Politics

East County News Service

February 22, 2025 (New York) -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released a statement after the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York's issuance of a preliminary injunction blocking the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing Americans’ personal and private information maintained by the U.S. Treasury Department.

“We are pleased the court granted our request to further halt the Elon Musk-led DOGE from accessing millions of Americans’ private and sensitive data,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Californians can breathe a sigh of relief knowing the California Department of Justice is going to the mat for them and standing up against the Trump Administration’s chilling overreach of power.”  

Background

On February 7, Attorney General Bonta joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit seeking to block DOGE from accessing sensitive Treasury Department material, including millions of Americans’ bank account and social security numbers. Hours after filing the lawsuit, the court responded by granting a temporary restraining order barring DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems and information. Today’s preliminary injunction keeps those restrictions in place pending further order of the court.

Since Inauguration Day, DOGE has infiltrated executive agencies with the goal of eliminating federal funding, services, and personnel. Starting last month, there were reports of billionaire Elon Musk and his DOGE associates gaining an unprecedented level of access to vital payment systems of the U.S Treasury.

The Treasury Department payment systems — managed by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) — are responsible for trillions of dollars in U.S. government payments. Millions of Americans rely on the support of these payments for services like health care, childcare, and other essential programs, including Social Security benefits, Medicare benefits, veterans’ benefits, salaries for federal employees, and tax refunds. The Treasury Department’s payment systems are critical, sensitive, and incredibly vital. Given their critical importance to U.S. government operations, these systems have been highly regulated and tightly guarded — but with the election of Donald Trump, are no longer safe. 

In their complaint, the attorneys general allege the Trump Administration has no constitutional, statutory, or regulatory authority to widen access to the BFS payment system for political appointees or special government employees, including members of DOGE. 

Specifically, the court temporarily prohibits DOGE from being granted access any Treasury Dept. records containing personally identifiable or confidential financial information. The Dept. of the Treasury must submit a report to the court by March 24 certifying that DOGE team members have received all training typically required of individuals granted access to the Bureau of Fiscal Services payment systems containing personal data such as tax return information and sensitive financial data.

In addition, the judge asks for certification on the vetting process for DOGE team members and how that compares to career employees previously allowed access to the system.

“The public interest is plainly served by requiring the Treasury Department to ensure, to the maximum extent possible, the security of these systems and the information contained therein,” Judge Jeannette A. Vargas wrote.

A copy of the court's order can be found here.

New agency head lays off staffers overseeing epidemics, cancels flu vaccine campaign and takes aim at chemicals in food. 

By G. A. McNeeley 

Photo by Ron Logan

February 22, 2025 (Washington D.C.) - The Senate last week confirmed anti-vaccine activist Robert F.. Kennedy Jr. to head the U.S. Health and Human Services Department on a party-line vote, with Mitch McConnell the only Republican voting against the controversial appointee opposed by every Democratic Senator. 

Now at the helm of the nation’s largest public health agency, Kennedy is implementing major changes to remedy what he views as sources of chronic diseases.But healthcare professionals are raising concerns over some of Kennedy’s early actions, including ending a flu vaccine campaign and laying off employees in charge of investigating potential public health threats to ward off future epidemics. 

Kennedy implored federal health agency workers to “let go” of preconceived notions of him and start from “square one,” but also promised that “nothing is going to be off limits” in his pursuit to reduce chronic disease, Politico reported. “Some of the possible factors we will investigate were formerly taboo or insufficiently scrutinized,” he told HHS staff, in his first address to the department he now leads. “I’m willing to subject them all to the scrutiny of unbiased science.” 

What Is His Plan? 

Hours after Kennedy pledged to Senators that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would not undergo a staff purge, it did. 

The Trump administration laid off half of its Epidemic Intelligence Service. The lay off affected 1,260 staff members, NBC reported. 

