March 2025 Articles

East County News Service

March 18, 2025 (Lakeside) -- The Maine Avenue Revitalization Association (M.A.R.A.) invites you to the Taste of Lakeside, its upcoming fundraise on April 8 from 5-8 p.m. This event brings together ten local restaurants, including Cali-Stack, Ranch House, Octavio's, East Bound, Yogurt Barn, The Parks, Caffeine Queens, and the VFW, offering attendees the opportunity to sample their culinary delights.

To prevent overcrowding at any single location, participants will receive one of four maps. This will ensure a pleasant and enjoyable evening of food and fun. A $30 donation grants access to the event, including a lanyard to be presented at each participating restaurant.

Tickets may be purchased from a M.A.R.A. member, Mary's Donuts, or the Lakeside Historical Society on Saturdays. A QR code is also provided at the bottom of the flyer for convenient ticket purchase. All funds raised will directly support Downtown Historic Lakeside.

By Miriam Raftery

March 18, 2025 (Mt. Helix) – You’re invited to join the 100^th anniversary celebration of Mt. Helix Park with a Roaring ‘20s themed party on April 12 from 4:30 - 8 p.m. in the Mt. Helix Nature Theater. Enjoy delicious appetizers and dinner from Bekker's Catering, followed by dueling pianos and dancing under the stars. Beer, wine and soft drinks are included as well.

All tickets include shuttle service to and from the parking lot, entertainment, appetizers, dinner, dessert, beer, wine, and soft drinks.

Ticket Price: $125 Single - $1,250 Table of 10

Optional add-on VIP Valet from the Top: $50 per car

Buy tickets at this link:  TICKETS

The 501(c)(3) Mt. Helix Park Foundation was formed by community members to save the historical amphitheater and nature preserve in 1999. Governed under the original Yawkey Family Trust from 1925, the Foundation  does not receive government funds, and the board of directors, in partnership with volunteers and our two staff members, works year-round to raise money to cover expenses and ensure the park will remain free and available to future generations.

East County News Service

March 18, 2025 (Julian) - Fort Cross Adventures in Julian hosts its spring lilac festival from April 19 through May 11 on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Preregistration is advised to assure space.

General admission ($10) includes entry into a lilac maze, family farm area and more.

A festival activity package ($25 per person) including a wagon ride, treasure hunt, interactive reptile show, visits with farm animals, hoedown and jug band show, painting craft and lilac-themed candle dipping. Additional activities are available for a fee.

Visitors can also purchase fresh lilac bouquets at the farm stand seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For reservations and information, visit ​fortcross.com/lilac-festival.

East County News Service

March 18, 2025 (Santee) – The city of Santee invites you to hop on over to Santee’s Bunny Trail on Saturday, April 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Santee Trolley Square.

Guests can enjoy photos with the bunny, games, crafts, face painting, giveaways and carnival rides.

Santee Trolley Square is located at 9884 Mission Gorge Rd.in Santee.

By Karen Pearlman

Photos courtesy of Legalize Ferrets

Photo:  Pat Wright with a ferret friend

March 18, 2025 (La Mesa) -- Eight years after persuading the city of La Mesa to become a sanctuary city for ferrets, Pat Wright is on a mission next to legalize ferret ownership statewide.

Wright and his nonprofit group, Legalize Ferrets, have attained a key milestone in the quest to remove domestic ferrets from the state’s list of restricted species.

Wright said the California Fish and Game Commission has officially accepted the Legalize Ferret petition for a regulation change along with a comprehensive set of exhibits to back it up, and that the case will be heard at the commission’s meeting, held over the course of two days next month.

At the CFGC April 16 and April 17 meeting, Wright said the group will decide whether to move it forward for further consideration at its two-day meeting in June, set for June 11 and June 12.

The biggest challenge for the group since its start two decades ago has been overcoming bureaucratic inertia, Wright said.

“Fish and Game has resisted change for decades, largely due to internal bias rather than science,” Wright said. “We need the Commissioners to act independently rather than defer to the outdated position of their staff. Another challenge is ensuring that our petition is evaluated based on scientific evidence and legal precedent, not politics or misinformation.”

