A U.S. District Court judge fines and sentences Otero to federal prison for fraud

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor

July 3, 2019 (San Diego) -- Friday was judgment day for Andrew R. Otero, owner of A&D General Contracting and husband of Cajon Valley Union School District president Tamara Otero.  

Otero, a San Diego building contractor, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge John Houston after a federal jury convicted Otero last November of fraudulently obtaining over $11 million dollars in government contracts through his company which had been set aside for small businesses owned by disabled veterans.

Council passes ordinance regulating lodging establishments’ security and maintenance

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor

June 29, 2019 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon’s 20 motels and hotels will be subject to more scrutiny, after passage of a new ordinance that sets minimum standards for cleanliness and security.

In a unanimous vote, the El Cajon City Council on June 11 approved a “Deemed Approved Lodging Establishment” ordinance which gives the city broad powers to regulate the 1,120 motel and hotel rooms in El Cajon. The city gains another 96 rooms when the Hampton Inn by Hilton opens next year. 

By Miriam Raftery

June 27, 2019 (El Cajon) – Two suspects masked with black bandanas demanded merchandise from customers at a T-Mobile store at 354 N. Second Street in El Cajon at 11:05 a.m. yesterday. A customer was assaulted, suffering minor injuries before the two robbers fled in a dark Chrysler four-door sedan along with a third suspect.

Two of the suspects were described as black male adult wearing jeans.  One wore a black hooded sweatshirt and is around 6 ft. tall, weighing 200 pounds. The other is approximately 5 ft. 7 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds.  A third suspect is of unknown description.

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor

June 26, 2019 (El Cajon) -- Cajon Valley Union School District Assistant Superintendent Scott Buxbaum (photo, left) painted a positive financial forecast for the district at its Board of Trustees meeting on Jun 11, after attending a meeting in Sacramento with Governor Gavin Newsom.

The latest financial forecast based on the Governor’s May budget revision is good news not only for the CVUSD, but for all local public school districts. Newsom, a father of young children, has pledged to make public education funding a priority.  

According to Buxbaum, the May Revision builds off of Newsom’s “California for All” vision from January. Due to strong April tax revenues, Newsom was able to retain most of his proposals from January, and invest additional funds into programs he has envisioned as prioirities.

East County News Service

June 14, 2019 (El Cajon) – Keller Williams Realty San Diego East Foothills in El Cajon, the largest residential real estate brokerages in San Diego’s East County region with more than 320 agents, has announced that Santee resident Ron Burner has joined the firm as a real estate sales agent.

By Miriam Raftery 

June 13, 2019 (El Cajon) -- At its June 11th meeting, the El Cajon City Council received a presentation from Hasan Ikhrata, Executive Director of the San Diego Regional Association of Governments (SANDAG) about the new vision being formulated by the regional planning agency. After Mr. Ikhrata presented SANDAG’s “Five Big Moves” presentation, the City Council unanimously voted to support Mayor Bill Wells, sending a letter to SANDAG spelling out El Cajon’s position on the TransNet future spending.  

East County News Service

June 12, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) -- An excessive heat warning remains in effect through today. The heat wave which prompted an excessive heat wave on Tuesday brought record-breaking temperatures across East County. So how hot was it?

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor; Editor Miriam Raftery also contributed to this report

Photo: Board President Tamara Otero

June 11, 2019 (El Cajon) -- The high drama and hijinks which have been commonplace lately at Cajon Valley Union School District (CVUSD) board meetings continued at the May 28^th session. At one point the meeting was adjourned during a fracas among individuals outside the board room, overshadowing reports on district accomplishments. The action of adjourning, then reconvening the meeting for subsequent discussion and voting on agenda items raises new legal concerns.

Leak is now controlled; trolley service has resumed and streets have reopened

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy ECM news partner 10 News

June 7, 2019 (El Cajon) – A 2-inch diameter gas line ruptured by construction crews at North Marshal Ave. and Petree Street shortly after noon today prompted evacuations of the Rock Church and multiple businesses including The Lexus car dealership and Black Bear Diner. 10 News reports diners were given just five minutes to flee.

By Miriam Raftery

June 6, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – A $1.2 million grant awarded by the national nonprofit American Student Assistance (ASA) will fund participation in the World of Work (WoW) program for over 33,000 students at 38 local schools in the La Mesa-Spring Valley (LMSV), Vista Unified and Grossmont Union High School (GUHSD) districts.

The program was developed by the Cajon Valley Union School District (CVUSD) in partnership with the University of San Diego to provide  K-12 students to explore career options and identify their individuals strengths and interests. The program has rolled out in 27 schools in the past two years, been written up in national publications such as Forbes business magazine, and most recently drew attention in meetings with U.S. Department of Education representatives (photo left) and a presentation at the Brookings Institute.

Source:  Grossmont-Cuyamaca College District

June 3, 2019 (El Cajon) -  Commencement is a day of celebration, but for some, the pomp and circumstance is more than they can afford.

For the past 15 years, longtime Grossmont College staffer Juliette Harrington has quietly paid for the caps and gowns of dozens of graduates who might otherwise not been able to participate in commencement. This year, Harrington, a Health Services specialist, wanted to help more students and thanks to a $500 grant from student government and a vendor who provided a sizable discount, 105 students received caps they can treasure as keepsakes and six will be provided loaned gowns, all for free, for the ceremony taking place at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Grossmont College Main Quad.

East County News Service

June 1, 2019 (El Cajon) – Robert Gehr snapped this photo of a crow in El Cajon. “It was keeping an eye on me as I photographed the antics of it, being a bit playful,” he writes.

Crows are highly intelligent, capable of recognizing individual human faces and have even been trained to talk.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  CC by SA

May 30, 2019 (El Cajon) – You might say that El Cajon is going to the dogs – and cats. The City Council has voted unanimously to allow pet owners to have up to four dogs, or four cats.  Owners can also have a combination of cats and dogs, up to a maximum of four.

Formerly, the city allowed no more than two dogs or cats per household, though exceptions were made for puppies and kittens not yet old enough for adoption.

For second year in a row, CVUSD schools are flagged by state for troublesome school performance issues.   

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor

May 24, 2019 (El Cajon) -- Listening to Cajon Valley Union School District (CVUSD) Superintendent  David Miyashiro’s “State of the Schools” address on Jan. 15, one might think that all of the district’s education programs are successful and that its student body is thriving. However, a report released in early December by the California Department of Education’s California Classroom Dashboard indicates that despite innovative career path programs, students at 8 of 27 district schools are not measuring up when it comes to college readiness.