East County News Service

November 2, 2022 (Rancho San Diego) – The Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College in Rancho San Diego invites you to its Fall Garden Festival and annual plant sale on Saturday, November 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

East County News Service

Photo: CC via Bing

October 31, 2022 (El Cajon) -- EDCO’s FREE Paper Shredding, Electronic Waste and Mulch Giveaway Event is coming up on November 5 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the El Cajon police department’s parking lot, 100 Civic Center Way in El Cajon. This event is for El Cajon residents only.

By Christianne McCormick

October 21, 2022 (El Cajon) – Colorful tiny homes now occupy a formerly vacant lot at Meridian Baptist Church in El Cajon. Built by the nonprofit Amikas, the tiny homes were completed last month and will soon serve as safe, temporary havens for women and children experiencing homelessness.

Pastor Ronald Slade, who is also serves as a board member for Amikas, explained the lot’s recent history to East County Magazine (ECM). “We were just growing tumbleweeds on this lot. The unofficial nickname for the congregation was ‘tumbleweed village,’” he recalled.

East County News Service

October 19, 2022 (El Cajon) - El Cajon Police today announce the arrest of Obaida Saad Ramadhan of El Cajon for the August 19 murder of Jasiah White. White was shot multiple times in an outdoor parking lot at 441 Dominguez.

October 14, 2022 (El Cajon) – Vivian "Viv" Yubeta-Jackson passed away on September 24, 2022.  The East County native was bset known as a professor of forensic sciences at National University and as a Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS) crime scene investigator, as well as a beloved wife, mother and grandmother.

Born in El Cajon, CA, on January 2, 1956, Vivian Yubeta graduated in 1974, married her El Cajon Valley High School sweetheart, Kerry Jackson (1956-2007) and attended college while raising two sons.

By Shiloh Ireland

Photo:  girl and her parents

October 9, 2022 (El Cajon) – On October 2^nd, another peaceful protest was held next to a sex offender’s home at 9107 Sesi Lane, where sex offenders have been placed. At this time, the six offenders housed have been reduced to four, as two moved to another part of East County.

By Christianne McCormick

October 2, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- Many family-friendly Halloween events are popping up throughout East County and will be available all throughout the month of October. 

Festivities include a spooky campover, costume contests for people and pets, a haunted train ride, pumpkin patches and corn mazes, a haunted amusement park, a fall celebration, safe trick-or-treating for children at a local shopping mall, and Haunt Fest, a family-friendly Halloween festival. 

By Miriam Raftery

View full interview, recorded for the East County Magazine Radio Show on KNSJ, by clicking image at left

September 21, 2022 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells has served as Mayor for nine years, and on the City Council and  Planning Commission before that.  A healthcare professional, he brings a unique perspective to issues such as homelessness. He’s running for eelection and this week, sat down for an exclusive interview in which he discussed his accomplishments, key challenges facing the city, and his goals if reelected. He also spoke out on the city’s conflicts with the county over a homeless motel voucher program.

He says his commitment is to "trying to do what’s right" while" listening to everyone's point of view."

By Christianne McCormick

September 28, 2022 (El Cajon) -- The East County Transitional Living Center (ECTLC) in El Cajon announced that it has appointed a new CEO to take over after the passing of its previous CEO and founder, Harold Brown.

Michael Branch, the center’s new CEO, is a Navy Veteran who has an extensive career in treating those with addiction, mental health and those experiencing homelessness. The center held a meet-and-greet on September 14, which marked his official fourth week as ECTLC’s new CEO. In an interview with ECM, Branch shared how ECTLC helped him during a difficult time in his own life, and his goals as leader of the nonprofit that helps homeless people transition off the streets.

East County News Service

August 26, 2022 (El Cajon) - Tired of sitting home with nothing to do? Try square dancing! This social activity engages groups of eight people to form "squares" while doing a series of moves "called" by a square dance caller to a variety of toe-tapping music. Square dancing is easy to learn. And once you've learned the basics, you can dance at any square dance club in San Diego--or around the world!  

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: California Attorney General Rob Bonta

September 27, 2022 (El Cajon) – California Attorney General Rob Bonta sent a warning letter to El Cajon’s Mayor and City Council on Sept. 23 demanding that the city rescind warning notices sent to hotels housing homeless individuals under the County of San Diego’s voucher program. Bonta letters calls the County’s program “unquestionably legal” and claims the city’s notices constitute unlawful discrimination under the Fair Employment and Housing Act, which prohibits housing discrimination based on income source.

Last week, the city of El Cajon sent warning notices to seven of the eight hotels/motels participating in the County of San Diego’s voucher program to temporarily house homeless people. The city warned that the motels were violating a city law that limits hotels to a maximum 25% of capacity for homeless people in the voucher program. The city notified the hotels that they would be fined up to $1,000 a day if they did not comply.

The city noticed an increase in drug dealing and drug use around the motels, then learned that the County had placed homeless people from across the region into the motels through the voucher program.

East County News Service

September 26, 2022 (El Cajon) – The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR) a 4,000-member real estate trade group for San Diego-area realtors, will host a grand opening, ribbon-cutting ceremony and volunteer-recognition celebration for its new PSAR Event Center celebration starting at 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, at the PSAR East County Service Center, 1150 Broadway, El Cajon.

East County News Service

September 24, 2022 (El Cajon) -- Robert Gehr snapped these photos with his iPhone XR about 30 minutes apart, shows the color change as the sun was rising in the east this morning over El Cajon. The sight transitioned from a vivid orange sunrise to white clouds afloat in an azure blue sky.

By Miriam Raftery

September 23, 2022 (El Cajon) Some people placed in El Cajon motels under the County of San Diego’s motel voucher program for the homeless had extensive criminal histories or were fugitives with arrest warrants, according to a statement issued by El Cajon Police Department. ECPD made the discovery after reviewing arrest records tied to the program.

“The number of criminal drug dealers and fugitives using the County’s motel voucher program is disturbing,” Police Chief Mike Moulton said. “Community safety is my primary concern and the El Cajon Police Department is more than willing to assist the County with better ways of vetting those utilizing their program, if that’s what’s needed.”

By Miriam Raftery

September 21, 2022 (El Cajon) – Oktoberfest, the world’s largest folk festival, started more than 200 years ago with the community-wide celebration of a German prince’s wedding. In El Cajon, the German-American Club will host its own authentic Oktoberfest over two weekends: Sept. 30-Oct. 2 and Oct. 7-9 at the Club’s headquarters, 1017 S. Mollison Ave. in El Cajon.