By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office
Video by José Eli Villanueva: prepare for a disaster with an emergency supplies kit, or “go bag.” When disaster strikes, often there are only a few minutes warning to evacuate. So, don’t wait until the warning comes, when you will likely be anxious and stressed, assemble your kit today and put it in a handy place to grab on your way out.
March 19, 2025 (San Diego) - Giving yourself and your family the best chance in a local disaster isn’t just about luck, it’s about planning and preparing for various hazards to lower injuries, deaths and perhaps even damages.
Step one: Know Your Hazards risk in your neighborhood and workplace area with this easy- -to-use planning tool. Just type your address(s) in to find out if your home or workplace are in a floodplain, in a high wildfire hazard or a tsunami zone. If you are, preparedness tips will be shown to help residents minimize damage and protect household members.
Step two: Complete and practice your Personal Disaster Plan, which you can do with this template, available in 12 languages and for people who may need assistance. The plan is a place to note important phone numbers for emergency agencies, emergency contacts, medical conditions, medications, allergies, and blood type. You will also develop an escape plan out of each room in the dwelling, two ways out of the neighborhood and identify meeting places in case household members are not together. The template includes hazard-specific tips such as what to do if evacuating during a wildfire, what to do before, during and after an earthquake and what to do during flooding.
Step three: Assemble and maintain an Emergency Supply Kit that can be used in the event of an evacuation, or if sheltering in place. In addition to basic supplies like a first aid kit, a radio and extra batteries and a flashlight, all kits should be customized to your household’s needs. Make sure you have enough water and food for all the members. If you have someone in the family with dietary restrictions like an infant, senior or someone with allergies, make sure you have included food for them. If you have a pet, make sure they have food, and the same goes for medications for people and pets. A more comprehensive list is included in the Disaster Plan template and it doesn’t have to be expensive to gather the supplies. The kit should be ready to grab and go in case you have 15 minutes or less to evacuate.
To learn more about disaster preparedness, visit AlertSanDiego.org and click on green preparedness button. Staying informed is important in an emergency situation, you can also register for AlertSanDiego emergency alerts that will be sent to your mobile phone, internet phone and email — but only if you register. Download the AlertSanDiego app for emergency messaging in the County that may include urgent action for affected residents to take, or just inform you about a situation in an adjacent community.
East County News Service
March 20, 2025 (El Cajon) -- The Circle Players will be performing the dinner theatre production of “Everyone’s A Critic” on April 5th at 6:30 p.m. and on April 6th at 1:30 p.m. Performances will be held in Richardson Hall, 551 Farragut Circle, El Cajon. All seats for this mystery dinner theatre show are $30 and includes a 3-course French-themed meal.
About the show directed by Joel Gossett On the brink of a famous food critic’s first bite, the staff of the exclusive French restaurant Goût de Paris has a traitor in the kitchen who appears to be bent on sabotaging the evening. You, the audience, while enjoying a delicious French three-course meal, must guess who the culprit is.
Reservations can be made by visiting the website at www.thecircleplayers.org and clicking on TICKETS
East County News Service
March 19, 2025 (El Cajon) -- Saps at Sea, the San Diego chapter of the Sons of the Desert, the International Laurel and Hardy fan organization, presents: Ollie Feigns Illness to Attend Lodge Events!
Films include Laurel and Hardy in "Be Big!" and "Sons of the Desert", plus Harold Lloyd's "High and Dizzy" and Will Rogers' "Big Moments from Little Pictures". Movie-related books will be available for purchase.
Saturday April 5, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. at First Lutheran Church of El Cajon, 867 S Lincoln Ave, El Cajon, CA 92020. Admission is $10 and includes dessert. Free for children 12 and under. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., program starts at 5 p.m.
