East County Magazine
Spring Garden and Butterfly Festival plus Coyote Music Festival this Saturday, May 2, at Cuyamaca College
East County News Service April 30, 2026 (Rancho San Diego) – Cuyamaca College is hosting the Spring Garden and Butterfly Festival as well as the Coyote Music Festival. Both major community events are happening this Saturday, May 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and are free to the public. This highly anticipated community fetivity brings together The Water Conservation
California’s Zone Zero defensible space law is now in effect for new home construction; existing homes must comply by February 2027
By Paul Levikow April 3, 2026 (San Diego County) – New structures being built in Very High Fire Severity Zones in California must now comply…
Rally against city of San Diego Measure A on April 1
East County News Service March 31, 2026 (San Diego) — Leaders from across San Diego County will gather at San Diego City Hall tomorrow (April…
La Mesa City Council grapples with housing and parking concerns
Councilmember Laura Lothian criticizing city tactics on parking issues By Alexander J. Schorr March 29, 2026 (La Mesa) — The La Mesa City council met…
Early ending to voucher program puts hundreds of San Diegans at risk of homelessness
By Drew Sitton, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association Photo: Housing officials are struggling to meet the needs…
Early ending to voucher program puts hundreds of San Diegans at risk of homelessness
By Drew Sitton, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association Photo: Housing officials are struggling to meet the needs of hundreds of at-risk households that are set to lose federal voucher assistance. Photo courtesy of San Diego Housing Cnmmission February 14, 2026 (San Diego) – By every metric, Katrina Lewis’ life is better than a
Lemon Grove City Council approves emergency ordinance to assist evicted tenants
“Every day we sit on our hands and pretend like there’s nothing we can do, is one day that one more person joins our homeless…
La Mesa hosting Home Energy Fair in March
East County News Service February 5, 2026 (La Mesa) — With San Diego County residents navigating some of the highest utility rates in the nation,…
The Water Conservation Garden gears up for a blooming 2026
Photo of a buttefly at the Dorcas E. Utter Butterfly Pavilion at The Water Conservation Garden and story by Karen Pearlman Jan. 3, 2025 (Rancho San Diego) — The Water Conservation Garden, the 6-acre botanical showcase of sustainable landscaping and water-wise gardening adjacent to Cuyamaca College, has rooted out its slate of events for Winter and Spring 2026. The schedule includes educational opportunities, community connection
Santee approves contract to build $26.8 million community center and gives ok for new condos
By Mike Allen Image: rendering of new community center December 15, 2025 (Santee) — Santee’s City Council has unanimously approved a contract to build its long-planned Community Center next to the Cameron YMCA for a total cost of $26.8 million, or $3.3 million more than the city staff’s estimate given in April. At the Dec. 10 meeting, the City
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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.
East County Arts Organizations
Our Guide to Live Entertainment venues
AFRICAN GARDEN, AIRPLANE MODELS AND LOTS OF COLOR AT 19TH ANNUAL FRIENDS OF EAST COUNTY’S GARDEN TOUR
By Janis Russell April 29, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)– Despite windy weather and some rain, the 19th annual garden tour presented by Friends of East County Arts on April 26 was still held, providing visitors with an array of colorful and fascinating gardens to enjoy. This event was put on by Friends of East County Arts, Inc, which
SAGE & SONGBIRDS PREVIEW: NIGHT-TIME GARDENER REAPS RARE REWARDS
This garden and others will be on view at the Sage & Songbirds Garden Tour May 2-4 in Alpine Story by Maureen Austin, CHIRP Photos by Mendi Wyatt, CHIRP April 15, 2014 (Alpine) – Laughingly labeled as a “plant hoarder” by a friend, Pete Swoboda prefers the title “plant collector.” He says he never met a plant he didn’t
10 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR POOL SAFE AND LOOKING GREAT!
April 6, 2014 (San Diego)–The rains have gone and temperatures are expected to start rising again. And that means swimming pool season can’t be far off! Every year, San Diego County’s Department of Environmental Health (DEH) inspects about 4,000 public swimming pools and spas to make sure they’re clean and safe. Now, they only inspect public pools — not
EAST COUNTY GARDEN TOUR BLOSSOMS APRIL 26
March 30, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)–Friends of East County Arts, Inc. presents its 19th Annual Garden Tour on Saturday, April 26 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Six spectacular gardens will offer an amazing variety of settings and each garden is lovingly planned and cared for by its owner. Included in this year’s tour are: Recreated gardens of
OPENING YOUR POOL FOR A NEW SUMMER SEASON
By Ryan Harrison Photo by harmonicagoldfish via Flickr March 22, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – Preparing your swimming pool for the upcoming summer season means more just than taking off the cover and refilling it. After a long winter, your pool may be green and full of gunk and debris. More than 53,000 in-ground pools and 171,000 above-ground
COUNTY OFFERS VIDEOS ON WATER CONSERVATION GARDENING
March 20, 2014 (San Diego)–California is in the midst of a drought emergency, and there’s no relief in sight as our unseasonably warm winter continues. Gov. Jerry Brown is asking all residents to cut water use by 20 percent — something that may be easier than you think. Simple changes in the garden can make a big difference when it
PREPARE FOR POTENTIAL FLOODING
Photo credit: Tom Lemon Safety tips from the nonprofit FLASH March 1, 2014 (San Diego)–With much needed rain expected over the next few days, residents should take precautions to protect their home and family from the possibility of flooding. Eighteen to 24 inches of moving water can wash an SUV off of the road. In fact, according to the National
EAST COUNTY REALTORS HOST CLASS ON SELLING HUD HOMES
February 13, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors, a trade group for San Diego-area realtors who serve East County and South County communities, will host a free class for realtors on the process of selling homes offered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from 1:30 to 3 p.m. on
EL CAJON’S MAYOR MEETS WITH REALTORS
February 5, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – The Pacific Southwest Association of REALTORS® (PSAR), a 2,000-member trade group for San Diego area realtors, hosted El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells at a recent PSAR brown-bag lunchtime conversation presented by PSAR’s Government Affairs Committee. Wells, a city councilman in El Cajon since 2008 and mayor pro tem since December 2012,
HOW TO GET RID OF YOUR MORTGAGE INSURANCE – MI & PMI
By E. Vernon Small Mortgage Insurance is required on conventional and FHA loans if the loan to value of the loan amount exceeds 80% of the value of the home. It is an insurance policy that covers the lender in case of default or loss when the loan balance exceeds the property value. Unfortunately, most homeowners will have to
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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.
Our Guide to Live Entertainment venues