News

By Miriam Raftery

February 20, 2025 (Greenbell, Md.) -- A legal complaint filed by 26 unnamed former and current employees in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland alleges that Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has violated the Constitution’s Appointments Clause.  That clause mandates that presidential appointments require the advice and consent of the Senate, which President Donald Trump did not seek when he appointed Musk and delegate vast powers.

Musk, without any Congressional approval, has virtually deleted entire agencies such as USAID, accessed millions of Americans’ private data, deleted government records such as health reports and  records on missing and murdered indigenous persons, and ordered mass firings, some without required authorization. Even employees charged with overseeing air traffic safety and nuclear weapons lost their jobs in the purge by Musk’s team.

“Questions regarding Defendant Musk’s and DOGE’s role, scope of authority, and proper appointment processes are not merely academic. Plaintiffs — among countless other American individuals and entities — have had their lives upended as a result of the actions undertaken by Defendants Musk and DOGE,” according to the lawsuit.

The employees, though unidentified, collectively have decades of service at federal agencies, including USAID, where on Feb. 2 Musk’s DOGE personnel broke into the agency’s headquarters and cancelled international aid programs such as those to ease hunger in Africa, Gaza and Ukraine, distribution of vaccines and life-saving medicines in countries around the world.

Citing damages to their careers and financial security, the plaintiffs are asking the court to block “Defendant Musk and his DOGE subordinates from performing their significant and wide-ranging duties unless and until Defendant Musk is properly appointed pursuant to the U.S. Constitution.”

The lawsuit is one of several filed over DOGE’s actions, though the first based on the Constitution’s appointments clause.

By Miriam Raftery

February 20, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – The County-run safe parking site on Magnolia in unincorporated El Cajon, one of two East County sites set up to help homeless people living in their vehicles, is temporarily closed for renovations. The improvements will include picnic and meeting areas, a dog run, improved bath and shower areas, and permanent structures to house staff offices,

“The site is anticipated to reopen in summer 2025,” says Fernando Lopez, group communications officer for San Diego County’s Health and Human Services Agency. “People experiencing homelessness and their vehicles are currently being served at Bancroft Safe Parking,” which is located in Spring Valley.

The El Cajon site opened in 2022. The Bancroft site opened in August 2024 and has space for 27 cars to park overnight, starting at 5 p.m.  The site has security, along with clean restrooms, hot showers, a small kitchen and a dog run for people with pets. Dinner and breakfast are provided.

The lot is operated by County contractor Dreams for Change.

Those in the program are also paired with a Dreams for Change case worker to help them find housing options.

Gillie and Henry drove their black sedan onto the County’s Bancroft Safe Parking site in Spring Valley in January and since then, they say they have been able to breathe a sigh of relief.  

The couple spent months staying at various shelters or sleeping in their car on the side of the road, after increased rent and a job loss forced them out of their long-term rental apartment and into their vehicle.  

“No matter how we tried to keep our boat afloat, it was impossible,” Gillie explained, County News Services reports. She says being at Bancroft Safe Parking “makes a whole world of difference to know that at five o’clock, we can come here, we get a shower, there’s a heater, there is coffee, oatmeal for the morning. It’s a relief.” 

Gillie and Henry were referred to Bancroft Safe Parking by a County Office of Homeless Solutions outreach worker.

“Safe parking lots provide people with a place to park and sleep for the night, without the risk of being towed or asked to move,” said Dijana Beck, Director of the County Office of Homeless Solutions. “Participants also have support to get things like documents in order, reunifying with family and of course finding a more permanent housing solution.”  

The goal is to help the families, couples, and other people find more stable housing. Pets are welcome, too. On average, residents stay at Bancroft Safe Parking between three to six months.  

For Gillie and Henry, their wait is over as they move into a studio thanks to support from the program.  

The County’s Bancroft and Magnolia Safe Parking sites are part of County’s broader efforts to expand emergency housing options for people experiencing homelessness in the unincorporated communities.  

Next up, the County aims to open Troy Street Sleeping Cabins in Lemon Grove in 2026.

 Learn more about programs and resources on the County’s Office of Homeless Solutions website.  