Visit the Saps At Sea - San Diego Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/111118255744315
East County News Service
March 18, 2025 (Lakeside) -- The Maine Avenue Revitalization Association (M.A.R.A.) invites you to the Taste of Lakeside, its upcoming fundraise on April 8 from 5-8 p.m. This event brings together ten local restaurants, including Cali-Stack, Ranch House, Octavio's, East Bound, Yogurt Barn, The Parks, Caffeine Queens, and the VFW, offering attendees the opportunity to sample their culinary delights.
To prevent overcrowding at any single location, participants will receive one of four maps. This will ensure a pleasant and enjoyable evening of food and fun. A $30 donation grants access to the event, including a lanyard to be presented at each participating restaurant.
Tickets may be purchased from a M.A.R.A. member, Mary's Donuts, or the Lakeside Historical Society on Saturdays. A QR code is also provided at the bottom of the flyer for convenient ticket purchase. All funds raised will directly support Downtown Historic Lakeside.
By Miriam Raftery
March 18, 2025 (Mt. Helix) – You’re invited to join the 100th anniversary celebration of Mt. Helix Park with a Roaring ‘20s themed party on April 12 from 4:30 - 8 p.m. in the Mt. Helix Nature Theater. Enjoy delicious appetizers and dinner from Bekker's Catering, followed by dueling pianos and dancing under the stars. Beer, wine and soft drinks are included as well.
All tickets include shuttle service to and from the parking lot, entertainment, appetizers, dinner, dessert, beer, wine, and soft drinks.
Ticket Price: $125 Single - $1,250 Table of 10
Optional add-on VIP Valet from the Top: $50 per car
Buy tickets at this link: TICKETS
The 501(c)(3) Mt. Helix Park Foundation was formed by community members to save the historical amphitheater and nature preserve in 1999. Governed under the original Yawkey Family Trust from 1925, the Foundation does not receive government funds, and the board of directors, in partnership with volunteers and our two staff members, works year-round to raise money to cover expenses and ensure the park will remain free and available to future generations.
East County News Service
March 18, 2025 (Julian) - Fort Cross Adventures in Julian hosts its spring lilac festival from April 19 through May 11 on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Preregistration is advised to assure space.
General admission ($10) includes entry into a lilac maze, family farm area and more.
A festival activity package ($25 per person) including a wagon ride, treasure hunt, interactive reptile show, visits with farm animals, hoedown and jug band show, painting craft and lilac-themed candle dipping. Additional activities are available for a fee.
Visitors can also purchase fresh lilac bouquets at the farm stand seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For reservations and information, visit fortcross.com/lilac-festival.
East County News Service
March 18, 2025 (Santee) – The city of Santee invites you to hop on over to Santee’s Bunny Trail on Saturday, April 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Santee Trolley Square.
Guests can enjoy photos with the bunny, games, crafts, face painting, giveaways and carnival rides.
Santee Trolley Square is located at 9884 Mission Gorge Rd.in Santee.
By Karen Pearlman
Photos courtesy of Legalize Ferrets
Photo: Pat Wright with a ferret friend
March 18, 2025 (La Mesa) -- Eight years after persuading the city of La Mesa to become a sanctuary city for ferrets, Pat Wright is on a mission next to legalize ferret ownership statewide.
Wright and his nonprofit group, Legalize Ferrets, have attained a key milestone in the quest to remove domestic ferrets from the state’s list of restricted species.
Wright said the California Fish and Game Commission has officially accepted the Legalize Ferret petition for a regulation change along with a comprehensive set of exhibits to back it up, and that the case will be heard at the commission’s meeting, held over the course of two days next month.
At the CFGC April 16 and April 17 meeting, Wright said the group will decide whether to move it forward for further consideration at its two-day meeting in June, set for June 11 and June 12.
The biggest challenge for the group since its start two decades ago has been overcoming bureaucratic inertia, Wright said.
“Fish and Game has resisted change for decades, largely due to internal bias rather than science,” Wright said. “We need the Commissioners to act independently rather than defer to the outdated position of their staff. Another challenge is ensuring that our petition is evaluated based on scientific evidence and legal precedent, not politics or misinformation.”