Legalize Ferrets began in 2005 as a way to fight back against the state of California’s ban begun in 1933 led by a push from lobbyists in the agriculture industry on the animals being imported, sold, bred or possessed.

The organization started because of limited progress in legalizing the animals in the state. Then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004 vetoed a ferret amnesty bill.

The main reasons given for ferrets being allowed as companion animals has been said about the concern over them escaping and forming invasive groups that could threaten native wildlife.

Photo, right: Huey the ferret

A 2022 report from the California Fish and Wildlife Scientific Journal said that “the impacts of ferrets upon native wildlife and ecosystems, agribusiness, and human health and safety were compiled from a thorough review of the published literature and the analysis of four surveys of U.S. state agencies...

“Results highlight two primary concerns: the ferret can easily escape confinement, and could impact native bird populations, as do feral cats; and human safety concerns, especially with infants, because of the proclivity of the ferret to bite.”

Wright called the acceptance of the group’s petition by the CFGC “a significant milestone.”

“In the past, our efforts to legalize ferrets were often dismissed outright without serious consideration,” he said. “This time, we have forced the Commission to acknowledge our petition under the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), meaning they are legally required to respond. This is the closest we've ever been to getting a fair hearing on the issue.”

Wright said the APA requires government agencies to follow due process when making or changing regulations.

“This time, they can't just brush us off without a legitimate response,” he said. “We believe our petition is ironclad, backed by legal and scientific evidence proving domestic ferrets do not belong on the prohibited species list. However, we also know how creative they can be when it comes to dismissing us.”

Wright said the group’s strongest evidence includes the legal definition of domestication, that state law defines a domestic animal as one that has been selectively bred under human control for generations.

He said ferrets have been domesticated for more than 2,000 years and are recognized as domestic in every other U.S. state and country worldwide.

Wright also said the animals do not pose an environmental threat, that peer-reviewed studies and state wildlife agencies across the country confirm that feral ferret populations have never been established in the U.S.

As for public safety, he said, “Ferrets are no more dangerous than cats or dogs. Bite statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies show that ferrets are responsible for far fewer reported injuries than common pets.”

Additionally, a federally approved ferret rabies vaccine exists, “countering the outdated argument that ferrets pose a unique rabies risk,” he said.

Opponents of ferret legalization have cited concerns about ecological risks and public health, but Wright counters those arguments with legal and scientific data, including:

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has never provided evidence that domestic ferrets can survive in the wild; and Wright said that unlike wild mustelids (such as weasels and minks) domestic ferrets lack survival instincts, hunting skills and camouflage.

Wright said the CDC has never issued a public health warning about ferrets despite their legal status in nearly every state and that ferret bites account for less than 1% of all reported pet-related injuries.

If the Commission moves forward, it will begin the formal rulemaking process, and if the petition is rejected in June, Wright said Legalize Ferrets will pursue legal action under the APA.

“The Fish and Game Commission cannot ignore our rights to petition for a rule change,” he said. “If necessary, we will take this matter to court to force them to follow the law.”

For now, ferret advocates and supporters can help push this effort forward by submitting public comments, contacting state legislators, spreading awareness and donating to Legalize Ferrets.

Stopgap funding measure signed by President Trump; California’s Senators voted no

By G. A. McNeeley 

March 18 2025 (Washington D.C.) — Congress avoided a government shutdown on March 14, just a few hours before the funding deadline. The stopgap measure to fund the government until September 30 was signed by President Donald Trump on Saturday.

The stopgap would fund government operations through the remainder of this fiscal year, but it would also slash non-defense funding by roughly $13 billion and increase defense spending by about $6 billion over current budgets (including billions for deportations, veterans’ health care and the military). 

