East County News Service
February 22, 2025 (New York) -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released a statement after the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York's issuance of a preliminary injunction blocking the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing Americans’ personal and private information maintained by the U.S. Treasury Department.
“We are pleased the court granted our request to further halt the Elon Musk-led DOGE from accessing millions of Americans’ private and sensitive data,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Californians can breathe a sigh of relief knowing the California Department of Justice is going to the mat for them and standing up against the Trump Administration’s chilling overreach of power.”
Background
On February 7, Attorney General Bonta joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit seeking to block DOGE from accessing sensitive Treasury Department material, including millions of Americans’ bank account and social security numbers. Hours after filing the lawsuit, the court responded by granting a temporary restraining order barring DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems and information. Today’s preliminary injunction keeps those restrictions in place pending further order of the court.
Since Inauguration Day, DOGE has infiltrated executive agencies with the goal of eliminating federal funding, services, and personnel. Starting last month, there were reports of billionaire Elon Musk and his DOGE associates gaining an unprecedented level of access to vital payment systems of the U.S Treasury.
The Treasury Department payment systems — managed by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) — are responsible for trillions of dollars in U.S. government payments. Millions of Americans rely on the support of these payments for services like health care, childcare, and other essential programs, including Social Security benefits, Medicare benefits, veterans’ benefits, salaries for federal employees, and tax refunds. The Treasury Department’s payment systems are critical, sensitive, and incredibly vital. Given their critical importance to U.S. government operations, these systems have been highly regulated and tightly guarded — but with the election of Donald Trump, are no longer safe.
In their complaint, the attorneys general allege the Trump Administration has no constitutional, statutory, or regulatory authority to widen access to the BFS payment system for political appointees or special government employees, including members of DOGE.
Specifically, the court temporarily prohibits DOGE from being granted access any Treasury Dept. records containing personally identifiable or confidential financial information. The Dept. of the Treasury must submit a report to the court by March 24 certifying that DOGE team members have received all training typically required of individuals granted access to the Bureau of Fiscal Services payment systems containing personal data such as tax return information and sensitive financial data.
In addition, the judge asks for certification on the vetting process for DOGE team members and how that compares to career employees previously allowed access to the system.
“The public interest is plainly served by requiring the Treasury Department to ensure, to the maximum extent possible, the security of these systems and the information contained therein,” Judge Jeannette A. Vargas wrote.
A copy of the court's order can be found here.
New agency head lays off staffers overseeing epidemics, cancels flu vaccine campaign and takes aim at chemicals in food.
By G. A. McNeeley
Photo by Ron Logan
February 22, 2025 (Washington D.C.) - The Senate last week confirmed anti-vaccine activist Robert F.. Kennedy Jr. to head the U.S. Health and Human Services Department on a party-line vote, with Mitch McConnell the only Republican voting against the controversial appointee opposed by every Democratic Senator.
Now at the helm of the nation’s largest public health agency, Kennedy is implementing major changes to remedy what he views as sources of chronic diseases.But healthcare professionals are raising concerns over some of Kennedy’s early actions, including ending a flu vaccine campaign and laying off employees in charge of investigating potential public health threats to ward off future epidemics.
Kennedy implored federal health agency workers to “let go” of preconceived notions of him and start from “square one,” but also promised that “nothing is going to be off limits” in his pursuit to reduce chronic disease, Politico reported. “Some of the possible factors we will investigate were formerly taboo or insufficiently scrutinized,” he told HHS staff, in his first address to the department he now leads. “I’m willing to subject them all to the scrutiny of unbiased science.”
What Is His Plan?
Hours after Kennedy pledged to Senators that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would not undergo a staff purge, it did.
The Trump administration laid off half of its Epidemic Intelligence Service. The lay off affected 1,260 staff members, NBC reported.
Kennedy made no mention of the dismissals, but hinted towards his previous comments threatening the jobs of federal agency staff resistant to his reforms. “Those who are unwilling to embrace those kinds of ideas can retire,” he said.
For years, Kennedy has cast doubt on the safety and efficacy of vaccines and spread misinformation linking vaccines to autism. During his Senate confirmation hearings, he refused to disavow those comments, only promising he would if “shown the data.”
