January 2025 Articles

Read full text of Donald Trump’s inauguration speech on January 20, 2025

View video of speech

By Miriam Raftery

January 20, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Donald J. Trump was sworn in for his second term of office today inside the Capitol rotunda, instead of outdoors, due to bitterly cold weather.  In a 30-minute inaugural speech, Trump promised a “Golden Age of America” in which he would “put America first,” proclaiming, “America’s decline is over.”

The 47^th President is only the second ever to be returned to office after being voted out following his term as 45^th. 

Below are highlights of his inaugural speech, along with fact checks and clarifications as context.

Trump railed against “unfair weaponization of the Justice Department” and pledged to “rebalance” the scales of justice.

Fact check:  Trump was convicted by a jury on 36 felony fraud counts in federal court and faced dozens of other charges that were dropped due to a Justice Dept. policy prohibiting prosecution of a sitting president, however multiple grand juries found evidence of serious crimes. He previously announced his intent to seek retribution against his political enemies and those who prosecuted him. This morning, President Biden responded to those threats by issuing  proactive pardons against individuals who investigated Trump as members of the January 6 commission, as well as General Mark Milley.

With his predecessor at hand for the inauguration, Trump repeatedly criticized  the Biden administration as “corrupt,” but did not specify examples. In other criticism, he stated, “We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad.”  Trump predicted that his “proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.” He than announced satisfaction that “the hostages in the Middle East are coming back home to their families.”

Fact check:  Biden has drawn criticism over the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from  Afghanistan, as well as the mounting death toll in the Israel-Gaza War. However it was the Biden administration that negotiated cease fires in both Gaza and Lebanon to end the military hostilities in the region and return remaining hostages.

Trump faulted the Biden administration’s handling of the wildfires in California. “Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency,” he stated, adding that in Los Angeles, ”we are watching fires still tragically burn from weeks ago without even a token of defense....everyone is unable to do anything about it. That’s going to change.”

Fact check:  While its unquestionable that the L.A. wildfires have been devastating, President Biden actually pledged to have the federal government cover 100% of the disaster response cost, higher than the 75% that is customary. He’s also asked Congress for additional help, though it will be up to the Trump administration to carry through.  The fires were fueled by hurricane-force winds and in some areas, so many homes burning that fire hydrants ran dry; winds were so strong that firefighting planes could not fly. Thousands of firefighters did come from across the nation and around the world to help battle the catastrophic blazes.

Trump attacked the public health system, calling it the most expensive in the world while failing to deliver in times of disaster, but did not provide specifics.

Fact Check: It is true that America spends more than other developed nations on healthcare, in some cases four times higher per capita, though the U.S. is also larger geographically and in population than most other countries. The Affordable Care Act,  or Obamacare, has provided healthcare insurance for millions who were previously uninsured, though Trump has pledged to eliminate the program.  It is unclear what Trump meant about failing to deliver during disasters; both the Trump and Biden administrations mobilized to combat the COVID pandemic, developing a vaccine in record time, getting protective gear out to healthcare workers and more.  If Trump was referring to inadequate coverage for those facing a personal health crisis such as cancer, Affordable Care Act coverage is far better than for those who are uninsured and better than coverage under many private insurance policies.  The ACA also prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage for preexisting conditions.

He faulted America’s schools, stating,”We have an education system that teaches our children to be ashamed of themselves, in many cases, to hate our country,” promising “All of this will change starting today, and it will change very quickly.”

Fact check:  Trump has set a goal of abolishing the Department of Education, which provides funding for schools across the U.S., though this will require Congressional approval.  It is unclear how the quality of education would improve if a major source of funding for schools is taken away. As for the curriculum specifics, Trump is on record objecting to historically accurate teachings about issues such as slavery, the treatment of Native Americans, and other minorities.

With the inauguration occurring on Martin Luther King Day,  Trump specifically thanked those Black and Hispanic community members who voted for him, adding,  “Today is Martin Luther King Day...in his honor, we will strive together to make his dream a reality.”

Fact check:  Trump, in his speech, pledged to strive for world peace, a goal that King shared. However Trump has also pledged to eliminate policies that mandate or promote diversity, equity and inclusion in an executive order on day one. Dr. King strongly supported increasing diversity, equity and inclusion to assure fairness and opportunities for people of color.

