East County News Service

March 1, 2025 (Mt. Helix) --  Mt. Helix Park invites you to Nature Day atop Mt. Helix on March 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This event will feature live animals, a butterfly release, booths from over 30 nature organizations, activities, crafts and a native plant sale.

Source:  City of La Mesa

February 20, 2025 (La Mesa) - On Wednesday, March 5^th, the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce invites you to join them at the 10^th Annual Spring Fling Business Expo.  This special evening will be held at the Courtyard by Marriott San Diego El Cajon, 141 N. Magnolia Avenue in El Cajon between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.  There will be raffles and business vendors who will offer free door prizes that evening.

Developing story

By Donald H. Harrison, San Diego Jewish World, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Roz Allina, second from left, at a Sisterhood luncheon at Sheldon’s Service Station in La Mesa hours before her death. (Photo: Sue Cherlin)

February 12, 2025 (La Mesa) -  Hours after attending a birthday gathering for Tifereth Israel Synagogue’s Sisterhood members who were celebrating their February birthdays, Rosalyn Allina and her husband James — Roz, 77, and Jim, 79 — were killed in a chain-reaction freeway accident.

By Alex Schorr

Photo,Left to Right: Dr. Gary Woods (President, Area 3 Trustee), Robert Shield (Vice President, Area 4 Trustee), Scott Eckert (Clerk, Area 2 Trustee), Jim Kelly (Member, Area 5 Trustee), and Chris Fite (Member, Area 1 Trustee).

February 9, 2025 (El Cajon) – Teachers, parents, and community members leveled sharp criticism of the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) board of trustees during a special budget workshop meeting on February 6. Numerous speakers objected to the board’s creation of a costly new chief of staff position and waiving of board policies to do so, after the board majority earlier voted to lay off numerous employees, including many teachers.

By Michael Howard

February 3, 2025 (La Mesa, CA) - The La Mesa City Council, during its Tuesday January 28, 2025 meeting, voted unanimously to increase city fees by 24.7%.

"Some fee schedules are increasing higher than normal,” Assistant to the City Manager Lyn Dedmon admitted to the Council members when the increases were presented for their vote.

City “user fees,” which are the fees charged to the users of certain city provided services, are not meant to be a source of revenue, per the city’s policy.  Rather, the purpose of the fees are to recover the costs of providing the services that the city provides. 

City services range from building permits to city-owned community pool swim passes, along with countless other engineering, planning, public works, and community services in between.

According to a report commissioned by the city to study the fee schedule, La Mesa only recovered  59% of the cost it takes to provide its services in fiscal year 2023-2024. Total costs were $7,626,128, but the city collected only $4,469.581.

Green, Orange and Blue Lines now offer added flexibility and reliability for transit riders

Source:  MTS

January 27, 2025 (San Diego) - San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is increasing Trolley service for the Green, Blue and Orange lines, offering additional late night and weekend service to provide riders with more options to take transit.

East County News Service

January 17, 2025 (La Mesa) — Bougie’s Cheese Shop,  newly opened in December, invites you to a Garden Party on Saturday, January 18 and 25 from 1-4 p.m.   This patio event will feature non-alcoholic specialty drinks in honor of dry January paired with cheeses, along with curated snack boxes available for purchase.

Bougie’s Cheese Shop is located in the historic Levy house at 4679 Date Ave. in La Mesa. 

Resources available for impacted customers at community resource centers

January 8, 2025 (San Diego) – This week marks the driest start to the rainy season in San Diego County in 174 years. As a result of these dry conditions and Santa Ana winds, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) continues to implement Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) in an effort to reduce wildfire risk and protect public safety.

As of tonight, 8,946 customers have power shut off.  Another 69,155 are at risk of power shutoffs.The effort aims to prevent hellacious firestorms such as those currently ravaging L.A., as wind gusts up to 85 miles per hour are forecast to reach San Diego County soon.

Because of the extended wind forecast, customers may experience prolonged or more than one PSPS. An up-to-date list of impacted communities can be found at sdge.com/ready.

Available Resources for Impacted Customers

SDG&E is opening of Community Resource Centers in affected communities. These Centers are equipped with resources such as Wi-Fi and phone and medical device charging, and they will remain open for customers in need until conditions improve. A list of active Community Resource Center locations and their hours of operation can be found at sdge.com/ready.

