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

SEN. JONES’ BILL TO END ELDERLY PAROLE FOR VIOLENT SEX OFFENDERS PASSES KEY SENATE COMMITTEE

Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service Photo snip of Jones with San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan (right) courtesy California State Republicans YouTube channel April 16, 2025 (Sacramento, CA) — In February, Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) introduced Senate Bill 286, to close what he called a “dangerous loophole” in California’s Elderly Parole program that allows violent sex offenders

Read More ...

CA SENATOR SCHIFF INTRODUCES FIREWALL ACT

Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service Photo: Getty Fire, courtesy of LA Fire April 14, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) — U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) has introduced his first bill.  The Firewall Act aims to help homeowners hit by climate-fueled disasters such as recent Southern California fires. It would provide a tax credit for upgrades to make houses more resilient. “By getting

Read More ...

WINDY AND WET WEATHER FORECAST; SNOW POSSIBLE IN MOUNTAINS

Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery April 14, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – As a cooling trend continues, the National Weather Service predicts strong winds, rain, and snow for our mountain areas later this week. There is a chance of rain countywide and mountain snow on Thursday, increasing on Friday, with possible rain in the mountains as late as Saturday morning.

Read More ...

MAN SHOT AFTER ALTERCATION IN EL CAJON

Printer-friendly version East County News Service April 14, 2025 (El Cajon) – El Cajon  Police homicide detectives are investigating a fatal shooting.  Officers responded to call reporting the shooting in the 1100 block of East Madison Ave. at 9:47 p.m. last night. “Officers arrived on the scene within minutes and located an adult male in a parking lot suffering from

Read More ...

TRUMP PAUSES MOST TARIFFS FOR 90 DAYS AFTER BACKLASH, BUT STIFF TARIFFS ON CHINESE GOODS REMAIN

Printer-friendly versionEast County business leaders speak out on impacts of tariffs By G. A. McNeeley  April 14, 2025 (San Diego) – On Wednesday, April 9, President Donald Trump temporarily dropped tariff rates on imports from most of the United States’ trade partners to 10% (for 90 days), to allow trade negotiations with those countries.    Trump announced the pause hours

Read More ...

EARTHQUAKE NEAR RAMONA SHUTS DOWN HIGHWAY 76

Printer-friendly versionLast updated April 14, 2025 8 p.m including reports from readers, local authorities, and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. April 14, 2025 (Ramona) — A 5.2 earthquake struck at 10:08 a.m  about 2  miles south of Julian. The jolt was felt across the county, knocking pictures off walls and bottles off shelves at homes in La Mesa. California

Read More ...

SAN DIEGO SLAMS SHUTOUT, IMPROVES TO 13-3 IN RED-HOT START

Printer-friendly versionPadres lead NL west division in team’s best season start By Karen Pearlman Photo courtesy of San Diego Padres: Winning pitcher Michael King gets Gatorade ice bath after complete-game shutout of Colorado Rockies Sunday at Petco Park April 13, 2025 (San Diego) – The San Diego Padres are all alone in first place in the National League West, above

Read More ...

RESIDENTS CHARGED UP OVER PROSPECT OF BATTERY STORAGE SITE IN LA MESA NEIGHBORHOOD

Printer-friendly versionStory and Photos By Karen Pearlman   April 11, 2025  (La Mesa) —  “No matter how it’s sugarcoated, battery storage facilities are dystopian looking, loud, detrimental to real estate values and potentially deadly,” La Mesa City Councilmember Laura Lothian says.   For several years, Lothian (pictured above, with Heartland Fire & Rescue Fire Chief Bent Koch) has been a

Read More ...

SANTEE SELF FUNDS $23.5M COMMUNITY CENTER; DELAYS VOTE ON PAY HIKE

Printer-friendly version  By Mike Allen Image: Rendering of planned community center   April 10, 2025 (Santee) — The Santee City Council did a bit of creative financing to fund a planned community center at its April 9 meeting.   The project, behind the Cameron YMCA that has been planned for some 20 years, could go out to bid by this

Read More ...

EAST COUNTY COMMUNITY ACTION COALTION CALLS COMMUNITY MEETING WED. JUNE 24 TO DISCUSS POWERLINK, SDG&E SHUT-OFF ISSUES

Printer-friendly versionJune 23, 2009 (Lakeside) — “Today was a GREAT day for San Diego,” Laura Cyphert, co-founder of the East County Community Action Coalition (ECCAC) stated in an e-mail to the coalition’s members, which now number over 78,000, according to Cyphert. “Today the County Board of Supervisors voted 4:0 to take a position AGAINST the SDG&E ill-conceived shut off plan,”

Read More ...

