Enlisting the public’s help to identify a Jane Doe and find an animal abuse suspect; an Oscar-buzzy blockbuster filmed in San Diego County; what to know about hantavirus, coyotes and the federal government shutdown; and adding tiny homes on wheels to the County’s housing supply — those were among the most read stories on the County News Center in 2025.
Every year, the County News Center (CNC) keeps the public and media informed and involved about the important things the County of San Diego is doing. And 2025 was no exception.
These are the stories, topics and videos that you all read and watched the most.
Identifying Jane Doe
Two of the most read stories of 2025 involved asking the public to help County agencies solve an open “Jane Doe” case. In late January, the County Medical Examiner’s Office recruited the public’s help in a CNC article to identify a young woman who was found unresponsive Jan. 10 at the MTS station in Chula Vista and who died shortly after being taken to the hospital. Despite efforts, investigators were unable to identify the woman. The CNC article asked for the public’s help. It included a composite sketch, a general description and pictures of the young woman’s tattoos and was viewed nearly 17,000 times. That led to numerous tips from the public, and eventually to the young woman’s family helping, along with dental records, to call the County and identify her. That led to a second article read by another 10,000 people to close the case and thank the public for its help.
Identifying an Animal Abuse Suspect
The most widely read story last year County also elicited the public’s help in a terrible animal abuse case in Spring Valley in July. To their horror, witnesses saw, videotaped, but couldn’t identify, a man dragging a Doberman pinscher behind his car at an estimated 30 miles per hour. The dog had to be euthanized by a veterinary clinic. The County’s Department of Animal Services asked people to report tips and information. That eventually led to an arrest and animal cruelty charges being filed against the man.
Oscar-buzzy Blockbuster Brings Nearly $7 million to County
It’s not every day you see San Diego County as the backdrop in a major motion picture. But that’s exactly what happened in 2025 as Leonardo DiCaprio and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” opened in theaters. What was even more special for the County of San Diego was the fact that film, shot in many local locations around the county in 2024, pumped nearly $7 million into the local economy during filming. Officials from the County’s Office of Economic Development and Governmental Affairs (EDGA) worked with Warner Bros. and the filmmakers, and even helped them stay and film longer than the movie initially planned.
Now, while DiCaprio, Sean Penn, director Paul Thomas Anderson and cast hope to garner Oscars in March, County officials hope the movie will spur more Hollywood interest in local locales, particularly from television producers — to bring more dollars to San Diego’s local economy.
From Coyotes to Federal Cutbacks, Keeping the Public Informed
One of the most important things the County does each year in addition to the services and programs it provides to help people is to keep people informed about issues that can directly affect them. So, it’s not a big surprise that a few of the most widely read County News Center stories in 2025 revolved around outside news events.
In March, actor Gene Hackman and his wife were discovered dead in their New Mexico home. Medical tests determined that Mrs. Hackman had passed from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare and often fatal disease that was only first detected in the U.S. 33 years ago. Because hantavirus can be found in, and potentially transmitted by, wild rodents in San Diego County, the County News Center immediately published “How Much do You Need to Worry About Hantavirus?” The story, read by thousands, told people about the disease and reminded them how to protect themselves.
“How to Stay Safe if You Encounter a Coyote” only needed one month, December, to become one of the most read stories of the year after a very rare coyote attack injured two children near UTC mall Nov. 25.
Meanwhile, a longer-running news event outside the County’s control generated three stories this fall that drew thousands of readers’ attention. Specifically, the longest federal government shutdown in history ─ 43 days from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12 ─ and its effects to delay CalFresh food assistance to nearly 400,000 San Diegans. Among them, the three stories were read or viewed by more than 15,000 people. The first, “Federal Government Shut Down Could Delay CalFresh Benefits,” told the public about how the County was notifying CalFresh recipients of the looming delays and promised to keep the public informed. The second, “Federal Government Shut Down Delays CalFresh Benefits,” updated people, letting them know there would be food assistance delays in November even if the federal government reached a budget compromise to end the shutdown, and that people who still had balances on their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards could still use their benefits. The last story “Full November CalFresh Benefits Are Being Delivered to San Diego Beneficiaries,” published Nov. 7, reported that Californian beneficiaries, including San Diego residents, were starting to see their full November benefits loaded onto their EBT cards. That came after a federal court ruled in favor of restoring full benefits during the shutdown.
Tiny Homes on Wheels Roll Into County’s Housing Supply
Of course, housing, how to build it and how to make it affordable, has been a top story in California and San Diego County for several years. So when County Supervisors voted to add Tiny Homes on Wheels to the county’s potential housing options, that story drew thousands of eager and interested readers.
There you have it, a year of working together, big issues and big stories.
And remember, for more information about everything the County of San Diego is doing — and keep up with all the big news in 2026 — go to the County News Center.
