East County News Service

June 26, 2019 (La Mesa) -- Adventurer, musical alchemist and mythological scholar Mindy Dillard plays clawhammer banjo and rhythm guitar, often in alternate tunings to accompany her electric and raw, crystal-clear voice.  Through her music, which pulsates with funky rhythmic grooves and sparkles with heartfelt storytelling, she transforms the ordinary into the magical. A genre hopper, Mindy’s sound holds shades of old-time Appalachia, contemporary folk, gospel, musical theatre and rhythm and blues.  In the words of Ruthie Naccarato, “...She will make you laugh and cry and you’ll leave her performance with a genuine smile and feeling of goodness.”

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: LMVA president Peter Soutowood and Councilwoman Akilah Weber, during Oktoberfest discussion

June 26, 2019 (La Mesa) – La Mesa’s City Council, majority approved a 3-year permit for McFarlane Promotions to run the city’s popular Oktoberfest in partnership with the La Mesa Village Association, which will be from October 4-6 this year.

This year’s event will include several changes including an additional beer garden that will be German-themed with traditional German music, foods, and German-costumed servers.  Event-goers can still find a broader variety of music and foods at another beer garden plus food trucks that will be moved to a side street for improved flow; a total of 45 food vendors and 95 nonfood vendors will be included. There will be two kids fun zones with attractions such as a trampoline, inflatable jumps, and face painting. Wiener dog (dachshund) races, another crowd favorite, will return but be moved to Alison Avenue.

McFarlane will  provide a 50% cost recovery to the city, up to a maximum of $50,000 per year. Councilmembers Kristine Alessio and Akilah Weber voted no, wanting a higher cost recovery rate in the wake of projections that the city will likely have to tap its reserves to balance its budget in the next couple of years.

By Miriam Raftery

June 24, 2019 (La Mesa) – Grossmont Center shopping mall today announced that it will host a weekly farmer’s starting July 24th. From 2 to 6 p.m. every Wednesday, visitors can enjoy fresh produce straight from the farm and support local San Diego farmers. 

By Miriam Raftery

June 22, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – The city of San Diego ranked second worst in the nation for rent hikes on  a one-bedroom apartment in 2018, at 17% with an average rent of $2,300, according to Rent.com. By contrast, the national average rent increase nationwide was 2.69% and California averaged a 4.48% increase in rents on one bedroom apartments during the same time period.

Rents are also skyrocketing in East County, where some communities had double digit rent hikes from March 2018 through March 2019 for 1 BR units:

Lemon Grove +15.66%

La Mesa +10.63%

El Cajon + 5.04%

Santee, by contrast, had only a modest 1.25% increase.

Spring Valley, the only unincorporated community in San Diego County with enough inventory to provide statistically valid data, had a 9.6% increase.

East County News Service

June 21, 2019 (Jamul) – On Saturday, June 22, Jamul Casino will ring in summer by hosting an All-Star Block Party featuring casino promotions, live entertainment, and celebrity guests.  The all-day event will feature:

By Miriam Raftery

June 21, 2019 (Potrero) – A camper from Washington state staying at a San Diego County campground in Potrero after returning from Mexico died yesterday after being run over by a runaway vehicle.

East County News Service

June 19, 2019 (La Mesa) – The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce will present “Health Fair Saturday,” one of the largest annual free health fairs in San Diego’s East County Region, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 29 in the promenade area near the movie theater at the Grossmont Center mall, 5500 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa.

East County News Service

By Miriam Raftery

June 14, 2019 (La Mesa) – Why can’t the La Mesa Village Association produce a federal tax ID number required of all organizations? Why has it never filed either a tax return or an application for tax exempt status with the state Franchise Tax Board?

East County News Service

June 14, 2019 (El Cajon) – Keller Williams Realty San Diego East Foothills in El Cajon, the largest residential real estate brokerages in San Diego’s East County region with more than 320 agents, has announced that Santee resident Ron Burner has joined the firm as a real estate sales agent.