By Miriam Raftery

February 24, 2024 (El Cajon) – The family of Akeel Robinson, a 17-month-old toddler critically injured by flying concrete in a crash caused by a wrong-way driver Jan. 28 in El Cajon have launched a GoFundMe drive to help pay medical expenses. The boy remains hospitalized with serious head and neck injuries.Donate here:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/medical-expenses-for-baby-akeel?utm_campaign=...

Akeel’s father, Anthony Robinson, was stopped at a traffic light in El Cajon with his three children in the family’s SUV, including Akeel, who was asleep in a car seat. Then a woman driving  a pickup truck the wrong-way on I-8 crashed into a concrete guardrail and plunged off the overpass.  It struck a wall below and burst into flames next to Robinson’s SUV. The wrong-way driver, Katy Frausto Aguilar, died at the scene.

Robinson was able to help his two older children out of the vehicle, but Akeel was slumped over, his head bleeding. He was rushed to Rady Children’s Hospital, where he underwent surgery for a fractured skull. To reduce brain swelling, he was put into a medically induced coma with part of his skull temporarily removed.

Ashleigh Jarrell, a cousin of Akeel’s mother, Kayte Blocker, has organized the GoFundMe page as the family’s medical bills mount.

Updated  February 22, 2024

By Miriam Raftery

February 21, 2024 (El Cajon)— A resignation letter from  Trustee Jo Alegria dated February 15 was read aloud this week at the Cajon Valley Union School District board meeting by board president Jim Miller. 

The County Office of Education has now confirmed that the  Superinendent of Education has received a formal resignation letter from  Alegria, who has represented seat 3, making the effective date February 21.. The office’s chief of staff, Music Watson, says that within 60 days of a vacancy occurring, a district’s governing board must either order an election or make a provisional appointment to fill the vacancy.  View full procedures here.  See map of district seats,below right.

Alegria has served on the CVUSD board for nearly a decade.  Elected in November 2014,  she has also served as board president. Her resignation follows her missing the past two board meetings, and comes after critics posted negative remarks on social media.

In her resignation letter, Alegria said it has been an “honor and a privilege to serve on the board, adding that she believes “passionately in the importance of public education and public service...”

Will the Grossmont-Cuymaca Community College District or the Water Conservation Garden Joint Powers Authority step in to operate the Garden?

By Miriam Raftery

February 16, 2024 (Rancho San Diego) – The Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College, a treasured community destination, has closed temporarily amid efforts to reorganize under new leadership.

“As we celebrate our 25^th anniversary this year, we will be undergoing major structural changes,” interim executive director Lauren Magnuson announced in an email sent to media and supporters of the Garden. “A reopening date will be announced in the future...The Garden is committed to reopening and continuing its mission to educate and inspire the community to promote water conservation,” she concluded, adding, “We look forward to welcoming you back soon with a renewed and thriving Water Conservation Garden experience!”

The temporary closure announcement follows months of financial concerns stemming primarily from large loans taken out by the Garden’s former director, Jennifer Pillsbury, during and after COVID.

February 9, 2024 (El Cajon) -- The City of El Cajon's Teen Coalition is now accepting nominations for the “Youth of the Year” award. This accolade is aimed at recognizing exceptional middle and high school students who have shown an extraordinary commitment to serving their community within the City of El Cajon. 

East County News Service

February 8, 2024 (El Cajon) -- California's landscape will always be characterized by wildfires, making homes and properties vulnerable to their impacts. A key component of wildfire preparedness involves proper placement and maintenance of the vegetation surrounding the home. Understanding how fires approach a house and potential vulnerabilities is critical for designing fire-resilient landscapes.

In this presentation, Tuesday, February 13 at 10 a.m., there will be discussion on the key concepts of defensible space and home hardening strategies necessary to create a fire-resilient but aesthetically pleasing landscape. 

East County News Service

February 7, 2024 (El Cajon) -- Guess Who is at The Magnolia this Friday? The Guess Who! A few tickets to the 6:30 p.m. show are still available and start at $55.

The Guess Who is a legendary Canadian band that enjoyed chart-topping hits in the late '60s and early '70s with an impressive catalog of songs including “American Woman,” “These Eyes,” and “No Time.” During the course of its career, the band has released 11 studio albums and charted 14 Top 40 hit singles, 2 of which went to number one in the United States. The Guess Who is best known internationally for its 1970 album, American Woman, which hit number one in Canada and number nine in the United States, with five other albums also hitting the top ten in Canada.

Their fan base spans multiple generations. Very few bands have survived numerous member changes — let alone having smash hits with each lineup — but The Guess Who’s motto is “the music is the message.”

