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.

$5 million remaining in the second round of funding; applications due Oct. 11 

Source: Supervisor Joel Anderson

Photo by Robert Gehr: homeless person in downtown El Cajon

September 16, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) — District 2 Supervisor Joel Anderson sent letters out on Friday, September 16, 2022 to the East County cities in his district—El Cajon, Poway and Santee—reminding them of an opportunity for funding from the County to help in their efforts with addressing homelessness. According to Anderson, there is more than $5 million remaining in the second round of funding from the Capital Emergency Housing Solutions Grant Program—a program unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors this spring.

12 local food businesses will compete to win three months of free rent in Parkway Plaza’s food court plus a $20,000 business investment 

September 15, 2022 (El Cajon) — Parkway Plaza regional shopping mall has announced that 12 local food businesses selected to participate in the mall’s first-ever Taste for the Space competition on October 15. They are competing for a prize package valued at over $50,000, including a $20,000 business investment and three months of free rent. 

“We are excited to have such a diverse group of businesses competing in our first-ever Taste for the Space,” said Petra Rich, Marketing and Business Development Manager. “They’re diverse in many aspects including cuisines, business models as well as ownership backgrounds. We have everything from French and vegan cuisines to Hungarian and Haitian; there are competitors that have a food truck or storefront and others who are mobile caterers. We’re also proud to say that the majority of businesses participating are minority-owned. The competition is going to be tight, so I hope everyone is ready to put their taste buds to the test.”

Story and photo courtesy of Courtesy of Parkway Plaza 

September 7, 2022 (El Cajon) -- Parkway Plaza, El Cajon’s premier shopping destination, is hosting the 2022 nationwide beauty summit series, CosmeCon. Celebrating female entrepreneurs, body positivity, self-confidence and owning your glow at Parkway Plaza, the event takes place on Saturday, September 10 from 12-3 p.m. 

By Miriam Raftery

September 4, 2022 (El Cajon) –  The El Cajon nonprofit License to Freedom has been counseling nine children in a Syrian refugee family traumatized first by war in their homeland, and now by the death of their mother, who was found shot in the family’s home. In an interview with East County Magazine originally aired on KNSJ radio,

Dilkhwaz Ahmed, founder of License to Freedom, provides an update on the children’s situation, also sharing information on the stresses facing refugee families. The  children’s father, Abdulhannan Abdurazaq Al Rawi, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge.

“It’s so hard,” Ahmed says, when asked how the children, ages 2-17, are doing. “In a situation like that, the community gets together.” She says other Syrian refugees in the community worked to help the children, as did people in the Sudanese community, since the babysitter is from Sudan. “One of their close friends, a family from Syria, decided to take the kids, and they have seven kids,” Ahmed said.  “The wife was best friends with the mom…it’s heartbreaking.”

108 Rescued Beagles reach El Cajon animal shelter and prepare for adoption

Story & photos by Josh Stotler

August 31, 2022 (El Cajon) -- As the wheels of the Embraer Brasilia touched down on the runway of Gillespie Field at 1:43 p.m., 108 rescued beagles officially became San Diegans. The dogs, rescued from Envigo, a Virginia-based company that breeds animals for sale to scientific research & testing facilities, arrived on time and in good spirits.