Kennedy made no mention of the dismissals, but hinted towards his previous comments threatening the jobs of federal agency staff resistant to his reforms. “Those who are unwilling to embrace those kinds of ideas can retire,” he said. 

For years, Kennedy has cast doubt on the safety and efficacy of vaccines and spread misinformation linking vaccines to autism. During his Senate confirmation hearings, he refused to disavow those comments, only promising he would if “shown the data.” 

He appeared to indirectly reference his vaccine comments to HHS employees, by asking that they be open minded to his views. In return, he said he would acknowledge that he’s asked “a lot of difficult questions and come to unpopular conclusions.” 

Kennedy nevertheless signaled he would prioritize fresh efforts to question long-held health standards to reduce chronic disease, listing the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule as among the formerly “taboo” areas he planned to scrutinize. 

Among the potential contributors to chronic disease, he suggested he would direct the HHS to investigate anti-depression drugs, ultra-processed foods, electromagnetic radiation and glyphosate pesticides found in some foods. 

“We will remove conflicts of interest from the committees and research partners whenever possible or balance them with other stakeholders,” he said. “We will shut the revolving door.” 

Kennedy’s role as secretary of HHS will have him oversee a budget of nearly $2 trillion and a staff of 90,000 federal employees, and give him control of other critical health programs under the fold of the HHS, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 

Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again (MAHA),” believes chronic disease is, in part, driven by additives in food and pollution in the environment. It also hasn’t been laid out in specifics, but he has vaguely promised to tackle the nation’s rising obesity rates and SNAP benefits, and has claimed he will work with the Department of Agriculture to eradicate

ultra-processed foods from the American market. 

Flu Vaccination Campaign Halted 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is stopping a successful flu vaccination campaign that juxtaposed images of wild animals, such as a lion, with cute counterparts, like a kitten, as an analogy for how immunization can help tame the flu. This happened during Kennedy’s first week as head of the HHS. 

The news was shared with staff during a meeting, according to two CDC staffers who spoke with NPR on the condition of anonymity. 

During the meeting, leadership at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases told CDC staff that the Department of Health and Human Services had reviewed the campaign and advised that it would not continue. 

The "Wild to Mild" flu vaccination campaign sought to encourage people to get the flu vaccine. The campaign aimed to communicate that flu vaccination can lessen symptoms and the chance of getting severely ill, even if it doesn't prevent someone from catching the flu. The website for the campaign is already offline. 

The campaign sought to "reset public expectations around what a flu vaccine can do in the event that it does not entirely prevent illness," according to the CDC's webpage describing the launch of the campaign in 2023. It was renewed for the current flu season. 

The campaign was a response to falling flu vaccination rates since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and targeted groups at higher risk, "especially pregnant women and children." 

"We found that it was very successful — people understood the message, [and] they were swayed by the message," Erin Burns, associate director for communications in the CDC's Influenza Division, told the trade website FiercePharma in October 2024. 

The Trump administration's decision to pull the campaign comes in the midst of a brutal flu season that's still raging. More than 50,000 patients were admitted to hospitals for influenza during the week that ended on Feb. 8 (the highest level in 15 years). 

It's unclear how much time was left in the campaign, but it would have at least gone through the end of this flu season and the materials would have stayed on the agency's website, one of the CDC staffers told NPR. 

What About Those Staff Cuts? 

Top-ranking officials with the CDC, the HHS sub agency that oversees the program, told CBS News that the cuts would have a devastating effect on the country’s ability to assess blooming diseases. 

They are just some of the thousands of probationary workers taking a hit as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency combs the federal government for possible programs to slash, as Washington reels from firings and funding cuts. Musk has targeted those at the HHS, leaving career officials and lawmakers worried about the impact on public health. 

“The country is less safe,” Dr. Anne Schuchat, an alumna of the disease research program said. “These are the deployable assets critical for investigating new threats, from anthrax to Zika.” 

