Rural Areas

East County News Service

January 24, 2025 (San Diego's East County) -- The  San Diego County Office of Education has announced numerous school closures today due to the Border 2 Fire as well as power outages.

Power outages have resulted in closure of all Mountain Empire Unified School District and Warner Unified School district campuses today, as well as all Borrego Unified School District and Dehesa School District schools.. Currently over 19,000 customers are without power due to public power safety shutoffs, with more than 63,000 more at risk of losing power. For updates on power outages due to public safety shutoffs, visit https://www.sdge.com/psps-dashboard.

The Border 2 Fire has caused closures of the following schools:   Eastlake High, Eastlake Middle, East Hills Academy in the Sweetwater Union High School District,High Tech High in CHuula Vista, Arroya Vista Charter School, and in the Chula Vista Elementary School District Arroyo Vista, Camarena, Eastlake, Liberty, Marshall, Olympic View, Salt Creek, and Wolf Canyon elementary schools are closed; all other CVESD schools remain open but on rainy day schedule due to poor air quality.

For additional updates, follow @SanDiegoCOE on X (formerly  Twitter)

Update 12 p.m.:  Cal Fire has mapped the fire at 5,389 acres. It remains 10% contained. View laetst evacuation areas, whcih have expanded,  here:  https://app.watchduty.org/i/41110 

By Miriam Raftery

January 24, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – The #Border2Fire has exploded overnight to 4,250 acres with 10% containment, Cal Fire reports this morning.  Per San Diego County Sheriff, #Border2Fire. An evacuation order has been issued for people who live in the red shaded areas as shown on the map at left as of early this morning. It means there is an immediate threat and you need to leave right now. An evacuation warning has also been issued for the areas in yellow.

Areas under evacuation notices include Dulzura, portions of Jamul, Lower Otay Reservoir, Otay Mt. Truck Trail, Campo Rd., the Elite Training Center and more. Otay Ranch Town Center and Olympian High School are under evacuation advisories.

Note: Evacuations orders and warnings may be updated frequently; for the most recent maps please see:

https://protect.genasys.com/fullscreenMap?  and

http://emergencymap.sandiegocounty.gov/index.htmlSome schools in the area are closed. 

Road closures

Westbound & Eastbound SR-94 at Otay Lakes Rd is closed due to the fire - per Caltrans San Diego on X.

Alta Road is closed to traffic just south of Otay Mesa Road.Otay Lakes Rd is under a hard closure at Wueste Rd.

 

Sign up to receive our free East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts via email at https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/wild-fire-alerts.  You can also follow EastCountyAlert on Twitter.

Update 8:46 p.m.-- The fire is now 600 acres, per Watch Duty App. No structures are currently threatened.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left, by Jeff Caton, taken from the intersection of Fletcher Parkway and Cuyamaca St. in El Cajon this evening.

Photo, right: Border 2 Fire viewed from  HP Wren Otay Mountain West camera

January 23, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – The Border 2 Fire burning on Otay Mountain has swelled to 566 acres as of 7 p.m. tonight. The flames are visible as far north as Escondido and Ramona.  There is zero containment as yet.

The fire which began early this afternoon was burning at a “dangerous” rate of spread, Watch Duty App reported, however this evening Cal Fire indicates it is growing at a moderate rate as winds have lessened.

No evacuation notices have been sent out by the County, though campers at Pio Pico and Thousand Trials have posted on social media that they were advised to evacuate or prepare to evacuate.

Alta Rd. is closed to traffic south of Otay Mesa Rd., per Watch Duty app.

View our earlier coverage:

https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/border-2-fire-otay-mountain-spreading-dangerous-rate

Sign up to receive our free East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts via email at https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/wild-fire-alerts.  You can also follow EastCountyAlert on Twitter.

Update 5:05 p.m.-- The #Border2Fire is now 248 acres and still 0% contained. Winds have shifted toward campgrounds with campers at Pio Pico told to evacuate and Thousand Trails campers receiving a warning to be prepared, per social media posts from campers at these sites.

update 4 p.m.-- The fire is now 148 acres per Watch Duty app and is large enough to be visible from space. (Photo, right, via NASA)

Update 3:45 p.m.-- The fire is now 50 acres and 0% contained, per Cal Fire.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo  by Barry Jantz: Border 2 Fire viewed from Jamul, with Jamul Casino in foreground.