Many Democrats, including California’s Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, opposed the measure due to the non-defense cuts and because Republicans refused to include language in the bill putting guardrails on Trump and Elon Musk’s ability to continue dismantling the federal bureaucracy unchecked. The  Democrats also advocated for a shorter, four-week stopgap to keep the government running on current funding levels in an effort to buy more time for appropriators to strike a deal on a bipartisan funding package.  Republican leadership interest in those negotiations diminished weeks ago. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blocked filibuster

Senate Democrats came under intense pressure to oppose the Trump-backed bill. Now Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and nine others, are facing backlash after they helped clear a path for its passage by refusing to support a filibuster to block the budget bill.

Lawmakers raced towards a shutdown that would’ve had far-reaching consequences across the federal government, highlighting the struggle Democrats face, trying to counter Trump and the Republican control on power in Washington. 

Schumer and nine other Democrats crossed the aisle to advance the budget in a key procedural vote. The legislation only required a simple majority in the Senate chamber for final passage, and all but two of those ten ultimately voted no on the budget bill. 

Schumer argued his party only had bad options.  “I believe it is the best way to minimize the harm that the Trump administration will do to the American people,” Schumer told CNN, in defense of his vote. “Clearly, this is a Hobson's choice. The CR (continuing resolution)  is a bad bill, but as bad as the CR is, I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option.” 

Since Congress has not approved appropriations for any federal departments, all would be affected. Every agency has its own set of plans for a shutdown. Those plans include how many employees would be laid-off, which employees are considered essential and would work without pay, how long it would take to wind down operations in the hours before a shutdown and which activities would come to a halt. Those plans can vary from shutdown to shutdown. 

The impact of a shutdown differs each time, and it’s unclear how agencies would handle it now, especially since Trump’s efforts to downsize the federal government has wreaked havoc on their operations and workforces. 

The Division Among Party Members 

Trump praised Schumer for saying he would support the measure, telling reporters after the vote, “I appreciate Senator Schumer, and I think he did the right thing, really. I’m very impressed by that.” 

Many Senate Democrats and House Democrats saw the vote as a surrender in the party’s first real leverage point in Trump’s second term. 

The initial vote had been closely watched by Democrats across the country, who saw it as a test of their party leaders’ willingness to fight Trump. 

Ultimately, the Senate voted 54-46 to approve the stopgap bill for government funding through September 30. The vote was mostly party line, though Senator Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire Democrat) and Angus King (Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats) voted in favor of the bill, while Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky (Republican) opposed it. 

“Once I had voted for cloture, it was an opportunity to pass the bill, and I thought it was more honest to vote for it,” Shaheen told CNN. “I thought, much as I didn’t like the CR, I thought a government shutdown would be worse and would give Trump and Elon Musk and the DOGE operation more of an opportunity to fire people, to shut down agencies and to close the work of the government.” 

At the urging of Democrats like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, voters had been flooding senators’ offices with calls urging them to block the bill and take on Trump for his dismantling of the federal government. Many Democrats believe that Schumer failed that test. 

Schumer has faced criticism, but no senators have publicly said they would challenge his leadership. 

House Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, were against the bill, but lost by one vote from one of their members. It was not enough to sink the bill, which passed the House on March 11th.  

Jeffries would not answer when asked whether he had lost confidence in Schumer, with whom he diverged on the funding issue. 

Senate Democrats are now grappling with how to move forward as a caucus after the government funding bill split their party. 

Schumer told CNN’s Jake Tapper that he “always knew there would be disagreements,” but maintained that a “government shutdown would be far worse” than voting for the GOP-led measure. 

“My job as leader is to lead the party and if there’s going to be danger in the near future, to protect the party. And I’m proud I did it, I knew I did the right thing, and I knew there would be some disagreements. That’s how it always is,” he added. 

Schumer also defended his leadership position, saying, “My caucus and I are in sync.” 

New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich would not say whether he thought the party needed a new leader, telling reporters, “That’s a conversation for inside the caucus. I’m not going to debate that out here.” 

Virginia Senator Mark Warner said he has “faith in Chuck Schumer,” but acknowledged that the caucus had a “choppy week.” 