He appeared to indirectly reference his vaccine comments to HHS employees, by asking that they be open minded to his views. In return, he said he would acknowledge that he’s asked “a lot of difficult questions and come to unpopular conclusions.”
Kennedy nevertheless signaled he would prioritize fresh efforts to question long-held health standards to reduce chronic disease, listing the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule as among the formerly “taboo” areas he planned to scrutinize.
Among the potential contributors to chronic disease, he suggested he would direct the HHS to investigate anti-depression drugs, ultra-processed foods, electromagnetic radiation and glyphosate pesticides found in some foods.
“We will remove conflicts of interest from the committees and research partners whenever possible or balance them with other stakeholders,” he said. “We will shut the revolving door.”
Kennedy’s role as secretary of HHS will have him oversee a budget of nearly $2 trillion and a staff of 90,000 federal employees, and give him control of other critical health programs under the fold of the HHS, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again (MAHA),” believes chronic disease is, in part, driven by additives in food and pollution in the environment. It also hasn’t been laid out in specifics, but he has vaguely promised to tackle the nation’s rising obesity rates and SNAP benefits, and has claimed he will work with the Department of Agriculture to eradicate
ultra-processed foods from the American market.
Flu Vaccination Campaign Halted
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is stopping a successful flu vaccination campaign that juxtaposed images of wild animals, such as a lion, with cute counterparts, like a kitten, as an analogy for how immunization can help tame the flu. This happened during Kennedy’s first week as head of the HHS.
The news was shared with staff during a meeting, according to two CDC staffers who spoke with NPR on the condition of anonymity.
During the meeting, leadership at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases told CDC staff that the Department of Health and Human Services had reviewed the campaign and advised that it would not continue.
The "Wild to Mild" flu vaccination campaign sought to encourage people to get the flu vaccine. The campaign aimed to communicate that flu vaccination can lessen symptoms and the chance of getting severely ill, even if it doesn't prevent someone from catching the flu. The website for the campaign is already offline.
The campaign sought to "reset public expectations around what a flu vaccine can do in the event that it does not entirely prevent illness," according to the CDC's webpage describing the launch of the campaign in 2023. It was renewed for the current flu season.
The campaign was a response to falling flu vaccination rates since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and targeted groups at higher risk, "especially pregnant women and children."
"We found that it was very successful — people understood the message, [and] they were swayed by the message," Erin Burns, associate director for communications in the CDC's Influenza Division, told the trade website FiercePharma in October 2024.
The Trump administration's decision to pull the campaign comes in the midst of a brutal flu season that's still raging. More than 50,000 patients were admitted to hospitals for influenza during the week that ended on Feb. 8 (the highest level in 15 years).
It's unclear how much time was left in the campaign, but it would have at least gone through the end of this flu season and the materials would have stayed on the agency's website, one of the CDC staffers told NPR.
What About Those Staff Cuts?
Top-ranking officials with the CDC, the HHS sub agency that oversees the program, told CBS News that the cuts would have a devastating effect on the country’s ability to assess blooming diseases.
They are just some of the thousands of probationary workers taking a hit as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency combs the federal government for possible programs to slash, as Washington reels from firings and funding cuts. Musk has targeted those at the HHS, leaving career officials and lawmakers worried about the impact on public health.
“The country is less safe,” Dr. Anne Schuchat, an alumna of the disease research program said. “These are the deployable assets critical for investigating new threats, from anthrax to Zika.”
Many staffers that go through the program serve on the frontlines of public health responses before later rising through the ranks of the CDC.
In an interview with Fox News after he was sworn in, Kennedy pledged that employees who work in service of public health had “nothing to worry about” under his tenure fronting America’s health policy.
“If you’ve been involved in good science, you’ve got nothing to worry about,” Kennedy said. “If you care about public health, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
What Are Opposers Saying?
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) delivered remarks on the Senate floor to oppose the nomination of Kennedy to lead the HHS, raising the alarm on the disastrous public health implications before he was confirmed.
“I oppose this nomination for his wildly misinformed beliefs and his utter lack of experience. I believe he is fundamentally unfit and unprepared, and Americans will be less healthy if he is confirmed, Padilla said.
Kennedy has repeatedly spread dangerous conspiracy theories, even going as far as to say that “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.”
Padilla called him out for making false accusations that vaccines cause autism, and that COVID-19 targets specific racial and ethnic groups. Padilla also criticized Kennedy for founding his own anti-vaccine organization, authoring several books that push public health conspiracies, and making millions of dollars off of anti-vaccination lawsuits filed by Kennedy, an attorney.
“I get the fear. I’m proud to represent California in the Senate. I’m proud to have an engineering background. But I, too, am a parent of three boys. And I remember what it was like to hold a baby in your arms, and to worry every time there was a sniffle and a cough. I’d do anything to protect my children, just as you would do anything to protect yours,” Padilla said, on the senate floor, in a video press release from his website.
Padilla, a co-founder of the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus, also highlighted the dangers Kennedy poses to mental health care access and Medicaid benefits. He slammed Kennedy for his dangerous lack of knowledge regarding Medicaid funding and benefits.
“At a time when Republicans are looking to cut funding for lifesaving services, I’d rather see a fierce defender of Medicaid at HHS. Yet, during his confirmation hearings, Mr. Kennedy failed to show even a basic understanding of Medicaid. Not the sources of funding, not the benefits, and at one point, he even seemed to conflate or confuse Medicaid and Medicare,” Padilla said.
As Republicans threaten major cuts to Medicaid, Padilla underscored the importance of confirming a nominee with the necessary qualifications and experience to protect public health. He urged his colleagues to vote against Kennedy’s confirmation.
What Are Supporters Saying?
Del Bigtree, who leads a group promoting Kennedy’s MAHA movement, dismissed widely replicated studies finding no link to autism because he alleged that they were conducted by scientists who wanted to find that result.
“Get scientists who say, ‘I think I can prove vaccines do cause autism,’” Bigtree said. “If they can’t pull that off, now you have a true safety profile.”
Bigtree said that the HHS has long approved “poisons” produced by industry for public consumption, and urged Kennedy to root out corporate influence.
Bigtree also said federal agencies should not be funded by industries, suggesting Kennedy’s advisers are pushing for major reforms to the current user fee system at the HHS agency that oversees food and drugs, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Finally we have someone at the head of HHS not owned by these corporations,” Bigtree said of Kennedy. “I think he’s looking for the right type of people.”
Bigtree said Kennedy should review HHS employees’ histories to see whether they worked for industry and also vet their views about the causes of chronic disease.
“Robert Kennedy Jr. has to sit down with the team and bring people and say, ‘What have you done over the last four years,’” Bigtree said. “If they’re not producing real results and good science, maybe there’s a better job for them somewhere else.”
Bigtree said that hiring scientists who are skeptical of the industry and existing vaccine science would help restore the public’s flagging trust in the government’s health care bureaucracy, adding that he thought Kennedy could safely downsize HHS’ 80,000-person staff.
Bigtree isn’t part of the administration, but he serves as a powerful leader of the MAHA movement. He also endorsed Kennedy’s comments to HHS staff that nothing was off limits for review.
Sources:
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/18/kennedy-lays-out-hhs-plan-00204675
https://newrepublic.com/post/191579/robert-f-kennedy-jr-cdc-infectious-disease-research
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a_TNAPHiePM
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/19/rfk-jr-vaccine-scientists-00204870
East County News Service
February 21, 2025 (San Diego) – State Senator Brian Jones (R-Santee) held a press conference today to announce introduction of his Senate Bill 554, the Safety Before Criminal Sanctuary Act. The bill would prevent local jurisdictions from restricting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement beyond what SB 54, existing state law, already allows. In addition, Jones’ bill would make it mandatory for cities and counties to turn over undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of certain violent or serious felony crimes, as SB 54 allows but does not mandate.
The Safety Before Criminal Sanctuary Act is a commonsense measure to tighten up California’s Sanctuary State policies in favor of public safety,” said Jones, the State Senate Minority Leader. “Importantly, this bill ensures violent criminals are not shielded from federal immigration authorities, using every tool in the toolbox to keep our communities safe.”
Specifically, those crimes include child abuse, unlawful weapon possession or use, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, trafficking controlled substances, rape, kidnapping, torture, murder, gang activity, arson, and those on the sex offender registry.
State law prohibits cooperation for anyone not convicted of one or more of those crimes.