January 23, 2025 (San Diego's East County) -- The #Border2Fire that started within the hour on Otay Mountain is now 20 acres and burning at a "dangerous" rate of spread, per Watch Duty App. Cal Fire lists the size as 10 acres with potential for 200 acres.

The fire started near Otay Truck Trail in the Otay WIlderness area.  Infrastructure on the mountain is threatened, per Watch Duty App.

The incident commander has requested major resources including two large air tankers, helicopters, and 10 additional engines.

Sign up to receive our free East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts via email at https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/wild-fire-alerts.  You can also follow EastCountyAlert on Twitter.

Resources available for impacted customers at community resource centers

January 8, 2025 (San Diego) – This week marks the driest start to the rainy season in San Diego County in 174 years. As a result of these dry conditions and Santa Ana winds, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) continues to implement Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) in an effort to reduce wildfire risk and protect public safety.

As of tonight, 8,946 customers have power shut off.  Another 69,155 are at risk of power shutoffs.The effort aims to prevent hellacious firestorms such as those currently ravaging L.A., as wind gusts up to 85 miles per hour are forecast to reach San Diego County soon.

Because of the extended wind forecast, customers may experience prolonged or more than one PSPS. An up-to-date list of impacted communities can be found at sdge.com/ready.

Available Resources for Impacted Customers

SDG&E is opening of Community Resource Centers in affected communities. These Centers are equipped with resources such as Wi-Fi and phone and medical device charging, and they will remain open for customers in need until conditions improve. A list of active Community Resource Center locations and their hours of operation can be found at sdge.com/ready.

SDG&E has also partnered with 211 San Diego and Orange County United Way (formerly 211 Orange County) to offer enhanced community resources during a PSPS. 211 is free, confidential and available to answer customer calls 24/7, in over 200 languages. Customers with hearing impairment can dial 211 or 711 and ask to be connected to 211 at 858-900-1211.

PSPS & Unplanned Outage Safety Tips

High winds and other weather conditions also have the potential to lead to unplanned outages throughout the region, which are separate from a PSPS. Customers are encouraged to visit SDG&E’s outage map at sdge.com/outages for unplanned outage details and expected restoration times.

• Customers should never approach damaged infrastructure or downed power lines and should instead report them by calling 911 or SGD&E’s call center at 1-800-411-7343.
• Generator Safety: While backup generators can be a valuable tool when a power outage occurs, using a generator incorrectly can be dangerous. Customers are encouraged to visit sdge.com/generator to find safety guidelines to help keep their family and home safe.

For ongoing updates about this PSPS, visit SDGEtoday.com or follow SDG&E’s X channel, @SDGE.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: Jamul tribal chairwoman Erica Pinto

January 8, 2025 (Jamul) – On December 23, President Joe Biden signed into law the bipartisan Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act, which places 172 acres of land in East County, San Diego into tribal trust for the Jamul Indian Village.

“Thank you to Senators Padilla and Butler, and Representatives Issa and Vargas for their leadership,” Biden said upon signing S. 3857 authored by California Senator Alex Padilla into law. The companion measure in the House was authored by Congressman Darrell Issa.

“The Jamul Indian Village has sought for years to bring tribal members back onto their ancestral land – so they can raise their families, carry forward their culture, and add to their history,” said Rep. Issa when the measure passed the Senate last month. “This is the right thing to do, and it empowers not government, but individuals, to take new charge and best care of their lives. This Fee-to-Trust bill provides that opportunity, securing Jamul’s land, preserving its sacred sites, and protecting Kumeyaay traditions for generations to come. My thanks to Senator Padilla and Congressman Vargas for their support in pushing forth this important legislation.” 

The 172 acres are currently owned by the Jamul Indian Village, which includes residential land for homes and council buildings, an ancestral cemetery, and the tribe’s only road for transportation.

“After years of sacrifice in their efforts to achieve self-determination, the Jamul Indian Village will finally get the true homeland they deserve to preserve their sacred history,” said Senator Padilla. “I am honored to have worked alongside the Jamul Indian Village and Congressman Issa to strengthen the Tribe’s community development and permanently safeguard their home for the benefit of their members.”