“I voted no on the CR. I heard that overwhelmingly from folks, and again, recognizing I got tons of federal workers. But I have total respect for the folks who reached another conclusion, and the idea that they would have had a shutdown that would have put us into the abyss with, unfortunately, parts of this administration, doesn’t follow the law,” he told CNN. 

“I think the Democrats need to have a pro-growth agenda that recognizes fairness, and that is, frankly, not the debate though, that we just took place. That we just took place, it was two awful choices,” he added. 

What California Politicians Have To Say 

California Senator Alex Padilla issued the following statement after the House of Representatives narrowly passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through September 30th: 

“The House Republican spending bill completely shortchanges California and other disaster-stricken states on disaster relief. We cannot leave communities in our states behind as they continue to rebuild and recover from devastating recent disasters. Despite the House vote today, I still believe the best path forward is for Congress to instead pass a 30-day funding bill to keep the government open while we continue negotiations for the remainder of the fiscal year in a way that properly funds disaster relief and doesn’t cede more power to Trump and Elon Musk.” 

California Senator Adam Schiff explained why he’s “voting no, and why this needs to be defeated,” in a press release. 

Schiff said it would embolden Trump to continue tearing down government services, close Social Security offices, illegally withhold funds, illegally seize authority from Congress, lay off veterans, and cut health care and Medicaid. 

“I'm not willing to continue to see Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and their minions continue to arrogate to themselves the power to fire anyone in the federal government,” Schiff said. 

Schiff also addressed those who think that a shutdown of the government would be worse. 

“If the government shuts down, let's be clear, they control everything. They control the House, they control the Senate, they control the White House, they control the Supreme Court. If they shut down the government, it is on them. That is their decision,” Schiff said. 

“I am desperately worried about the direction of this country. We are seeing an executive run away with authority he does not have, merely because he claims to have it, merely because our courts have often acted too slowly to stop him,” he added. 

In addition to Padilla and Schiff, Democratic House Representatives Sara Jacobs, Mike Levin, Scott Peters, and Jacob Vargas all voted against it, while Republican House Representative Darrel Issa voted in favor of it. 

Sources: 

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/14/politics/government-funding-bill-senate-shutdown/index.html 

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/03/13/politics/deadline-federal-government-shutdown-congress 

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/03/14/congress/senate-passes-government-funding-bill-00231667 

https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-statement-on-house-republicans-reckless-spending-bill/ 

https://schiffnotes.substack.com/p/my-vote-on-the-gop-spending-bill 

https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202550

East County News Service

March 18, 2025 (Rancho San Diego) – The controversial Cottonwood San Mine proposal is slated to be heard by the County Planning Commission in April, more than six years after it was first proposed.  Thousands of residents have signed petitions  and packed public meetings to oppose the project based on significant environmental, health and safety concerns, and community impacts such as traffic and potentially decreased property values.

Tonight, the Valle de Oro Community Planning Group will meet at 7 p.m. to finalize a recommendation to the County. This important  meeting will be held in the Rancho San Diego Library,11555 Via Rancho San Diego, El Cajon 92019.

The project would allow at least 10 years of open pit mining on the site of the Cottonwood Golf Course along the Sweetwater River, just upstream from a federal wildlife preserve. The develop, New West Investment, contends the project is needed to supply sand for local building and infrastructure projects, avoiding the cost of importing sand.

The Stop Cottonwood Sand Mine Committee will present its opposition to the project during the meeting. The Committee is expressing continued concerns that a Major Use Permit for a more than 10-year open pit sand mining operation — on the site of the Cottonwood Golf Course along the Sweetwater River — is out of character with the already established Rancho San Diego community, made up of nearby homes, schools, and businesses. The project is also inconsistent with the County General Plan and Community Specific Plan.

The Committee has urged those opposed to show up and express their opposition to the Planning Commission. 

New West Investment and investor Michael Schlesinger purchased Cottonwood Golf Course in 2015, four years after the golf course filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As originally filed, the proposal is to mine 4.7 million cubic yards with approximately 3.8 million cubic yards (5.7 million tons) of construction aggregate produced over ten years, in phases with reclamation planned after each phase. Approximately 214.4 acres of the approximately 280-acre site are proposed for extractive use. The project application was filed in November 2018.

The San Diego State University women's team earns the 14 seed and will face third-seeded LSU in Baton Rouge on Saturday. The men take on the Tar Heels in Dayton, Ohio, on Tuesday night's NCAA First Four match.

Source:  goaztecs.com

March 18, 2025 (San Diego) - The San Diego State University men’s and women’s basketball teams have both earned spots in the NCAA Tournament and will face tough opponents in their respective regions.

The last time both the Aztecs' women's and men's teams competed in the NCAA Tournament was in 2012. That year, the women's team dominated by winning both the regular season and conference tournament titles, securing a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, the men's team earned a No. 6 seed, marking one of their six consecutive tournament appearances from 2010 to 2015.

The San Diego State women’s basketball team was awarded the 14 seed in the Spokane Regional 1 and will play at third-seeded LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 22, the NCAA announced on Sunday night.

The winner will face the winner of sixth-seeded Florida State and 11th-seeded George Mason on Monday.

The Aztecs (25-9) won the Mountain West tournament as the No. 4 seed, beating fifth-seeded New Mexico, top-seeded UNLV and then the No. 2 Wyoming in the championship game in triple overtime. SDSU has won its last eight games.

This is San Diego State’s 10th NCAA appearance overall and first since 2012, when it fell to fifth-seeded LSU as the No. 12 seed in Baton Rouge by a score of 64-56.

The Aztecs’ 25 wins are their most since the 2012-13 season (27) and their 15 wins away from home is a program record.

The Tigers are 28-5 on the season and went 12-4 in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). LSU lost to second-seeded Texas, 56-49, in the SEC Tournament Semifinal on March 8.

This is the second meeting between SDSU and LSU, and first since the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

Times and TV details will be posted to GoAztecs.com later tonight.

The San Diego State men’s basketball team will play North Carolina on Tuesday in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament, the NCAA announced Sunday. Both the Aztecs (21-9) and the Tar Heels (22-13) earned an 11-seed in the South Region, with the winner facing No. 6 Ole Miss (22-11) on Friday.

The San Diego State-North Carolina Tuesday game is set for a 9:10 p.m. ET (6:10 p.m. PT) tip and will air on truTV, and on the radio on San Diego Sports 760.

This is SDSU’s fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, sixth in eight seasons under head coach Brian Dutcher (San Diego State was 30-2 in 2019-20 but the NCAA Tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic), 17th at the Division I level and 20th overall.
The Aztecs are the 11-seed for the fourth time in program history and will play in the South Region for the third time.
SDSU earned an at-large bid, one of our teams from the Mountain West to make this year’s tournament. UNC also earned an at-large bid as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
San Diego State and North Carolina have met twice before with the Tar Heels winning both matchups, a 103-92 win at San Diego Sports Arena on Dec. 29, 1988 and a 99-63 victory in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on Nov. 24, 1990.

East County News Service

March 17, 2025 (San Diego) - You’re invited to a concert by the San Diego Concert Band presenting music of John Williams on Thursday, April 17 at 7 p.m. in the Joan B. Kroc Theatre, 6611 University Ave. in San Diego.  Nick Grant will be featured on the theme from “Schindler’s List,” a film based on Oskar Schindler, the German who saved 1,200 Jews from the Holocaust.

Violinist Nick Grant won a position with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra at age 17. After graduating from San Diego High School, he won a full scholarship to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Winner of the Julia Klumpkey Memorial Competition in San Francisco, he also took first prize twice in the Musical Merit Foundation as well as first prize in the Arizona National String Competition.

He has been a featured soloist for tours of Japan, Europe and the U.S. and is noted for his performances of the Bach, Ysaye and Paganini violin cycles.

Grant is the longest serving principal player in the San Diego Symphony Orchestra’s 115-year history. He began playing piano at age 4 and violin at 8.  He performs on an 1850 Joseph Rocca violin.

For tickets, click here.