East County News Service

February 20, 2025 (New York) – The Electronic Frontier Foundation and a coalition of privacy defenders filed a lawsuit in New York on February 11 asking a federal court to block Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the private information of millions of Americans that is stored by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and to delete any data that has been collected or removed thus far. The lawsuit also names OPM, and asks the court to block OPM from further sharing data with DOGE.

“We will not accept the brazen ransacking of millions of people’s sensitive data,” a press release from the EFF states. “Our case is fairly simple: OPM’s data is extraordinarily sensitive, OPM gave it to DOGE, and this violates the Privacy Act of 1974. “

OPM’s records are one of the largest, if not the largest, collections of employee data in the U.S. With co-counsel Lex Lumina, State Democracy Defenders Fund, and Chandra Law Firm, the EFF suit represents current and former federal employees whose privacy has been violated.

This massive trove of information includes private demographic data and work histories of essentially all current and former federal employees and contractors as well as federal job applicants. Last week, a federal judge temporarily blocked DOGE from accessing a critical U.S. Treasury payment system under a similar lawsuit. These violations of data privacy must not stand.

EFF Legal Director Corynne McSherry states, “The question is not `what happens if this data falls into the wrong hands.’ The data has already fallen into the wrong hands, according to the law, and it must be safeguarded immediately. Violations of Americans’ privacy have played out across multiple agencies, without oversight or safeguards, and EFF is glad to join the brigade of lawsuits to protect this critical information.”

• Public computers plus laptops for checkout
• High speed internet access and Wi-Fi throughout the branch
• Community Room with after-hours access for community events
• Teen area with study rooms
• Children’s area with early literacy play equipment
• Patio space and a Friends of the Library Bookstore
• Designated parking lot

East County News Service

Photo via 50501: thousands rallied against Trump in Washington D.C. outside Capitol

February 19, 2025 (San Diego) –  Protesters held “Not My President” rallies at state capitols in all 50 states and other locations to oppose unprecedented attacks on our democratic system’s checks and balances by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

“We witness, with growing alarm, how our constitutional rights are trampled upon, how the authority of the President is being usurped by those who seek to consolidate power for Personal gain. Meanwhile, President Trump systematically dismantles the very guardrails designed to ensure accountability across the branches of government,” reads a statement from the events’ organizer, the 50501 Movement.  The name stands for 50 protests in 50 statements, one movement  and has been organized on social media.

Trump has asserted king-like power on his social media, posting this week, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” an action CNN likened to channeling  Napolean. He is asking the Supreme Court to give him absolute power to hire or fire agency officials that Congress established to operate with independence from political pressures.

Calling for justice, transparency, and an end to executive overreach, the group adds, “We stand firm at a critical moment in history, demanding that the American people be heard and that the White  House be governed by the true will of the people—not by a tech billionaire who seeks to buy influence and control.” The latter statement refers to tech mogul Musk, owner of Space-X, Tesla and X (formerly Twitter).

Trump bypassed the Senate to appoint Musk to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Musk’s workers have drawn criticism for accessing private data of millions of Americans and deleting massive amounts of critical data on everything from healthcare to school test results, eliminating entire departments such as USAid, and mass firing government workers, even firing people in charge of overseeing nuclear weapons, workers responsible for airline safety oversight, and preventing foreign intervention in U.S. elections. DOGE workers also locked Congressional members out of the Department of Education, when the legislators attempted to oversee actions of Musk’s team.

In Washington D.C., a massive protest included rallies outside the Capitol, White House, and Lincoln Memorial. Rallies in New York and Los Angeles reportedly drew more than 10,000 people each.

In San Diego, anti-Trump protesters rallied at Waterfront Park.

Photo by Genevieve Seaman: San Diego protester objects that DOGE is not one of the three branches of government.

“We need to stand up to stop the overrunning of the rule of law,” Genevieve Seaman, who participated in the San Diego rally, told ECM.  Seaman, who formerly lived in East County and now resides in San Ysidro, added, “Failure of Congress Republicans to stop the overturning of the check and balance system is frightening. Unless we act, we could lose it all. Grass roots must show we care.”

A lone counter-protester turned up, 10 News reports. The man, who declined to provide his name, said Trump “needs support where other people go against him, even if it’s just one person at that moment.”

By Miriam Raftery

February 19, 2025 (Spring Valley) – David Ruiz, 22, was arrested by Sheriff’s deputies today for the murder of his newborn son.