“For years, the Jamul Indian Village has been fighting to restore their homeland and rebuild their communities. Today, we mark a milestone in these efforts as the Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act passes Congress,” said Rep. Juan Vargas. “This bill honors the Jamul Indian Village’s right to place their land into trust, protecting traditions and sacred sites for future generations. Thank you to Congressman Issa and Senator Padilla for their leadership on this issue. It was an honor to work on this legislation alongside my colleagues and Jamul Indian Village leaders, and I look forward to seeing it swiftly signed into law.”

Chairwoman Erica Pinto testified on the legislation, stating, “The Tribe desperately needs additional trust lands so that it may preserve and protect its cultural sites, and develop housing for its members, a health clinic, a grocery store, Tribal administrative offices, law enforcement, educational services, and other community resources in service of the Tribe’s members."

After the bill became law, Chairwoman Pinto told ECM,  "This legislation brought out mixed emotions amongst the community but to me, no words can describe what this legislation truly means to my people."

The measures did draw opposition locally. The Jamul-Dulzura Community Planning Group raised concerns over potential commercial development, traffic, and procedures followed, though Chairwoman Pinto has said the tribe would only use the land for purposes specified, including tribal housing, education, administrative offices, and healthcare.

View our prior coverage: https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/bills-propose-adding-172-acres-trust-jamul-indian-village

Read the bill text here.

By Jessica Brodkin Webb

January 7, 2025 (El Cajon) --In 13 days, President-elect Donald Trump could potentially begin to make good on his campaign promise to pursue mass deportations of immigrants and refugees living in the United States.

“As President I will immediately end the migrant invasion of America," Trump said in a Sept, 2024 speech and although he has not released specific details of how he might direct such a plan at a federal level, community leaders stand divided on how best to respond at the local level.

Under current California law, state and municipal governments are barred from working in conjunction with federal law enforcement agencies to actively pursue deportation for anyone who has not committed a serious crime. That approach stands in direct opposition to Trump’s proposed plan to conduct mass immigrant deportations.

El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells, in a letter to the Calif. Attorney General, says he plans to propose that his city fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities. San Diego’s Board of Supervisors majority, by contrast, has urged county authorities not to turn over any immigrants to federal authorities, while the County Sheriff has said she will take the middle ground and follow state law, cooperating only when immigrants have committed serious crimes.

Besides posing a challenge for local elected officials who must decide how they will answer to conflicting state and federal guidelines, an element of murkiness also exists for prominent community members and social service agency heads who spend many hours each week working directly with refugees.

Photos by Miriam Raftery: Noori Barka and Dilkhwaz Ahmed, leaders of El Cajon nonprofits aiding immigrants and refugees, have contrasting views on deportations

For example, Chaldean Community Council Founder Noori Barka said he doesn’t like to see people enter the country illegally and supports Trump’s plan to deport immigrants and refugees.

According to the Chaldean Community Council website, the social service organization provides “essential resources and support to help Chaldean and Middle Eastern families build a new life in El Cajon.” For individuals and families who have legally entered the country, they offer assistance with job placement, healthcare coordination, legal guidance and educational assistance among other things.

“I am against any illegal immigration and generally support people coming in the right way. Come like we all came, as immigrants, in a legal way. We have to do the right thing. Come with a degree, a relative, with refugee status.” Barka said.

He believes established members of East County’s Chaldean community, one of the largest in the nation, “came through the legal way” and with vetted backgrounds. Young people with “something to offer” are an asset, he said, including those who are able to enter the country legally with an H1 (work) visa.

However, Barka is concerned that recent waves of immigrants have not been subject to any background investigation and could bring danger to the community.

“People who are coming now, we don’t know their backgrounds and it's scary because sometimes we get criminals. We have to have the right to protect our borders and we have to have the right to allow people who want to come to the county to ask permission, but after we do a background investigation,” Barka said.

Meanwhile, License to Freedom Executive Director Dilkhwaz Ahmed who works daily with domestic violence survivors said some victims arrive undocumented and turning them back around after a harrowing journey to safety puts them at extreme risk. Niche populations such as these, she said, need special and individual consideration outside an all-encompassing policy.

“They’ve traveled thousands of miles to come to a safe country. Sending back those women and children, we put them at risk and what are we going to say: we can’t protect them? This population really needs us to support them, to give them a safe place, get them documents to start as a new human being,” Ahmed said.

