By Jonathan Goetz

Photo:  Lemon Grove Management Analyst Miranda Evans, smiling, received flowers for her self-taught videography in Lemon Grove's 40th birthday year of celebration and history minutes.

July 5, 2018 (Lemon Grove) -- It wasn’t all flowers Tuesday as the City Council discussed roads, sidewalks, a memorandum of understanding with firefighters and bringing various proposals before voters in order to raise revenue for the City of Lemon Grove, which is forecasting a budget deficit.

By Miriam Raftery

April 19, 2018 (Lemon Grove) – Lemon Grove’s City Council on Tuesday voted to reject, per staff recommendation, liability claims submitted by three separate individuals plus a lawsuit filed, all claiming injury or harm due to allegedly poorly maintained city streets and/or sidewalks.

By Jonathan Goetz

Photo: December 19, 2017 was declared Marcos’ Jewelry Day in honor of the retirement of Marcos Ortega.

December 20, 2017 (Lemon Grove) -- Lieutenant S. Amos updated the Lemon Grove City Council yesterday on the Sheriff’s Department progress on body-worn cameras. Amos announced that all Sheriff’s deputies assigned to the Lemon Grove station (excluding those there on overtime from other stations) have body-worn cameras.

By Jonathan Goetz

July 23, 2017 (Lemon Grove) - The Lemon Grove City Council voted 5-0 on Tuesday to deny a zoning clearance appeal for a medical marijuana dispensary in the 7300 block of Broadway because it is within 1,000 feet of two small daycare centers, one on Broadway and the other on Citrus.

By Jonathan Goetz

May 19, 2017 (Lemon Grove) -- The Lemon Grove City Council voted 3-2 to support, with additional amendments, Assembly Bill 805 authored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, which gives San Diego and Chula Vista more power on SANDAG, the regional transportation body in San Diego County.   The key change sought would allow chairs and vice chairs of SANDAG to include leaders from any city in the region, not just San Diego and Chula Vista. 

Onboard with enviro agreement to purify water

By Thea Skinner

February 16, 2017 (Lemon Grove) -- The City of Lemon Grove unanimously voted on February 7^th to take a wastewater rate increase and reserve allocation to public hearing.  The move supports an agreement between the environmental community and City of San Diego’s Pure Water Project to filter sewer water into drinkable water. The relationship of the agreement in coming years is unforeseen.

November 7, 2016 (Lemon Grove) –Charlene McAdory, president of Thrive Lemon Grove and a long-time community activist, is running for the Lemon Grove City Council.  She reached out to us to talk about key issues in Lemon Grove.  In addition, as a past member of a citizens police oversight board in another city,  she gave us her perspective on the recent police shooting in El Cajon and the importance of oversight.

You can hear our interview, originally aired on KNSJ Radio, by clicking the  audio link: https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au... and scroll down for more information on this race.

Lemon Grove Council highlights:  public speaks out on immigrants resolution and cannabis dispensaries; Council approves new housing development

By Jonathan Goetz

October 11, 2016 (Lemon Grove) — Lemon Grove Mayor Mary Sessom spoke at Tuesday’s City Council meeting to denounce threats circulated on Facebook by people opposed to the City Council’s “Welcoming Communities Resolution,” an affirmation of inclusion for refugees displaced by war and violence that Council approved.

By Janis Russell

July 4, 2016 (Rancho San Diego) - The East County Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual ‘Politics in Paradise’ at the Water Conservation Garden on July 1st. This year, instead of a panel of speakers, the public got to mix and mingle with the local candidates. Then, throughout the night, candidates came up in three different groups to introduce themselves and explain why they’re running.

From P.A.C.E. to pine cones --Lemon Grove Council and Lakeside Community Planning Group agenda items

Upate: Patch.com has coverage of a Lemon Grove Council candidate debate:  http://patch.com/A-zfM4

Six candidates vie for seats

By Mark Gabrish Conlan

October 14, 2012 (Lemon Grove)--When the Republican Party swept the 2010 elections nationwide, their triumph stretched as far down as the small city of Lemon Grove in east San Diego County. The Lemon Grove City Council switched from a Democratic to a Republican majority, and in looking for items to cut from their budget they zeroed in on the city’s recreation department.

The vote wasn’t totally party-line. Democratic Mayor Mary Sessom joined Republican Councilmembers Mary England and Howard Cook in eliminating the recreation department and its annual budget of up to $260,000 per year, while Republican Councilmember Jerry Jones joined Democrat George Gastil in voting to keep it.

But the debate over community services versus fiscal responsibility, and the lingering bitterness of some Lemon Grove residents and civic activists over the Council targeting recreation to balance the city’s budget, has become the main theme of the 2012 Lemon Grove City Council race.

Click here to view  ECM’s video interview with Racquel Vasquez,Lemon Grove City Council candidate

Story by Miriam Raftery, video by Jack Winemiller