By Jonathan Goetz

JPA to discuss options in a closed-door meeting with legal counsel

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left:  Dr. Michael Hager, President, Friends of the Water Conservation Garden, and Lauren Magnuson, Interim Director of the Garden

January 30, 2024 (El Cajon) – Friends of the Water Conservation Garden and the garden’s new interim director, Lauren Magnuson, made impassioned pleas at a January 23 meeting,  asking the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) to allocate additional funds through June to help alleviate a financial crisis.

The Water Conservation Garden is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year. Magnuson. said, “We supported the community during the pandemic. Now we are hoping that the community will support us.”

The Garden has over $1 million in financial obligations, including large loans taken out during the pandemic and some smaller grant funds slated to be returned. Questions have been raised by the JPA over years of inaccurate record-keeping practices and borrowing by Friends to cover the Garden’s operating expenses, among other concerns.

“The Garden has significantly cut our monthly budget by more than half,” Magnuson told ECM in an interview earlier this month. “We unfortunately had to furlough a good portion of our staff and lean on current staff to absorb those furloughed positions.” She has pledged full transparency and open communication with staff and volunteers, scrambling to pull together financial records and options to help the garden grow and thrive in the future—though the task is daunting.

By Jocelyn Campos

January 28, 2024 (El Cajon) -- In 2024 Uprise Theatre partners with Cuyamaca College's Queer Student Center to offer East County San Diego monthly name and gender change clinics along with legal clinics specifically for those folks who identify as LGBTQ+.

Although hosted through Cuyamaca College these clinics are open to everyone, for free.

East County News Service

January 23, 2024 (San Diego's East County)--If you or someone you know is experiencing unsafe living conditionsin EastCounty due to flooding, the Red Cross has opened a shelter.  The shelter is in the Bostonia Recreation Room,1049 Bostonia St.,El Cajon. Additional shelters have been opened at Lincoln High School and the Coronado Community Center.

"The County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services is actively monitoring the storm and its impacts," says Supervisor Joel Anderson, who notes that the winter storm ha affected many parts of the County, with multiple communities and highways experiencing flooding, "especially communities I represent in the unincorporated area of the County."

"The County of San Diego will be assisting with damages caused by the winter storm. More details on that will be shared in the coming days," Supervisor Anderson adds. "For now, if there's any way my office can be of assistance to you during this time, please do not hesitate to reach out to us using the contact form on my website."

The safety of students and school staff is of the upmost importance to San Diego County School Districts. The following schools have early dismissals or closures planned for this week. Please contact your school's administration for more details:

Source: San Diego County Sheriff

January 18, 2024 (El Cajon) -- A woman is behind bars on suspicion of starting a fire on January 11 at an apartment complex on E. Bradley Ave. in unincorporated El Cajon. The fire engulfed 14 garages at the complex.

East County News Service

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January 16, 2024 (El Cajon) – Authorities are asking for public help to locate Mavis Williams, 43.  She is suspected of setting a fire that burned 14 garages in the 400 block of East Bradley Avenue in unincorporated El Cajon last night.  A warrant has been issued and a $1,000 reward is offered for information leading to her arrest.

By Jonathan Goetz

January 9, 2024 (El Cajon) -- The San Diego Regional East County Chamber of Commerce is hosting two events at Surje Coffee Co., which is located inside the East County Art Association Gallery in January at 124 E. Main Street, El Cajon CA 92020.

Sign up here to receive our free East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts via email.  Our alerts can reach you even if phone lines or cell towers burn down.  We cover wildfires, flash floods, major highway shutdowns, severe weather alerts, gas leaks, and other hazards in our region.  We suggest signing up on all of your emails –home, work, school, and encourage  friends, family members and coworkers to do the same. These alerts save lives!

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You can also sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter, with top local news and events in East County.  You can choose alerts, or newsletter, or both.

By Miriam Raftery

December 31, 2023 (El Cajon) – The City of El Cajon has filed a lawsuit against former Councilman Bessmon “Ben” Kalasho and his wife, Jessica Deddeh, for allegedly failing to address numerous code violations at an unauthorized bed and breakfast at the couple’s residence, NBC 7 reports.

According to the City’s complaint, the El Cajon residence has been listed on the Trivagosite as “The HIstorical Chamber House in East  San Diego with Optional Breakfast.” Code compliance officers found and photographed unpermitted construction of an outdoor stair, deck, and a second kitchen.

City code compliance investigators found violations on six visits from Sept.2019 to Jan.2022, the suite states. Multiple warning letters were sent and fines were levied, reaching $2,000 per day.  The total is now approximately $1.4 million.

The City is asking for injunctive relief including removing the unpermitted dwelling unit and movable properties within it sold under supervision of a court-appointed receiver. If rents and proceeds of selling the movable items do not cover the amount owed, the city asks the court to order that the home be sold.