Photo, left, a migrant encampment near Jacumba in San Diego County has drawn immigrants from around the world.

The legal process can take years, she explained, from connecting a newly arrived individual to an attorney, then helping them connect their situation with evidence of domestic violence.

“I have a client from Afghanistan, the Taliban killed her husband and it took her seven years to make it to the United States. She called me, scared she would be deported. Imagine what would happen if we send back this woman? What could happen to her? What is her destiny?” Ahmed asked.

The immigrant population she works with “came to the country for democracy, opportunity” and while License to Freedom doesn’t serve many undocumented individuals, there are some, Ahmed said. She wishes some of their cases could be reviewed from a different perspective.

Barka has a no-exceptions outlook on illegal immigration while Ahmed prefers to hear one’s story before deciding how to proceed, yet both rely on individual background information. In contrast, Trump’s plan— albeit lacking in granular details—  emphasizes removing as many immigrants as possible regardless of their lived history—even DACA recipients or “Dreamers” brought to this country as children.

Photo, right, 2018 San Francisco rally for young immigrants brought here as children,  Protected under DACA, they may now face deportation under the Trump administration

American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Anthony Romero said, “President-elect Trump will soon have the full power of the U.S. government machinery at his disposal to target and displace immigrants at a scale our nation has never experienced,” prompting the question of where viewpoints like that of Barka, Ahmed or other leaders who parse individual stories from the larger immigrant invasion fit in with public policy.

In the end, Ahmed said, people need to find a sensible solution for immigration policy which she believes can only be attained when people with political differences are willing to sit through a calm conversation and find common ground.

“Deporting criminals? Yes. Why should they be here? But people who come to work and pay taxes, are good human beings and good citizens? We need to stop pointing fingers at each other, start to listen and come up with solutions. Both parties have to give some,” she concluded.

East County News Service

January 6, 2025 (Deerhorn Valley) – Jordan Valladares snapped this close-up portrait of a bobcat near his home on Deerhorn Valley Road south of Jamul on Sunday.

Source: SDG&E

January 6, 2025 (San Diego)  – Due to extreme fire weather conditions and forecasted Santa Ana winds, San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) has notified 64,866 customers that it may have to turn off power to reduce wildfire risk as early as Tuesday. Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) are approved by state regulators as an important safety tool of last resort to mitigate fire risk during dangerous weather conditions. 

This week marks the driest start to the rainy season in San Diego County in 174 years. As a result of these dry conditions and expected Santa Ana winds, the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for parts of Orange and San Diego Counties beginning Tuesday evening through late Wednesday night. SDG&E’s meteorology team is closely monitoring weather conditions. 

Power shutoffs are possible in the following areas:

• Alpine
• Barona Reservation
• Boulevard
• Campo
• Campo Reservation
• Capitan Grande Reservation
• Chula Vista
• Descanso
• East San Juan Cap
• El Cajon
• Escondido
• Fallbrook
• Jacumba
• Jamul
• Julian
• La Jolla Reservation
• La Mesa
• La Posta Reservation
• Lakeside
• Los Coyotes Reservation
• Manzanita Reservation
• Mesa Grande Reservation
• Pala
• Pala Reservation
• Pauma and Yuima Reservation
• Pauma Valley
• Pechanga Reservation
• Poway
• Ramona
• Ranchita
• Rancho Bernardo
• Rancho Santa Fe
• Rincon Reservation
• San Diego
• San Pasqual Reservation
• Santa Ysabel
• Santa Ysabel Reservation
• Santee
• Sycuan Reservation
• Valley Center
• Viejas Reservation
• Warner Springs

SDG&E has activated its Emergency Operations Center and staffed it with key personnel to monitor weather conditions throughout the duration of the event, especially the wind speeds in the high fire risk areas of the county. 

If SDG&E implements a PSPS for public safety, it will open Community Resource Centers to support impacted customers.   

Given the potential for extended power outages, SDG&E encourages customers to be prepared. Outage preparedness tips can be found at sdge.com/outage-center; safety guidelines for generator use can be found at sdge.com/generator.    

Never approach a downed line; report it by calling 911 or SGD&E’s call center at 800-411-7343.

Real-time information about unplanned power outages can be found at www.sdge.com/outage.  

Updates about this PSPS can be found at sdge.com/Ready and SDGEToday.com or by following SDG&E’s X channel, @SDGE.