Trump announced that later today, he will sign a series of executive orders, starting with declaring “a national emergency at our southern border.” Specifically, he said, “all illegal entry will be halted and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came.” He also pledged to reinstate his “remain in Mexico” policy, end “catch and release” policy, send troops to the southern border to block immigrants, and invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Fact check:  Illegal immigration across the U.S. southern border has actually dropped to a 5-year low as of this January, USA Today reports  That’s due largely to Biden policies such as closing the border during migration surges, working with Mexico to stop migrant caravans, and creating an app for would-be asylum seekers to apply online without entering the U.S., an app Trump has said he will eliminate.  Trump’s remain in Mexico policy, which did reduce illegal immigration, also resulted in many migrants victimized by criminals while in a migrant camp in Mexico...As for Trump’s statement that he will deport “millions and millions of criminal aliens,” a National Institute of Justice Study found immigrants commit crimes at much lower rates than U.S. citizens, and the overall crime rate in recent years has dropped even as immigration has risen.  With a estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., the vast majority have committed no crimes, other than crossing the border illegally, including those brought here as children. Most nations have indicated they will not accept deportees from the U.S., making it unclear how Trump’s administration could deport many immigrants who are here.

Trump claimed the U.S. experienced record inflation during the Biden administration. He blames this on “massive overspending and escalating energy prices.”

Fact check:  The highest inflation under Biden was 9.1% in June 2022, which was not even close to the 23.8% record set in 1920, CNN reports.  Inflation after COVID occurred worldwide.  As of December 2024, inflation had dropped to 2.9%, one of the lowest in the world.  Energy prices rose globally due to instability in Ukraine and the Middle East. Much of the increased spending under Biden included efforts to combat COVID and reduce the pandemic’s impact through his Inflation Reduction Act and American Recovery Act which helped individuals, small businesses and local governments recover from the pandemic’s economic impacts.

Trump said the solution to bring inflation down further will be a “drill, baby, drill” policy which he has previously said will include offshore drilling in California and opening oil reserves in Alaska.  He also announced, “With my actions today, we will end the Green New Deal and we will revoke the electric vehicle mandate.” He later said he will pull America out of the Paris Climate Accord, a long-standing campaign pledge.

Fact check:  Whether large-scale oil drilling will bring down prices remains to be seen, but Trump’s planned actions will indisputably worsen greenhouse gas emissions by burning more carbon and pulling out of clean energy options, also potentially dissuading other nations from living up to their environmental promises under the Paris Climate Accord signed by 200 nations. Politico reports,” The U.S. withdrawal further imperils nations’ already slim hopes of preventing 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming since the Industrial Revolution began.”

Trump said he will “immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families,” adding, “We will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.” He also announced intent to establish an External Revenue Service to collect tariffs, duties and revenues from foreign sources.

CNN labels Trump’s claims that tariffs would help Americans “false” since tariffs are paid by U.S. importers— companies in the U.S.—not foreign companies. Moreover, numerous studies including the U.S. International Trade Commission’s study have found that when Trump imposed tariffs on China in his first term, Americans bore almost the entire cost—including higher prices on consumers goods.

Trump reiterated his plan to establish a new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)  aimed at streamlining government to be more efficient and reducing spending.

Fact check: Trump has named billionaire Elon Musk, head of Space-X and the X(formerly Twitter) social media platform, to head up DOGE. Concerns have been raised over the propriety of an unelected person wielding such power without oversight, since DOGE would not be an official government entity. Another concern is Musk’s conflicts of interest, since his business entities have received lucrative federal contracts and funding. There is also a moral issue, with potential cuts to include Medicare for the poor and fixed-income seniors on Social Security being proposed by billionaire Musk and Trump along with tax changes that would benefit the wealthiest Americans. A lawsuit challenging legality of DOGE was filed minutes after the inauguration, CBS News reports.

The newly elected President also pledged to “sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America,” after what he called “years of illegal and unconstitutional efforts to restrict free expression.”

Fact check: Trump is likely referring to earlier efforts under the Biden administration to prevent spread of disinformation by foreign nationals including Russia on social media, as well as COVID conspiracy theories and AI-generated misleading political videos. Conservatives have objected to this as censorship.  The Supreme Court sided with Biden, ruling it legal for the government to communicate with social media with concerns on content moderation policies. Meanwhile in anticipation of Trump taking office, META has proactively eliminated fact-checking on its Facebook and Instagram platforms, AP reported, following suit after Musk did so on X.

