East County Magazine
County share: Sustainability hacks during the holiday season
Sustainable gifts are always in. Photo from Pexels.com East County News Service Dec. 10, 2025 (San Diego County) — Going green and being sustainable poses some challenges, and can be especially difficult to navigate during the holiday season. Gving and receiving gifts and packages of all makes and models — and most come with wrapping of all types — plus
Loveland Reservoir water transfer at 21% but coming to an end, SWA says
Photo of Loveland Reservoir by Ostan Patton By Karen Pearlman Dec. 9, 2025 (Alpine) – Sweetwater Authority’s plan to leave Loveland Reservoir with at least 25 percent of its water capacity during the most recent transfer of water into the Sweetwater Reservoir has not gone as originally planned, as shared with East County Magazine on Dec. 5. Sweetwater Authority (SWA), the special
East County AWP construction boosts cost, but officials say recycled water supply is worth the price
By Mike Allen Photo: Education Center at AWP plant December 5, 2025 (Santee) — Three years into construction, the massive East County Advanced Water Purification Program is approaching the finish line late next year when the region’s sewage now being treated at Point Loma will be pumped to a new Santee plant and converted to drinkable, purified water. Last
Loveland Reservoir draining underway brings pushback from East County residents
Loveland Reservoir showing what is left of the public fishing zone. Photo by Ostan Patton By Karen Pearlman Dec. 5, 2025 (Alpine) – It’s been three years since Loveland Reservoir was drained by Sweetwater Authority to “deadpool” level for the first time ever, leaving the area susceptible to environmental challenges, killing fish and increasing fire hazards. Now another extreme draining is underway by Sweetwater Authority (SWA),
Trump aims to open California coast to oil drilling; Senator Padilla and Governor Newsom denounce plan
Draft proposal seeks six California lease sales despite clear legal limits and decades of bipartisan coastal protections By Miriam Raftery Photo: dead seabirds killed by the Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska in 1989. Source. November 20, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – The Trump administration today released its draft 2027 to 2032 Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing plan, the most aggressive
Long-awaited victory: Glorietta Canyon saved after two-decade quest
Some native plants have already begun to show up in Glorietta Canyon, like this chinchweed that’s growing on the pad where the previous owner of the property had his trailer. Photo courtesy Anza Borrego Foundation East County News Service Nov. 18, 2025 (Borrego Springs) — A nearly two-decade conservation effort has culminated in a major victory for the Anza-Borrego
Board of Supervisors to discuss land use on Nov. 19
East County News Service Nov. 14, 2025 (San Diego County) — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is continuing a critical conversation about the future of housing and development in the unincorporated areas of the county, including Spring Valley, Lakeside and Casa de Oro. The Board of Supervisors will discuss land use legislations at its meeting at
Governor Newsom attends COP30 Climate Summit that President Trump skips, after UN warns of highest C02 spikes in history
California has reduced greenhouse gas emissions 20% since 2000, while state’s GDP rose 81% By G. A. McNeeley November 13, 2025 (Brazil) — Heat-trapping carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere jumped by the highest amount on record last year, soaring to levels never seen in human civilization. That’s “turbocharging” the earth’s climate and causing more extreme weather, the
Pumpkin Smash event turns Halloween waste into environmental wins
Local students join I Love A Clean San Diego to divert organic waste from landfills Story and photo via I Love a Clean San Diego November 4, 2025 (Spring Valley) — On Monday, November 3, students at Sweetwater Springs Elementary School participated in a unique post-Halloween event aimed at reducing organic waste and promoting environmental education. Hosted by I Love
Vegetables sprout in new $1.67 billion County Crop Report
By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office November 1, 2025 (San Diego) – Agriculture values rose by just over 1% to $1.67 billion, and vegetable and vine crops thrived in San Diego County’s Annual Crop Report released today. The new Crop Report, which covers the 2024 growing season, showed the county’s list of Top 10 crops changed slightly
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
EXPLORE COUNTY PARKS AFTER DARK
East County News Service August 4, 2018 (San Diego) — Head outside after hours for a series of fun programs the whole family will enjoy in San Diego county parks. On top of Summer Movies in the Park series, here’s a list of star parties, night hikes and evening entertainment taking in parks this month. Inclement weather may cancel;
BALMY WEATHER BRINGS WARMEST OCEAN IN 100 YEARS AT SAN DIEGO BEACHES
By Miriam Raftery August 4, 2018 (San Diego) – Looking to beat the heat? The ocean waters off San Diego are the warmest in a century—reaching a balmy 78.6 degrees Fahrenheit on August 1st to break an all-time record. “Like other climate change trends, background warming enhances the probability and magnitude of extreme events,” said Scripps oceanographer and Shore
REUSABLE STRAWS: HAS THEIR TIME COME?
