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

 Our team includes award-winning professional journalists as well as freelance writers, columnists, community volunteers, college interns, photographers, videographers, sound editors and radio broadcasters.

Miriam Raftery, Editor and Founder:  

Miriam Raftery has over 35 years of experience as a journalist and editor. She has won more than 400 major journalism awards, including the American Society of Journalists & Authors’ national Arlene Award for community journalism and San Diego Press Club’s Best of Show award prior to founding East County Magazine.

Her awards include dozens of top honors from Society of Professional Journalists and San Diego Press Club for articles she’s written at ECM, including first place for investigative journalism, breaking news, and multicultural reporting, as well as special awards for reporting that’s made a positive difference in our community. 

She has covered major news stories including the California wildfires, Congressional and presidential elections, land use issues, local politics, health, and feature stories  A former columnist and freelance writer for the San Diego Union-Tribune, she has also worked as an editor of a national nutrition journal and a literary magazine as well as senior national investigative reporter for RawStory.com. Her works have appeared in many national and regional publications, from Woman’s Day to Arizona Highways, as well as in many local community newspapers and magazines.

An East County native, she is a graduate of Helix High, Grossmont College and the University of California, Santa Barbara. She takes pride in exploring East County’s back roads and byways, leaving no stone unturned in the quest for news and feature stories.

Karen Pearlman, Associate Editor:

As East County correspondent for the San Diego Union-Tribune, Karen Pearlman gained in-depth knowledge about communities and issues across San Diego’s inland region, covering school boards, city councils, water and fire districts.  She has also worked as a sports news assistant for the San Diego Union-Tribune, sports editor/writer for the Daily Californian, and covered nonprofit organizations for the San Diego Business Journal.

 A San Diegan since 1979, she is a graduate of Patrick Henry High, Grossmont College and San Diego State University, where she earned a degree in Journalism, also covering finance and sports for The Daily Aztec for four years.

At East County Magazine, she has covered the actions of city councils and county supervisors, land use and water issues, as well as feature stories highlighting attractions across our East County region. An avid animal lover, she also covers stories related to local wildlife, pets, livestock and animal rescue groups.

Paul Levikow has extensive journalism experience including at KSDO News radio, NBC7, KUSI, XETV, 10News, KOGO, San Diego News Source, and City News Service, as well as freelance work for the Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, KPBS and others. For East County Magazine, he’s covered local politics, fire and land use issues among other topics. Related work included a stint as the communications director for the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and work in nonprofit media relations. An East County resident and San Diego native, Levikow has lived in La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Lakeside, Crest and San Carlos. He attended Lemon Grove Junior High (now middle school), Helix High (now Helix Charter), and San Diego State, where he got his first paying journalism gig at the Daily Aztec.  

John “Juanito” Tidwell is a broadcaster on our East County Magazine Radio Show, as well as a retired teacher and a musician playing Latin guitar professionally. Because of his father’s work, John grew up between Latin America and the States, spending 10 of his first 19 years in Venezuela, Chile, and Puerto Rico. He taught elementary school at Darnall Charter School in southeast San Diego for 22 years, using his abilities to help immigrant children. Now retired and living in La Mesa, he is married with two sons and spends his time gardening, playing the guitar, composing songs, and occasionally volunteering as a translator for Catholic Charities Immigration and Refugee Services. An avid follower of news and politics, he loves to report news stories for East County Magazine on KNSJ. A graduate of the University of Arizona, Tidwell’s past radio experience was in the early ‘80s. While attending college, he deejayed at KXEW, a Tucson AM Spanish language station.

 

 

Armando Rasing II is a journalist from Spring Valley, California. He was a sportswriter intern for Prost International from Jan. to May 2025. He covered several Major League Soccer, National Women’s Soccer League and NBA G-League games. By Nov. 2025, he transitioned to news writing, becoming a freelance writer for East County Magazine. He has written articles that vary in subject from gun violence to school district controversies to city council meetings. 

 

Kevin A. Green  is a journalism student at San Diego State University and a freelance reporter covering local news and community issues. His work  focuses on public policy, culture and stories that impact everyday residents.

ECM has published works by numerous award-winning writers, photographers, and broadcasters including J.W. August, Mike Allen, E.A. Barrera, Ariele Brooke, Richard Darvas, Gayle Early, Michael Howard, Briana Gomez, Shiloh Ireland, Rebecca Jefferis-Williamson,  Ron Logan, Jeremy Los, Elijah McKee, Henri Migala,  Karen Pearlman, Jamie Reno, Joseph Rocha, Miriam Raftery, Alexander J. Schorr, David Shorey, and many others.