By Mike Allen
Photo: Santee Fire Department responding in 2023
March 1, 2025 (Santee) -- The chaos and disruption happening daily at the federal government isn’t permeating to the local level in Santee, where the City Council took several significant actions this week, including funding the remaining balance on a $2 million temporary fire station, adopting a new specific plan for its Town Center area, and hearing that its finances are in sterling shape.
By Mel Gurtov
March 1, 2025 (Washington D.C.) -- Imagine that during World War II, at the height of Nazi Germany’s blitz of Britain, President Roosevelt invited PM Winston Churchill to Washington and humiliated him with derisive comments about Britain’s looming defeat and failure to thank the President for US support. Unthinkable, of course, but that’s exactly what happened when Ukraine’s President Volodymir Zelensky visited Washington and had to endure Donald Trump’s appalling interrogation.
By Miriam Raftery
File photo: Ben and Jessica Kalasho
Updated Feb. 28 at 7:20 p.m. with additional details and clarifications.
February 28, 2025 (San Diego) – Former El Cajon Councilman Besmon “Ben” Kalasho and his wife, Jessica, appeared via video at a San Diego Superior Court hearing today, asking the court to set aside arrest bench warrants ordered back in May 2023. Those warrants were issued after the Kalashos were found guilty of criminal contempt of court and ordered to report in September to serve eight days in jail, but failed to appear.
The judge refused to let the Kalashos off the hook, following arrguments on both side.
By Miriam Raftery
February 27, 2025 (El Cajon) -- At 4:30 today, the Grossmont Union-High School District is holding a special meeting to considering firing 49 employees including all high school librarians. Others targeted include English teachers, psychologists and more.
Opponents of cutting librarians have set up a website at https://sites.google.com/view/save-guhsd-librarians/home. It includes a petition which has gathered over 1,100 signatures as of late this afternoon.
“The Grossmont Union High School District Board majority is pulling the same shady tricks as last year. They are planning layoffs claiming no money when they are holding a 13% reserve fund. This is well over state requirements,” says Jay Steiger, former GUHSD candidate who previously served on the district’s bond oversight committee.
View the full list of 49 positions on the chopping block. The 4:30 p.m. meeting of the GUHSD board will be held today at El Cajon Valley High School’s multipurpose room, 1035 East Madison Avenue in El Cajon.
By S.E. Michael
Photos: CC via Bing
February 27, 2025 (San Diego) -- Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress ran on a pro-life platform. But it’s clear from recent actions of the Trump administration that its leaders don’t care about babies. Its actions are putting lives and wellbeing of millions of infants and children at risk, both around the world and here in the U.S.
Cutting off U.S. Aid including food in famine-stricken areas, clean water and medical supplies without notice, for instance, means that “millions of children will suffer and thousands may die” around the world, according to an analysis by First Funding for Children. Ships laden with food were prohibited from unloading, leaving food to rot rather than save lives of starving children, CBS reports. The United Nations warns of “mass death” in Sudan from starvation and is seeking donations after the U.S. abruptly cut off all aid.
Similarly, Republicans’ Congressional budget cuts to Medicaid, school lunch programs, and the child tax credit will all harm children.
Mass federal firings by the Dept. of Government Efficiency (DOGE) include workers who ran childcare and Head Start programs and also ended a program to improve maternal healthcare for pregnant women, threatening the wellbeing of their unborn babies.
East County News Service
February 27, 2025 (Washington D.C.) -- U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined 14 other Democratic Senators in urging senior Trump Administration officials to reverse the hiring and onboarding freeze of federal seasonal firefighters that they say threatens the safety of communities in California and across the nation. The Trump Administration’s January 20 hiring freeze of federal civilian employees inexplicably did not exempt federal seasonal firefighters, despite exempting other critical public safety personnel.
Bidders must register at sdttc.com by March 6th to participate in auction featuring 640 properties
February 26, 2025 (San Diego) - San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister reminded those interested in participating in the County’s 2025 online property tax auction that bidder registration must be completed by March 6. This year’s auction features more than 600 properties for sale.
By Miriam Raftery
February 26, 2025 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police responded to a call yesterday from a man who found his mother’s body in the trunk of her car, a black Hyundai Sonata. The caller said he had gone to check on his mother after she didn’t return home from visiting her other son, Richard Leyva, 24, who was staying at the motel.
By Miriam Raftery
Image: generic cat photo, cc via Bing
February 26, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego County Public Health officials are investigating a suspected case of bird flu (H5N1) in a house cat from East County. Preliminary test results show the cat, which got sick and died in mid-January 2025, was positive for bird flu. The indoor cat ate a raw pet food that is suspected to be the source of the infection.
By Suzanne Potter, Public News Service
February 25, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) - A coalition of environmental groups is suing the Trump administration to reinstate protections against new offshore drilling.