By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson August 3, 2018 (El Cajon) – El Cajon resident Michael Danis learned about the controversy with plastic straw use in restaurants when his family took a niece to a San Diego restaurant for a party. A restaurant that offers straw hair updos and more games with straws. “My family went to a restaurant and we
SEVERAL COUNTY PARKS TO CLOSE FOR AUGUST
By Michelle Mowad, County of San Diego Communications Office Photo: Volcan Mountain Wilderness July 30, 2018 (San Dietygo) – County Parks and Recreation will close several parks for the month of August, a precaution taken each year due to the season’s expected extreme heat. El Capitan Preserve near Lakeside, Mt. Gower Preserve near Ramona, Hellhole Canyon Preserve in Valley Center and Wilderness Gardens in Pala are closed
BOULEVARD PLANNERS OPPOSE TORREY WIND PROPOSAL FOR TURBINES TALLER THAN DOWNTOWN SKYSCRAPERS PROPOSED IN RURAL COMMUNITY
By Miriam Raftery Photos: Brush fire sparked by exploding wind turbine in Campo in 2013. Proposed new turbines would dwarf these older, smaller models. July 26, 2018 (Boulevard) – The Boulevard Community Planning Group has sent a 26-page letter to the County opposing Terra-Gen’s proposed Torrey Wind project. If approved, the project would erect 30 wind turbines each 586
FREE WATER WISE LANDSCAPING WORKSHOP AUG. 25 AT RAMONA RANCH VINEYARD AND WINERY
East County News Service July 26, 2018 (Ramona) – Ramona Ranch Vineyard and Winery will host a free water-wise landscaping workshop August 25th from 5 to 7 p.m. The winery is located at 23578 Highway 67 in Ramona, CA 920650. Learn how to create a less thirsty and environmentally friendly landscape! Join Solana Center for this presentation where you will learn
VOLUNTEERS BRAVED HEAT TO COUNT BIGHORN SHEEP
By Miriam Raftery Photo courtesy Anza Borrego Foundation July 26, 2018 (Borrego Springs) — With temperatures over 100 degrees, 79 volunteered fanned out for the annual Peninsular Bighorn Sheep count at 19 sites in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park from June 29 to July 1st. A total of 225 sheep were counted, up from 207 in 2017, but last
THE WILD ZONE: WATER FOR WILDLIFE—LIFE SAVING OR LUXURY?
A little help from us can tip the balance between life and death for our wildlife neighbors By Renee Owens July 25, 2018 (San Diego) — Our local wildlife species have evolved over many millions of years, adapting to some amazing extremes of weather where drought is par for the course. That means they can withstand pretty much anything
“SAFEGUARD OUR SAN DIEGO COUNTRYSIDE” INITIATIVE PROPONENTS SUBMIT SIGNATURES, BUT MAY BE TOO LATE FOR NOVEMBER ELECTION
East County News Service July 24, 2018 (San Diego) — Proponents of the “Safeguard Our San Diego Countryside” ballot initiative have submitted 105,000 signatures to the San Diego Registrar of Voters. But Registrar Michael Vu says it’s unlikely that the signatures can be verified before the August 11 deadline for Supervisors to vote to put the measure on the
FLEX ALERT ISSUES FOR TUES. AND WED.: CONSUMERS ASKED TO CONSERVE POWER
East County News Service July 23, 2018 (San Diego) — Due to high temperatures in California and most of the western U.S., the California Independent System Operator Corporation (ISO) has issued a statewide Flex Alert that calls for voluntary electricity conservation from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 24 and Wednesday, July 25. Consumers are urged to conserve
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.