Trump took aim at gender-affirming care and policies protecting LGBTQ+ individuals.  “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female,” he stated. 

Fact check:  Mother Jones reports details on what this executive order is expected to include: “Federal agencies will be instructed to classify people by biological sex on government IDs like passports, visas, and personnel documents. ... agencies also will be ordered to stop interpreting sex discrimination laws in ways that protect trans people—inviting federal workplaces, schools, and social service programs like shelters to misgender and discriminate against trans people. Transgender women in federal prison reportedly will be transferred to men’s prisons and no longer provided with gender-affirming medical treatments—potentially forcing up to 1,500 incarcerated trans women to medically de-transition...The order is expected to attempt to cut off federal funding for gender-affirming medical treatments, like hormone therapy—a move that primarily affects transgender adults.

Trump also announced plans to rename geographical features. “A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and we will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley,” he said. Trump praised McKinley for imposing tariffs and for his role in American controlling the Panama Canal.

Fact check: Trump has no power to force other nations or international authorities to change the Gulf of Mexico’s name, and Mexico’s president has objected, noting the name has existed on maps long before the U.S. became a nation. He could order the name changed on internal U.S. documents.  Trump’s Secretary of the Interior could, however, change the name of Denali,  formerly called Mt. McKinley, in Alaska back to the original name.  This would likely anger Native Americans, since Denali honored the indigenous name of the mountain. This also raises the question of whether Trump will seek to rename Denali National Park and other features with Denali in the name.

Trump announced intent to take back control of the Panama Control. “We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back,” he announced.  Trump claimed “China is operating the Panama Canal.” He used the term “manifest destiny” to refer to ambitious to advance space exploration and land American astronauts on Mars.

Fact check:  Panama has denied ceding control to China and Trump has provided zero evidence to back up this claim, Reuters reports. Trump has not said how he would retake the Panama Canal, which Panama has indicated it would not relinquish, though Trump has previously said he would not rule out use of military force. Trump has also drawn alarm in the international community with his demands for the U.S. to gain ownership of Greenland, a Danish territory, over the objections of Denmark, as well as his use of the term manifest destiny, which in America’s past has been used to assert a divine right to expand territory by conquering indigenous peoples.

Trump pledged to build the strongest military in the world, stating, ”Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent and totally unpredictable...We will not be conquered, we will not be intimidated, we will not be broken, and we will not fail.”

Fact check:  Peace through strength is a concept touted by many leaders throughout history, starting with the Roman Empire Hadrian  over 2,000 years ago, including Presidents George Washington and Ronald Reagan in the U.S.  The policy has had mixed results, providing a deterrent in some cases, while spurring pushbacfk in others.

Source: SDG&E

January 20, 2025 (San Diego)  – Due to extreme fire weather conditions and forecasted Santa Ana winds, San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) has notified 83,609 customers that it may have to turn off power to reduce wildfire risk as early as late today. Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) are approved by state regulators as a safety tool of last resort to mitigate fire risk during dangerous weather conditions.

As a result of dry conditions and expected Santa Ana windsup to 60 miles per hour locally, the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning and High Wind Warning for parts of Orange and San Diego Counties beginning Monday morning through late Tuesday night.

SDG&E has activated its Emergency Operations Center and staffed it with key personnel to monitor weather conditions throughout the duration of the event, especially the wind speeds in the high fire risk areas of the county.

If SDG&E implements a PSPS for public safety, it will open Community Resource Centers to support impacted customers. 

Given the potential for extended power outages, SDG&E encourages customers to be prepared. Outage preparedness tips can be found at sdge.com/outage-center; safety guidelines for generator use can be found at sdge.com/generator.  

As always, customers should never approach a downed line and should report it by calling 911 or SGD&E’s call center at 800-411-7343. Real-time information about unplanned power outages can be found at sdge.com/outage.

Updates about this PSPS can be found at sdge.com/Ready and SDGEToday.com or by following SDG&E’s X channel, @SDGE.

President Biden also laid out proposed future reforms, including a Constistutional amendment to limit presidential immunity, tax reforms, and term limits for Supreme Court justices

By Miriam Raftery

Hear audio of President Biden’s farewell address; view video, read transcript

January 19, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – In his farewell address to the nation delivered in the White House oval office on January 15, President Joe Biden issued a warning reminiscent of the farewell speech delivered by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1961.

