January 8, 2016 (El Cajon) -- The City of El Cajon City Council is now accepting applications for Commissions as listed below. The filing period ends January 14, 2016, at 5:30 p.m. Applicants will be interviewed and appointed on January 26, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber, 200 Civic Center Way, El Cajon, CA 92020.
December 13, 2015 (El Cajon)-El Cajon’s City Council had a busy agenda last Tuesday, including the East County Performing Arts Center (ECPAC), SDG&E’s plan for vehicle grid integration, a beekeeping buzz, and issues faced by residents ranging from a home overrun by rabbits to a residence where residents were displaced due to flooding and a collapsed roof. The City also swore in a new Police Chief and appointed a new Interim Mayor.
May 29, 2015 (El Cajon) – El Cajon’s City Council voted this week to outsource custodial services at all 22 city facilities to NMS Management, Inc. The move is expected to save the city $350,000 to $400,000 a year.
September 10, 2014 (El Cajon)- At yesterday’s El Cajon City Council meeting, many people expressed their views once again on the city’s proposed long-term lease of East County Performing Arts Center to Rock Church—with the majority present opposed to the deal.
Theater managers speak out, object to City's actions, CityBeat reports
By Miriam Raftery
September 3, 2014 (El Cajon) – Citizens Oversight Panels (COPS) is organizing a rally tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. outside the East County Performing Arts Center at 210 East Main Street in El Cajonon to protest a proposed partnership between the City of El Cajon and Rock Church to lease the theater.
“We will be delivering a 30-plus page letter spelling out the legal case against the city should they go ahead with their plans to lease this public theater to the Rock Church, which is clearly unconstitutional,” says Ray Lutz, founder of COPS, on a Facebook page for the event. “Come and support the reopening of ECPAC as a performing arts and entertainment center and not as the new location for a mega church.”
August 14, 2014 (El Cajon)--The El Cajon City Council has filled two vacancies on the City of El Cajon Veterans’ Commission. During Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the City Council selected Leo P. Dano and George V. Glover. Mr. Dano is a United States Army veteran and his term on the commission expires on January 31, 2017. Mr. Glover is a veteran member of the United States Coast Guard and his term expires on January 31, 2015.
July 30, 2014 (El Cajon)- Following an administrative hearing last week, El Cajon City Council voted unanimously to participate in the East County regional water reuse study.
Photo, left by Randy Jordan: Mayor Bill Wells presents proclamation to Jimmie Johnson
June 17, 2014 (El Cajon)-- On this beautiful day in downtown El Cajon, friends, family, fans, and promoters gathered to pay honor to NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.
April 24, 2014 (El Cajon) – By a unanimous vote, El Cajon’s City Council on Tuesday voted to grant $10,000 to fund the San Diego Youth Choir, a multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural community youth choir based in El Cajon. The group’s mission statement is to empower young leaders through musical excellence. It’s mantra is “Empowering San Diego County youth, one note at a time.”
“What it really is, is an investment in children’s future,” Councilman Gary Kendrick told East County Magazine. “$10,000 today could save us $100,000 tomorrow in police costs and property crimes.” He added that performing together also builds self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment, as well as forging bonds that can last a lifetime. “My son still has close friendships in Hollywood that started when he was in Christian Youth Theater in San Diego,” Kendrick recalled.
The San Diego Youth Choir (www.youthchoirsd.org) aims to be housed in a central location in El Cajon with state of the art rehearsal space, practice rooms, dance rooms, and a recording studio.
Photo: Ben Kalasho, Instar Bales, Humbert Cabrera, and Vickie Butcher are among 27 candidates vying for appointment to the El Cajon City Council.
By Miriam Raftery
December 12, 2013 (El Cajon) – Twenty-seven El Cajon residents have applied to fill an open seat on the El Cajon City Council. This past Tuesday night, Council members interviewed half of the applicants during the Council meeting. The rest will be interviewed next Tuesday at 6 p.m.
The candidates came from all walks of life – reflecting diverse races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, political parties and economic status.
December 2, 2013 (El Cajon)--The City of El Cajon is accepting applications to fill a vacancy on the El Cajon City Council. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, December 4 at 5:30 p.m. and applications are available at the city’s website.
To be eligible, you must be a resident and a registered voter when you apply and throughout your term of office. The seat is open to fill the vacancy left when Councilman Bill Wells was appointed Mayor, after former Mayor Mark Lewis resigned.
August 20, 2013 (El Cajon) – El Cajon City Council will consider an ordinance to restrict alcohol sales at its next meeting on August 27.
