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Padre Dam’s Ray Stoyer Water Recycling Facility decommissioned after more than a half-century of use
Printer-friendly versionRay Stoyer Water Recycling Facility at Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Santee Lakes Community event makes way for the
Lemon Grove Library hosting Sheriff’s reentry event
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 13, 2026 (Lemon Grove) — The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office Reentry Services Division
News Issues
Padre Dam’s Ray Stoyer Water Recycling Facility decommissioned after more than a half-century of use
Printer-friendly versionRay Stoyer Water Recycling Facility at Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Santee Lakes Community event makes way for the
Lemon Grove Library hosting Sheriff’s reentry event
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 13, 2026 (Lemon Grove) — The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office Reentry Services Division
Politics
Padre Dam’s Ray Stoyer Water Recycling Facility decommissioned after more than a half-century of use
Printer-friendly versionRay Stoyer Water Recycling Facility at Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Santee Lakes Community event makes way for the
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
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
Lionel’s Legacy hosting sleepover party and more in Lakeside April 18-19
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 14, 2026 (Lakeside) — East County-based senior dog rescue group Lionel’s Legacy is holding
Mountain Empire Art Show Debuts April 15 in Boulevard
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 14, 2026 (Boulevard) — The Backcountry Resource Center in Boulevard will be busy this Wednesday,
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
Lionel’s Legacy hosting sleepover party and more in Lakeside April 18-19
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 14, 2026 (Lakeside) — East County-based senior dog rescue group Lionel’s Legacy is holding
Mountain Empire Art Show Debuts April 15 in Boulevard
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 14, 2026 (Boulevard) — The Backcountry Resource Center in Boulevard will be busy this Wednesday,
Features
Lionel’s Legacy hosting sleepover party and more in Lakeside April 18-19
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 14, 2026 (Lakeside) — East County-based senior dog rescue group Lionel’s Legacy is holding
Mountain Empire Art Show Debuts April 15 in Boulevard
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 14, 2026 (Boulevard) — The Backcountry Resource Center in Boulevard will be busy this Wednesday,
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SENATOR PADILLA, COLLEAGUES PUSH TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO EXEMPT SEASONAL FIREFIGHTERS FROM FEDERAL HIRING FREEZE
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service February 27, 2025 (Washington D.C.) — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined 14 other Democratic Senators in urging senior Trump Administration officials to reverse the hiring and onboarding freeze of federal seasonal firefighters that they say threatens the safety of communities in California and across the nation. The Trump Administration’s January 20 hiring freeze of federal civilian employees inexplicably did not exempt federal
ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT TO REGISTER FOR COUNTY TREASURER-TAX COLLECTOR’S AUCTION OF 637 PROPERTIES
Printer-friendly versionBidders must register at sdttc.com by March 6th to participate in auction featuring 640 properties February 26, 2025 (San Diego) – San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister reminded those interested in participating in the County’s 2025 online property tax auction that bidder registration must be completed by March 6. This year’s auction features more than 600 properties for
BODY FOUND IN CAR LEADS TO PURSUIT, ARREST OF VICTIM’S SON
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery February 26, 2025 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police responded to a call yesterday from a man who found his mother’s body in the trunk of her car, a black Hyundai Sonata. The caller said he had gone to check on his mother after she didn’t return home from visiting her other son, Richard Leyva, 24, who
BIRD FLU SUSPECTED IN DEATH OF EAST COUNTY CAT THAT ATE RAW PET FOOD
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery Image: generic cat photo, cc via Bing February 26, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego County Public Health officials are investigating a suspected case of bird flu (H5N1) in a house cat from East County. Preliminary test results show the cat, which got sick and died in mid-January 2025, was positive for bird flu. The indoor cat ate a raw pet food that is suspected to
CONSERVATION GROUPS SUE FEDS TO PROTECT COAST FROM OFFSHORE DRILLING
Printer-friendly versionBy Suzanne Potter, Public News Service February 25, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) – A coalition of environmental groups is suing the Trump administration to reinstate protections against new offshore drilling. President Donald Trump revoked a Biden-era order to withdraw from future drilling 625 million acres of ocean off the Pacific, Eastern Gulf, Atlantic and Alaska coasts. Devorah Ancel, Environmental Law
MASS FIRINGS NEGATIVELY IMPACT NATIONAL PARKS, FORESTS, OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery Photo via Alt National Park Service: upside down flag hung by employees at Yosemite National Park signals dire distress February 25, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – In what’s been dubbed a Valentine’s Day massacre, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has fired 1,000 National Park Service employees from the nation’s 63 national parks, plus another 2,000
TRUMP BUDGET PASSES SENATE, HEADS TO HOUSE
Printer-friendly versionRepublicans also seek to increase national debt to fund tax breaks for wealthy By Alexander J Schorr Image: Cc by NC-ND via Bing February 24, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Republican senators pushed a $340 billion budget framework to passage early Friday that would give massive new tax cuts to wealthy people and corporations, while slashing Medicaid and
LAKESIDE WOMAN KILLED IN DULZURA COLLISION
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service February 24, 2025 (Dulzura) – A Lakeside woman, 60, was killed in a collision that occurred yesterday on State Route 94 west of Marron Valley Road in Dulzura. The victim was riding a 2019 Can Am 3-wheel motorcycle westbound on the highway when a 2024 Subaru Crosstek entered the westbound lane from a dirty driveway
THE SAVE ACT WOULD DISENFRANCHISE OVER 146 MILLION U.S. CITIZENS, INCLUDING MANY MARRIED WOMEN
Printer-friendly versionThe Center for American Progress has set up a link for concerned citizens to contact their members of Congress and urge opposition to the SAVE Act. By Alexander J Schorr Photo: Suffragists outside White House in 1917 urged that women be granted right to vote, which was approved with passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920
HOMICIDE AT PARK IN LEMON GROVE
Printer-friendly version Updates: The victim has been identified as 51-year-old Anthony Trujillo. On Feb. 27, Andrew Gomez Cardona, 26, was arrested at a home on S. Magnolia in El Cajon. He has been booked on charges related to the murder of Trujillo, who died of a bullet wound in the neck. Cardona told deputies that he resided in Lemon Grove.
