East County News Service

February 21, 2024 (Washington D.C.) -- President Joe Biden today announced the approval of $1.2 billion in student debt cancellation for almost 153,000 borrowers currently enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, repayment plan.

The borrowers receiving relief are the first to benefit from a SAVE plan policy that provides debt forgiveness to borrowers who have been in repayment after as little as 10 years and took out $12,000 or less in student loans. Originally planned for July, the Biden-Harris Administration implemented this provision of SAVE and is providing relief to borrowers nearly six months ahead of schedule.

The Biden-Harris Administration has now approved nearly $138 billion in student debt cancellation for almost 3.9 million borrowers through more than two dozen executive actions.

Update February 19, 2024-- Video of this candidate forum is now posted.  View the forum here:  79th State Assembly Forum 2/3/2024 (youtube.com)

By Jessyka Heredia 

Miriam Raftery also contributed to this report

Photo, left to right:  Mayor Racquel Vasquez, Councilman Colin Parent, and County Office of Education Community Engagement Specialist LaShea Sharp-Collins.

January 31, 2024 (East County) --Three Democrats are running for the 79^th District State Assembly seat on March 5^th . Lemon Grove Mayor Racquel Vasquez, La Mesa City Councilmember Colin Parent and Dr. LaShae Sharp- Collins. There are no Republicans in this race.

All three candidates will be attending a public forum being held Saturday February 3^rd, 2024 at the Lemon Grove Library at  2 p.m. The library is located at 3001 School Ln, Lemon Grove, CA 91945. 

With three strong names in the same party competing, it may be hard for voters to decipher the differences. ECM breaks down their experience, accomplishments, the goals they have outlined in their campaigned, and key endorsements.

By Michael Howard

Photos courtesy of the candidates' campaigns, left to right: Republican Kristie Bruce-Lane and Democrats Darshana Patel and Joseph Rocha

February 17, 2024 (San Diego, CA) – Three candidates in the upcoming March 5 primaries are vying for the open California 76th Assembly seat vacated by Brian Maienschein (D), who announced he was running for the city of San Diego’s City Attorney this election cycle.

A former Republican, Maienschein switched to the Democratic party in 2019 before running against Republican Kristie Bruce-Lane in the 2022 general election for the seat, where he won by a 6% margin, 78,895 votes to Bruce-Lane’s 73,944.

Bruce-Lane will be the sole Republican in the race this year, facing two Democratic candidates, Joseph Rocha and Darshana Patel. All three candidates look to represent a mostly inland North County district with a population of around 471,000.

By Jonathan Goetz

Photo courtesy: San Diego Voice & Viewpoint

February 14, 2024 (San Diego) -- The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint presents a Candidate Forum and Townhall Meeting for the 4th Council District in San Diego, 79th State Assembly District and 39th Senatorial District Thursday, February 15.

Among the 79th State Assembly District invited candidates are Councilman Colin Parent, Dr. Lashae Sharp-Collins and Mayor Racquel Vasquez. Both Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber and Bob Divine are invited in the 39th Senatorial District.

NATO forces fought in Afghanistan to protect the U.S. after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, but Trump made clear he would not defend our NATO Allies

By Miriam Raftery

Photo (cc by SA) --  The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington D.C. caused NATO to invoke its collective defense article for the first time.

February 12, 2024 (San Diego) — Former president Donald Trump said Saturday that if reelected, he would not defend U.S. allies under the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance, or NATO, unless they paid at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense. He claimed to have told the leader of a major ally that if Russia were to attack that nation, “No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want.”

Trump’s comments during a South Carolina rally sent shockwaves around the world, drawing strong rebukes from NATO and world leaders.

Retired General Wesley Clark, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, called the remarks “treasonous,” in a CNN interview.

Earlier, he issued this statement:  “On 9/11, when America was under attack, NATO nations all mobilized to come to our defense and fought alongside us to crush al Qaeda. They didn’t ask us for money. They didn’t put strings on it.  That is the kind of iron-clad commitment that has kept western democracies—including our own—alive for 75 years.”

General Clark added, “For Donald Trump to publicly signal to Vladimir Putin that he can take as much of Europe as he wants, and we will sit by and cheer him on, isn’t just breaking the promise the United States has made, and it isn’t just threatening Europe. It is encouraging World War III, which will hit our shores and cost American lives....The lives of every American, both in uniform and civilian, are at severe risk if Donald Trump wins this election.”

By Miriam Raftery

February 9, 2024 (Oceanside) - A dozen constituents of Congressmember Mike Levin (CA-49) staged a sit-in at his Oceanside office this morning, demanding that he call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. military funding to Israel. The action comes three days after Levin voted for an additional $17.6 billion in military funding to Israel in a measure that ultimately failed to pass the house. 

By Michael Howard

February 7, 2024 (San Diego, CA) - The 2024 California March Primaries ballot are in the mailboxes of many voters, including the residents of the 48th Congressional District, where the Republican incumbent Darrell Issa is vying for his second term.

Issa has been in San Diego politics since 1998 when he ran for the U.S. Senate and lost to Matt Fong during the primaries. In 2000, he won the District 49 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and has also served in the same capacity for districts 48 and 50 in the ensuing years.

As the incumbent for District 48, Issa votes primarily along conservative lines, achieving a minimum of 82% or higher with most conservative political organizations such as the American Conservative Union, Christian Action Network, and Heritage Action for America. Conversely, his votes received zero to only 13% ratings with liberal organizations such as Americans for Democratic Action, Freedom Democrats, and Radical Middle. 

