Colin Parent

SHARP-COLLINS SURPASSES VASQUEZ IN 79TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

By Miriam Raftery
 
Photo: Dr. LaShae Sharp-Collins
 
March 16, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) – The 79th Assembly district race is still too close to call.  While La Mesa Councilman Colin Parent is still solidly in first place with 39.65% of the vote (21,745 votes). Educator Dr. LaShae Sharp-Collins has overtaken Lemon Grove Mayor Racquel Vasquez to move into second place.
 
Currently Sharp-Collins has 30.27% (16,597 votes), while Vasquez has 30.08% (16,494 votes).

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IT’S A NAIL-BITER IN 79TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

By Miriam Raftery
 
Photo: Mayor Racquel Vasquez has a slim 8-vote lead over Dr. LaShae Sharp-Collins, in the battle for the second-place run-off slot
 
March 12, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) – If you think your vote doesn’t matter, take a look at the latest results in the 79th Assembly District, where the top two candidates will advance to a November run-off. 

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HAYES OVERTAKES JUZA IN 75TH ASSEMBLY RACE; 79TH DISTRICT NARROWS TO SLIM 183-VOTE MARGIN IN RACE FOR RUNOFF SLOTS

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Andrew Hayes has moved into 2nd place in 75th Assembly district; LaShae Sharp-Collins has pulled within 183 votes of Racquel Vasquez in the 79th district

March 9, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) – Latest election results released at 5 p.m. this evening show results have flipped in the Assembly district 75—with two Republicans now in the first and second place positions poised to run-off in November, if these positions hold.

Andrew Hayes, a  Lakeside school board member and long-time aide to Senator Brian Jones and Supervisor Joel Anderson, has narrowly pulled ahead of Democrat Kevin Juza, a business consultant. Carl DeMaio, founder of Reform California and conservative talk radio host, remains in first place. Currently DeMaio has 43.21%, Hayes 18.65% and Juza 18.18%. With just 555 votes separating Hayes and Juza, however, this race is still too close to call.  Three lesser-known candidates are trailing far behind.

The race has also tightened in the 79th Assembly District, where three Democrats are vying for the two top slots to advance to the November general election.


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VASQUEZ AND PARENT SPEAK OUT AS EARLY RESULTS SHOW THEM LIKELY HEADED TO RUN-OFF FOR ASSEMBLY RACE

By Jessyka Heredia and Miriam Raftery 

March 6, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) -- La Mesa Councilman Colin Parent and Lemon Grove Mayor Racquel Vasquez are maintaining their first and and second place positions in the primary race for the 79th Assembly district seat. If their leads hold, the two East County elected official will run-off in the November general election, leaving their current council and mayoral positions to be filled in the November election, since both have terms of office ending after this year.

As of 11:30 p.m. on Election night, Parent has 41.01%, Vasquez 31.53% and Dr. LaShae Sharp-Collins, County Office of Education’s community engagement specialist and adjunct professor at SDSU trails close behind with 27.43%. 

As last night’s Lemon Grove City Council meeting adjourned, ECM’s  reporter approached the dais to let Vasquez know she was number two in the early voting numbers so far and asked if she would like to give a statement.


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PARENT, VASQUEZ LEAD IN 79TH ASSEMBLY RACE

By Miriam Raftery

March 5, 2024  (San Diego's East County)--Incumbency counts. That's the takeaway from tonight's early results in the 79th Assembly district race, where two prominent East County elected officials hold the lead over an educator endorsed by the Democratic Party.  All three candidates are Democrats.

La Mesa Councilman Colin Parent has a hefty lead, with 41.04% of the votes tallied so far.  Lemon Grove Mayor Racquel Vasquez has 31.53%, while educator LaShae Sharp-Collins has 27.43% of the vote. The top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff in the November general election.


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ECM HOLDS IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS WITH ALL THREE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN 79TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, top left to lower right:  Dr. LaShea Sharp-Collins, Mayor Racquel Vasquez, and Councilman Colin Parent.

February 25, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) – ECM reporter Jessyka Heredia has done in-depth interviews with all three candidates running in the 79th Assembly District.

All three are Democrats, and each has substantial public service experience.  LaShae Sharp-Collins, PhD, the party’s endorsed choice, is  the County Office of Education’s community engagement specialist, an adjunct professor at SDSU, and former district director for Assemblymember Shirley Weber, PhD.  Racquel Vasquez is Mayor of Lemon Grove and previously served on the city council and planning commission.  Colin Parent is a La Mesa Assemblyman and former director of external affairs for the California Department of Housing and Community Development, as well as past director of policy at the San Diego Housing Commission.