“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,” President Biden said. Specifically, he cited “the concentration of technology, power and wealth” and warned of  “dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked.”

President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated tomorrow, has surrounded himself with wealthy tech company executives,  drawing controversy. There are parallels to the Russian oligarchs who wield undue influence over Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and have profited from his reign, while supporting his policies.   Trump has tapped billionaire Elon Musk, head of Tesla and Space-X which both have received large federal contracts or grants, to lead a non-governmental commission called the Department of Government Efficiency to improve government “efficiency” and recommend deep spending cuts. Critics have said this poses a conflict of interest for Musk.

Other tech billionaires have changed their business platforms to appease Trump after he leveled criticisms.  Mark Zuckerberg, head of Meta, halted fact-checking on Facebook. Jeff Bezos, who owns Amazon as well as the Washington Post, blocked an editorial decision to endorse Kamala Harris over Trump and announced an end to diversity, equity and inclusive policies in line with Trump’s stated goal of eliminating DEI protections for minorities and women at the federal level.  

Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg all plan to be at Trump’s inauguration.  “When you have the three richest men in the country on the dais,” Sarah Anderson, global economy project director at the Policy Studies nonprofit research group told ABC news, “You cannot overlook how much influence the billionaire has on the government.”

Daniel Kinderman, an associate professor of political science at the University of Delaware, agrees with Biden’s assessment that current income inequality in the U.S. now amounts to “oligarchic conditions.” He called the current situation “a turbocharged technological oligarchy that has control over media and technology” by unelected tech tycoons.

Kinderman, in an ABC news interview, pointed out that the top 1% of Americans own 35% of the nation’s wealth and capital, while the bottom 50% of Americans own just 1.5%.  He said the nation is now in uncharted territory due to top tech CEOs having more control over public and political discourse.  He voiced concern that such CEOs could “write their own rules that just benefit their own industry.”

Biden voiced concern over corporations controlling the media as well as social media. “Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power. The free press is crumbling. Editors are disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact-checking.  The truth is smothered by lies told for power and profit.” He also voiced concern about progress toward addressing the climate crisis on the brink of being undone “for power and profit.”

He likened the rise of wealthy moguls with too much power both to the robber barons in the 1920s and to the military-industrial complex that Eisenhower warned Americans about in 1961.

Eisenhower, a respected former general and Republican, warned of the rise of an immense military establishing and arms industry  following World War II and the Korean War. “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex,” he warned in his final speech to the nation as President. “The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist,” Eisenhower warned, adding that this could threaten American liberties and the democratic process.

Eisenhower noted that a technology revolution had given rise to the growth of the industrial-military complex, but offered a remedy. “Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together,” Eisenhower concluded, urging Americans to avoid  “fear and hate” that fuels wars and division, and to and to instead support “mutual trust and respect” for “peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations” and “all who yearn for freedom.”  He called for efforts to end “poverty, disease and ignorance” in order to foster peace and prosperity.

Biden, a Democrat, quoted Eisenhower and similarly called on the American people, the media, and all branches of government to “confront these powerful forces.”

With Republicans controlling both houses of Congress and the presidency, however, the prospect of the legislative branch serving its role of checks and balances appears dim.  Similarly, a Supreme Court with a 6-3 conservative majority, including three justices appointed by Trump in his first administration, has issued a ruling granting near-total immunity to a president for any official acts while in office, dimming hopes of judicial oversight.

That leaves the free press and most significantly, the public. In the 1920s, the abuses of the robber barons eventually diminished in large part due to the rise of labor unions and new legislation to rein in those abuses. Massive protests led to the end of the Vietnam War in the 1970s. Most recently, some Americans have pushed back on tech giants’ actions; 250,000 cancelled their subscriptions to the Washington Post over Bezo’s decisions supporting Trump, while millions have dropped accounts on Facebook, Instagram and X sites owned by the tech-oligarchs.

President Biden laid out a list of specific actions he hopes will someday be taken to protect our democracy and national security.  Those include:

• Assure that artificial intelligence development is led by America, not China;
• Reform the tax code to have billionaires pay their fair share, instead of getting massive tax cuts;
• Get dark money contributions out of politics;
• Enact 18-year term limits and ethics requirements for Supreme Court justices
• Ban members of Congress from trading stock while serving in the House or Senate; and
• Amend the Constitution to make clear that no president is immune from crimes he or she commits while in office.