Many staffers that go through the program serve on the frontlines of public health responses before later rising through the ranks of the CDC. 

In an interview with Fox News after he was sworn in, Kennedy pledged that employees who work in service of public health had “nothing to worry about” under his tenure fronting America’s health policy. 

“If you’ve been involved in good science, you’ve got nothing to worry about,” Kennedy said. “If you care about public health, you’ve got nothing to worry about.” 

What Are Opposers Saying? 

U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) delivered remarks on the Senate floor to oppose the nomination of Kennedy to lead the HHS, raising the alarm on the disastrous public health implications before he was confirmed. 

“I oppose this nomination for his wildly misinformed beliefs and his utter lack of experience. I believe he is fundamentally unfit and unprepared, and Americans will be less healthy if he is confirmed, Padilla said. 

Kennedy has repeatedly spread dangerous conspiracy theories, even going as far as to say that “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.” 

Padilla called him out for making false accusations that vaccines cause autism, and that COVID-19 targets specific racial and ethnic groups. Padilla also criticized Kennedy for founding his own anti-vaccine organization, authoring several books that push public health conspiracies, and making millions of dollars off of anti-vaccination lawsuits filed by Kennedy, an attorney. 

“I get the fear. I’m proud to represent California in the Senate. I’m proud to have an engineering background. But I, too, am a parent of three boys. And I remember what it was like to hold a baby in your arms, and to worry every time there was a sniffle and a cough. I’d do anything to protect my children, just as you would do anything to protect yours,” Padilla said, on the senate floor, in a video press release from his website. 

Padilla, a co-founder of the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus, also highlighted the dangers Kennedy poses to mental health care access and Medicaid benefits. He slammed Kennedy for his dangerous lack of knowledge regarding Medicaid funding and benefits. 

“At a time when Republicans are looking to cut funding for lifesaving services, I’d rather see a fierce defender of Medicaid at HHS. Yet, during his confirmation hearings, Mr. Kennedy failed to show even a basic understanding of Medicaid. Not the sources of funding, not the benefits, and at one point, he even seemed to conflate or confuse Medicaid and Medicare,” Padilla said. 

As Republicans threaten major cuts to Medicaid, Padilla underscored the importance of confirming a nominee with the necessary qualifications and experience to protect public health. He urged his colleagues to vote against Kennedy’s confirmation. 

What Are Supporters Saying? 

Del Bigtree, who leads a group promoting Kennedy’s MAHA movement, dismissed widely replicated studies finding no link to autism because he alleged that they were conducted by scientists who wanted to find that result. 

“Get scientists who say, ‘I think I can prove vaccines do cause autism,’” Bigtree said. “If they can’t pull that off, now you have a true safety profile.” 

Bigtree said that the HHS has long approved “poisons” produced by industry for public consumption, and urged Kennedy to root out corporate influence. 

Bigtree also said federal agencies should not be funded by industries, suggesting Kennedy’s advisers are pushing for major reforms to the current user fee system at the HHS agency that oversees food and drugs, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

“Finally we have someone at the head of HHS not owned by these corporations,” Bigtree said of Kennedy. “I think he’s looking for the right type of people.” 

Bigtree said Kennedy should review HHS employees’ histories to see whether they worked for industry and also vet their views about the causes of chronic disease. 

“Robert Kennedy Jr. has to sit down with the team and bring people and say, ‘What have you done over the last four years,’” Bigtree said. “If they’re not producing real results and good science, maybe there’s a better job for them somewhere else.” 

Bigtree said that hiring scientists who are skeptical of the industry and existing vaccine science would help restore the public’s flagging trust in the government’s health care bureaucracy, adding that he thought Kennedy could safely downsize HHS’ 80,000-person staff. 

Bigtree isn’t part of the administration, but he serves as a powerful leader of the MAHA movement. He also endorsed Kennedy’s comments to HHS staff that nothing was off limits for review. 

