Updated January 17 with comments from Councilmember Lothian and clarification that the Council has been meeting virtually since the pandemic began and voted to extend virtual meetings.
By Eugenie Budnik
January 14, 2022 (La Mesa) - The La Mesa City Council held its first meeting of the new year on Tuesday. Mayor Mark Arapostathis opened with his State of the City speech, calling the city “strong.”
Later the Council addressed some contentious issues, including replacing its SANDAG representative and extending virtual meetings amid the latest COVID surge. With Council and staff in chambers, newly elected Councilmember Laura Lothian openly defied the state’s mask mandate.
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Photo: Diane Ahern swabs herself for COVID-19 at a testing site at the Long Beach Airport in Long Beach on Jan. 11, 2022. “I need to get tested every three days to be able to visit my parents at their retirement home,” Ahern said. “I’m nervous.” Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters
January 14, 2022 (San Diego) - When Rebecca Santucci of Lakewood learned that her sister, Stacy, may have been exposed to COVID-19, she set out to look for a rapid test. She needed to know quickly whether their 88-year-old father was at risk.
January 14, 2021 (San Diego) - In this County, if you don’t know the canine breed with the most camera appeal, then stay and we’ll introduce you to some fetching aspiring housedogs who are all currently residing in Bonita, a hidden gem of an animal shelter.
January 13, 2022 (San Diego) - The Aztec women’s basketball team (8-8, 2-3) cruised to a 66-45 win over Utah State (5-10, 0-5) inside Viejas Arena Thursday evening. SDSU never trailed in the game and led by as much as 30 points.
January 13, 2022 (San Diego) – San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan warned the public today to steer clear of unapproved at-home COVID-19 tests as people become increasingly desperate to get tested for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Consumers should only buy tests approved by the U.S Food and Drug Association (FDA).
Scammers are always waiting for their next opportunity to take financial advantage of unsuspecting consumers and the shortage of COVID-19 tests is no different.
January 13, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – County Supervisors recently directed staff to find potential locations for homeless shelters in East County. Now staff has proposed several sitesin Spring Valley and Lakeside.
Giardino owner Karina Kravalis welcomes second eatery in Lemon Grove
East County News Service
January 13, 2022 (Lemon Grove) -- Lemon Grove resident and restauranter Karina Kravalis is opening the doors to her latest anticipated project, Zest Wine Bistro which features a variety of delightful vintages from around the world as well as artfully arrayed tapas to savor. The wine bar features cozy indoor and outdoor seating, soon to include an outdoor firepit and heaters for year-round comfort.
The intimate and slick bistro has been a dream for Kravalis, who saw an opportunity to provide something she felt her neighborhood was missing but wanting.
“After all these years of owning Giardino, I’ve learned that Lemon Grove and East County love their wine,” said Kravalis. “There are so many of us who share a passion for good wine, and wanted a place to sip and toast. Zest is just that - a social gathering space to come try and learn about wine, and nosh on good food."
By José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office
January 12, 2021 (Escondido) - The County today broke ground on a new 50-unit apartment complex for low-income seniors and older people who are homeless and have a serious mental illness.
January 12, 2022 (La Mesa) – The East County Homeless Task Force has announced a Zoom meeting this Friday, January 14 at 1 p.m. regarding Home Start’s work on The Lodge, a former motel on University Avenue in La Mesa repurposed to provide housing and services for transition-age youths.
January 12, 2022 (Sacramento) -- With the new year comes not only resolutions to be made (and probably broken), but also new laws enacted (that can’t be broken, lest you incur penalties). Last year, 770 bills were signed into law. Some went into effect on January 1st, and some will go into effect later.
Among the changes are a hike in minimum wage, increased accountability for police officers, and laws to ease the housing crunch. Some new laws are quirky: you can now legally eat roadkill and obtain restraining orders online, but you can be prosecuted for stealthily removing a condom. Students can sleep later in non-rural areas. All Californians are required to recycle organic waste and abide by new gun laws; registered voters will receive ballots by mail.
Here is an overview of these and other significant new laws that may impact you. Click the bill number to read the full legislation.
Update: The El Cajon odor is the result of a chemical spill of mercaptan, an odor additive used to make natural gas detectable. There is no gas leaks, but residents are advised to stay indoors for a few hours until it dissipates. More on this chemical:https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/MHMI/mmg139.pdf
January 12, 2022 (El Cajon) -- A strong smell of natural gas is evident across El Cajon including the valley floor and the Fletcher Hills area late this morning. The City of El Cajon has tweeted that the odor is orignating from 1001 West Bradley Avenue.