BON APPÉTIT! OVER 20 RESTAURANTS ADD FLAVOR TO 1ST TASTE OF LA MESA AND BUSINESS EXPO, LA MESA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCES

Printer-friendly versionBON APPÉTIT! OVER 20 RESTAURANTS ADD FLAVOR TO 1ST TASTE OF LA MESA AND BUSINESS EXPO, LA MESA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCES June 22, 2009 (La Mesa) — The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce announced that more than 20 restaurants and food providers have signed up to participate in the first annual “Taste of La Mesa” slated for Monday,

Read More ...

SD SUPERVISORS ON TUESDAY WILL CONSIDER SDG&E’S PLAN TO SHUT OFF POWER ON HOT, WINDY DAYS

Printer-friendly versionThe County of San Diego Board of Supervisors will take up San Diego Gas & Electric Company’s ill-conceived electricity shut off plan at next Tuesday’s board meeting, June 23rd, which starts at 9 a.m. at the County Administration Building, 1600 Pacific Highway, Third Floor, San Diego. The discussion will center on both the issue of a Memorandum of Understanding

Read More ...

SPORT CLIPS RAISES $2,500 FOR ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION

Printer-friendly versionJune 23, 2009 (Santee) – Terry Klinker, owner of the Sport Clips store in Santee, donned the company’s “Sporty” mascot suit and joined with other members of the haircut store’s team to participate in the 2009 Arthritis Walk last Saturday. The retail chain raised more than $2,500 through the walk as well as through a “Cut-a-Thon” held at its

Read More ...

“HOW GREEN IS MY SAN DIEGO” PROGRAM SET JUNE 30

Printer-friendly versionJune 22, 2009 (San Diego) –The League of Women Voters will host a luncheon program titled “How Green is My San Diego” with Tom Blair and Stephen Grealy from the City Environmental Systems and Waste Reduction Departments and Carolyn Chase from the Sierra Club in San Diego on June 30th. Speakers will address what San Diego is doing to

Read More ...

LA MESA TO CONSIDER HELPING NON-CITY GROUPS FUND FIREWORKS & OTHER CAUSES TO BENEFIT AREA RESIDENTS

Printer-friendly versionJune 21, 2009 (La Mesa) –On Tuesday, June 23, at 3 p.m. La Mesa’s City Council will hold a joint special meeting with the La Mesa Community Redevelopment Agency and La Mesa Public Financing Authority. Staff will present a recommendation urging Council to approve the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 budgets. Council will also consider a possible rule change regarding travel

Read More ...

OH NO , TAINTED COOKIE DOUGH! FDA WARNS CONSUMERS NOT TO EAT NESTLE TOLLHOUSE DOUGH CONTAMINATED BY E-COLI

Printer-friendly versionNestle Voluntarily Recalls all Varieties of Prepackaged, Refrigerated Toll House Cookie Dough June 19, 2009 (Washington D.C.)–The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are warning consumers not to eat any varieties of prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough due to the risk of contamination with E. coli O157:H7 (a bacterium that

Read More ...

FILNER SECURES FUNDING FOR CRITICAL COMMUNITY PROJECTS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Printer-friendly versionJune 20, 2009 (Washington, DC) – Congressman Bob Filner announces that he has secured significant funding for critical community projects within California’s 51st District through the bi-partisan Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill as follows: • $1.2 million for the Regional Communications System Upgrade through the County of San Diego, which will also benefit Imperial County • $200,000 for

Read More ...

LOCAL WRITER SLEUTHS OUT PROOF THAT FINGERPRINT EVIDENCE CAN BE WRONG, SKEWED BY EXAMINERS’ BIAS

Printer-friendly versionEast County Magazine editor Miriam Raftery interviewed journalist/author Sue Russell, an East County resident whose latest article exposes evidence that fingerprint analysis is not infallible as we’ve always thought and may be wrong in as many as 1,000 cases a year in the U.S., according to one estimate. Russell’s article, BIAS AND THE BIG FINGERPRINT DUST-UP, documents how unintentional

Read More ...

SHERIFF CONDUCTS ANTI-GANG SWEEP IN FALLBROOK

Printer-friendly versionThe North County Regional Gang Task Force, in conjunction with the Sheriff’s Fallbrook Substation, conducted an anti-gang enforcement operation in Fallbrook on Saturday night, June 13th. The operation focused on all gang members residing in the jurisdiction of the Fallbrook command. Deputies conducted directed patrol, gang compliance checks, and probation and parole searches on gang members. The operation lasted

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