Sources: 

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/18/kennedy-lays-out-hhs-plan-00204675 

https://newrepublic.com/post/191579/robert-f-kennedy-jr-cdc-infectious-disease-research 

https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/02/19/nx-s1-5302906/cdc-flu-vaccine-campaign-terminated 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a_TNAPHiePM 

https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/watch-padilla-slams-rfk-jr-nomination-to-lead-health-and-human-services/ 

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/19/rfk-jr-vaccine-scientists-00204870

East County News Service

February 21, 2025 (San Diego) – State Senator Brian Jones (R-Santee) held a press conference today to announce introduction of his Senate Bill 554, the Safety Before Criminal Sanctuary Act.  The bill would prevent local jurisdictions from restricting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement beyond what SB 54, existing state law,  already allows. In addition, Jones’ bill would make it mandatory for cities and counties to turn over undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of certain violent or serious felony crimes, as SB 54 allows but does not mandate.

The Safety Before Criminal Sanctuary Act is a commonsense measure to tighten up California’s Sanctuary State policies in favor of public safety,” said Jones, the State Senate Minority Leader. “Importantly, this bill ensures violent criminals are not shielded from federal immigration authorities, using every tool in the toolbox to keep our communities safe.”

Specifically, those crimes include child abuse, unlawful weapon possession or use, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, trafficking controlled substances, rape, kidnapping, torture, murder, gang activity, arson, and those on the sex offender registry.

State law prohibits cooperation for anyone not convicted of one or more of those crimes.

SB 554 is in response to a recent San Diego County ordinance declaring itself a “Super Sanctuary County,” banning law enforcement from cooperating with ICE for any offense—even those exempted under SB 54—unless a federal warrant is issued. 

“We are stopping ‘super sanctuary’ cities and counties,” said Jones.

Last December, County  Supervisors voted 3-1 to restrict the use of county resources for federal immigration enforcement. Former Chairwoman Nora Vargas said at the time that the policy was intended to “ensure local resources are focused on addressing the county's most urgent needs, while protecting families and promoting community trust."

San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez later stated that her department will follow state law, however, making the Supervisors’ action ineffective.

Supervisor Joel Anderson voted no on the county measure. ““I’m grateful for Senate Minority Leader Jones’ laser focus on keeping our kids and communities safe,” he said at the press conference.

Supervisor Jim Desmond said, “The current sanctuary state law ties the hands of local law enforcement, preventing them from cooperating with federal authorities to address real threats.” He added that he will be asking his colleagues on the board of Supervisors to support Jones’ bill.

Republican Congressman Darrell Issa also backs Jones’ measure. ““The authors and advocates of California’s sanctuary laws claim they protect people. But that’s not true. For years, they have instead shielded many of the most dangerous criminals in the country, all of them here illegally, and the names of the innocent California victims are a roll call of shame on the Governor and the Legislature.

Click here to read the bill’s factsheet. SB 554 is awaiting assignment to a Senate policy committee for a hearing.

East County News Service

February 20, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) -- Activists from Fallbrook, Escondido, Julian, and Ramona will gather at Congressman Darrell Issa’s office on February 21, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. to demand an in-person town hall meeting. The protest will take place at 210 W. Crest Street, Escondido, California. 

The rally, organized by Indivisible North County San Diego, aims to address critical issues facing the community, including the urgent need for transparency and accountability from elected officials. Issa, San Diego County's only Republican Congressional member, has been a staunch supporters of President Donald Trump to date.

Activists will call on Congressman Issa to engage directly with his constituents and to stand firm against the illegal dismantling of federal agencies orchestrated by Elon Musk.  

“Congressman Issa has a responsibility to represent the voices of his constituents, and that includes holding town hall meetings where we can express our concerns,” said Pam Albergo, a spokesperson for Indivisible North County San Diego. “We are here to demand that he stands up against the reckless actions that undermine our government and its agencies.” 