Issa faces five candidates across the political spectrum this election, including four Democrats and a no-party-preference candidate. Three of the five are candidates he beat in the 2022 election for his current seat, the other two are first-time contenders. The top two in the March 5 primary will advance to a November runoff race.

Stephen Houlahan (D) was the closest contender in 2022, whom Issa beat in the general election by a 20% margin. Matthew Rascon (D) lost to Issa during the primaries with 9.1% of the votes along with the no-party-preference candidate Lucinda KWH Jahn with only 1.6% of the votes. Two new contenders this year are Mike Simon (D) and Whitney Shanahan (D).

Photo:  The four candidates who participated in our questionnaire; top left to lower right, Democrats Stephen Houlahan,Mike Simonand Whiney Shanahan, and decline-to-state party candidates Lucinda KWH Jahn.

East County Magazine reached out to all candidates asking them to answer questions about the economy, immigration, healthcare, democracy, the Israel-Hammas and Russia-Ukraine wars, social security, and more. Four of the six candidates submitted their answers, which we have included in this article. Phone calls and emails to Congressman Issa and Matthew Rascon were not successful in obtaining answers to these questions. 

Here are the questions and answers from the candidates:

East County News Service

January 28, 2024 (Escondido) -- A diverse group of community leaders including Senator Brian W. Jones (R-Santee), former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Escondido City Councilmember Joe Garcia, Escondido Union School Board Member Joan Gardner, and Michael Branch, CEO of the East County Transitional Living Center, recently held a press conference at Grape Day Park in Escondido to announce new legislation tackling the homeless crisis.

By Supervisor Joel Anderson

January 23, 2024 (San Diego's East County) -- This Tuesday, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will consider whether or not to adopt a support position on a ballot measure that could have irrevocable damage to our behavioral health system if passed. Here’s why I’ll be voting against agenda item 14, a resolution in support of Proposition 1, and what other leaders are not telling you.

Prop. 1 is disguising itself as the solution to California’s homelessness and behavioral health crisis. In reality, it’s a multi-million-dollar state money grab that will hurt the same vulnerable people it claims to help.

By: Jessyka Heredia

January 22, 2024 (Lemon Grove) -- The City of Lemon Grove announced last week that it received a planning grant for the Lemon Grove Rezoning & Downtown Specific Plan Expansion (DSPE) Project. under SANDAG’s Housing Acceleration Program for Projects. The amount awarded was $300,000 in grant funds with a $33,500 (10%) in-kind match for a total project cost of $333,500.

"Ron DeSantis should be forced to carry his Presidential campaign to term."

By Olivia Rosane, staff writer for Common Dreams, CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 Deed

Photo: Facebook

January 22, 2024 (New Hampshire) -- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Sunday that he was suspending his presidential campaign ahead of Tuesday's New Hampshire primary and endorsing former President Donald Trump.

DeSantis broke the news in a video posted on social media nearly a week after he finished 30 percentage points behind Trump in the Iowa caucuses.

"Ron DeSantis, a man who built his entire campaign on attacking and demonizing already marginalized communities, has finally suspended his failing Presidential campaign," Florida Representative Anna V. Eskamani, a Democrat, posted on social media in response to the news. "As Floridians we will be stuck with him until 2026, so continue to hold him accountable and demand better for Florida."

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

January 19, 2024 (San Diego) -- San Diego’s Toni Atkins yesterday signaled she would run for governor, and several news outlets say her announcement is expected today.

Atkins, 61, a Democrat who rose through the ranks of city politics to become the first gay leader of the state Senate, has filed paperwork to begin raising money for a gubernatorial bid in 2026.

Story and photo by Michael Howard

Photo: Tobacco retailers like this smoke shop will be subject to licensing later this year. 

January 15, 2024 (La Mesa, CA) - The La Mesa City Council adopted a new ordinance earlier this month that mandates tobacco retailers shall have a license to sell tobacco products.

The ordinance passed unanimously during the January 9,2024 City Council meeting upon Councilmember Jack Shu’s motion to adopt. Shu showed his support of the ordinance by wearing two lapel pins.

“One is ‘I love clean air’ and the other is a lung that was given to me for cleaner lungs by not smoking,” Shu said.

By Cassie N. Saunders, County of San Diego Communications Office

January 8, 2024 (San Diego) -- The County’s Office of Military and Veterans Affairs is promoting a federal immigration program that supports immigrant families of U.S. service members.  

The Military Parole in Place (MPIP) program provides some members of U.S. military families temporary permission to remain in the country while seeking permanent residency.  

The temporary immigration status allows spouses, widow(er)s, parents and children of U.S. service members to stay, work and travel freely in the United States. The Board of Supervisors previously approved promoting the program to reaffirm the County’s support for service members and their families. 

“Families can be divided when a loved one serves in the U.S. armed forces,” said Rick Wanne, Director of County Self Sufficiency Services. “This program allows them to be reunited in our country and recognizes our military men and women for their honorable and selfless service.”

By Jessyka Heredia

January 5, 2023 (Lemon Grove) – Tuesday during a hearing over Zoom, Superior Court Judge Peter A. Lynch ruled that Lemon Grove Councilmember Jennifer Mendoza must pay fellow Councilmember Liana LeBaron’s $32,000 in legal fees from an anti SLAPP suit filed by LeBaron.