"Heartland Fire & Rescue has advised that the strong odor is occurring due to Waste Management charging their ventilation tanks. The odor should dissipate over the next few hours," the city Tweet states.
January 12, 2022 (San Diego) – Recalls have been issued for pre-packaged salads produced by Dole due to contamination with listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can cause serious or potentially fatal infections. Brands recalled include Kroger, Marketside, HEB, President’s Choice, and Little Salad Bar
Consumers should throw away any of these bagged salads, or return to the retailer.
January 12, 2022 (San Diego) – An early morning fire at 4 a.m. damaged the City Heights residence of Nathan Fletcher, Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, and his wife, former Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez.
Gonzalez tweeted, “Our entire family is safe. No one is injured. That’s all that matters.”
Fletcher tweeted gratitude for the swift response by San Diego Fire and Police Department. He indicated the family was awakened by smoke alarms to find the front of their home engulfed in flames. They were able to evacuate safely out a separate door.
January 12, 2022 (Lemon Grove) – Free COVID-19 and flu vaccines are available Saturday, January 15 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lemon Grove Academy Middle School, 7866 Lincoln Street in Lemon Grove.
January 12, 2021 (Lemon Grove) – Lemon Grove residents can get free food during a drive-through food distribution Saturday, January 15 from 9 a.m. as long as supplies last at the Lemon Grove Recreation Center, 3131 School Lane in Lemon Grove.
Be sure your trunk is clear so food can be loaded; no walk-ups are allowed.
January 12, 2022 (Lakeside) – Greg Dunne took a stroll around Lake Jennings in Lakeside, where he photographed a a black-crowned night heron and a bald eagle, both fish-loving birds that have been denizens at our local lake.
January 11, 2022 (San Diego) -- San Diego County Supervisors today voted 3-2 to enact a new ordinance to set standards for safe storage of firearms and to put restrictions on “ghost guns” in unincorporated areas.
Do-it-yourself ghost guns are homemade and untraceable, due to a lack of serial numbers. Thus they can evade federal and state requirements, such as background checks required to purchase firearms.
Sheriff’s deputies confiscated 212 ghost guns last year – nearly six times more than the 36 ghost guns seized in 2019, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
January 11, 2022 (La Mesa) – The City of La Mesa plans to remove 21 Eucalyptus trees this week at Collier Park, the city’s oldest park, located at Palm and Pasadena.
January 11, 2022 (El Cajon) – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report on the LearJet that crashed on December 27th into El Cajon’s Bostonia neighborhood, killing all four people aboard.
The report does not identify the cause of the crash, but does reveal that the plane struck powerlines before the crash in overcast, misty weather conditions. The report also indicates that the pilot had overflown the runway at Gillespie Field at a low altitude, was granted permission to land on a different runway, switched from automatic to visual controls and asked that the runway lights be turned up moments before the deadly crash.
January 11, 2022 (La Mesa) — Tonight, members of the La Mesa City Council voted unanimously to approve a contract with San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) to become the City’s animal services provider. San Diego Humane Society has been providing sheltering and medical care for La Mesa’s animals at its El Cajon Campus since October 2020. With this new contract, which goes into effect immediately, SDHS will provide Humane Law Enforcement (animal control) and licensing services as well.
In addition to all the specialized programs San Diego Humane Society offers, such as the Kitten Nursery, Behavior Center, Pilar & Chuck Bahde Center for Shelter Medicine, Bahde Wildlife Center, Community Support Services and community education, residents in La Mesa will see an added benefit with extended animal control and dispatch hours. Residents can call 619-299-7012 (press 1 for Humane Law Enforcement Dispatch) or visit http://www.sdhumane.org for more information about San Diego Humane Society’s services.
Jan. 11, 2022 (San Diego) -- While some Martin Luther King Jr. holiday events, scheduled for Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, have been cancelled---such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration at the Recreation Center--there are other options, such as the virtual “I Have a Dream” run including 1 mile(M), 5 kilometers(K), 10K, 13.1M, and 26.2M options.
“The SAFE Act will bring transparency to the secretive ‘Hide the Predator’ game the Department of State Hospitals has played when releasing SVPs into communities” –Senator Brian Jones
January 11, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- State Senator Brian W. Jones (R-Santee), Senator Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) and Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) have introduced the “Sexually Violent Predator Accountability, Fairness, and Enforcement Act” (SAFE Act). The measure aims to prevent the state from continuing to try to secretly dump Sexually Violent Predators (SVPs) in East and North San Diego County, as well as other unsuspecting communities throughout the state.