Legalize Ferrets began in 2005 as a way to fight back against the state of California’s ban begun in 1933 led by a push from lobbyists in the agriculture industry on the animals being imported, sold, bred or possessed.
The organization started because of limited progress in legalizing the animals in the state. Then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004 vetoed a ferret amnesty bill.
The main reasons given for ferrets being allowed as companion animals has been said about the concern over them escaping and forming invasive groups that could threaten native wildlife.
Photo, right: Huey the ferret
A 2022 report from the California Fish and Wildlife Scientific Journal said that “the impacts of ferrets upon native wildlife and ecosystems, agribusiness, and human health and safety were compiled from a thorough review of the published literature and the analysis of four surveys of U.S. state agencies...
“Results highlight two primary concerns: the ferret can easily escape confinement, and could impact native bird populations, as do feral cats; and human safety concerns, especially with infants, because of the proclivity of the ferret to bite.”
Wright called the acceptance of the group’s petition by the CFGC “a significant milestone.”
“In the past, our efforts to legalize ferrets were often dismissed outright without serious consideration,” he said. “This time, we have forced the Commission to acknowledge our petition under the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), meaning they are legally required to respond. This is the closest we've ever been to getting a fair hearing on the issue.”
Wright said the APA requires government agencies to follow due process when making or changing regulations.
“This time, they can't just brush us off without a legitimate response,” he said. “We believe our petition is ironclad, backed by legal and scientific evidence proving domestic ferrets do not belong on the prohibited species list. However, we also know how creative they can be when it comes to dismissing us.”
Wright said the group’s strongest evidence includes the legal definition of domestication, that state law defines a domestic animal as one that has been selectively bred under human control for generations.
He said ferrets have been domesticated for more than 2,000 years and are recognized as domestic in every other U.S. state and country worldwide.
Wright also said the animals do not pose an environmental threat, that peer-reviewed studies and state wildlife agencies across the country confirm that feral ferret populations have never been established in the U.S.
As for public safety, he said, “Ferrets are no more dangerous than cats or dogs. Bite statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies show that ferrets are responsible for far fewer reported injuries than common pets.”
Additionally, a federally approved ferret rabies vaccine exists, “countering the outdated argument that ferrets pose a unique rabies risk,” he said.
Opponents of ferret legalization have cited concerns about ecological risks and public health, but Wright counters those arguments with legal and scientific data, including:
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has never provided evidence that domestic ferrets can survive in the wild; and Wright said that unlike wild mustelids (such as weasels and minks) domestic ferrets lack survival instincts, hunting skills and camouflage.
Wright said the CDC has never issued a public health warning about ferrets despite their legal status in nearly every state and that ferret bites account for less than 1% of all reported pet-related injuries.
If the Commission moves forward, it will begin the formal rulemaking process, and if the petition is rejected in June, Wright said Legalize Ferrets will pursue legal action under the APA.
“The Fish and Game Commission cannot ignore our rights to petition for a rule change,” he said. “If necessary, we will take this matter to court to force them to follow the law.”
For now, ferret advocates and supporters can help push this effort forward by submitting public comments, contacting state legislators, spreading awareness and donating to Legalize Ferrets.
Stopgap funding measure signed by President Trump; California’s Senators voted no
By G. A. McNeeley
March 18 2025 (Washington D.C.) — Congress avoided a government shutdown on March 14, just a few hours before the funding deadline. The stopgap measure to fund the government until September 30 was signed by President Donald Trump on Saturday.
The stopgap would fund government operations through the remainder of this fiscal year, but it would also slash non-defense funding by roughly $13 billion and increase defense spending by about $6 billion over current budgets (including billions for deportations, veterans’ health care and the military).
