Thanks To Our Sponsors
Be a sponsor!
Breaking News
Explore What Matters
News Center
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,
What East County Topic Matters Most to You?
Get East County Wildfire, Emergency Alerts
Latest Stories
Sponsorship Placement
BREAKING NEWS: HOUSE PASSES LANDMARK HEALTHCARE BILL; LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES DIVIDED
Printer-friendly version November 8, 2009 (Washington D.C.) – The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Affordable Healthcare for All Act last night by a 220-215 margin. Local Democratic representatives Bob Filner and Susan Davis voted for the landmark measure, while local Republicans Duncan Hunter, Darrell Issa and Brian Bilbray voted no. In the House, only a single Republican (Joseph Cao of New Orleans)
OFF TO THE RACES….SOAPBOX RACING FINALS TODAY IN LA MESA
Printer-friendly version November 8, 2009 (La Mesa) –“If Bryce Taylor can do it, I can do it.” That’s been the attitude among many area youngsters as they prepared to compete in two days of Soap Box Derby Rally Races, with the final rounds today. The event is sponsored by Drew Ford and the Kiwanis Club of La Mesa. The race
BETWEEN WILDFIRES: GET RID OF EMBER CATCHERS
Printer-friendly version By Anne S. Fege, Ph.D., M.B.A., wildfire ecologist and educator, and retired Forest Supervisor of the Cleveland National Forest November 7, 2009 (San Diego’s East County)–Embers are mostly to blame in structural losses from wildfires! Recent wildfire damage assessments have shown that most structures ignite from embers landing in or on combustible materials of a house (entering the attic
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
DNA identifies 1998 El Cajon homicide victim as Alicia Ledezma Sanchez, born in 1968
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service Photo: rendering from ECPD depicts victim, reconstructed based on her skull November 4, 2025 (El Cajon) — Twenty-seven years after her body was found partially decomposed in a ravine off Avocado in El Cajon, Alicia Ledezma Sanchez has been identified as the homicide victim, thanks to a match to DNA provided by her son. The
Pumpkin Smash event turns Halloween waste into environmental wins
Printer-friendly versionLocal students join I Love A Clean San Diego to divert organic waste from landfills Story and photo via I Love a Clean San Diego November 4, 2025 (Spring Valley) — On Monday, November 3, students at Sweetwater Springs Elementary School participated in a unique post-Halloween event aimed at reducing organic waste and promoting environmental education. Hosted by I
Grossmont and Cuyamaca College military and veteran students find connection and support
Printer-friendly versionThe colleges offer award-winning programs that celebrate and honor veterans Photo: Grossmont College student veterans Source: Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District November 4, 2025 (El Cajon) – Navy veteran Isaiah Nailon had one clear goal in mind when he enrolled at Cuyamaca College in the spring of 2018: taking the first step toward earning a bachelor’s degree. “That was it,” he
Advancing Healthy Communities: From conflict to connection: Trauma-informed dialogue in a time of unrest
Printer-friendly versionBy Venture Griswold, Institute for Public Strategies Photo: “Kitchen Table Conversation” by Peter Alfred Hess is licensed under CC BY 2.0. November 4, 2025 (San Diego) — If the world feels heavy to you lately, you are not alone. We are in a time of great political unrest, with attacks on marginalized groups, climate disasters, and misinformation spreading quickly. It is natural for
Grossmont Healthcare District announces James Sly as CEO
Printer-friendly versionBy Karen Pearlman Nov. 4, 2025 (East County) – The Grossmont Healthcare District has a new Chief Executive Officer. Santee resident James Sly was unanimously approved by the five-member GHD board to be the Grossmont Healthcare District CEO and lead the organization on Tuesday afternoon. Sly, who has been the CEO of the East County Economic Development Council since
Thousands of San Diegans receive emergency food assistance at Snapdragon Stadium amid federal shutdown
Printer-friendly versionThe Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank partners with the State of California, City of San Diego, and San Diego State University to provide relief for CalFresh recipients impacted by the federal benefit pause. East County News Service November 3, 2025 (San Diego) — In a powerful show of community partnership and coordination, the Jacobs & Cushman San
San Diego-based International Relief Teams responds to Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service Photo via Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness on X November 3, 2025 (San Diego) — International Relief Teams (IRT) in San Diego is actively responding to the widespread devastation in Jamaica caused by Hurricane Melissa. Entire communities have been left without safe shelter, access to clean water, food, or basic medicines. A press release from
San Diego FC to face Portland in MLS playoff game Sunday
Printer-friendly versionPhoto courtesy San Diego FC Instagram East County News Service Nov. 3, 2025 (San Diego) — San Diego FC and the Portland Timbers will be playing for the opportunity to advance in the Major League Soccer playoffs this Sunday after Portland beat SDFC 3-2 in a penalty shooutout Saturday night in Portland. San Diego FC beat
Navy police officer charged with murder in death of LMPD officer pleads not guilty; bail set at $1M
Printer-friendly versionVideo capture of Antonio Alcantar, right, courtesy ECM news partner KGTV 10 News East County News Service and news partner KGTV 10 News Nov. 3, 2025 (San Diego) — A United States Navy sailor accused of drunk driving and hitting and killing La Mesa Police Officer Lauren Craven on the freeway less than two weeks ago pleaded
Reader’s Editorial: CalRTA delivers — from pension power to Social Security fairness, retired teachers get it done
Printer-friendly versionSource: California Retired Teachers Association November 2, 2025 (San Diego) – During this year’s Retired Teachers Week, we proudly look back to January when the California Retired Teachers Association (CalRTA) achieved our biggest legislative victory when the Social Security Fairness Act was signed into law. CalRTA helped spearhead this successful national campaign and was the only West Coast organization
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