After Biden's farewell address, Google reported a sharp rise in searches for the term "oligarch"; among the top 10 states with rises in searches for the term, eight were in red Republican-controlled states, ABC reports.

Biden’s speech also included confirmation of the cease-fire deal reached with Hamas, which today released several hostages in the first step toward a permanent cease fire.

He also highlighted his administrations accomplishments, including guiding America out of the COVID pandemic, creating nearly 17 million new jobs, getting a major bill passed to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, passing the most extensive green energy measure ever, strengthening  the NATO alliance and helping Ukraine stay free, giving Medicare the power to lower prescription drug costs, getting medical care for veterans exposed to toxins, and launching “a new era of American possibilities.”

He voiced confidence in the ideals that America stands for, the concept that “all of us deserve to be treated with dignity, justice and fairness.”  But to protect our rights, freedoms and dreams, Biden said, “We have to stay engaged in the process,” even when that’s frustrating.

He reflected on the Statue of Liberty as an abiding symbol of liberty and the ideal that everyone deserves to be treated with “dignity, justice and fairness.” He told of a veteran known as keeper of the flame, because he was in charge of polishing the statue’s torch to keep the light shining visibly, 

“Now it’s your turn to stand guard.  May you all be the keeper of the flame,” Biden told the American people.

Novel by Mark O’Bannon

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

January 19, 2025 (San Diego)—San Diego resident Mark O’Bannon has released a new science fiction romance, Touching Infinity  (Imperium Prequels).

In a society where arranged marriages are considered more sensible and enduring, Alastronia DeTroyes, a young planetary scientist, is excited to find herself traveling into a system that she has predicted will explode soon into a supernova.

Over the course of the novel, Alastriona corresponds with her sister, Julia.

Below is an excerpt from the novel:

“’We’ll decide what’s best for you,” Théophile said.

“’The Chinese call these types of marriages, ‘máng hūn.’”

“’Yeah, that translates as, ‘blind marriage,’” said Julie. “Not for me, thanks.”

“Their mother shook her head in exasperation. “No one wants their children making rash decisions to marry someone because of passion or lust. In an arranged marriage, you will stay together forever.”

           “’What about love?” asked Julie.

“’Don’t be naive, Julie. There’s no such thing as true love,” said Théophile. “That’s just a silly romantic fantasy.”

            Julie stopped arguing and devoted her attention to her food.

“Alastriona tried to get her sister to understand. “There are two kinds of love: The first kind is frivolous, romantic love. That kind of love leads to madness and suffering. The second kind is the stable form of love that is the result of careful planning.”

“Julie found her voice. “But love isn’t supposed to make sense. If you start a fire, you can’t control where it goes. You should follow your passions, sis. Don’t you want to fall wildly in love with someone?”

“Alastriona shook her head. “Of course not. I have no patience for crazy love. It’s pointless and irresponsible.”

“Chantel, chimed in. “Husbands and wives fall in love with each other after the wedding takes place in order to sustain their marriage. You know the divorce rates for provincials are over fifty percent. Arranged marriages rarely result in a divorce. You know the statistics as well as anyone, Julie.”

“’That reminds me,” said Théophile. “I have an announcement to make.” Théophile waved over a slave. The robot came over with a bottle of wine, which he displayed with a slight bow. Théophile nodded.

“The slave opened the bottle and poured him a sample. Théophile breathed in its aroma, tasted it, and smiled. He motioned for the slave to fill everyone’s glass. “Since this is a special occasion, I have brought out a bottle of Burgundian Pinot Noir all the way from Earth.”

“The slave went around pouring. Alastriona watched the robot fill her glass. She picked it up and inhaled the aroma, which reminded her of cherries and strawberries. She took a sip and closed her eyes, tasting mushrooms, pine, and just a hint of anise. It tasted like sunlight shining down on a grove of cherry trees. “What’s the occasion?” asked Julie.

           “’Alastriona is getting married,” said Théophile.

“Alastriona nearly choked on the wine. She set the glass down and coughed. “Désolé.”

“Feeling as if she had just been shoved off a high platform without an antigravity belt, Alastriona took a moment to regain her composure.

            “Chantel asked, “Aren’t you excited, Alastriona?”

            “’Of course,” she said. “It’s just a surprise, that’s all.”

 “’We’ve spent months searching for just the right man,” said Chantel. “We found one. He’s a Pure Strain Human from Earth.”

