East County News Service

January 24, 2017 (La Mesa) – La Mesa’s City Council will hear an Affordable homes Bonus Program proposed by Councilmembers Kristine Alessio and Colin Parent at tonight’s  meeting at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers (8130 Allison Ave., La Mesa.) View details: http://ca-lamesa3.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/1472?fileID=2801

East County News Service

January 24, 2017 (Santee) – The San Diego County Gun Owners (SDCGO), a Santee-based political action committee promoting Second Amendment rights, reports it has signed up more than 500 members in its first full year of operation.

By Miriam Raftery

January 24, 2017 (Boulevard) – A reader alerted us that after picking up free sandbags recently at the Boulevard Fire Station,  he noticed “hoary mustard weed growing out of the sand they used…The hoary mustard is a terrible weed that is spreading in Boulevard on equipment or anything that gets dirty and now is in sand bags spreading into even more areas. Once on someones property they will be fighting it forever as it invades gardens and any disturbed soil.”

Agreement includes pilot project to repopulate burrowing owls across San Diego County; comes in response to lawsuit filed over destruction of burrowing owls near airport

January 23, 2017 (San Diego) -- An agreement announced today between conservation and environmental justice groups and private developers will protect imperiled burrowing owls, increase renewable solar energy and conserve wildlife habitat to offset impacts from the redevelopment of San Diego’s Brown Field Municipal Airport. The airport — located near the Mexico border in Otay Mesa — will be redeveloped with new commercial and aviation facilities and include on-site solar energy to reduce energy consumption.

The agreement follows a lawsuit filed against the City of San Diego in 2013 by environmental groups to protect burrowing owls at the airport and protect their habitat.  Coalition for a Safe Environment's executive director Jesse Marquez stated at the time, "On one of our visits we discovered that the owl burrows had been poisoned to eliminate the owls in order to avoid having to relocate them. We must do everything possible to protect these owls from becoming extinct in San Diego."

East County News Service

January 22, 2017 (Julian) – As a new storm sweeps into our region, the San Diego Sheriff retweeted this image, along with some winter wit from the Sheriff’s Julian substation: “Extra police presence in SD Mtns during inclement weather, use caution, FYI.”

By Miriam Raftery

January 22, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – Cleveland National Forest Foundation (CNF) and Save Our Forest and Ranchlands (SOFAR) filed a lawsuit against San Diego County last week in San Diego Superior Court.  The suit argues that Supervisors adopted an amendment to the Forest Conservation Initiative (FCI) based on a faulty environmental analysis and failed to identity ways to minimize impacts of the new plan. 

Story and photo by Miriam Raftery

Photo: University Avenue in La Mesa between Olive and Parks

January 21, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – From Thursday through Saturday, storms doused our region.  Mount Laguna received over 10 inches of snow.

Julian got 5.97 inches of precipitation, the most in San Diego County.  Lake Cuyamaca, Descanso, and Pine Hills all got over 5 inches of rain.

By Miriam Raftery

January 19, 2017 (El Cajon) – On February 7^th at 7 p.m. El Cajon’s Planning Commission will consider a proposal to convert an existing building into a crematorium burning human remains.  The site is located at 1150-1168 North Marshall Avenue between Fesler Street and Vernon Way.

Crematoriums in urban areas can cause serious problems.  In 2011, the County shut down a crematorium in unincorporated El Cajon after numerous public complaints and findings of health hazards to the public.  Neighbors’ videos and eyewitness accounts documented smoke and sparks coming out of the facility, with ashes coating nearby cars, patios, and even hamburgers at a fast food restaurant next door, as ECM reported.

East County News Service

January 18, 2017 (San Diego's East County) - The heaviest rains of the winter—and maybe the heaviest in several years—set to soak our region over the next several days, bringing flash flooding and erosion problems.

By Mike Allen

January 17, 2017 (Santee) -- Santee Mayor John Minto says he’s big on creating deals to share the costs his city must bear for essential services such as police and fire, as well as community meeting places.

By Miriam Raftery

January 17, 2017 (La Mesa) – Anthony’s Fish Grotto on the Embarcadero has been a fixture on San Diego’s waterfront for 70 years.  For many San Diego County residents, it’s long been a go-to place for special occasions from prom nights to wedding anniversaries.

January 17, 2017 (Campo) -- Proposed sewer rate hikes and low-flying Navy helicopters are among the items slated for discussion at the Campo Lake Morena Planning Group's meeting on Monday, January 23 at 7 p.m.  The meeting will be in the Mountain Epire Community Center at 976 Sheridan Rd. in Campo.

The planning group will also elect officers and review applicants to fill a vacancy for Seat 7.  If you're interested in applying,  contact Chairman Billie Jo Jannen at (619)415-6298.

The public is encouraged to attend and speak on any agenda item, or on other area land use issues during public discussion.

View full preliminary agenda. 

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Story and photos by Liz Alper

January 16, 2017 (El Cajon) - Even though it was Martin Luther King Day, the Valhalla Norsemen varsity girls’ soccer team was in action against the Centurions of University City High.  It was the Norsemen’s last non-conference game before conference play.

By Mike Allen

January 15, 2017 (Santee) -- The Santee City Council is seeking a fifth member to fill out the two years remaining on Mayor John Minto’s term after he was elected in November, vacating his Council seat. At the Council’s January 11th meeting, the four members decided to appoint Minto’s successor rather than hold a special election that was deemed too costly.

By Jonathan Goetz

Photo: El Cajon Police Chief Jeff Davis and El Cajon’s liaisons from County Mental Health

January 12, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Formerly operating in lock-step unison, the El Cajon City Council picked up two businessmen in the 2016 elections, one supported by neither political party and one supported by the party previously shut-out.