East County News Service
February 11, 2025 (San Diego) -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego is working to provide information for immigrants and their families in the wake of mass deportations and stringent immigration policies imposed by President Donald Trump. The information is available in English and Spanish, as well as translation options for other languages.
Catholic Charities has launched a webpage to provide “reliable information, such as the rights of immigrants, how to find a relative if he or she has been detained, and what legal documents may be needed, like power of attorney. Resources and training also will be available to parishes,” the diocese posted.
Click on these links to view resources including rights for immigrants:
emergencysafetyplan.org (English)
plandeemergencia.org (Spanish)
East County News Service
Photo: Palisades Fire, courtesy of Lakeside Fire Dept. which helped battle the catastrophic wildfire in Los Angeles County in January
February 11, 2025 (Washington D.C.) -- As Southern California recovers from devastating wildfires, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, has introduced a package of three bipartisan bills to bolster fire resilience and proactive mitigation efforts.
The package includes the Wildfire Emergency Act, to support forest restoration, wildfire mitigation, and energy resilience; the Fire-Safe Electrical Corridors Act, to authorize the removal of trees or other vegetation within existing electrical utility corridors; and the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act, to further incentivize homeowners to proactively protect their homes from disasters.
East County News Service
Photo, right: Cleveland National Forest in San Diego County
February 11, 2025 (San Diego) – Congressman Darrell Issa, a San Diego Republican, has introduced the “Green Tape Elimination Act” that seeks to prevent wildfires by exempting all fuel reduction activities on federal lands from these environmental regulations for 10 years.
- The National Environmental Policy Act
- The Endangered Species Act
- The National Historic Preservation Act
- The Clean Air Act
- The Migratory Bird Treaty Act
- The Migratory Bird Conservation Act
“Eliminating USAID means no more food for millions of Sudanese refugees who’ve fled a civil war, no more medical care for displaced Palestinians, no more HIV treatment on the African continent, and more." -- Congresswoman Sara Jacobs
By Miriam Raftery
Photo via X: Congresswoman Sara Jacobs speaks at a rally to save US Aid.
February 11, 2025 (San Diego) – Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) today introduced legislation declaring it illegal for the Trump administration to dismantle the USAID agency without an act of Congress, and to prohibit any funding of such efforts. Jacobs calls the action a "coup" and warns other agencies could be illegally dismantled next.
Elon Musk and his Dept. of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have shut down the USAID agency’s headquarters and website, put thousands of staffers on leave, and issued a stop work order on most foreign aid.
As a result of those actions, Jacobs says in a press release, “HIV/AIDS clinics have closed across Africa, hospitals in war-torn Syria have locked their doors, millions of Sudanese refugees will be at risk of catching diseases like cholera, malaria, and measles that are spreading, and so much more.”
By Fernanda Lopez Halvorson, County of San Diego Communications Office
February 11, 2025 (San Diego) -- County public health officials are reminding everyone, particularly families with children and teenagers, that it is not too late to get the flu vaccine.
East County News Service
February 11, 2025 (Rancho San Diego) – A head-on collision in Rancho San Diego has left two people dead and three others injured. The deadly crash occurred on February 7 around 8:25 p.m.
East County News Service
February 11, 2025 (La Mesa) – Two La Mesa residents, ages 79 and 77, have died as the result of a four-car accident that occurred last night around 7:18 p.m. on Interstate 8 east, just east of 70th Street in La Mesa. They were the driver and passenger in a 2004 Toyota.
This story was originally published by ProPublica.
By Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
February 11, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) - The Trump administration has terminated more than $900 million in Education Department contracts, taking away a key source of data on the quality and performance of the nation’s schools.
By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office
February 10, 2025 (San Diego) - With the National Weather Service predicting the first heavy rains across San Diego County this week, the County and CAL FIRE are offering advice and free sandbags to residents and businesses in the unincorporated areas.
Major funding for schools nationwide is at stake
By G.A. McNeeley
February 10, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – The Trump administration has begun drafting an executive order that would begin the process of eliminating the Department of Education, CNN reports. This order would instruct the Secretary of Education to create a plan to diminish the department through executive action. Since Congressional approval is required to eliminate any agency created by Congressional action, Trump also plans to push Congress to pass legislation that would abolish the department.
In an Oval Office press briefing, Trump stated, “I believe strongly in school choice, but in addition to that, I want the states to run schools.” He added that he wants his Secretary of Education nominee Linda McMahon to “put herself out of a job.”