             “Théophile huffed. “You’re being redundant, Chantel.”

Pure Strain Humans where those who were born on Earth. They were the highest class of citizens and they enjoyed more benefits than the provincial citizens who were born on colony worlds. Pure Strain Humans were the highest class of elites in the Imperium.

Picking up her glass of wine, Alastriona leaned back in her chair. She looked outside at the storm raining down on the Scylanthians. The star HD 84117 was going down and the horizon was full of colors. Light glittered off wet bodies of the balloon-like people. The French colony world Scylanthia was warmed by a white F8V main sequence star in the constellation of Hydra. At 6,100 degrees Kelvin, it burned hotter and brighter than Sol, the homeworld of humanity. A world that she could never go to because she wasn’t a Pure Strain Human.

As Alastriona strikes out on her expedition into deep space, she wants to lose herself in the analysis of the imminent supernova. She discovers that her fiancé, a Pure Strain Human detective, has joined the expedition on a covert mission to uncover a traitor among them. Alastriona becomes thrown into a nightmare when a traitor on board assists aliens in their invasion of the galaxy.

Will Alastriona prevent the aliens from destroying all life in the galaxy?

Touching Infinity is a prequel novel in the epic science fiction series, Imperium.

I found the book to be a pleasurable read. The world O’Bannon creates is interesting, highly visual, and Alastronia’s days are full of romantic temptations by three men who are on board. Which one will she choose?

Mark O’Bannon is a screenwriter, game designer, and author of three fantasy series: Whiskers, Aia the Barbarian, and Shadows and Dreams. He is the CEO of Shadowstar Games, which publishes the Interactive Storytelling Game (a Pen & Paper Role Playing Game), Fantasy Imperium. He is an advocate of self-publishing and teaches workshops to aspiring authors to publish, market, and promote their works.

By Michael Howard

Photo:  La Mesa City Councilmember Laura Lothian speaks during a January 14, 2025 City Council meeting. Screenshot from City of La Mesa meeting video.

January 19, 2025 (La Mesa, CA) - La Mesa City Councilmember Laura Lothian is calling for a “15-Strikes And You’re Out” policy to address the rising cost and associated risks of managing the homelessness crisis in the city.

“If you watch the [Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement] video on our website, they say, right there, that it takes at least 15 contacts before a person experiencing homelessness is ready to accept services,” Lothian reported during the January 14 City Council meeting. “My feeling is this,” the first-term council member continued. “If the City of La Mesa offers a homeless individual – approaches them – 15 times and offers them help, and 15 times that homeless person rejects that help, I think it’s time for the city to say you need to go,” she insisted. 

Lothian’s comments came during the City Council's consent calendar portion of the meeting, when the Council typically votes to approve agenda items in bulk.  La Mesa’s Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement (HOME) program’s 3rd Quarter report was an item on the calendar, prompting her to speak up. 

“Despite increased spending on La Mesa’s Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement program, the 2024 count for La Mesa showed a 47% increase in unsheltered homelessness compared to 2023,” Lothian began. “The program is not reducing homelessness in La Mesa and we keep doubling down,” she went on to say. “If the L.A. fires tell us anything, it’s time we stop wishing for results and start getting them with common sense.”

Lothian’s statement comes amid the ongoing, but now slowing spread of fires in the Los Angeles area. Lothian associated fire risk with homelessness in her remarks.

“According to the news I’ve been reading, 54% of the fires that the LA Fire Department responds to are started by the homeless.  NBC 7 investigation showed fire incident calls tied to homelessness is sharply on the rise in San Diego,” she cited.  

 It is true that a rising number of fires in L.A. are caused by homeless people; NBC Los Angeles reported last May that 13,909 fires in 2023 were tied to homelessness, double the prior year. However, according to Cal Fire, the cause of the major wildfires currently burning in L.A. have not yet been determined.  

A number of small fires locally have also started at homeless camps.  Most recently, according to a recent NBC 7 report, firefighters responded to a fire in El Cajon this past Wednesday that was started by a homeless man trying to stay warm, prompting warnings of a heightened risk of fires due to the cold and dry weather.

“When you have people that are homeless, and they're trying to survive outside, they will do what they need to do to try and stay warm. Sometimes that involves lighting a fire and, as we know, in these conditions, fires like that could potentially spread,” Heartland Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Todd Nelson said in the news story.