Participants will share their concerns about the impacts of these actions on federal services and the broader implications for democracy. The protest seeks to unite community members in advocating for a government that works for the people and upholds its responsibilities. All community members are encouraged to join the protest to make their voices heard and stand in solidarity for a government that prioritizes the needs of its citizens. 

WHAT: Protest at Congressman Darrell Issa’s Office 

WHEN: February 21, 2024, at 10:30 AM 

WHERE: 210 W. Crest Street, Escondido, California

By Miriam Raftery

February 20, 2025 (Greenbell, Md.) -- A legal complaint filed by 26 unnamed former and current employees in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland alleges that Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has violated the Constitution’s Appointments Clause.  That clause mandates that presidential appointments require the advice and consent of the Senate, which President Donald Trump did not seek when he appointed Musk and delegate vast powers.

Musk, without any Congressional approval, has virtually deleted entire agencies such as USAID, accessed millions of Americans’ private data, deleted government records such as health reports and  records on missing and murdered indigenous persons, and ordered mass firings, some without required authorization. Even employees charged with overseeing air traffic safety and nuclear weapons lost their jobs in the purge by Musk’s team.

“Questions regarding Defendant Musk’s and DOGE’s role, scope of authority, and proper appointment processes are not merely academic. Plaintiffs — among countless other American individuals and entities — have had their lives upended as a result of the actions undertaken by Defendants Musk and DOGE,” according to the lawsuit.

The employees, though unidentified, collectively have decades of service at federal agencies, including USAID, where on Feb. 2 Musk’s DOGE personnel broke into the agency’s headquarters and cancelled international aid programs such as those to ease hunger in Africa, Gaza and Ukraine, distribution of vaccines and life-saving medicines in countries around the world.

Citing damages to their careers and financial security, the plaintiffs are asking the court to block “Defendant Musk and his DOGE subordinates from performing their significant and wide-ranging duties unless and until Defendant Musk is properly appointed pursuant to the U.S. Constitution.”

The lawsuit is one of several filed over DOGE’s actions, though the first based on the Constitution’s appointments clause.

East County News Service

February 20, 2025 (New York) – The Electronic Frontier Foundation and a coalition of privacy defenders filed a lawsuit in New York on February 11 asking a federal court to block Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the private information of millions of Americans that is stored by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and to delete any data that has been collected or removed thus far. The lawsuit also names OPM, and asks the court to block OPM from further sharing data with DOGE.

“We will not accept the brazen ransacking of millions of people’s sensitive data,” a press release from the EFF states. “Our case is fairly simple: OPM’s data is extraordinarily sensitive, OPM gave it to DOGE, and this violates the Privacy Act of 1974. “

OPM’s records are one of the largest, if not the largest, collections of employee data in the U.S. With co-counsel Lex Lumina, State Democracy Defenders Fund, and Chandra Law Firm, the EFF suit represents current and former federal employees whose privacy has been violated.

This massive trove of information includes private demographic data and work histories of essentially all current and former federal employees and contractors as well as federal job applicants. Last week, a federal judge temporarily blocked DOGE from accessing a critical U.S. Treasury payment system under a similar lawsuit. These violations of data privacy must not stand.

EFF Legal Director Corynne McSherry states, “The question is not `what happens if this data falls into the wrong hands.’ The data has already fallen into the wrong hands, according to the law, and it must be safeguarded immediately. Violations of Americans’ privacy have played out across multiple agencies, without oversight or safeguards, and EFF is glad to join the brigade of lawsuits to protect this critical information.”

East County News Service

Photo via 50501: thousands rallied against Trump in Washington D.C. outside Capitol

February 19, 2025 (San Diego) –  Protesters held “Not My President” rallies at state capitols in all 50 states and other locations to oppose unprecedented attacks on our democratic system’s checks and balances by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

“We witness, with growing alarm, how our constitutional rights are trampled upon, how the authority of the President is being usurped by those who seek to consolidate power for Personal gain. Meanwhile, President Trump systematically dismantles the very guardrails designed to ensure accountability across the branches of government,” reads a statement from the events’ organizer, the 50501 Movement.  The name stands for 50 protests in 50 statements, one movement  and has been organized on social media.

