February 2025 Articles

Updates: The victim has been identified as 51-year-old Anthony Trujillo.  On Feb. 27, Andrew Gomez Cardona, 26, was arrested at a home on S. Magnolia in El Cajon. He has been booked on charges related to the murder of Trujillo, who died of a bullet wound in the neck.  Cardona told deputies that he resided in Lemon Grove.

Lemon Grove Mayor Alysson Snow issued a statement expressing "shock and grief" at the klling in broad daylight. She extended  "love and prayers" to family members and assured that law enforcemeng officers are "acting swiftly to bring those responsible to justice and to account for this inexcusable act of gun violence."

East County News Service

February 23, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – A man is dead after an assault with a deadly weapon at Kunkel Park in Lemon Grove this afternoon. 

Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the park within four minutes of a call reporting the assault at 12:40 p.m.  They found a Hispanic man in his 50s lying on the ground with trauma to his upper torso.

“Deputies promptly initiated first aid and life-saving measures, later assisted by Heartland Fire and AMR paramedics. The injured man was transported by AMR to a local hospital, where he tragically succumbed to his injuries,” says Lieutenant Michelle Krugh.

East County News Service

February 23, 2025 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon Police received an automatic license plate reader (ALPR) notification of a stolen vehicle at 1:37 a.m.  Officers quickly located the car, but when they tried to stop the vehicle, the driver fled and a pursuit began. Due to the high speed, police ended the ground pursuit and utilized a Sheriff’s helicopter to track the car for approximately an hour as it traveled through the county.

San Diego’s inland region (east of I-15) is home to hundreds of restaurants offering a wide variety of cuisines. 

Below is an alphabetical listing from A to Z.

Know of a restaurant we missed? Email editor@eastcountymagazine.org.

Also see our guide to East County restaurants offering international cuisine and those specializing American foods, plus our guide to sweets and treats.

Scroll down to view our full list of restaurants in San Diego's inland region.

East County News Service

February 22, 2025 (El Cajon) -- Goodwill San Diego announces the Grand Opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new mobile Community Employment Center in El Cajon on February 26 at 9 a.m. This mobile center is designed to meet job seekers where they are, particularly assisting residents in rural areas and those facing transportation and childcare challenges. 

The mobile center will actively participate in hiring events and is available to support local organizations and events as needed. The ribbon-cutting will be held at the Goodwill El Cajon Retail Store parking lot, 420 North 2nd Street, El Cajon on Wednesday, February 26 at 9 a.m.

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.

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. 

East County News Service

February 22, 2025 (San Diego) --  East County Magazine has been selected by FeedSpot as the fifth best local magazine among the Top 15 San Diego Magazines on the web.

The site ranks  the best San Diego magazines from thousands on the web ranked by relevancy, authority, social media followers & freshness.

East County Magazine was established in 2008 and now averages 10 million hits and a quarter million visits each month. The site has won 147 major journalism awards.  Its mission is to provide in-depth news, views, and events coverage daily for the inland areas in San Diego County, reflecting the broad diversity of people and issues in our region, particularly those under-represented in other media.

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.

East County News Service

February 21, 2025 (Ramona) – The Sheriff’s office is searching for Yolanda  Marodi, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak, who is suspected in the stabbing death of her wife, Cal Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi. The couple had been married for approximately two years.