Politics

By Miriam Raftery

January 30, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – Eleven people have applied to fill a vacancy on the Lemon Grove City Council created when former Councilmember Alysson Snow won the mayoral election.  The City Council will interview the applicants during the Feb.4 Council meeting at 6 p.m. at the Lemon Grove Community Center. View the full agenda including candidate applications: https://events.lemongrove.ca.gov/council.

The Council previously approved filling the vacancy via appointment, to avoid a costly election. The appointee chosen will serve the remainder of the term, which expires in December 2026.

Applications included detailed questions about candidates’ backgrounds and goals, though some did not identify policy objectives.

The applicants, in order of their interview times, are as follows, along with highlights from their applications:

By Miriam Raftery

View video of full Council hearing (Immigration agenda item begins at 37 minutes.)

January 29, 2025 – Emotions ran high during yesterday’s El Cajon City Council meeting, where a packed chamber heard testimony from 88 members of the public over a proposed over immigration enforcement resolution, followed by a heated Council debate that divided the all-Republican members during a hearing that ran over five hours.

The measure introduced by Mayor Wells, a revision from a version heard two weeks ago, aims to authorize El Cajon police to comply with federal immigration enforcement officials within the limits of state law and the Constitution for the purpose of removing violent criminals.

But the action comes on the same day that the White House Press Secretary indicated that the Trump administration views all undocumented immigrants as “criminals” even though crossing the border itself is a misdemeanor on the first offense, not a felony or violent crime.

Sweeps by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have begun nationwide, picking up many immigrants with no criminal record—including an El Cajon man with no criminal record who was awaiting his asylum hearing when arrested  this week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at his home in front of his five-year-old daughter, Councilman Michelle Metschel revealed in an impassioned speech.

By Miriam Raftery

View video of full Council hearing (Immigration agenda item begins at 37 minutes.)

January 29, 2025 – Emotions ran high during yesterday’s El Cajon City Council meeting, where a packed chamber heard testimony from 88 members of the public over a proposed over immigration enforcement resolution, followed by a heated Council debate that divided the all-Republican members during a hearing that ran over five hours.

The measure introduced by Mayor Wells, a revision from a version heard two weeks ago, aims to authorize El Cajon police to comply with federal immigration enforcement officials within the limits of state law and the Constitution for the purpose of removing violent criminals.

But the action comes on the same day that the White House Press Secretary indicated that the Trump administration views all undocumented immigrants as “criminals” even though crossing the border itself is a misdemeanor on the first offense, not a felony or violent crime.

Sweeps by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have begun nationwide, picking up many immigrants with no criminal record—including an El Cajon man with no criminal record who was awaiting his asylum hearing when arrested  this week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at his home in front of his five-year-old daughter, Councilman Michelle Metschel revealed in an impassioned speech.

East County News Service

January 29, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – The City of Lemon Grove is now accepting applications for residents and business owners interested in serving on the Measure T Oversight Committee. Applications will be accepted beginning January 27, 2025, through February 20, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Opponents of resolution rallied Monday in El Cajon; CBS 8 video screenshot

Read the revised resolution on pages 57-59 from City Council agenda attachments

January 28, 2025 (El Cajon) – A crowd of about 75people opposed to mass deportations held a rally outside El Cajon’s City Hall yesterday to speak out against Mayor Bill Wells’ proposed resolution for the city to fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The City Council will hold a hearing today at 3 p.m. on the controversial measure.

Changes have been made since the last meeting, adding praise for the city’s “vibrant and diverse immigrant communities” but also declaring the city’s intent to “comply with federal immigration law to the legal extent permissible under SB 54 and other applicable laws to remove violent criminals from our community.” SB 54 is a state law which prohibits cities from turning anyone over to federal immigration authorities unless they have been convicted in court of committed certain serious felony crimes, such as murder or rape. 

But President Donald Trump has declared a border emergency and  ordered immigration officials to conduct broad sweeps in immigrant communities. In recent days, people including citizens have been stopped,  asked for documents to prove citizenship, and many have been detained. Trump has stated his goal is to deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.—going far beyond the small percentage convicted of felonies.

