East County Magazine

FRIENDS OF LOVELAND RESERVOIR ASK PUBLIC HELP AFTER FOREST SERVICES DENIES REQUEST FOR VOLUNTEERS TO HELP RESTORE SUNRISE-TO-SUNSET ACCESS
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery July 11, 2024 (Alpine) – The nonprofit Friends of Loveland Reservoir has been advocating for a return of sunrise-to-sunset hours at Sweetwater Reservoir. Such access was agreed to along with an easement as part of a land-swap deal between the U.S. Forest Service and Sweetwater Water Authority (SWA) years ago, but in recent years amid tightened
AFTER OTAY FIRE, LA MESA CITY MANAGER OFFERS ASSURANCES ON SAFETY OF PROPOSED BATTERY STORAGE SITE IN LA MESA
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery Image: Rendering of proposed Murray Project in La Mesa, via Enersmart’s project website July 8, 2024 (La Mesa) – A battery fire at the Gateway energy storage facility in Otay Mesa in May forced evacuation of nearby businesses for nearly two weeks. Enersmart has proposed building a battery energy storage facility at 8131 El Paso
AFTER OTAY FIRE, LA MESA CITY MANAGER OFFERS ASSURANCES ON SAFETY OF PROPOSED BATTERY STORAGE SITE IN LA MESA
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery Image: Rendering of proposed Murray Project in La Mesa, via Enersmart’s project website July 8, 2024 (La Mesa) – A battery fire at the Gateway energy storage facility in Otay Mesa in May forced evacuation of nearby businesses for nearly two weeks. Enersmart has proposed building a battery energy storage facility at 8131 El Paso
AFTER OTAY FIRE, LA MESA CITY MANAGER OFFERS ASSURANCES ON SAFETY OF PROPOSED BATTERY STORAGE SITE IN LA MESA
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery Image: Rendering of proposed Murray Project in La Mesa, via Enersmart’s project website July 8, 2024 (La Mesa) – A battery fire at the Gateway energy storage facility in Otay Mesa in May forced evacuation of nearby businesses for nearly two weeks. Enersmart has proposed building a battery energy storage facility at 8131 El Paso

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: JUNE BLOOMS
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service July 8, 2024 (San Diego’s East County)– Junebug Owens sent in this idyllic image taken in late June of her Belgian Malinois mix dog, Ellie, lolling amid blossoms from a purple flowering Jaracanda tree and a scarlet Bougainvillea. Printer-friendly version

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: JUNE BLOOMS
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service July 8, 2024 (San Diego’s East County)– Junebug Owens sent in this idyllic image taken in late June of her Belgian Malinois mix dog, Ellie, lolling amid blossoms from a purple flowering Jaracanda tree and a scarlet Bougainvillea. Printer-friendly version

CRITTER ENCOUNTERS: RAMONA RESCUE IS HAVEN FOR INJURED AND DISABLED ANIMALS
Printer-friendly versionBy Mimi Pollack Photo: Finley the Fennec Fox July 6, 2024 (Ramona) — In the United States, there is a problem with people acquiring exotic animals without really doing their research. People bring these pets home as tiny babies, not realizing that they can grow to be quite large as adults. For example black and white Argentine

CRITTER ENCOUNTERS: RAMONA RESCUE IS HAVEN FOR INJURED AND DISABLED ANIMALS
Printer-friendly versionBy Mimi Pollack Photo: Finley the Fennec Fox July 6, 2024 (Ramona) — In the United States, there is a problem with people acquiring exotic animals without really doing their research. People bring these pets home as tiny babies, not realizing that they can grow to be quite large as adults. For example black and white Argentine

18 LOCAL WATER SYSTEMS FAIL SAFE DRINKING WATER STANDARDS; 16 MORE ARE AT RISK
Printer-friendly version Update: Hear our in-depth interviews with state water officials, originally aired on KNSJ 89.1 FM Radio. By Miriam Raftery July 3, 2024 (San Diego) – The State of California has released its 2023 Drinking Water Needs Assessment, including a dashboard listing water systems that failed state or federal standards for safe drinking water. In San Diego

