By Miriam Raftery, Editor, East County Magazine

Hear our interview for KNSJ Radio by clicking the audio link

February 1, 2017(San Diego) – To learn the impacts of President Donald Trump’s executive action restricting refugee s’ entry into the United States,  we interviewed International Rescue Committee Executive Director David Murphy and Kathi Anderson, Executive Director at Survivors of Torture.

The order has created “fear for a lot of people” in San Diego, long a welcoming haven for refugees starting with the airlifts of Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s, says Murphy.  San Diego County takes in 3 to 4 percent of  all the refugees accepted into the U.S. each year.

East County News Service

February 1, 2017 (La Mesa) – Don your Great Gatsby glam or cocktail attire for “All That Jazz,” the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce’s 9^th annual Salute to Local Heroes and Installation of Officers dinner.   This year’s event will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 22 from 5-8 p.m. at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center’s Golden Ballroom in Mission Valley.

East County News Service

February 1, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• President Trump announces Neil Gorsuch as his nominee for Supreme Court (Los Angeles Times)
• Bannon seizes a security role from generals (NY Times)
• Behind closed doors, Republican lawmakers fret about how to repeal Obamacare (Washington Post)
• Rex Tillerson sworn in as Secretary of State (CBS)
• U.S. Senate support for Trump education secretary nominee weakens (Reuters)
• ‘Breathtaking violation of rights’: L.A. City Attorney barred from seeing detainees at LAX (Los Angeles Times)
• FBI request for Twitter account data may have overstepped legal guidelines (Reuters)
• Donald Trump is already trying to muzzle leaders—but government employees have broad free speech rights (Salon)
• All of the State Department’s senior management officials just resigned (The Week)
• Mob lawyer mentored Trump Labor Secretary pick (Politico)
• After meeting with pharma lobbyists, Trump drops promise to negotiate drug prices (Vox)
• Trump administration official signals that some temporary bans on entry into the U.S. could become permanent (Los Angeles Times)
• Four more journalists get felony charges after covering inauguration unrest (Guardian)

WORLD

• 6 killed, 8 wounded by gunmen who invaded Quebec mosque (Washington Post)
• Angry mob confronts Baja California governor outside state offices in Mexicali (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• What The Stat About The 8 Richest Men Doesn't Tell Us About Inequality (NPR)
• Islamic State extending attacks beyond Sinai to Egyptian heartland (Reuters)
• North Korea appears to have restarted plutonium reactor: think tank Reuters)
• 'A Nightmare Without an End': Wildfires Burn Out of Control in Chile (NPR)
• High-profile defector: Discontent with North Korean government is growing (CS Monitor)
• U.N. office in Saudi Arabia hit by Yemen rockets: Al-Arabiya TV (Reuters)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Gig Connaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

February 1, 2017 (San Diego's East County) - We can’t live without it. It literally surrounds us. But we can’t see it and most of us never think about it.

It’s our air. We all share it and we all need to protect it. Because pollution — from chemical vapors to tiny particles of matter — can make people sick and hurt the environment.

East County News Service

February 1, 2017 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Conservations invites you to join a panel of experts to discuss a variety of opportunities for La Mesa residents to serve on boards and commissions, both with the City of La Mesa, and the County of San Diego.  The event will be held Wednesday, February 22^nd from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the La Mesa Masonic Lodge (4731 Date St.).

By Miriam Raftery

February 1, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – Following through on his campaign promise to reduce government regulations, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that would require federal agencies to eliminate two existing regulations for every new rule that they introduce.

By Rachel Williams

Photo, left: “Here at The Nile Sisters we’re really trying to address health disparities and improve access to care for our refugee and immigrant population,” said Susan H. the health advocacy coordinator for The Nile Sisters Initiative.

February 1, 2017 (San Diego) -- The Nile Sisters Initiative hosted a panel at The Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice on female genital cutting (FGC), also known as female circumcision. Refugees and immigrants face several physical and mental health complications after undergoing the procedure in their home countries.

Military Residency Choice Act allows families to establish consistent residency

January 27, 2017 (San Diego) — San Diego Congressmen Darrell Issa (CA-49) and Rob Wittman (VA-01) have introduced legislation aimed at easing the tax burden on military families by allowing them to establish one consistent state of residency.

East County News Service

January 31, 2017 (San Diego) – A final judgment has been issued by Superior Court Judge Joel Wohlfeil against San Diego Registrar Michael Vu in the case of Lutz v. Vu.   Lutz had argued that 285,000 ballots–39% of the total--were fraudulently excluded from the manual recount tally following the presidential election.  Judge Wohlfeil agreed that Vu inappropriately omitted 210,000 vote by mail ballots from the audit of the presidential election, but not provisional ballots.

East County News Service

January 31, 2017 (La Msea) — The La Mesa Historical Society and the family of Gordon Jones will hold a celebration of his life and recognition of his contribution to the city of La Mesa on Friday, Feb. 10 at 2 p.m. at the La Mesa Historical Society’s McKinney House Museum, 8369 University Ave. in La Mesa.   Read more about his remarkable life here.

East County News Service

January 31, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR), a trade group for San Diego-area realtors with an office in El Cajon, will present its “2017 Housing Market Overview” with Leslie Appleton-Young, vice president and chief economist, California Association of Realtors (CAR), from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 8, at PSAR’s East County Service Center, 1150 Broadway, El Cajon.

By Miriam Raftery

January 31, 2017 (San Diego) — On Sunday, following a weekend of chaos at airports around the world due to President Trump’s executive order banning travelers from 11 nations that led to detention of even legal U.S. permanent residents, the Department of Homeland Security and its Secretary issued statements that seek to clarify the policy.

East County News Service

January 31, 2017 (El Cajon) -- The Chancellor and leaders at Grossmont-Community College District have sent a letter to students in the wake of  President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders regarding immigration, border security, and a travel ban on people from seven nations, as well as his threat to establish a Muslim registry.  The letter affirms that the district’s governing board will vote February 21 on whether to adopt the following policies:

• Grossmont and Cuyamaca Colleges are open to all students who meet the minimum requirement for admission, regardless of background, culture, religion, or immigration status. 
• The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District will not release any personally identifiable student information, including data related to immigration status, without a judicial warrant or court order unless authorized by the student or required by law.
• The District will not cooperate with any federal effort to create a registry of individuals based on any protected characteristics such as religion, national origin, race, or sexual orientation.
• The District stands proudly for the heritage of American community colleges as hallmarks of a diverse, engaged, and healthy democracy.

Below is the letter in full:

By Miriam Raftery

January 30, 2017 (La Mesa) -- La Mesa Chamber of Commerce president Mary England introduced Supervisor Dianne Jacob as a “ferocious fighters” who “doesn’t back down” on issues important to her constituents. Jacob, who was recently named Chair of the Board of Supervisors, spoke at the Chamber’s first meeting of the year, in keeping with an annual tradition.

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Story and photos by Liz Alper

January 30, 2017 (El Cajon) - The 9-3-2 Grossmont Foothillers girls soccer team traveled to Valhalla today to face the 6-3-6 Norsemen.