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.
POWER PLAY: HOW CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS ARE TRYING TO NAVIGATE A CHANGING ENERGY LANDSCAPE
By Julie Cart Reprinted with permission from CalMatters Photo by Oran Viriyincy via Flickr July 15, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – State lawmakers, faced with a transformed energy landscape and a glut of renewable power as California charges into a greener future, are considering a handful of measures to meet the state’s energy challenges. The puzzle: how to
LAKESIDE CONSIDERS A FOOD SCRAPS TO ENERGY PROJECT: COMMUNITY MEETING JULY 19 HOSTED BY PROJECT TEAM
By Miriam Raftery Photo: Biogas pipes, creative commons image via Vortexrealm July 11, 2018 (Lakeside) – The project team for a proposed project to convert food scraps to energy will host a drop-in session for community member on Thursday, July 19 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lakeside Community Center. The team will be on hand to answer
CPUC DENIES GAS PIPELINE PROPOSAL BY SDG&E
By Miriam Raftery Photo: Protesters in Santee and Mission Trails Regional park opposed the pipeline; Preserve Wild Santee June 22, 2018 (Santee) – By a unanimous vote, the California Public Utilities Commission has denied SDG&E/Sempra Energy’s request to build a 47-mile, three-foot diameter gas pipeline known as Line 3602, which would have replaced the aging Line 1600. The
SANTEE ACTIVISTS HOLD TWO PETITION DRIVES THIS SUNDAY ON TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK INITIATIVE AND PETITION TO STOP GAS PIPELINE
By Miriam Raftery June 17, 2018 (Santee) – Activists in Santee are spending Father’s Day gathering signatures on two petitions on issues impacting Santee and Mission Trails Regional Park areas. The first aims to put the Santee General Plan Initiative on the ballot to require voter approval of development projects larger than the general plan currently
HEAR OUR INTERVIEW: DANA LAW, HIKER WHO COMPLETED PACIFIC CREST TRAIL
Law will speak today at the El Cajon Library on his Pacific Crest Trail adventure By Miriam Raftery June 16, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – Dana Law is a magician, but he’s recently completed a feat that required no magic—just a lot of willpower and walking. He hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail, from the Mexican border
NEW ENERGY PRICING PLANS ADD MORE CHOICE AND CONTROL FOR CUSTOMERS
Five reasons to consider switching to a Time of Use plan East County News Service June 7, 2018 (San Diego) – San Diego Gas & Electric’s (SDG&E) new Time of Use (TOU) pricing plans are giving residents more choices and control over their energy bills. These plans offer savings for customers who can shift some of their energy use
PARKS AFTER DARK SUMMER ADVENTURES
County News Service June 2, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) — This June, wait out those warmer temperatures for the cool breezes the evening brings. We’ve planned star parties, evening hikes and educational programs the whole family will enjoy – at or after sunset! Inclement weather may cancel; contact the parks by clicking on the links below. Saturday, June 2 (8
PLANTING TREES FOR THE FUTURE
By Suzanne Bartole, County of San Diego Communications Office June 2, 2018 (San Diego) – A park isn’t a park without some shady trees! And after seven years of drought in San Diego County, trees in county parks have weakened and pests are causing them to die. We’re doing what we can to protect trees and be forward
GOV. BROWN SIGNS BILLS ESTABLISHING STATEWIDE WATER EFFICIENCY
East County News Service June 1, 2018 (Sacramento) — Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. yesterday signed SB 606 by Senator Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) and AB 1668 by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) to help the state better prepare for droughts and climate change by establishing statewide water efficiency standards. “In preparation for the next drought and our changing environment, we
SECRETS OF THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL REVEALED: JUNE 16 AT LIBRARY IN EL CAJON
Source: County Library branch in El Cajon Photo by Miriam Raftery: Pacific Crest Trail in Campo May 29, 2018 (El Cajon) — Local hiking enthusiast Dana Law will share his adventures and tips for hiking the legendary Pacific Crest Trail at a special presentation on June 16th at 2:00 p.m. at the El Cajon Branch Library located at 201
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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.