Each has many accomplishments and goals, which they highlight in our exclusive interviews. Vasquez and Parent tout their successful tract records of bringing new housing to their cities, while Sharp-Collins emphasized her expertise in education issues.. All spoke of their approaches to the state’s top issues including housing, homelessness, healthcare and education, as well as commenting on how the state might help the 79th Assembly district prevent future flooding.

Each candidate has faced controversy at times. Parent, who serves as general counsel for Circulate San Diego, has helped raise funds from developers for that nonprofit organization and has drawn criticism for supporting developer/donor interests on the City Council. Vaquez has drawn complaints from some residents over the city’s flood response and  storm drain issues . Sharp-Collins raised controversy, according to the Daily Aztec for a slave persona assignment.

Below are links to our exclusive interviews with each candidate for the March 5 primary election, listed in alphabetical order:

Colin Parent

LaShea Sharp-Collins

Racquel Vasquez


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COLIN PARENT TALKS TO ECM ABOUT HIS RUN FOR THE 79TH DISTRICT STATE ASSEMBLY SEAT

 

By Jessyka Heredia


Watch full interview here 

February 25, 2024 (East County) – La Mesa Councilmember Colin Parent is one of three candidates running for the 79th State Assembly seat that represents areas as far west as parts of North Park and as far east as El Cajon. ECM met up with Parent to discuss his qualifications and goals if elected. 

Parent grew up in East County and has served as a Councilmember in La Mesa since 2016, so he is no stranger to the district’s history and needs. This race has three candidates, all Democrats, vying for this seat currently held by Dr. Akilah Weber, who is now running for State Senate.  


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VIEW VIDEO OF 79TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT FORUM AND READ CANDIDATE PROFILES

 

Update February 19, 2024-- Video of this candidate forum is now posted.  View the forum here:  79th State Assembly Forum 2/3/2024 (youtube.com)

By Jessyka Heredia 

Miriam Raftery also contributed to this report

Photo, left to right:  Mayor Racquel Vasquez, Councilman Colin Parent, and County Office of Education Community Engagement Specialist LaShea Sharp-Collins.

January 31, 2024 (East County) --Three Democrats are running for the 79th District State Assembly seat on March 5th . Lemon Grove Mayor Racquel Vasquez, La Mesa City Councilmember Colin Parent and Dr. LaShae Sharp- Collins. There are no Republicans in this race.

All three candidates will be attending a public forum being held Saturday February 3rd, 2024 at the Lemon Grove Library at  2 p.m. The library is located at 3001 School Ln, Lemon Grove, CA 91945

With three strong names in the same party competing, it may be hard for voters to decipher the differences. ECM breaks down their experience, accomplishments, the goals they have outlined in their campaigned, and key endorsements.


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79TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT AND 39TH SENATORIAL DISTRICT FORUM AND TOWNHALL

By Jonathan Goetz

Photo courtesy: San Diego Voice & Viewpoint

February 14, 2024 (San Diego) -- The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint presents a Candidate Forum and Townhall Meeting for the 4th Council District in San Diego, 79th State Assembly District and 39th Senatorial District Thursday, February 15.

Among the 79th State Assembly District invited candidates are Councilman Colin Parent, Dr. Lashae Sharp-Collins and Mayor Racquel Vasquez. Both Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber and Bob Divine are invited in the 39th Senatorial District.


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COLIN PARENT KICKS OFF HIS RUN IN THE 79TH STATE ASSEMBLY RACE

By Jessyka Heredia

 

June 2, 2023 (La Mesa)-State Assembly candidate Colin Parent kicked off his campaign for the 79th State Assembly  at Bolt Brewery in La Mesa on Wednesday with approximately 35 supporters in attendance.

Parent spoke briefly to the crowd, noting that in 2016 he became the first Democrat elected to the La Mesa City Council in years. “We have accomplished a lot already,” he said.

For example, he noted that the city “broke ground earlier this year on the first 100% affordable housing project in the city in decades--right next to the trolley, right caddy corner to city hall. It’s going to create hundreds of units for low- and moderate-income families.”  He added, “We also adopted some rules to make it much, much easier for homeowners to build Accessory Dwelling units (ADU) in their backyard.”

Parent also addressed equity issues, stating, ”Three years ago we decided for the first time to fly the pride flag and just this week, we fought back a proposal to eliminate that.”