By Alastair Bland, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

Photo via Calif. Dept. of Water Resources:  A drone provides a view of a section of the California Aqueduct within the California State Water Project, located near John R. Teerink Pumping Plant.

January 27, 2025 (Central Valley, Calif.) - President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order Sunday that told federal agencies to “immediately take action” to deliver more Central Valley water and eliminate rules that stand in the way, including endangered species protections.

By Jessica Brodkin Webb

January 27, 2025 (Lemon Grove) -- Lemon Grove Mayor Alysson Snow called the Jan. 21 City Council meeting “very light,” yet there was time enough for staunch resident pushback against a historically controversial tiny homes project which was not on the agenda. 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: screenshot of aerial video by ECM news partner 10 News shows military troops with razor wire at a staging site in the South Bay, as troops prepare to deploy to fortify U.S. - Mexico Border and aid in Trump crackdown on border crossings.

January 26, 2025 (San Diego) – A tough crackdown on immigrants has begun, after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the Southern Border. On Thursday, 1,500 active-duty military troops have been deployed to patrol the borders in San Diego and San Antonio, Texas, with the first soldiers arriving Thursday. 10 News shot footage showing troops, including hundreds from Camp Pendleton, arriving at staging area in Imperial Beach along with concertina razor wire, tents, and military trucks.

Yet according to Associated Press, data doesn’t back up Trump’s contention of an “invasion” of immigrants.  In fact,  AP reports, “arrests for illegal border crossings plummeted more than 80% to about 47,000 in December from an all-time high of 250,000 the same period a year earlier. Arrests fell by about half when Mexican authorities increased enforcement within their own borders a year ago and by about half again when former President Joe Biden introduced severe asylum restrictions in June.”

Immigration sweeps have also begun across the nation, striking fear into immigrant communities as Border Patrol agents in some areas reportedly demanded documentation of everyone stopped, including citizens. Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, told Fox News that ICE arrested over 308 “serious criminals” in the first 24 hours after Trump took office.

One day later, Newsweek reports, Trump’s Acting Secretary of Homeland Security  Benjamine Huffman lifted a long-standing ban, now allowing ICE to target immigrants in sensitive locations including schools, churches and hospitals.

In addition to fortifying the border to block crossings by migrants, including many seeking asylum and fleeing violence or persecution, Trump's administration has disabled the app which formerly allowed asylum-seekers to apply online without crossing the border, effectively blocking all asylum efforts, NPR reports. 

By Miriam Raftery

Times of San Diego and Voice of San Diego contributed to this report

Photo by Chris Stone, Times of San Diego: Nora Vargas at a 2022 rally

December 20, 2024 (San Diego)—In an announcement that surprised even her staff, San Diego County Supervisors’ Chair Nora Vargas today announced she will step down January 6 at the end of her term, despite winning reelection in November with 62.5% of the votes.

“Due to personal and security reasons, I will not take the oath of office for a second term,” Vargas said, Times of San Diego reports.

Photo, left to right:  Councilmembers Lauren Cazares and Patricia Dillard, Mayor Mark Arapostathis, Councilmembers Laura Lothian and Genevieve Suzuki

Source:  City of La Mesa

January 10, 2025 (La Mesa) – The City of La Mesa welcomed two new councilmembers during its City Council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 10. The occasion marked a historic milestone in La Mesa as the council now consists of a majority of women, including women of color, with four women and one man who serves as mayor.

“This is a proud and historic moment for La Mesa,” said Mayor Mark Arapostathis. “Our City Council reflects the strength and diversity of our community. I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to continue making La Mesa a place where everyone feels represented and empowered.”

Joining the council are the newly elected members, Lauren Cazares and Genevieve Suzuki. Both Cazares and Suzuki have deep roots in the La Mesa community. Cazares, lifelong La Mesan, currently serves as Policy Advisor at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and has been actively involved in various boards and committees, including the City of La Mesa Community Police Oversight Board.