RSVP by May 1 to reserve space

You’re  invited to our next East County Dining Club event! This event benefits East County Magazine and our East County Wildfire & Emergency alerts. Everyone is welcome to attend our event at this popular new eatery founded by chefs with international experience!

When: Wednesday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m.

Where:  Lemon Grove Bistro & Beer Garden, 3308 Main St., Lemon Grove

By Kirsten Andelman

Photo, left to right:  student rep Elizabeth Fox;  trustees Elva Salinas,  Chris Fite, Jim Kelly, Gary Woods, and Robert Shield

March 26, 2024 (El Cajon) --The Grossmont Union High School District Board voted 3-2 earlier this month to issue Reduction in Force notices for 91 full-time staff positions, after about 81 employees received district letters last week warning of looming “pink slips” for the next school year.

Board leaders blamed the state of California for mandating notice of the cuts by a March 15 deadline, as leaders in Sacramento brace for a looming budget deficit of over $31 billion dollars for the 2024/2025 fiscal year.

Of the eliminated positions, 53 were “certificated” and/or teacher positions, and 38 were “classified” positions. 

East County News Service

Photo via Cynthia Marin's Facebook page

March 12, 2024 (Mohave County, Arizona) -- A  La Mesa woman jumped off a boat to go swimming in Lake Havasu, AZ Sunday afternoon when according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s office. “Her improperly secured life jacket came off. The victim began to panic, then went below the surface of the water.”

A Sheriff’s dive team, aided by side scan sonar technology, found the victim at a depth of 42 feet in chilly 59 degree water. She has been identified as Cynthia Marin, 49, of La Mesa.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Andrew Hayes has moved into 2^nd place in 75^th Assembly district; LaShae Sharp-Collins has pulled within 183 votes of Racquel Vasquez in the 79^th district

March 9, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) – Latest election results released at 5 p.m. this evening show results have flipped in the Assembly district 75—with two Republicans now in the first and second place positions poised to run-off in November, if these positions hold.

Andrew Hayes, a  Lakeside school board member and long-time aide to Senator Brian Jones and Supervisor Joel Anderson, has narrowly pulled ahead of Democrat Kevin Juza, a business consultant. Carl DeMaio, founder of Reform California and conservative talk radio host, remains in first place. Currently DeMaio has 43.21%, Hayes 18.65% and Juza 18.18%. With just 555 votes separating Hayes and Juza, however, this race is still too close to call.  Three lesser-known candidates are trailing far behind.

The race has also tightened in the 79^th Assembly District, where three Democrats are vying for the two top slots to advance to the November general election.

By Michael Howard

Screenshot from City Council video: La Mesa City Attorney Gleen Sabine advises Council on free speech rights

March 3, 2024 (La Mesa, CA) - The La Mesa City Council in its February 27 meeting voted 4-1 to ban remote public comments moving forward, with Councilman Jack Shu casting the dissenting vote.

The agenda item cites a memo by City Clerk Megan Wiegelman that suggested “in the aftermath of COVID, remote public comment is no longer necessary.” But the move to disallow call-in and Zoom public comments during City Council meetings seems to be in response to theFebruary 13 Council meeting, in which several remote participants listed Jewish government officials and unleashed a barrage of anti-Semetic speech. 

By Jonathan Goetz

March 4, 2024 (La Mesa) -- Kidz Danz Kompany is San Diego’s premier children’s dance company, offering professional dance training in ballet and modern dance in their La Mesa studio, as well as performing 2+ concerts a year. This April, Kidz Danz Kompany is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a medley performance that follows the group through the ages in some timeless classics. 

East County News Service

February 19, 2024 (La Mesa) -- The City of La Mesa is seeking proposals for the La Mesa “Walkway of the Stars” Mural Project in downtown La Mesa. The “Walkway of the Stars” is a pedestrian walkway located between the Allison Avenue municipal parking lot and La Mesa Boulevard that was transformed into an urban park in downtown La Mesa in 2003.

The walkway features decorative stone stars with the names of volunteers who have given 10,000 hours or more of service to the City of La Mesa and eight (8) community murals painted in 2003 depicting volunteerism in the City. This project will create up to eight new murals along the walls of the walkway. 

East County News Service

February 7, 2024 (La Mesa) -- The Collier Park renovation is almost complete with the reopening/ribbon cutting celebration on February 10, 2024!

Join the City of La Mesa for interactive activities, presentations, and resources while you enjoy the new park, playground, fitness equipment, walking trails, courts, and more.

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

February 1, 2024 (La Mesa) - – San Diego State track and field has signed high school senior Laraigh Allen for next year, head coach Shelia Burrell announced on Wednesday.

By Miriam Raftery

Updated January 23, 2024 to include city and county of San Diego declaring an emergency

January 22, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) – Heavy rains during today’s storm caused widespread flooding, road closures, power outages, and inundation of vehicles and structures including an East County school. Flooding also prompted numerous rescues including motorists trapped in vehicles in Spring Valley and Lemon Grove, as well as homeless people stranded by rising waters along the San Diego River in Santee.

Richard Attaway took dramatic  photos  (left) of Mission Gorge Road in Santee just east of  Carlton Hills Boulevard, where he said “there are homeless clinging on trees for their lives in the river bed.” One video showed a woman stranded on an island surrounded by swift-flowing currents. Numerous emergency crews were on hand and at least one person was rescued from the floodwaters.