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COLIN PARENT TO RUN FOR ASSEMBLY, AKILAH WEBER TO SEEK STATE SENATE SEAT

By Miriam Raftery

April 6, 2023 (La Mesa) Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber has announced Thursday that she will run for the 39th State Senate seat held by termed-out Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, after Supervisor Nathan Fletcher dropped out of the race amid accusations of sexual misconduct.  

Today, La Mesa City Councilman Colin Parent announced that he will run for Weber’s 79th State Assembly seat.  Since Parent’s term on the Council ends in 2024, his announcement also means La Mesans can expect to have a new face on the City Council after the 2024 elections.


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CIRCULATE SAN DIEGO EXEC. DIRECTOR COLIN PARENTS TESTIFIES AT CALIF. LEGISLATURE, CALLS FOR IMPROVED TRANSIT

East County News Service

 

View archived video from the hearing: https://www.assembly.ca.gov/media-archive.

 

March 1, 2023 (San Diego) – On Monday, Colin Parent, executive director and general counsel for the nonprofit think tank Circulate San Diego, testified to a joint hearing of the Assembly Transportation and Senate Transportation Committees in the California State Legislature. Parent was invited to speak on a panel of transit stakeholders, to discuss the funding issues facing transit agencies throughout California and how to increase transit ridership. After the COVID-19 pandemic, transit ridership has declined, reducing fare revenues, and forcing transit agencies to consider reducing bus and train schedules.


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LA MESA CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER SUPPORT FOR STATE BILLS TACKLING HARASSMENT IN PUBLIC PLACES

East County News Service

Photo: CC via Bing

May 24, 2022 (La Mesa) -- A resolution in support of three State legislative bills which address street harassment in public places, transit and private businesses will be considered by the La Mesa Council at its meeting tonight at 6  p.m.  The measure is item 12.1 on the agenda.

Vice Mayor Jack Shu and Councilmember Colin Parent are requesting the La Mesa City Council pass a resolution which supports three bills currently being considered in Sacramento. These bills will address hate generated harassment from a public health and civil rights framework.

First is AB 2549 by Assembly Members Mia Bonta, Al Muratsuchi and Dr. Akilah Weber which would authorize a study and campaign seeking  to prevent public street harassment. Then SB 1161 introduced by Senator Dave Min addresses harassment which takes place in our public transit systems. Third, AB 2448 introduced by Assembly Member Phil Ting will address harassment in private businesses. The resolution also supports corresponding budget requests for these bills.


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LA MESA CITY COUNCIL PLANS FOR SPECIAL ELECTION TO REPLACE DR. WEBER

By Alexa Oslowski

May 31, 2021 (La Mesa) - The La Mesa City Council is on track to fill  Dr. Akilah Weber’s former seat with a special election, but the date remains uncertain. The vacancy occurred after Dr. Weber won a special election to the state Assembly, filling a vacancy left when her mother, Shirley Weber PhD, was appointed Secretary of State.

The Council has until a June 18 deadline to announce an appointment process or call for an election, under the city charter. But on April 27, the Council meeting ended in no decision after a 2-2 vote, with Mayor Mark Arapostathis and Councilman Bill Baber in favor of an election and Councilmen Jack Shu and Colin Parent in favor of an appointment.  So the Council agreed to postpone its decision until the May 11 Council meeting.

On May 11, a still divided Council agreed to monitor the California Secretary of State's office for announcements of the recall election for Governor Gavin Newsom, since a special election for Dr. Weber’s seat would be less costly if timed to coincide with the statewide recall race and should also generate higher voter turnout.


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SAN DIEGO SKY GONDOLA TO SOAR INTO EAST COUNTY

 

 

By Skye Ryder

Image:  Artist's rendering of a reimagined Chase Bank in La Mesa, topped by a Sky tram station.

April 1, 2021 (La Mesa) -- Sky rides at the San Diego Zoo and Sea World are among the most popular attractions for visitors. Now an aerial gondola adventure is coming to East County.

The idea is a joint proposal by East County’s newly elected Supervisor Joel Anderson and La Mesa City Councilman Colin Parent, also a spokesman for Circulate San Diego, which promotes advancing mobility choices for communities across our region.

Back in 2017, then-County Supervisor Ron Roberts suggested expanding the ride to downtown San Diego.  Roberts said,  “I was looking at the zoo ride, and I was thinking, ‘You know what, if we just kept going across the freeway to Sixth Avenue and went downtown.’ That would be fun.”

