East County News Service

March 28, 2017 (Rancho San Diego) - The Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College will host its Spring Butterfly and Garden Festival on Saturday, April 29^th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Activities include butterfly pavilion and garden tours, butterfly releases, face painting, kids’ activities and craft vendors, animal exhibitors, educational exhibits and presentations, us edible, ornamental and native plant sales. You can also sign up for landscape design consultations.

East County News Service

March 25, 2016 (El Cajon) – Civil rights leaders including Rev. Shane Harris from the National Action Network met with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra yesterday in Los Angeles to discuss police reform and accountability. The group asked for a special prosecutor to investigate the officer-involved shooting of Alfred Olango in El Cajon last September.

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Story and photos by Liz Alper

March 23, 2017 (El Cajon) - Tonight, Monte Vista and Granite Hills High girls lacrosse squared off in both schools’ second game of conference play.  Both schools sported winning records, with the Monarchs at a solid 7-2 and the Eagles at 3-2.

By Miriam Raftery

View video:  This agenda item can be viewed from 1:06:16 through 1:57:45

March 17, 2017 (El Cajon) – El Cajon’s City Council spent a full hour Tuesday debating a proposal by Mayor Bill Wells that aims to save Council time and staff resources by limiting how many items a Council member could place on an agenda single-handedly to just one per quarter, a maximum of four a year.  To bring forth any additional item, a Council member would have to gain support of one additional member. 

But that raises potential Brown Act violations andconcerns over suppressing citizen’s representation, the American CIvil Liberties Union (ACLU) warns in a letter sent to the City's attorney, Mayor and  Council members..

Newly elected Councilman Ben Kalasho strenuously objected to the proposal, leading to a testy exchange in which he threatened to sue Wells and fellow Council members to protect what he views as his right to represent his constituents.  Several members of the public also spoke out,  all opposed to sttifling their representatives’ ability to put items of concern on the agenda.

Source: County of San Diego

March 19, 2017 (San Diego's East County)--An estimated 900,000 gallon sewage spill was identified Friday, March 17^th at Los Coches Creek near East Sierra Alta Way in unincorporated El Cajon, the County announced today. The sewage entered the creek after an underground sewer pipe became exposed and significantly damaged during the February 27^th storms.

Does your son or daughter play a sport at a level other than varsity?  Drop a line on this story or tweet @ECMagSports to request coverage!

Like our sports coverage?  Donate to help support ECM’s sports section!

Follow @ECMagSports on Twitter for live sports coverage and stories!

Story and photos by Liz Alper

March 17, 2017 (El Cajon) - In the midst of Helix basketball’s playoff run, spring sports have begun in East County’s high schools and on St. Patrick's Day, Valhalla High boys lacrosse traveled to Grossmont for an early season conference matchup which marked the beginning of conference play.  Both teams are struggling in the young season; the Norsemen are 0-4 and the Foothillers are 0-3.

East County News Service

Photo:  Rollover crash caused by a drunk driver

March 17, 2017 (El Cajon) - Before you head out to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, be aware that El Cajon Police will have a DUI checkpoint tonight from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. in areas with high rates of DUI collisions or arrests in the past.  The checkpoint aims to stop and arrest alcohol and drug-impaired drivers as part of a traffic safety campaign.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Rev. Shane Harris during a January interview with East County Magazine on KNSJ

March 13, 2017 (El Cajon) — Rev. Shane Harris at the National Action Network in San Diego announced that he has asked Calif. Attorney General Xavier Becerra to appoint a special prosecutor to conduct an independent investigation into the death of Alfred Olango. Olango, an African-American man, was fatally shot in Sept. 2016 by an El Cajon Police officer.

Board tables proposal to reduce rates due to skimpy reserves

By Jonathan Goetz

March 9, 2017 (La Mesa) -- Two Helix Water Board incumbents who voted for multi-year double digit water rate increases were ousted in November. But that didn’t prevent water rates in this district serving 270,000 people from increasing 10.1% earlier this year, as the prior board had approved. 

East County News Service

March 9, 2017 (El Cajon) – A man was killed March 6^th while trying to stop a truck from rolling down a hill at 13220 Aurora Drive in El Cajon. He has been identified as Roy Sterner, 39, of Chula Vista.

Sterner was visiting a friend’s residence to work on the truck, but while he was pushing it to the front of the driveway, the truck began rolling downhill.  Sterner ran after the vehicle and tried to get in through the open window on the driver’s side, with his upper body in the vehicle and his lower body outside.

Source:  City of El Cajon

March 7, 2017 (El Cajon) - The City of El Cajon is very pleased to announce that Mr. Graham Mitchell, current City Manager for the City of Escondido and longtime City Manager for the City of Lemon Grove, has accepted an offer to become the City of El Cajon’s next Assistant City Manager.  He will replace Majed Al-Ghafry, who was recently appointed Assistant City Manager for the City of Dallas, Texas.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Emissions from a crematorium shut down in 2011 in unincorporated El Cajon for what a county inspector called “horrific” violations

March 2, 2017 (El Cajon) – On March 14 at 7 p.m., the El Cajon City Council will hear an appeal filed by Robert Zakar of East County Mortuary, whose proposed crematorium and funeral parlor at 1150-1168 North Marshall Street was rejected by the city’s planning commission. The hearing will be held in City Council Chambers at 200 Civic Center Way in El Cajon.

East County News Service

February 25, 2017 (Ramona) – Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) will hold a town hall meeting on March 11, 2017 at 10 a.m. at the Ramona Main Stage (626 Main St., Ramona),  NBC 7 reports, citing a Hunter staffer as their source.

The move comes after several hundred protesters gathered  on all four corners outside Hunter’s El Cajon office and on an overpass above State Route 67 to protest his inaccessibility to constituents.

East County News Service

February 17, 2017 (El Cajon) - Join El Cajon as the city celebrates its 28th Annual Arbor Day ceremony and 20th year of receiving the Tree City USA award on Saturday, March 25, 8:00 a.m. at Kennedy Park (1675 East Madison Ave., El Cajon.)

East County News Service

February 17, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Pageant officials announce that the 2017 Miss El Cajon pageant will be held on Saturday, April 15th at Greenfield Middle School.  You’re invited to join the rich tradition of the Miss El Cajon Pageant, open to young women from age 9 to 22, residing or attending school in El Cajon, including Grossmont and Cuyamaca Colleges.