The law aims to restrict sales of single-serve alcohol containers to individuals with repeated arrests for alcohol-related offenses. The law would not affect restaurants or bars. It would restrict sales at future stores and would also require current stores to comply with the law.
July 25, 2013 (El Cajon)- At the July 9 El Cajon City Council meeting, Council voted against putting sewer service charges on the property tax bill after 168 residents objected to the proposal.
Dennis Davies, Deputy Director of Public Works, informed Council of the proposal to take sewer bi-monthly bills (six times a year) and include those charges with the property tax bill.
April 28, 2013 (El Cajon)- This past Tuesday, Michael Griffiths from the El Cajon Public Works Department gave a PowerPoint presentation to El Cajon City Council about the pavement maintenance program underway since 2006 and set for completion in 2014. City Manager Doug Williford stated that this program affects businesses and residents.
Before Griffiths began, he acknowledged junior engineer Katie Odiorne, who put the PowerPoint slides together. First, he presented a scale of old to new street pavings from 1-100.
November 7, 2012 (El Cajon )—In one of the few victories for local conservatives thus far in the November 2012 elecitons, Councilmembers Tony Ambrose and Bill Wells have won reelection to the El Cajon City Council with 18.25% and 16.26% of the vote in the 8-person field. Councilman Bob McClellan is the likely victor in the third seat, with a narrow edge over challenger Ben Kalasho, 14.95% to 13.95%.
October 9, 2012 (El Cajon)—Councilman Bill Wells, a conservative who staunchly opposes new taxes and led efforts for El Cajon to become a charter city, seeks reelection to the El Cajon Council. He is one of seven candidates in the hotly contested race.
In an exclusive interview with East County Magazine, Councilman Wells discusses his accomplishments and plans for the future.
October 4, 2012 (El Cajon)—Three challengers running for office in the El Cajon Council race have made allegations including sign-stealing, racism and pressure on local merchants to back incumbents and suppress messages from other candidates.
On September 25, John Gibson with the Hamann Companies, a backer of incumbents Bill Wells and Tony Ambrose, made racially-charged remarks about Iraqi Chaldean candidate Ben Kalasho in a City Council meeting. The comments came after the Kalasho campaign accused Gibson, along with an incumbent Councilman, of involvement in removing and defacing Kalasho campaign signs.
“Fix the poverty rate and schools, then long term we will have a great city.” – Chris Shamoon
October 2, 2012 (El Cajon )—Chris Shamoon has big dreams for El Cajon. A successful business owner and recent law school graduate, Shamoon says he was approached by local business owners to run for El Cajon City Council. His platform extends far beyond the business community, as he seeks to represent needs of all people in the city—and tackle head-on the root causes of poverty, health and education problems dismissed by some candidates as unsolvable or not the role of the city to address.
Shamoon, one of seven candidates vying for three seats on the Council, shared his vision in an exclusive interview with ECM.
September 30, 2012 (El Cajon)—Councilman Tony Ambrose was appointed in March to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Jillian Hanson-Cox. Now he’s running for re-election, one of seven candidates vying for three seats. After serving more than 20 years on the city’s Planning Commission and previously chairing the East County Economic Development Council, he brings experience along with some new ideas to the Council position. A Republican, like the other incumbent Council members, Ambrose shares some values with his colleagues—but differs on some key issues.
In an exclusive interview with ECM, Ambrose shares his detailed vision for improving the economy and quality of life in El Cajon.
Three incumbents and four challengers are vying for three seats on the El Cajon City Council. ECM has requested interviews with each. Below is the first in our series of in-depth candidate profiles.
By Miriam Raftery
September 6, 2012 (El Cajon)—Earlier this year, when a vacancy opened on the El Cajon Council due to a resignation, the Councilmembers refused to accept applications from the public – including an Iraqi Chaldean immigrant and an African-American woman who wanted the job. Instead, they appointed an insider like themselves--a white male, who served on Planning Commission.
To Ben Kalasho, that action exemplifies what’s wrong in El Cajon –and why the Council needs people from diverse backgrounds.
April 12, 2012 -- (San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:
STATE
Radiation from Japan disaster found along California coast (ABC)
If California taxpayers paid up, state’s deficit would disappear (Sacramento Bee)
High-stakes vote nears in California water waters (KPBS)
California deer population declines as habitat disappears (Sacramento Bee)
LOCAL
La Mesa, El Cajon to get armored vehicle (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Program to help chronically homeless showing results (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Abandoned orchards must be monitored for pests (Sacramento Bee)
15-year-old Santana High School student injured in crash awakens from coma (Santee Patch)
U.S. says beware of ads placed by drug smugglers (San Diego Union-Tribune)
El Cajon City Council fills vacancy (San Diego Union-Tribune)
La Mesa home prices trending up (La Mesa Today)
Feds misled by SoCal Edison on San Onofre changes, group says (KPBS)
Scroll down for excerpts and links to full stories.