The current board of Supervisors is now embracing that concept – and carrying it a step further. (Read more)


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PARENT, SHU LEAD IN LA MESA CITY COUNCIL RACE

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: left to right: Allan Durden, Colin Parent, Mark Papenfuss, Kristine Alessio, Jack Shu, Laura Lothian

November 3, 2020 (La Mesa) – Councilman Colin Parent and Jack Shu, both endorsed by the Democratic Party, are leading in the La Mesa City Council race with 25.15% and 24.76% respectively in a field of six candidates with two seats up for grabs.  If the current lead holds, incumbent Kristine Alessio may lose her seat.

While some feared an anti-incumbent backlash in the wake of the May 30 riot, that does not appear to have impacted the leaders in this race.  However, both Parent and Shu supported formation of La Mesa’s Citizens Police Oversight Board and a citizens advisory committee on homelessness. Parent appears to have weathered controversy over developer donations over a proposed homeless shelter that was later withdrawn by the county. 

Shu told ECM, ""The early results look very good but I'm waiting for more ballots to be counted before presuming anything.  However, there is a clear message that La Mesa is ready for positive change. I'd like to thank the community for the tremendous outpouring of support we've received and my campaign team and volunteers who did a phenomenal job."


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READER’S EDITORIAL: LA MESA CANNOT TRUST COLIN PARENT

By Aaron Amerling

 

October 29, 2020 (La Mesa) -- Over the past four years, it has become apparent that the citizens of La Mesa can not trust Colin Parent to do what is in the community's best interest, and only what’s in his personal or donor’s best interests.


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COUNCILMAN PARENT LOSES POLICE UNION ENDORSEMENT AFTER VOTE FOR POLICE OVERSIGHT BOARD, ALSO DRAWS SCRUTINY OVER DONATIONS

By Miriam Raftery

October 15, 2020 (La Mesa) – The La Mesa Police Officers Association (LMPOA) announced yesterday that it has withdrawn its endorsement of Councilman Colin Parent.  The LMPOA cites several reasons for its withdrawal, which was announced the day after Parent cast the deciding vote on a 3-2 Council decision to establish a police oversight board.  Parent joined with Mayor Mark Arapostathis and Councilmember Akilah Weber to pass the measure over the objections of the LMPOA, which had requested the ordinance first go through a meet-and-confer process so that the officers’ union could request changes.

The two Councilmembers who voted against the police oversight board,  Kristine Alessio and Bill Baber, have both been endorsed by the LMPOA previously.

Officially, the LMPOA offered these reasons for withdrawing its endorsement of Councilman Parent.  “Ever since he aggressively sought and received our endorsement earlier this year, Councilmember Parent has become untrustworthy and unreliable. Whether it was his lack of transparency with the citizens of La Mesa regarding the homeless housing facility, or his broken commitment to protect the rights of workers, we can no longer in good conscience continue to recommend to the citizens of La Mesa that Colin Parent deserves your vote.”


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HIGHLIGHTS AND VIDEOS OF ALL SIX LA MESA CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES

 

 

Updated with highlights from all three participating candidates' statements during the forum, plus links to interviews with three other candidates who were not available for the forum.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: left to right: Allan Durden, Colin Parent, Mark Papenfuss, Kristine Alessio, Jack Shu, Laura Lothian

October 11, 2020 (La Mesa) -- At East County Magazine's recent virtual forum for La Mesa City Council candidates, candidates offered their ideas for addressing the compelling issues facing the city including police/racial justice/public safety issues in the wake of protests and a riot, downtown redevelopment, housing, homelessness, budget priorities, COVID-19 relief and more.

Three of the six candidates running participated in the forum: Councilman Colin Parent, as well as challengers Allan Durden and Jack Shu.

To view video of candidate forum, click here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH6GkbU9ayo&t=3085s

To read highlights of the forum, and more information on all candidates, scroll down.

Three other candidates were unable to participate in the forum due to schedule conflicts, but provided separate video interviews via Zoom, which are posted below, along with highlights of their statements:


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NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR CIRCULATE SAN DIEGO'S 2020 MOMENTUM AWARDS

 

By Colin Parent, Circulate San Diego

September 14, 2020 (San Diego) – Circulate San Diego announced today the 2020 nominees for their annual Momentum Awards. The nominees are listed below.

Circulate San Diego’s Momentum Awards recognize the people and projects in the San Diego region that are creating excellent mobility choices and vibrant, healthy neighborhoods. This year’s awards also include a special category for COVID-19 Innovation, to highlight the efforts made to transform streets and policies during the ongoing pandemic.