To offset homelessness in La Mesa, the La Mesa City Council in February of 2021 adopted the “2021-2026 Homeless Action Plan” that outlined a proactive approach where the city would take a more “direct role in day-to-day engagement and outreach with the La Mesa homeless population.”  The action plan is largely implemented through the HOME program, where the focus is to divert calls that would typically use city emergency and law enforcement services to this program that responds to nonemergency calls for service related to homelessness.

In the Quarter 3 2024 HOME report submitted to the January 14 La Mesa City Council meeting, the program reported a total of 6,246 instances of services to homeless individuals since 2020, 244 of those in Q3 2024. Additionally, the program has housed 177 people in this period, 4 of which were permanently housed in Q3 2024 and 2 temporarily housed in Q3 2024.

Photo:  Excerpt from La Mesa's HOME program Q3 2024 report, highlighting clients served in the program's efforts to stem homelessness in the city.  Courtesy of the City of La Mesa

La Mesa Police Chief Ray Sweeney also spoke on the issue, responding directly to councilmember Lothian’s suggestion to presumably remove homeless individuals from the city.

Photo: La Mesa Chief of Police Ray Sweeney addresses the City Council during its January 14, 2025 meeting; screenshot from City of La Mesa meeting video.

“There’s that balance, Councilmember, we have to make sure we’re not violating their rights, especially if they are not committing crimes – if they’re not doing anything any other member of the public would do in public,” he said. “The balance of different methods and the things in our toolbelt, like you can see I have here, these are all things we’re thinking about, so it’s not just a single approach of progressive engagement.”

Vice-Mayor Patrica Dillard praised the HOME program and Chief Sweeney, noting the complexities of homelessness.

“People have different reasons why they turn down help. A lot of the times we don’t learn what those reasons are, ever,” she disclosed. “I feel the Chief [Sweeney] nailed it on this issue, we’re never going to get all of the homeless off the streets, it’s just not going to happen.”

Dillard finished with a sharp retort. “I believe doing something, and also being able to produce results, is better than nothing, or just complaining,” she said.

Members of the public did not comment on the issue.

In other actions, the Council divided up internal and external committee commitments among themselves for the new year.

SOURCES 

Bremer • •, S. (2025, January 15). Dry, windy conditions in San Diego County raise concern over encampment fires. NBC 7 San Diego. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/san-diego-county-encampment-fire-concerns/3725144/

Cann, C. (n.d.). What caused the LA wildfires? Here’s what we know about the possible origins. USA TODAY. Retrieved January 17, 2025, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/01/15/what-caused-los-angeles-wildfires-california/77715865007/

City of La Mesa. (n.d.-a). 2021-2026  HOMELESS ACTION PLAN. https://www.cityoflamesa.us/DocumentCenter/View/17134/Homeless-Action-Plan

City of La Mesa. (n.d.-b). Archive Center • HOME Quarterly Reports. Retrieved January 17, 2025, from https://www.cityoflamesa.us/Archive.aspx?AMID=109&Type=&ADID

City of La Mesa. (n.d.-c). City Council—January 14, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025, from https://pub-lamesa.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=1c6ffa3c-b8f4-4626-bb67-aac9daee9e8d&Agenda=Agenda&lang=English&Item=9&Tab=attachments

City of La Mesa. (n.d.-d). HOME Program | La Mesa, CA - Official Website. Retrieved January 17, 2025, from https://www.cityoflamesa.us/1646/HOME-Program

City of La Mesa. (2024). City of La Mesa Homeless Outreach & Mobile Engagement (HOME) Program Quarterly Report: July – September 2024. https://pub-lamesa.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=17801

Doug Smith, James Queally, & Genaro Molina. (2021, May 12). LAFD: 54% of fire responses in first 3 months of 2021 related to homelessness. FireRescue1. https://www.firerescue1.com/fire-attack/articles/lafd-54-of-fire-responses-in-first-3-months-of-2021-related-to-homelessness-8pgDS8dKNw018Uyv/

Page • •, E. S. (2024, December 2). Homeless arsonist sparked 9 fires in November, including in East County: Cal Fire. NBC 7 San Diego. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/homeless-arsonist-sparked-9-fires-in-november-including-in-east-county-cal-fire/3689620/

Grover, Joel (2024, May 9. Up in flames: Rising number of homeless fires threaten L.A. neighborhoods. NBC 4 Los Angeles.  https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/la-homeless-encampment-fires-electrical-supply-wires/3408775/