Many Democrats, including California’s Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, opposed the measure due to the non-defense cuts and because Republicans refused to include language in the bill putting guardrails on Trump and Elon Musk’s ability to continue dismantling the federal bureaucracy unchecked. The Democrats also advocated for a shorter, four-week stopgap to keep the government running on current funding levels in an effort to buy more time for appropriators to strike a deal on a bipartisan funding package. Republican leadership interest in those negotiations diminished weeks ago.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blocked filibuster
Senate Democrats came under intense pressure to oppose the Trump-backed bill. Now Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and nine others, are facing backlash after they helped clear a path for its passage by refusing to support a filibuster to block the budget bill.
Lawmakers raced towards a shutdown that would’ve had far-reaching consequences across the federal government, highlighting the struggle Democrats face, trying to counter Trump and the Republican control on power in Washington.
Schumer and nine other Democrats crossed the aisle to advance the budget in a key procedural vote. The legislation only required a simple majority in the Senate chamber for final passage, and all but two of those ten ultimately voted no on the budget bill.
Schumer argued his party only had bad options. “I believe it is the best way to minimize the harm that the Trump administration will do to the American people,” Schumer told CNN, in defense of his vote. “Clearly, this is a Hobson's choice. The CR (continuing resolution) is a bad bill, but as bad as the CR is, I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option.”
Since Congress has not approved appropriations for any federal departments, all would be affected. Every agency has its own set of plans for a shutdown. Those plans include how many employees would be laid-off, which employees are considered essential and would work without pay, how long it would take to wind down operations in the hours before a shutdown and which activities would come to a halt. Those plans can vary from shutdown to shutdown.
The impact of a shutdown differs each time, and it’s unclear how agencies would handle it now, especially since Trump’s efforts to downsize the federal government has wreaked havoc on their operations and workforces.
The Division Among Party Members
Trump praised Schumer for saying he would support the measure, telling reporters after the vote, “I appreciate Senator Schumer, and I think he did the right thing, really. I’m very impressed by that.”
Many Senate Democrats and House Democrats saw the vote as a surrender in the party’s first real leverage point in Trump’s second term.
The initial vote had been closely watched by Democrats across the country, who saw it as a test of their party leaders’ willingness to fight Trump.
Ultimately, the Senate voted 54-46 to approve the stopgap bill for government funding through September 30. The vote was mostly party line, though Senator Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire Democrat) and Angus King (Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats) voted in favor of the bill, while Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky (Republican) opposed it.
“Once I had voted for cloture, it was an opportunity to pass the bill, and I thought it was more honest to vote for it,” Shaheen told CNN. “I thought, much as I didn’t like the CR, I thought a government shutdown would be worse and would give Trump and Elon Musk and the DOGE operation more of an opportunity to fire people, to shut down agencies and to close the work of the government.”
At the urging of Democrats like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, voters had been flooding senators’ offices with calls urging them to block the bill and take on Trump for his dismantling of the federal government. Many Democrats believe that Schumer failed that test.
Schumer has faced criticism, but no senators have publicly said they would challenge his leadership.
House Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, were against the bill, but lost by one vote from one of their members. It was not enough to sink the bill, which passed the House on March 11th.
Jeffries would not answer when asked whether he had lost confidence in Schumer, with whom he diverged on the funding issue.
Senate Democrats are now grappling with how to move forward as a caucus after the government funding bill split their party.
Schumer told CNN’s Jake Tapper that he “always knew there would be disagreements,” but maintained that a “government shutdown would be far worse” than voting for the GOP-led measure.
“My job as leader is to lead the party and if there’s going to be danger in the near future, to protect the party. And I’m proud I did it, I knew I did the right thing, and I knew there would be some disagreements. That’s how it always is,” he added.
Schumer also defended his leadership position, saying, “My caucus and I are in sync.”
New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich would not say whether he thought the party needed a new leader, telling reporters, “That’s a conversation for inside the caucus. I’m not going to debate that out here.”