The 2020 Momentum Awards will be online-only on October 1st, at 5:30 p.m. Attendance is free, but registration is required to receive information for how to participate in the event. Registration and event details are online at http://www.circulatesd.org/gala2020.


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LA MESA CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES TO APPEAR IN VIRTUAL CANDIDATE FORUM THURSDAY, SEPT. 3

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: La Mesa City Council candidates Allan Durden, Colin Parent, Mark Papenfuss, Kristine Alessio, Jack Shu, and Laura Lothian.  Four of the six candidates have agreed to participate.

August 29, 2020 (La Mesa) – Six candidates are vying for two seats on the La Mesa City Council. East County Magazine invited all candidates to participate in a candidate forum this Thursday, September 3 at 7 p.m. Have a question for the candidates?  You can send it to editor@eastcountymagazine.org by 12 noon on Thursday.

Four of the six candidates have confirmed they will participate.  Shown in the photo above, they are Allan Durden, Mark Papenfuss, Councilman Colin Parent, and Jack Shu.  Councilmember Kristine Alessio and Laura Lothian are not available but agreed to do an interview with ECM via Zoom, which we will post when completed.

The forum, held virtually via Zoom due to COVID-19,  will be live-streamed on Facebook here:  https://www.facebook.com/EastCountyMagazine   Video will also be recorded and posted at www.EastCountyMagazine.org after the forum. We thank the #FacebookJournalismProject for supporting our virtual candidate forums during the pandemic.

Below is information on all candidates running, listed in alphabetical order:


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REPORT URGING ACTION ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION FUNDING RELEASED

Source: Circulate San Diego
 
February 1, 2020 (San Diego) – Supervisor Nathan Fletcher (photo, center) and affordable housing advocates joined Circulate San Diego for the release of “Fair Share,” Circulate’s report that details how San Diego is not receiving its fair share of affordable housing and transportation funds.
 
The Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program is a state grant program that funds the construction of affordable housing and transportation projects that address San Diego’s homelessness and housing crisis, and greenhouse gas reductions goals. Unfortunately, the San Diego region received $14 million less than it would if it had won grant funding proportionate with the County’s share of California’s population in the last grant cycle alone.
 
“As this report makes clear, we need to move together as a region to make San Diego more competitive for funding that can lower housing costs, reduce traffic congestion, address climate change - all while building a San Diego for all” said County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher.

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TALKING TRANSPORTATION: HEAR OUR INTERVIEWS WITH COLIN PARENT AND KRISTINE ALESSIO

By Miriam Raftery

August 30, 2019 (La Mesa)  The future of transportation has sparked debate across our region. SANDAG and MTS are both moving forward on goals to boost transit access with options such as better trolley and bus service with high-speed rail as a long range option.

But what about reducing traffic gridlock and meeting transportation needs of residents in areas that currently lack adequate transit options?  Should building massive housnig projects in the backcountry that add to traffic gridlock be curtailed? 

Recently,  East County Magazine’s radio show interviewed La Mesa Councilmembers and attorneys Colin Parent and Kristine Alessio on transit issues. Parent  is director of Circulate San Diego and Alessio is the Vice Chair of SANDAG’s regional planning committee.  

Click here to hear our full interview, originally aired on KNSJ radio, and scroll down for highlights.

Audio: 


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A GREEN FUTURE DAWNS IN LA MESA: COUNCIL VOTES TO OFFER A COMMUNITY CHOICE ENERGY OPTION FOR RESIDENTS, JOINING SAN DIEGO AND CHULA VISTA

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson and Miriam Raftery

August 16, 2019 (La Mesa) -- La Mesa City Council members voted unanimously 5-0 on August 13th for a landmark agreement to form a joint powers agreement (JPA) with the cities of San Diego and Chula Vista to create a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) and give La Mesa residents an alternative to SDG&E for purchasing power.

La Mesa Vice Mayor William “Bill” Baber was on the subcommittee leading the efforts on this matter. “With this vote, La Mesa took another step forward on the path to 100% clean energy!” Baber told ECM via e-mail.


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CALAWARE ATTORNEY: COUNCILMAN PARENT SHOULD RECUSE FROM VOTING ON FARMER’S MARKET

 

By Miriam Raftery

July 23, 2019 (La Mesa) – An attorney with Californians Aware (CalAware), an organization that protects the public’s rights in open government matters, has advised ECM that Councilman Colin Parent should likely recuse himself from tonight’s vote on the La Mesa Farmer’s Market for showing bias prior to public testimony.

Four applicants have submitted applicants. Three would keep the market downtown and one, Grossmont Center, would move it to the regional shopping mall.

ECM sought Calaware's opinion after Councilman Parent posted a notice on the NextDoor forum urging residents to email a form letter to fellow councilmembers asking that the farmer’s market be kept downtown. A resident sent us a reader’s editorial and a letter to the full Council and  City Manager complaining of bias.  

Parent also sent a media advisory announcing a press conference to be held at 5 p.m., before tonight’s meeting, which he plans to hold with Brian Beevers, who currently operates the farmer’s market along with the La Mesa Village Association. The media notification states,  “ Both support the current location and date of the Farmer’s Market.”


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LA MESA CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO MOVE FARMER’S MARKET TO DOWNTOWN VILLAGE

 

 

 

Updated with revised start date of May 5th for the Farmer's Market

 By Jonathan Goetz

Miriam Raftery also contributed to this report

 March 30, 2018 (La Mesa) – La Mesa residents will soon be able to stroll the heart of the downtown village to shop for fresh produce, crafts and other items on Friday afternoons and evenings.  The  La Mesa City Council voted 4-1 at Tuesday’s meeting to move the Farmer’s Market to the downtown village on a six-month trial basis.  It will be run by the La Mesa Village Association instead of the city as a special event each Friday  from 3 to 7 p.m. starting May 5th, with street closures from 1 to 8 .p.m.

 The change has drawn support from many shoppers and some businesses, but has also engendered opposition from restaurants concerned about losing regular patrons on their busiest night of the week and neighbors with noise and parking concerns.

 The new market is projected to be approximately double in size of the current Friday night farmer’s market near the civic center, which must  ultimately move due to redevelopment plans.


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LA MESA COUNCILMAN PARENT NAMED INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CIRCULATE SAN DIEGO

By Miriam Raftery

July 18, 2017 (La Mesa) – Circulate San Diego has announced that Colin Parent will serve as the organization’s interim executive director, filling the void left by departure of former executive director Jim Stone, who is joining the Elementary Institute of Science.. Parent also serves as an elected member of the La Mesa City Council.

Circulate San Diego is a nonprofit organization that  works to promote public transportation, active transportation (walking and bicycling), and accommodate sustainable growth.


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MAYOR WELLS LEADS EFFORT TO OPPOSE SANCTUARY STATE BILL, LAUNCH “SAFE CITIES” EFFORT

 

 

By Miriam Raftery and Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

March 31, 2017 (El Cajon )—El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells is leading efforts among local officials opposed to Senate Bill 54, which would declare California a sanctuary state.  Officials from several local cities joined  Wells in a press conference March 29th at the El Cajon Police Department, where about 25 protesters who support the sanctuary measure also turned out.

Opponents of SB 54 claim it would make communities less safe and put federal funds at risk.  They have launched their own website, www.mayorsforsafecities.org

Critics disagree, and one local official contends that backers of the Safe Cities website have disseminated "alternative facts"  that mislead the public on SB 54.


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DEMOCRATS WIN SEAT ON LA MESA CITY COUNCIL

 

Medical pot measure also passes

By Miriam Raftery

November 9, 2016 (La Mesa)—Attorney and affordable housing advocate Colin Parent, a Democrat, has won election to the La Mesa  City Council,  narrowly defeating incumbent Ruth Sterling, a Republican.  Councilwoman Kristine Alessio,  an attorney, won reelection.  Parent will be the lone Democrat on the five-member Council.

Sterling has long been one of La Mesa’s most popular politicians, winning past reelections by wide margins. But she missed a key La Mesa debate this election cycle due to falling and breaking her arm.  Sterling had initially announced she would not seek reelection,  but later changed her mind after constituents urged her to run.

With 100% of precincts counted but late mail-in ballots and provisionals remaining to be tallied,  Alessio has 35.55% of the vote (6675 votes), Parent has 35.35% (6450 votes) and Sterling 30.11% (5654 votes).


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READER’S EDITORIAL: LA MESA COUNCIL RACE CAREENS INTO THE GUTTER

 

By Gene Carpenter and Anthony Mc Ivor

November 4, 2016 (La Mesa) -- Earlier this week, many La Mesa residents found a rude surprise in their mailboxes. It was a particularly vile attack mailer targeting La Mesa Council candidate Colin Parent.  The piece is slick, but  intellectually dishonest and shabbily written.  After three polite debates in city venues, who would use the post for such a vulgar purpose? 


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