Responding to a 1:20 p.m. report of battery at a home on Sacramento Avenue in Spring Valley, San Miguel Firefighters arrived at 1:26 p.m., followed closely by Sheriff’s deputies from the Rancho San Diego station.  “Firefighters discovered a newborn male infant unconscious on the living room floor, suffering from apparent trauma to his head. Tragically, the baby was pronounced dead at the scene,” says Lieutenant Michael Krugh.

The biological father, 22-year-old David Ruiz, was taken into custody and will be charged with the murder of his newborn son.

The motivation and circumstances surrounding this tragic homicide are still unclear. Sheriff's Homicide investigators are working to gather more information to determine the facts of the case.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330/after hours at (858) 868-3200.  You can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

View video of this incident, via Lemon Grove Media on Facebook

By Miriam Raftery

February 19, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – During last night’s Lemon Grove City Council meeting, former Councilmember Liana LeBaron urged members to agendize a discussion on 70 tiny homes for the homeless slated to be built on Troy Street. County Supervisors approved building the project in Lemon Grove before holding any public discussion, angering many residents.

For months, members of the public have clamored for Lemon Grove’s City Council to put the tiny homes on the agenda for discussion and a vote.  Last night, during public comments, LeBaron stated, “Our community wants to be heard. They want you to take action on their behalf.”

City Manager Lydia Romero then announced that she was finally able to get a commitment from county staffers to come to a March 4 meeting and give a presentation, including staff involved in both design and operations of the tiny homes project.  The meeting will be held at Alvarez Auditorium to accommodate a crowd.

Mayor Alysson Snow told the audience, ”We wanted it done much sooner,” adding that it took time to find a large enough space.

LeBaron then shouted from the audience, “Most important, we want to know what our city’s position is on it.” 

The mayor warned LeBaron not to interrupt the meeting or she would have to leave the meeting.

“I’m not leaving the meeting,” Le Baron said.

A man in the audience also disrupted the meeting and both were told to leave.

Sheriff’s escorted LeBaron out of the room as she objected, ”Take your hands off of me.”

She was later arrested briefly and cited for disrupting the meeting, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The misdemeanor offense is punishable by a fine of up to $400,  or up to 90 days in jail, or both.

LeBaron was arrested in 2022 when her husband accused her of domestic violence, and again in 2024 when he accused her of violating a restraining order.

After Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Snow told the Union-Tribune that it was not her intent to have LeBaron arrested, however, but merely to assure that she left the room.

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:   a child at Jewish Family Service of San Diego’s refugee shelter. (File photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego)

February 17, 2025 (San Diego) - Faced with a halt in federal funding and and the closing of the border to refugees, Jewish Family Service of San Diego is shutting down its shelter and shifting focus to legal support of asylum seekers.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Merle Wakefield and Alvin Quarles have been conditionally released into  Campo and Borrego Springs.

February 16, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – The Sheriff’s department has sent warning notices to residents in Borrego Springs and Campo, announcing that two sexually violent predators have been conditionally released into these communities.  The court has ordered Liberty Healthcare, which runs the state’s conditional release program, to continue seeking permanent placement for the two men.

Alvin Quarles, 62, is now in Borrego Springs.  Known as the “Bolder than most” rapist for making spouses or partners watch, he was convicted of a series of rapes in the 1980s. He served 25 years in state prison before being committed to Coalinga State  Hospital. Quarles was initially to be placed in Campo, but the state has instead opted to place the other offender, Merle Wakefield, in the Campo home instead.

Wakefield, temporarily in Campo, was convicted of lewd acts on a child in 1981 and rape by means of force, violence or fear in 1990.  Prior efforts to place Wakefield at homes in Mt. Helix, Borrego Springs, and Poway failed after massive community opposition,  either by a judge rejecting the placements or the state rescinding the placement location.

While on conditional release, both men must abide by stringent conditions and will be monitored via GPS and security on a round-the-clock basis.

Another SVP, Alan Earl James, was placed in the Campo home last year, but state hospital officials have requested that his outpatient release be revoked. A hearing in James' case is set  for Tuesday. If a judge rules against revoking James' release, Wakefield would have to move again.

By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  Alexis & Deondre

February 15, 2025 (San Diego) - The day started with a few showers, but the sun came out for many couples saying “I do” on Valentine’s Day.