes in El Cajon

Read More ...

Get Wildfire Alerts & Wildfire Emergency News

Stay ahead of emergencies with real-time notifications delivered directly to your inbox when seconds count.

Partner To ECM

Connect with East County’s most informed and engaged community. Our readers trust ECM for critical news and actively support local businesses.

Our Engaged Audience

Unique Visitors

5 to 10 million hits

per month!

Number of Visitors
0

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

Thanks To Our Major Sponsors

📬 Subscribe to ECM – 100% Free, Trusted by East County Since 2008

Reviews and Feedback