January 11, 2022 (Ramona) – The Sheriff’s Bomb/Arson Unit is investigating a deadly fire in Ramona.
The fire was reported in an accessory dwelling unit shortly before 8:30 this morning in the 2200 block of Montecito Road.
“When deputies from the Ramona Sheriff's Substation arrived on the scene, they met with the reporting party who told them someone may be inside the burning structure. Within minutes, firefighters from the Ramona CAL FIRE Station arrived and began to put out the flames,” says Sergeant Greg Hampton.
January 11, 2022 (San Diego) -- In honor of the #BettyWhiteChallenge that has been gaining momentum on social media, San Diego Humane Society is taking a different approach on the challenge by waiving adoption fees for all adult animals through Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. In honor of what would have been Betty White’s 100th birthday, the organization hopes to find homes for 100 animals by Jan. 17, 2022.
Updates: The deadline for public comments has been extended to Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. Send comments to Robert Hingtgen at Robert.Hingtgen@sdcounty.ca.gov.
The Jan. 12 meeting referenced in the video has been cancelled due to COVID-19. The Jan. 19 virtual meeting will still be held.
January 11, 2022 (Rancho San Diego) – The Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Cottonwood Sand Mining project fails to address serious impacts to the community, say organizers of the Stop Cottonwood Sand Mine effort-- and they are urging the public to speak out.
“We believe the Project DEIR is a flawed document that does not adequately analyze the significant impacts of the Project to the people, wildlife, water, air, and roads of the community,” Elizabeth Urquhart stated in an email to ECM. “The DEIR does not propose adequate mitigation or alternatives to address those impacts.”
Barry Jantz contends the project is also incompatible with the county’s general plan as well as the Valle de Oro Community Plan, thus also violating the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
In an exclusive interview with ECM aired on KNSJ, Urquhart and Jantz, organizers of efforts to oppose the massive project, shared their concerns and urged the public to speak out at virtual public meetings or via email before the February 14 deadline for public comment.
January 10, 2022 (El Cajon) -- It seems that everywhere you look in East County, there is another culinary delight to discover. If you favor the flavors of the Far East, you must visit Busy B Thai Café, 330 Magnolia Ave, in El Cajon.
I spent my childhood growing up in Bangkok, Thailand, when my family was stationed there in the ‘60s, so I have a long-standing appreciation for Thai food and culture.
Visiting Busy B Thai Café is like slipping into a small piece of Bangkok, right in the middle of El Cajon. This charming and cozy restaurant is decorated with images and artifacts reflecting both the rich culture and religion of Thailand.
By Katie Cadiao, County of San Diego Communications Office
January 10, 2022 (San Diego) - The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency is reporting record numbers of new COVID-19 cases, even when factoring in that more than a third of the results from the previous three days are due to reporting delays from last week.
January 10, 2022 (El Cajon) -- The El Cajon City Council is hosting its fourth Redistricting Hearing on Saturday, January 22 at 10:30 a.m. at El Cajon Valley High School, located at 1035 East Madison Avenue, in El Cajon. Redistricting is the process of adjusting City Council voting districts, following the US Census, to ensure that each district has roughly the same number of residents.
Photo: Creative Commons image of rainbow trout via Bing
January 10, 2022 (Santee) – Santee Lakes invites you to Trout Reopening Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, January 15 and 16 from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lakes 2, 3 and 4 will be stocked with a whopping 2,500 pounds of rainbow trout including large fish up to eight pounds.
January 9, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – Combat veteran Joseph C. Rocha this week announced plans to challenge State Senator Brian Jones, a Republican in the newly redrawn District 40 which includes Rocha’s home in Escondido.
By Ana B. Ibarra, CalMatters
By 
Mallory Adams had 14 points and 13 rebounds
Source: San Diego District Attorney
East County News Service
Giardino owner Karina Kravalis welcomes second eatery in Lemon Grove
By 
East County News Service
By Miriam Raftery
By Miriam Raftery
East County News Service
East County News Service
East County News Service
By Miriam Raftery
By Miriam Raftery
By Miriam Raftery
Source: San Diego Humane Society
By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson
East County News Service 
East County News Service
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Source: City of El Cajon
East County News Service
By Miriam Raftery
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