East County News Service

January 8, 2025 (La Mesa) -- Forty-seven years after Wait Until Dark premiered on Broadway, Jeffrey Hatcher has adapted Frederick Knott's 1966 original, giving it a new setting. In 1944 Greenwich Village, Susan Hendrix, a blind yet capable woman, is imperiled by a trio of men in her own apartment. As the climax builds, Susan discovers that her blindness just might be the key to her escape, but she and her tormentors must wait until dark to play out this classic thriller's chilling conclusion.​

Source: SDG&E

January 6, 2025 (San Diego)  – Due to extreme fire weather conditions and forecasted Santa Ana winds, San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) has notified 64,866 customers that it may have to turn off power to reduce wildfire risk as early as Tuesday. Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) are approved by state regulators as an important safety tool of last resort to mitigate fire risk during dangerous weather conditions. 

This week marks the driest start to the rainy season in San Diego County in 174 years. As a result of these dry conditions and expected Santa Ana winds, the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for parts of Orange and San Diego Counties beginning Tuesday evening through late Wednesday night. SDG&E’s meteorology team is closely monitoring weather conditions. 

Power shutoffs are possible in the following areas:

City Tacos founder Gerry Torres brings Spanish, French, and Italian cuisine to The Jewel of the Hills

East County News Service

December 22, 2024 (La Mesa) --  Tour de Tapas, a Downtown La Mesa restaurant offering “Euro Small Plates & Sips” with Spanish, French, and Italian influence, opened its doors on Thursday, December 12. The concept from City Tacos founder Gerry Torres offers dinner service from 4:00 – 10:00 p.m. daily.

Celebration of Life to be held December 28 in  La Mesa

By Ben Perez

Photo of Jim Wieboldt and his pug, Frank The Felon,  courtesy Amanda Allsberry

December 12, 2024 (La Mesa) -- A respected deputy in the San Diego County Sheriff's Crime Prevention Unit for more than a dozen years, James “Jim” Warren Wieboldt was much more than just an officer of the law. Wiebolt was a civic and business community leader, serving as founding chairman of the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the city’s Parking Commission, and Chair of the La Mesa Centennial Project’s Events and Calendar Committee. He was also active in the La Mesa Village Merchants Association.

Wieboldt died of an unknown cause at his home in Fallon, Nev., on Dec. 7. He was 67.

Guided by faith and spending countless hours as a youth pastor in East County, he was a father figure to countless children and young adults through the years and a devoted parent to the three biological children he raised  in La Mesa with his wife of 42 years and high school sweetheart, Kelly, who preceded him in death four years ago.

By Miriam Raftery

December 2, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) – Cal Fire investigators have arrested a serial arsonist accused of setting nine fires across East County between Nov. 10 and Nov. 30.

Allen Dinoyo, a transient resident of San Diego, will be charged with multiple felonies. He is accused of starting vegetation fires on Nov.10 in Jamul, followed by six fires on Nov. 20 in Rancho San Diego, Jamul, and Dehesa, as well as two more fires on Nov.30 in San Diego and La Mesa.

East County News Service

November 26, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) – This holiday season, you can give the gift of life.  The San Diego Blood Bank is hosting a series of blood drives across East County between December 18 and December 24 in locations including Spring Valley, La Mesa, El Cajon, Lakeside, Alpine and Ramona.  Below are details.

Newly released photo shows Vivian Crowder on day she went missing

East County News Service

November 27, 2024 (La Mesa) – Vivian Crowder, 71, who has dementia, has been missing for four weeks. La Mesa Police have released a photo of Crowder when shew as last seen on Oct. 29 at 12:14 p.m. walking along the shoulder of state route 125 north, near the I-8 overpass. She was wearing a blue denim jacket, headwrap, floral shirt, black stretch pants and turquoise shoes.

California Highway Patrol received a report of a pedestrian on the freeway and checked the area at the time, but did not locate her.  Lieutenant Katy Lynch with La Mesa Police says, “We are hoping that a good Samaritan picked her up and drove her someplace, and if so, we hope they will contact us and let us know where they took her.”