Story and photos by Karen Pearlman

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Photo, left:  Padre Dam Municipal Water District board members Kim Hales (who represents Alpine) and Suzanne Till share information with ratepayers on Sunday afternoon, March 30, at The Alpine Club.

April 1, 2025 (Alpine) – Just a few days before San Diego County Water Authority will give presentation to the Padre Dam Municipal Water District Wednesday about wholesale water rates in 2026 and 2027, Alpine residents gathered to share some concerns about rate increases, as well as fire safety and water purification.

Two Padre Dam directors spoke Saturday at The Alpine Club. Alpine resident Anne Craig spearheaded the March 30 visit that brought Dr. Suzanne Till, who serves in Padre Dam’s Division 2 area, and Kim Hales, who oversees Division 4, including Alpine.

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By G. A. McNeeley

April 1, 2025 (Washington D.C.) — Some student loan borrowers are seeing their payment plans get suspended, which means their payments are rising. This has to do with changes at the Education Department implemented by President Donald Trump’s Administration. 

Approximately 43 million Americans have some kind of student loan debt, according to Newsweek. 

The Education Department reported that Americans collectively have $1.5 trillion in student debt nationwide. 

Mayor Snow presented proclamation to Roberto Alvarez, son of plaintiff in landmark legal case

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By Karen Pearlman

Photo:  mural artist Mario Chacon, by Christina Alvarez

April 1, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – Mario Chacon stood near the mural he painted three years ago with two assistants in Lemon Grove, and paused to give some thought on what the artwork represents.

The mural on the side of the building at 7963 Broadway depicts the story of one of the first historic successful public school desegregation cases in the United States.

Residential customers will receive the first two installments of bill credits this month; electric and gas-bill credits total more than $200 per household for 2025. 

Source:  SDG&E

March 31, 2025 (San Diego) - San Diego Gas & Electric® residential customers will get a break on their energy bill, thanks to the California Climate Credit administered by the California Public Utilities Commission as a result of the state’s effort to fight climate change. In April, residential electric customers and qualifying small businesses(link is external) will see a $81.38 credit on their statement. Residential customers with natural gas will also receive a $54.21 credit on the same statement.  

East County News Service

March 30, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – The Lemon Grove Historical Society’s “History Alive” lecture series continues this Thursday, April 3 at 7 p.m. with local author Sandra Bonura speaking about her new book, Empire Building: John D. Spreckels and the Making of San Diego. 

The event will be held at the H. Lee House in Treganza Park, 3205 Olive St., Lemon Grove.

Sugar mogul, newspaper publisher and railroad baron,  Spreckels was at the forefront of innovation and building San Diego. In the early 20^th century, one in 15 San Diegans worked for a company owned by Spreckels.

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East County News Service

March 30, 2025 (La Mesa) – Bright Star, a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the 1920s and ’40, takes stage at Lamplighters Theatre.  The play opens April 18 and runs through May 19.

By G. A. McNeeley 

Photo courtesy of Brian McNeeley

March 19, 2025 (Washington D.C.) — The Agriculture Department predicts egg prices could rise by more than 40%, on top of already steep price rises in 2024. While egg producers blame bird flu outbreaks, the Justice Department this month announced an investigation into whether egg producers might be sharing information and engaging in price gouging, ABC News reports. 

President Donald Trump’s campaign platform including a pledge to bring down inflation including egg prices, but so far, prices continue to skyrocket.  Now, the administration is offering its first details on its plan to fight avian flu and ease costs. 

By Mike Allen

Photo by Scott Lagace:  Santee firefighters saved the life of an unconscious woman during a July 2024 fire that engulfed her mobile home, also administering oxygen to save a cat.

March 14, 2025 (Santee) -- Santee knows it has to be better when it comes to providing fire protection to its residents, and after a sales tax-funded plan for new fire stations failed in November, its City Council made improving that essential service as its top priority.

In fairness, the Council was already focused on getting a couple of new stations to double the current number—two—to serve a population of more than 60,000.

It was building a temporary station off Olive Way where it formerly used to keep its maintenance operations, and was planning a new station in the north part of the city. Yet the Council was hoping the half-cent hike to local sales taxes would finance the improvements. Not so fast, said voters who rejected the plan.

At its March 12 meeting, the Council set building new fire stations—along with finding new ways to pay for them--as its No. 1 goal from a list of ten.

By Karen Pearlman  

Photo via San Diego County Sheriff:  Homeless encampment fire in Santee,  February 2025

March 14, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) -- With an estimated one out of every five fires in San Diego County started in encampments where homeless individuals congregate, San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson has said enough is enough.  

“Nobody has a right to burn my constituents’ homes down, whether they intend to or not,” Anderson said, two days after the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to update the county’s Unsafe Camping Ordinance. It would apply to property that the county owns or leases and specified areas such as parks, open space and certain public works facilities. 

At their meeting on Tuesday, March 11, the supervisors voted 4-0 to empower appropriate authorities “to ensure public safety and do more than just cite repeat offenders,” Anderson said.  A final draft ordinance is expected to be presented by county staff to the board in about two months, when a final vote will take place.