Trump has asserted king-like power on his social media, posting this week, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” an action CNN likened to channeling  Napolean. He is asking the Supreme Court to give him absolute power to hire or fire agency officials that Congress established to operate with independence from political pressures.

Calling for justice, transparency, and an end to executive overreach, the group adds, “We stand firm at a critical moment in history, demanding that the American people be heard and that the White  House be governed by the true will of the people—not by a tech billionaire who seeks to buy influence and control.” The latter statement refers to tech mogul Musk, owner of Space-X, Tesla and X (formerly Twitter).

Trump bypassed the Senate to appoint Musk to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Musk’s workers have drawn criticism for accessing private data of millions of Americans and deleting massive amounts of critical data on everything from healthcare to school test results, eliminating entire departments such as USAid, and mass firing government workers, even firing people in charge of overseeing nuclear weapons, workers responsible for airline safety oversight, and preventing foreign intervention in U.S. elections. DOGE workers also locked Congressional members out of the Department of Education, when the legislators attempted to oversee actions of Musk’s team.

In Washington D.C., a massive protest included rallies outside the Capitol, White House, and Lincoln Memorial. Rallies in New York and Los Angeles reportedly drew more than 10,000 people each.

In San Diego, anti-Trump protesters rallied at Waterfront Park.

Photo by Genevieve Seaman: San Diego protester objects that DOGE is not one of the three branches of government.

“We need to stand up to stop the overrunning of the rule of law,” Genevieve Seaman, who participated in the San Diego rally, told ECM.  Seaman, who formerly lived in East County and now resides in San Ysidro, added, “Failure of Congress Republicans to stop the overturning of the check and balance system is frightening. Unless we act, we could lose it all. Grass roots must show we care.”

A lone counter-protester turned up, 10 News reports. The man, who declined to provide his name, said Trump “needs support where other people go against him, even if it’s just one person at that moment.”

View video of this incident, via Lemon Grove Media on Facebook

By Miriam Raftery

February 19, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – During last night’s Lemon Grove City Council meeting, former Councilmember Liana LeBaron urged members to agendize a discussion on 70 tiny homes for the homeless slated to be built on Troy Street. County Supervisors approved building the project in Lemon Grove before holding any public discussion, angering many residents.

For months, members of the public have clamored for Lemon Grove’s City Council to put the tiny homes on the agenda for discussion and a vote.  Last night, during public comments, LeBaron stated, “Our community wants to be heard. They want you to take action on their behalf.”

City Manager Lydia Romero then announced that she was finally able to get a commitment from county staffers to come to a March 4 meeting and give a presentation, including staff involved in both design and operations of the tiny homes project.  The meeting will be held at Alvarez Auditorium to accommodate a crowd.

Mayor Alysson Snow told the audience, ”We wanted it done much sooner,” adding that it took time to find a large enough space.

LeBaron then shouted from the audience, “Most important, we want to know what our city’s position is on it.” 

The mayor warned LeBaron not to interrupt the meeting or she would have to leave the meeting.

“I’m not leaving the meeting,” Le Baron said.

A man in the audience also disrupted the meeting and both were told to leave.

Sheriff’s escorted LeBaron out of the room as she objected, ”Take your hands off of me.”

She was later arrested briefly and cited for disrupting the meeting, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The misdemeanor offense is punishable by a fine of up to $400,  or up to 90 days in jail, or both.

LeBaron was arrested in 2022 when her husband accused her of domestic violence, and again in 2024 when he accused her of violating a restraining order.

After Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Snow told the Union-Tribune that it was not her intent to have LeBaron arrested, however, but merely to assure that she left the room.