Virginia Senator Mark Warner said he has “faith in Chuck Schumer,” but acknowledged that the caucus had a “choppy week.”
“I voted no on the CR. I heard that overwhelmingly from folks, and again, recognizing I got tons of federal workers. But I have total respect for the folks who reached another conclusion, and the idea that they would have had a shutdown that would have put us into the abyss with, unfortunately, parts of this administration, doesn’t follow the law,” he told CNN.
“I think the Democrats need to have a pro-growth agenda that recognizes fairness, and that is, frankly, not the debate though, that we just took place. That we just took place, it was two awful choices,” he added.
What California Politicians Have To Say
California Senator Alex Padilla issued the following statement after the House of Representatives narrowly passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through September 30th:
“The House Republican spending bill completely shortchanges California and other disaster-stricken states on disaster relief. We cannot leave communities in our states behind as they continue to rebuild and recover from devastating recent disasters. Despite the House vote today, I still believe the best path forward is for Congress to instead pass a 30-day funding bill to keep the government open while we continue negotiations for the remainder of the fiscal year in a way that properly funds disaster relief and doesn’t cede more power to Trump and Elon Musk.”
California Senator Adam Schiff explained why he’s “voting no, and why this needs to be defeated,” in a press release.
Schiff said it would embolden Trump to continue tearing down government services, close Social Security offices, illegally withhold funds, illegally seize authority from Congress, lay off veterans, and cut health care and Medicaid.
“I'm not willing to continue to see Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and their minions continue to arrogate to themselves the power to fire anyone in the federal government,” Schiff said.
Schiff also addressed those who think that a shutdown of the government would be worse.
“If the government shuts down, let's be clear, they control everything. They control the House, they control the Senate, they control the White House, they control the Supreme Court. If they shut down the government, it is on them. That is their decision,” Schiff said.
“I am desperately worried about the direction of this country. We are seeing an executive run away with authority he does not have, merely because he claims to have it, merely because our courts have often acted too slowly to stop him,” he added.
In addition to Padilla and Schiff, Democratic House Representatives Sara Jacobs, Mike Levin, Scott Peters, and Jacob Vargas all voted against it, while Republican House Representative Darrel Issa voted in favor of it.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/14/politics/government-funding-bill-senate-shutdown/index.html
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/03/13/politics/deadline-federal-government-shutdown-congress
https://schiffnotes.substack.com/p/my-vote-on-the-gop-spending-bill
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 safety concerns, and community impacts such as traffic and potentially decreased property values.
Tonight, the Valle de Oro Community Planning Group will meet at 7 p.m. to finalize a recommendation to the County. This important meeting will be held in the Rancho San Diego Library,11555 Via Rancho San Diego, El Cajon 92019.
The project would allow at least 10 years of open pit mining on the site of the Cottonwood Golf Course along the Sweetwater River, just upstream from a federal wildlife preserve. The develop, New West Investment, contends the project is needed to supply sand for local building and infrastructure projects, avoiding the cost of importing sand.
The Stop Cottonwood Sand Mine Committee will present its opposition to the project during the meeting. The Committee is expressing continued concerns that a Major Use Permit for a more than 10-year open pit sand mining operation — on the site of the Cottonwood Golf Course along the Sweetwater River — is out of character with the already established Rancho San Diego community, made up of nearby homes, schools, and businesses. The project is also inconsistent with the County General Plan and Community Specific Plan.
The Committee has urged those opposed to show up and express their opposition to the Planning Commission.
New West Investment and investor Michael Schlesinger purchased Cottonwood Golf Course in 2015, four years after the golf course filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As originally filed, the proposal is to mine 4.7 million cubic yards with approximately 3.8 million cubic yards (5.7 million tons) of construction aggregate produced over ten years, in phases with reclamation planned after each phase. Approximately 214.4 acres of the approximately 280-acre site are proposed for extractive use. The project application was filed in November 2018.