As politics in San Diego has shifted blue over the last decades, local broadcast industry has turned MAGA red
Printer-friendly versionTrump Supporters Will Soon Control Most TV News Stations in San Diego By J.W. August December 7, 2025 (San Diego) – San Diego County’s voter makeup has gone from red to blue over the decades, and there’s no better example in recent years than the evolving Democratic majority on the San Diego City Council and county Board of Supervisors.
East County AWP construction boosts cost, but officials say recycled water supply is worth the price
Printer-friendly versionBy Mike Allen Photo: Education Center at AWP plant December 5, 2025 (Santee) — Three years into construction, the massive East County Advanced Water Purification Program is approaching the finish line late next year when the region’s sewage now being treated at Point Loma will be pumped to a new Santee plant and converted to drinkable, purified water.
Loveland Reservoir draining underway brings pushback from East County residents
Printer-friendly version Loveland Reservoir showing what is left of the public fishing zone. Photo by Ostan Patton By Karen Pearlman Dec. 5, 2025 (Alpine) – It’s been three years since Loveland Reservoir was drained by Sweetwater Authority to “deadpool” level for the first time ever, leaving the area susceptible to environmental challenges, killing fish and increasing fire hazards. Now another extreme draining is underway by Sweetwater
Fiery crash in Ranchita kills girl, 8, injures seven others
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service December 4, 2025 (Ranchita) – An 8-year-old girl has died and seven other people injured, including children, in a multi-vehicle collision Sunday afternoon, November 30 on San Felipe Road south of Montezuma Valley Road. Alcohol is suspected as a factor in the crash, according to the California Highway Patrol. “Dozens of first responders worked
County officials respond to November coyote attack at UTC
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service A coyote peers out from near Cowles Mountain in 2023. Photo by Karen Pearlman Dec. 4, 2025 (San Diego County) — San Diego County officials are sharing information in response to a recent coyote attack that took place in the Westview UTC mall parking lot on Nov. 25. The coyote attack injured two children and
Grossmont Healthcare District Awards Nearly $4 Million to Strengthen Health and Wellness Services Across East County
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service Dec. 3, 2025 (La Mesa) — The Grossmont Healthcare District has approved nearly $4 million in community grants and sponsorships for fiscal year 2025–26. GHD officials say that the grant shares mark the largest single-year investment in its history to support the health and well-being of East County residents. The awards were finalized at the GHD governing
Shredded cheeses recalled in 31 states due to possible metal fragments: Cheese were sold at major retailers under several brand names
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service December 3, 2025 (San Diego) – Great Lakes Cheese Co. has recalled shredded cheeses sold in 31 states due to possible metal fragments in the products. The cheese was sold under multiple brand names, including Borden, Good & Gather, Great Value, Publix, Food Lion and Food Club, and at stores such as Walmart, Target, Aldi,
Trump administration allows PFAS “forever chemicals” in pesticides used on food and eliminates asbestos testing in cosmetics
Printer-friendly version By Alexander J Schorr Image: Harmful health effects of PFAS, via European Enviornmental Agency November 30, 2025— The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently approved new pesticide products containing “forever chemicals” (PFAS) for use on major food crops, sparking significant controversy. The approvals, announced this month, have been met with criticism from scientists and environmental advocates due
Holiday season safety tips & reminders from the California Fire Foundation and PSA program
Printer-friendly versionSource: California Fire Foundation November 29, 2025 (San Diego) – The holiday season is a time of joy, family gatherings, and cherished traditions. As families across California prepare for festive celebrations, it’s essential to prioritize safety—especially in a state prone to wildfires. Here are some key holiday safety tips from the California Fire Foundation: 1. Kitchen Safety The kitchen
Automated license plate reader technology helps ECPD arrest burglary suspects
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service November 28, 2025 (El Cajon) – Officers from El Cajon Police Department responded to reports of a home burglary in progress, with the family inside on November 23 around 9:14 a.m. Whey they arrived, officers learned that two suspects—a woman who fled on foot and a man who stole the victims’ SUV—had already left the
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