Detention Health, Wildfire Containment, and an Ongoing Salmonella Toll

San Diego County officials released a report from a June inspection of the Otay Mesa Detention Center — a federal immigration facility the county was blocked from inspecting as recently as February before a federal court issued a preliminary injunction allowing access. Reporting from the Observer cites findings of tuberculosis illnesses among detainees and allegations of neglect. The county does not operate the facility, but county health officials have legal standing to monitor conditions there, and the report represents a formal accountability record even if it does not immediately change policy.

On the wildfire front, the Grade Fire near Lake Henshaw has reached 689 acres and 80% containment, with all evacuation orders lifted. No injuries were reported and no structures were lost. The cause has not yet been announced. A stretch of elevated thunderstorm risk over the county's mountains and deserts has largely dissipated, reducing near-term ignition risk, though August remains serious fire weather territory countywide.

A salmonella outbreak linked to San Diego-based Coast Citrus Distributors reached 345 confirmed illnesses across 27 states and 36 hospitalizations as of the CDC's August 5 update. The implicated product was jalapeños originating in Sinaloa, Mexico. Chipotle and QDOBA have pulled the affected jalapeños and switched suppliers. Separately, the county confirmed a fourth human West Nile virus case of 2026 earlier this month, with at least one hospitalization. Aerial larvicide drops covered 54 waterways on August 5 and 6, and the county has identified 23 dead birds and 10 positive mosquito batches in 2026. Public health officials urge residents to drain standing water, use repellent at dawn and dusk, and report dead birds to the county.