SB 554 is in response to a recent San Diego County ordinance declaring itself a “Super Sanctuary County,” banning law enforcement from cooperating with ICE for any offense—even those exempted under SB 54—unless a federal warrant is issued.
“We are stopping ‘super sanctuary’ cities and counties,” said Jones.
Last December, County Supervisors voted 3-1 to restrict the use of county resources for federal immigration enforcement. Former Chairwoman Nora Vargas said at the time that the policy was intended to “ensure local resources are focused on addressing the county's most urgent needs, while protecting families and promoting community trust."
San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez later stated that her department will follow state law, however, making the Supervisors’ action ineffective.
Supervisor Joel Anderson voted no on the county measure. ““I’m grateful for Senate Minority Leader Jones’ laser focus on keeping our kids and communities safe,” he said at the press conference.
Supervisor Jim Desmond said, “The current sanctuary state law ties the hands of local law enforcement, preventing them from cooperating with federal authorities to address real threats.” He added that he will be asking his colleagues on the board of Supervisors to support Jones’ bill.
Republican Congressman Darrell Issa also backs Jones’ measure. ““The authors and advocates of California’s sanctuary laws claim they protect people. But that’s not true. For years, they have instead shielded many of the most dangerous criminals in the country, all of them here illegally, and the names of the innocent California victims are a roll call of shame on the Governor and the Legislature.
Click here to read the bill’s factsheet. SB 554 is awaiting assignment to a Senate policy committee for a hearing.
By Michael Howard
Photo: La Mesa City Councilmember Lauren Cazares speaking at the January 28, 2025 city council meeting. Courtesy of City of La Mesa
February 21, 2025 (La Mesa) – Citizens of La Mesa are speaking out about the appointment of retired Battalion Chief Dave Hardenburger to the Community Police Oversight Board (CPOB) last week when, without the proper notice and ignoring eligibility requirements, the City Council voted 5-0 to place him on the oversight body during the January 28, 2025 council meeting.
“You have flaunted, dodged and disrespected the rules set forth by the Community Police Oversight Board (CPOB) that is in place to serve your community,” Mairs Ryan wrote during the public comment portion of the Council’s next meeting. “Shame on you,” she admonished the Council before signing her name.
Photo, right: attendee Andy Trimlett of the February 11, 2025 La Mesa City Council meeting speaks out against an appointment to the Community Police Oversight Board. Courtesy of City of La MesaAccording to California code GOV 54974, the Council is prohibited from appointing new members to boards without first providing notice for at least 10 days, presumably to allow others to apply. While it is unclear whether the law applies to any vacancy or specifically only unscheduled vacancies, following this rule can prevent the appearance of collusion. That’s when agreements are allegedly made outside of the prescribed official process, which, whether actually true, or only having the appearance of being true, can have the same effect.
After the appointment of Chief Hardenburger on January 28, the City Council met on Tuesday, February 11 for its bi-monthly, regularly scheduled Council meeting. Public comments from in-person speakers kicked off when Andy Trimlett got right to the point, saying the La Mesa City Council is beginning to build a reputation.
“The city of La Mesa is starting to get the appearance that their hand-selecting people for the oversight board,” he accused the Council members.
“There are people that are showing up here who don’t even come to an interview, and they are getting selected,” Andy C continued. “This has happened more than once,” he claimed. “What does that say about us as a community?” he asked the Council.
Photo, left: Gene Carpenter speaks out against latest Community Police Oversight Board appointment during February 11, 2025 La Mesa City Council meeting. Courtesy of City of La MesaBut it’s not just the appearance of collusion that has drawn attention to the appointment. Also at issue is Chief Hardenburger’s recent retirement as Fire Captain for the city of La Mesa and his role as Battalion Chief. The city’s statute that outlines the requirements for placement on the CPOB restricts public safety officers from appointment to the board for five years once they’ve left public service in that role.
According to Chief Hardenburger’s social media accounts, he reports retiring as Fire Captain in 2023, and is listed as an active Battalion Chief, both of which designate him as ineligible according to the La Mesa city municipal code.
East County Magazine reached out to Mayor Mark Arapostathis and City Attorney Glenn Sabine for comment, but neither returned email or phone calls.