18 LOCAL WATER SYSTEMS FAIL SAFE DRINKING WATER STANDARDS; 16 MORE ARE AT RISK
Printer-friendly version Update: Hear our in-depth interviews with state water officials, originally aired on KNSJ 89.1 FM Radio. By Miriam Raftery July 3, 2024 (San Diego) – The State of California has released its 2023 Drinking Water Needs Assessment, including a dashboard listing water systems that failed state or federal standards for safe drinking water. In San Diego
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

TOWN HALL APRIL 9 ON PROPOSED BATTERY STORAGE FACILITY IN LA MESA
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery March 29, 2025 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Councilmember Laura Lothian will host a town hall community discussion on a battery storage facility proposed on El Paso St. The town hall will take place Wednesday, April 9 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Brew Coffee Spot, 6101 Lake Murray Blvd. Heartland Fire Chief Brent Koch, Heartland

HELIX WATER BREAKS GROUND ON OPERATIONS CENTER IN EL CAJON, TRANSITIONS TOWARD ZERO-EMISSION VEHICLE FLEET
Printer-friendly version By Karen Pearlman March 27, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) — Public water utility entity Helix Water District isn’t just about water – it’s also about energy, power and air. On Tuesday, the district with roots dating back to 1885 got on board with the future, breaking ground at its El Cajon operations center as part of the

WATER CONSERVATION GARDEN JPA CONSIDERS NEW FINANCIAL PATH FORWARD
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery March 25, 2025 (Rancho San Diego) – Today, the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) for the Water Conservation will meet to weigh opens for long-term funding and stability of the Garden at Cuyamaca College. At its Feb. 25 meeting, the board discussed future funding options after the City of San Diego’s representative Nicole Beaulieu DeSantis announced intent

CITY OF LA MESA TO LAUNCH E-BIKE INCENTIVE PROGRAM
Printer-friendly versionProgram to promote sustainable transportation Source: City of La Mesa Image by raju shrestha on Pixabay March 24, 2025 (La Mesa) – The City of La Mesa is introducing a pilot E-Bike (Electric Bike) Incentive Program, designed to encourage biking as a primary mode of transportation for those who live and work in La Mesa. As transportation remains the largest

VALLE DE ORO PLANNERS VOTE TO OPPOSE COTTONWOOD SAND MINE
Printer-friendly version County’s Planning Group to hear controversial proposal on April 18 Story and photos by Karen Pearlman Photo,left: Valle de Oro Community Planning Group members during packed hearing on Cottonwood Sand Mine March 20, 2025 (Rancho San Diego) – More than 100 residents who would be most affected by the proposed Cottonwood Sand Mine gathered in force Tuesday, March

COTTONWOOD SAND MINE PROPOSAL HEADS TO COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION, AFTER LOCAL PLANNING GROUP MEETS TONIGHT
Printer-friendly version East County News Service March 18, 2025 (Rancho San Diego) – The controversial Cottonwood San Mine proposal is slated to be heard by the County Planning Commission in April, more than six years after it was first proposed. Thousands of residents have signed petitions and packed public meetings to oppose the project based on significant environmental, health and

URBAN TIMBER FINDS RURAL SALVATION IN CAMPO
Printer-friendly versionBy Leorah Gavidor March 13, 2025 (Campo) — When Urban Timber partners Jessica Van Arsdale and Dan Herbst learned they had just a few months to move their well-established tree salvage business, the couple had to scramble to find a place to move hundreds of tons of logs that they had saved from the landfill. The company that saves

READER’S EDITORIAL: DENALI NAME SHOULD BE RESTORED
Printer-friendly versionFormer national park worker speaks out on Trump renaming tallest U.S. peak By Walt Meyer March 2, 2025 (San Diego) — Because I worked in Denali National Park during the summer of 2024, lately people have asked me about the naming of Mount McKinley. I talked about this in one of the lectures I gave at the Denali Education

NATURE DAY ON MT. HELIX MARCH 15
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service March 1, 2025 (Mt. Helix) — Mt. Helix Park invites you to Nature Day atop Mt. Helix on March 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This event will feature live animals, a butterfly release, booths from over 30 nature organizations, activities, crafts and a native plant sale. Shuttles for the public are available (free)

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
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.