October 28, 2010 (El Cajon) -- With the election a few days away, ECM offers El Cajon voters this collection of interviews, video clips, and debate coverage for candidates on their ballots.
Dogs and their trainers saved lives during 911, hurricanes, and other disasters
East County News Service
October 13, 2010 (El Cajon)--At yesterday’s City Council meeting, October 12th, Mayor Mark Lewis and the City Council paid posthumous recognition to two canines, both former members of the El Cajon Fire Department’s Search & Rescue canine team, Billy and Icon.
October 10, 2010 (El Cajon ) – Gary Kendrick has served on El Cajon’s City Council since 2002. He takes pride in his efforts to “bring peace to a once volatile Council” and says the Council is “very much in harmony now; it’s much calmer.” His platform includes safe streets, sensible redevelopment, rights of property owners, and getting tax dollars back from Sacramento.
September 29, 2010 (San Diego's East County)--The League of Women Voters of East San Diego County is hosting a series of forums about ballot measures, as well as candidates for the La Mesa and El Cajon City Councils, and the Grossmont High School District Board.
May 28, 2010 (El Cajon) – El Cajon’s City Council voted Tuesday to approve using grant money to upgrade lighting at recreation centers, City Hall, a fire station, and along maor city streets. The stimulus funds is from the Obama administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which awarded El $881,100 for the upgrade of City equipment and facilities.
CITY OF EL CAJON TERMINATES MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT WITH CHRISTIAN THEATER GROUP; POSTPONES CLOSURE UNTIL AT LEAST MID-2010 TO HONOR CONTRACTS FOR SHOWS
By Miriam Raftery
October 14, 2009 (El Cajon) – El Cajon City Council members voted unanimously yesterday to terminate its agreement effective January 1st with ArtBeat Management, a subsidiary of Christian Community Theater, which has managed the East County Performing Arts Center (ECPAC) for the past four years. The theater is slated to close for approximately two years for renovations including a new roof, improving access for the disabled, and moving the entrance to open onto Main Street, generating traffic toward local merchants and restaurants.
At yesterday’s Council hearing, Grossmont Community Concerts Association (GCCCA) president Ron Shelby pleaded with Council members to keep the theater open through the groups’ 2010 concert season, which is sold out. “We were in panic mode because we couldn’t find any place that can accommodate all of our performances,” said Shelby. After the hearing, he expressed gratitude that Mayor Mark Lewis pledged to honor all contracts signed by CCT, assuring Shelby that the theater will remain open at least through the end of the GCCCA season in May
The City hailed the renovation plans with a press release today proclaiming “exciting changes planned for the East County Performing Arts Center.
November 7, 2012 (El Cajon )—In one of the few victories for local conservatives thus far in the November 2012 elecitons, Councilmembers Tony Ambrose and Bill Wells have won reelection to the El Cajon City Council with 18.25% and 16.26% of the vote in the 8-person field. Councilman Bob McClellan is the likely victor in the third seat, with a narrow edge over challenger Ben Kalasho, 14.95% to 13.95%.
By Miriam Raftery
By Miriam Raftery
October 2, 2012 (El Cajon )—Chris Shamoon has big dreams for El Cajon. A successful business owner and recent law school graduate, Shamoon says he was approached by local business owners to run for El Cajon City Council. His platform extends far beyond the business community, as he seeks to represent needs of all people in the city—and tackle head-on the root causes of poverty, health and education problems dismissed by some candidates as unsolvable or not the role of the city to address.
By Miriam Raftery
By Miriam Raftery
East County News Service
Dogs and their trainers saved lives during 911, hurricanes, and other disasters
October 10, 2010 (El Cajon ) – Gary Kendrick has served on El Cajon’s City Council since 2002. He takes pride in his efforts to “bring peace to a once volatile Council” and says the Council is “very much in harmony now; it’s much calmer.” His platform includes safe streets, sensible redevelopment, rights of property owners, and getting tax dollars back from Sacramento.
May 28, 2010 (El Cajon) – El Cajon’s City Council voted Tuesday to approve using grant money to upgrade lighting at recreation centers, City Hall, a fire station, and along maor city streets. The stimulus funds is from the Obama administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which awarded El $881,100 for the upgrade of City equipment and facilities.
By Miriam Raftery
Recent comments