The outrage of the Council’s move appeared widespread. Longstanding citizen activist Gene Carpenter spoke, visibly upset from the podium Tuesday about the issue.
“I want to thank you Mayor, and you, Patricia Dillard, Assistant Mayor, for not doing your job,” he rebuked them both pointedly.
Mayor Arapostathis and Assistant Mayor Dillard made up the subcommittee who put forth the recommendations for the Council to vote for appointments to the CPOB on January 28. The pair did not pass along an application from Janet Castaños, who co-founded the CPOB and has acted as both Chair and Vice Chair since 2021.
Even the other City Council members seemed surprised when the nomination was announced. Newly elected City Council member Lauren Cazares, before voting to approve the appointment of Hardenburger, expressed her bewilderment.
Speaking of Hardenburger’s nomination, she said, “[That] one is tricky. I was not aware that there were two [nominations] until this evening,” she said before going on to praise nominee Castaños.
Photo, right: retired Fire Captain and current Battalion Chief Dave Hardenburger, recently appointed to the Community Police Oversight Board amid citizen outcry. View an interview with Battalion Chief Hardenburger during a fire at a local nursing home in this video.“Before we vote on this, I just wanted to thank Janet,” the councilmember stated, noting Castaños wasn’t present, but continued anyway.
“She’s really been an asset on that board,” Cazares declared.
Castaños, in an email to supporters, raised these objections.
“I was designated by the Helix Charter High School administration to serve as their representative, The newly selected member was not. submitted all the necessary paperwork and letters from the high school administration by the imposed deadline. The newly selected member did not.I was invited to present myself at the prior city council meeting to allow the council to know more about me and to ask any questions, The newly selected member was not.The Helix High administration did not know of the newly selected member's application nor did they send any letter identifying this person as their designee on the CPOB.”
Castaños told ECM that she has reached out to the City Attorney with her concerns.
SOURCES
California Legislative Information. (n.d.-a). California Code, GOV 54974. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=54974.&lawCode=GOV
California Legislative Information. (n.d.-b). California Code, PEN 830.37. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=830.37.&nodeTreePath=5.5.6&lawCode=PEN
City of La Mesa. (n.d.-a). Chapter 2.30—COMMUNITY POLICE OVERSIGHT BOARD | Code of Ordinances | La Mesa, CA | Municode Library. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://library.municode.com/ca/la_mesa/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT2ADGO_CH2.30COPOOVBO
City of La Mesa. (n.d.-b). City Council—February 11, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://pub-lamesa.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=75ab4db9-9693-40b1-a774-2d4919e05c4f&Agenda=Agenda&lang=English&Item=9&Tab=comments
LinkedIn. (n.d.). Dave Hardenburger | LinkedIn. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-hardenburger-29904878/
Public Comment. https://pub-lamesa.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=75ab4db9-9693-40b1-a774-2d4919e05c4f&lang=English&Agenda=Agenda&Item=9&Tab=attachments
East County News Service
February 20, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) -- Activists from Fallbrook, Escondido, Julian, and Ramona will gather at Congressman Darrell Issa’s office on February 21, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. to demand an in-person town hall meeting. The protest will take place at 210 W. Crest Street, Escondido, California.
The rally, organized by Indivisible North County San Diego, aims to address critical issues facing the community, including the urgent need for transparency and accountability from elected officials. Issa, San Diego County's only Republican Congressional member, has been a staunch supporters of President Donald Trump to date.
Activists will call on Congressman Issa to engage directly with his constituents and to stand firm against the illegal dismantling of federal agencies orchestrated by Elon Musk.
“Congressman Issa has a responsibility to represent the voices of his constituents, and that includes holding town hall meetings where we can express our concerns,” said Pam Albergo, a spokesperson for Indivisible North County San Diego. “We are here to demand that he stands up against the reckless actions that undermine our government and its agencies.”
Participants will share their concerns about the impacts of these actions on federal services and the broader implications for democracy. The protest seeks to unite community members in advocating for a government that works for the people and upholds its responsibilities. All community members are encouraged to join the protest to make their voices heard and stand in solidarity for a government that prioritizes the needs of its citizens.
WHAT: Protest at Congressman Darrell Issa’s Office
WHEN: February 21, 2024, at 10:30 AM
WHERE: 210 W. Crest Street, Escondido, California