By Paul Kruze   

September 22, 2017 (El Cajon) -- The El Cajon City Council faced some new concerns at its Tuesday, Sept. 12 meeting when attention was directed to Solterra, an apartment project built by a partnership of both Affirmed Housing and the City of El Cajon some five years ago. The complex, located at 131-155 Chambers Street near W. Main Street, is a 49-unit, senior affordable community offering one-and-two bedroom apartments to seniors ages 55 and up who earn 30-60% of area media income (AMI).

By Drum Macomber

September 15, 2017 (El Cajon) -- At Wednesday night's El Cajon City Council meeting, The El Cajon Main Street Flag Program was honored for 15 years of  the flag program, which started on September 2, 2002 after 9-11.

By Paul Kruze

August 19, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Yet more eyes are going to be fixed on embattled El Cajon Councilman Ben Kalasho with news that he has filed a discrimination complaint with the State of California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. The action follows last Tuesday’s 4-1 vote affirming that the only electronic device permitted to be used by Council members at the dais during City Council meetings are city-provided Apple iPad tablets.

The iPads provided to members of the City Council will be configured to only allow access to City of El Cajon official websites and access to the city’s financial budget documents and municipal codes, but other Internet sites will be blocked.  Note-taking software will be downloaded onto the iPads and an attached keyboard will be provided.

Photo: Iesha Booker and Mayor Bill Wells (Credit: Mary Ann Prall)

East County News Service

August 10, 2017 (El Cajon) -- On Tuesday, Iesha Booker, an MTS worker who aided a fallen police officer, was given a commendation at the El Cajon City Council meeting in front of a packed Council chamber and half a dozen news crews.   After a suspect beat the officer unconscious at a KFC restaurant, Booker used the officer’s radio to summon help, as ECM reported.

By Paul Kruze

July 7, 2017 (El Cajon) -- In a unanimous 4-0 vote (with Councilmember Bob McClellan absent), the El Cajon City Council has approved a major measure to address homelessness in El Cajon as part of an initiative developed by the East County Homeless Task Force (ECHTF.org). The measure includes an expenditure of $168,000 by the city.

By Jonathan Goetz

Miriam Raftery also contributed to this report

May 30, 2017 (El Cajon) – El Cajon’s City Council had a packed agenda Wednesday at its 3 p.m. meeting, taking actions including:

• Voting 5-0 to put an item on an upcoming agenda to have staff prepare a report on feasibility of hiring a Crisis House “homeless navigator” expert to match unique needs of homeless people with private and public programs to help house the homeless;  
• Voting 4-1 to hold two town hall meetings annually to allow residents to propose agenda items and for Council to set agenda priorities;
• Heard a report from the County Water Authority claiming Metropolitan Water has been squandering funds and overcharging ratepayers;
• Honoring participants and supporters of America on Main Street;
• Presented awards to local youths and Friends of East County Arts contest winners
• Praised a resident for using a drone to get evidence of an illegal marijuana dispensary.

By Miriam Raftery

March 17, 2017 (El Cajon) — El Cajon’s City Council declared Tuesday, March 14^th as Sunshine Horton Day to honor the city’s Goodwill Promoter. 

Horton, who was previously named El Cajon Citizen of the Year in 2012,  has been improving the lives of East County residents for nearly 40 years.  “We appreciate all she has done to make El Cajon a better place for all,” Mayor Wells stated in the proclamation.

Councilman speaks out against Mayor Wells' proposal to prevent any councilmember from placing items on the agenda without support of another member

By Miriam Raftery

March 9, 2017 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Councilman Ben Kalasho will hold his second town hall meeting tonight from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the El Cajon Police community room, 200 Civic Center Way in El Cajon. 

In a video posted on his Facebook page,  Kalasho asks public support to block a measure introduced by Mayor Bill Wells that would prevent any individual councilmember from adding an item to the agenda without support of another member.  The only Democrat on the Council, Kalasho contends that the proposal is targeting him. That measure is expected to be on the agenda for the March 14^th Council hearing at 3 p.m..

By Jonathan Goetz

Photo:  El Cajon Councilman Ben Kalasho faces resistance on new group to bring holiday cheer to seniors

March 1, 2017 (El Cajon) - Freshman El Cajon Councilman Ben Kalasho was impressed by the Santee Santas, and wants to bring the idea to El Cajon. Kalasho envisions an organization, El Cajon Elves that would bring carols, socks and slippers to elders around the holidays.

But groups that already serve seniors, including the AARP and the Salvation Army, turned up to oppose the City of El Cajon from releasing $5,000 in seed money to the El Cajon Elves, and requested that the funds instead be given to one of the existing organizations already serving senior citizens. No one testifed in support of the city providing seed money to start a new nonprofit.

By Miriam Raftery

February 5, 2017 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Assistant City Manager Majed Al-Ghafry has accepted a position as Assistant City Manager for Dallas, Texas.  A Syrian immigrant who came to the U.S. as a child, Al-Ghafry previously worked in Texas and has over 28 years of experience in municipal government.

 “He’s been a real asset to this city,”  El Cajon Councilman Gary Kendrick told ECM, adding that Al-Ghafry speaks Arabic and has been helpful in translating and explaining city ordinances to immigrants from the Middle East. 

East County News Service

January 24, 2017 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon will hold public hearings tonight, January 24, and again on February 14th to approve criteria for creating City Council District boundaries and a schedule for establishing district elections. 

Source: City of El Cajon

January 4, 2017 (El Cajon) -- The El Cajon City Council is now accepting applications for its Planning Commission, Veterans’ Commission, Personnel Commission, and Public Safety Facility Financing Oversight Committee.

By Jonathan Goetz

Photo, left:  El Cajon’s new City Council, left to right:  Gary Kendrick, Bob McClellan, Mayor Bill Wells, Ben Kalasho, and Steve Goble

December 14, 2016 (El Cajon) -- Businessmen Ben Kalasho and Steve Goble were sworn in to their first terms on the El Cajon City Council Tuesday along with Bob McClellan, celebrating his 24^th year on the Council.

November 5, 2016 (El  Cajon)—Anonymous citizens have added commentary above and below a sign touting three conservative candidates for El Cajon City Council: Paul  Circo,  Star Bales and Bob McClellan. 

New signs cheekily note that these three candidates “did not show for debates,  did not show for a prayer vigil” (in response to a  police shooting), and “can’t spell their own name on their own signs,” a reference to a misspelling in McClellan’s name.

By Jonathan Goetz

Miriam Raftery contributed to this story.

October 13, 2016 (El Cajon) — During public comment at Tuesday’s El Cajon City Council hearing, residents voiced a range of opinions on the recent police shooting of Alfred Olango, an African refugee reportedly suffering a mental health crisis when an officer advanced on him, gun drawn, then fired after Olango drew a vaping device resembling a gun out of his pocket and pointed it at the officer.

Here are highlights of public comments on the shooting: