By Jonathan Goetz

Photos credited to Mary Ann Prall

August 27, 2017 (El Cajon) - Sarah Ramirez, Director of the El Cajon Recreation Department, retired earlier this month. She started with the department as an intern in 1980 and over her career, led efforts to transform recreational opportunities for residents and oversee major public events to “rebrand” El Cajon and revitalize downtown, according to a proclamation issued by the Mayor.

She was honored at this month’s El Cajon City Council Meeting, and as is her style, she shared credit with her staff and her family for what she called her “incredible journey.”

The new Director of Recreation in El Cajon is Frank Carson. According to his LinkedIn Profile, he has experience with 25 years in Parks & Recreation, with 20 years serving in a supervisory capacity, and is bilingual in English and Spanish. He worked as a Recreation Supervisor for the City of Chula Vista from 2003-2013 and as a Recreation Manager for the City of El Cajon since 2013.

The full text of the commendation for Ramirez and her speech is below:

Source: San Diego Sheriff

August 21, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- Do you recognize the man in this sketch? He is suspected of following two young girls in the East County.

The first incident happened just before 8:30 a.m. on June 29th near Royal Road and Winter Gardens Boulevard in Lakeside. The suspect honked his car as he drove by a 14-year-old girl. The victim says the suspect made a U-turn and pulled over to tell her she was "too pretty to be walking." The suspect then asked the victim if she wanted a ride. She said no and he drove away.

By Jonathan Goetz

Photo: Children’s Weekly

August 15, 2017 (El Cajon) – Today is Sunshine Horton’s 72^nd birthday. Each year since 1995, Sunshine Horton has done a Miracle Maker birthday to raise money for Rady Children’s Hospital.

“For my 50^th birthday I wanted to thank this country for giving me such a great life and I wanted to do something special, so I went to the Sheriff’s Department and they told me to do a walk.

By Jonathan Goetz

Photo: Ben Kalasho, August 8, 2017 (El Cajon)

August 11, 2017 (El Cajon) - Councilman Ben Kalasho threatened to file an employment discrimination complaint Tuesday as the Council discussed a resolution to limit Council members’ use of electronic devices during City Council meetings.    

Events provided by Monica Zech, Public Information Officer for the City of El Cajon

August 11, 2017 (El Cajon) – This Saturday, El Cajon hosts a free e-waste and paper shredding event. Coming up this week are the Heroes in concert, and Cajon Speedway Night downtown.  Other upcoming activities include the Alley Cat art walk and an Air Group One breakfast featuring World War II aerial crew heroes sharing their historic memories.  Scroll down for these events and more – all in El Cajon.

East County News Service

August 8, 2017 (El Cajon) – A home in the 1300 block of Marline Avenue in El Cajon sustained $75,000 in damages to the house and contents from a fire reported at 1:20 p.m. Monday afternoon.

Heartland Fire and Rescue Service responded within four minutes, aided by crews from San Miguel and Lakeside Fire.  Firefighters found a fire on an enclosed patio behind the single-story home had spread into the main part of the house.

Captain Garmo speaks out on community outreach, police brutality and immigration

 

By Kendra Sitton

August 7, 2017 (Rancho San Diego) -- Cities across San Diego celebrated the National Night Out Against Crime on Tuesday, Aug. 1st. The Rancho San Diego Command hosted an event in the Target parking lot, where community members and police officers grilled hot dogs and visited booths. The National Night Out Against Crime is part of the wider public outreach strategy utilized by the RSD Command.

“We’re really involved in community policing. We take a lot of pride in doing a lot of outreach through faith-based and through community groups,” said Captain Marco Garmo. “Community outreach is so, so important. It’s just as important as putting bad guys in jail. They hold equal ground. We have to put resources towards it.”

By Rachel Williams

August 7, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Medical handouts, translated to English and Arabic, are strewn across the table at St. John’s Church for Syrian and Afghan refugees. Health organizations around San Diego participated in an educational meet and greet to introduce the differences in urgent and emergency care, proper nutrition and disease prevention.

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

 A father's anguish: Richard Olango Abuka shared memories of his late son, a refugee whose American dream ended in gunfire by an El Cajon police officer.  Photo, left by Rebecca Jefferis Williamson.

August 3, 2017 (El Cajon) -- At a march to celebrate what would have been Alfred Olango’s 39^th year of life, his father, Richard Olango Abuka, recalled one of his favorite memories; his son’s 13^th birthday, “celebrating coming here” one month after they arrived in America.

By Miriam Raftery

August 2, 2017 (El Cajon) — The El Cajon Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, August 15 at 7 p.m. to consider termination of the former Broadway Market sit'es Deemed Approve Status and Revocation of a Conditional Use Permit for the off-sale of beer, wine and distilled spirits.

By Nick Pellegrino

By Mimi Pollack

July 31, 2017 (El Cajon) -- When Juan Martin Sajche left his small village in Guatemala in 1997 and arrived in El Cajon at the age of 15, he never dreamed he would one day be a respected Spanish teacher at Morse High School in San Diego. The past 20 years have been quite a journey!

East County News Service

July 24, 2017 (El Cajon) – The Courtyard San Diego Marriott hotel opening soon in El Cajon is now hiring for positions including  front desk associates,  housekeeping and laundry positions.  The East County Career Center will host the Courtyard on Wednesday, August 9 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

By Miriam Raftery

July 20, 2017 (El Cajon) – The El Cajon Police Officers Association has set up a Go fund me page (https://www.gofundme.com/ieshafund ) for Iesha Booker, a homeless mother of seven who came to the aid of Officer Sioson after he was knocked unconscious by a suspect who continued to assault him, causing serious injuries.

The 34-year-old MTS bus driver, was at the KFC in El Cajon when the assault occurred.  “When everyone else at the KFC stood around shocked, Lesha quickly stepped in, using Officer Sioson’s police radio to transmit `Officer Down at the KFC!’   It was that transmission which allowed us to expedite help to Officer Sioson, quickly arrest the suspect,” says Travis Howard, president of the El Cajon Police Officers Association.

East County News Service

July 18, 2017 (El Cajon) – Mark David Dabrowski, a 55-year-old transient in El Cajon, has been arrested and charged with kidnapping and domestic violence.

Yesterday morning, a witness called El Cajon Police to report that Dabrowski had abducted his former girlfriend, who is also homeless, while she was sleeping on an elementary school campus.