East County News Service

June 4, 2023 (Lemon Grove) – The City of Lemon Grove invites you to Concerts in the Park each Thursday evening from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Berry Street Park (7071 Mt. Vernon St., Lemon Grove).  The concerts run from June 29 through August 10.

East County News Service

June 4, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) -- throughout the month of June, approximately 4,746 students earning a high school diploma from nine comprehensive high schools, two charter schools, and three alternative high schools in the Grossmont Union High School District will be donning caps and gowns for commencement exercises.

 Listed below are the total graduate numbers and the names of the Valedictorians and Salutatorians at each school.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: East County Magazine Radio Show host Miriam Raftery,  Dilkhwaz Ahmed, CEO of License to Freedom, and Bob Gan, Co-Chair of Welcome Home in San Diego

June 3, 2023 (San Diego) – San Diego is a national hub for refugees fleeing war and persecution from nations around the world. Welcome Home in San Diego and License to Freedom in El Cajon are two organizations helping people who have been legally designated as refugees. 

Recently, ECM Editor Miriam Raftery interviewed Bob Gan,Co-Chair of Welcome Home locally and Dilkhwaz Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of License to Freedom. 

You can hear our full interview, originally aired on KNSJ 89.1 FM radio, by clicking the audio link, or scroll down for highlights to learn how you can help these nonprofit organzations welcoming new Americans.

By Jessyka Heredia

June 2, 2023 (La Mesa)-State Assembly candidate Colin Parent kicked off his campaign for the 79^th 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.”

June 1, 2023 (La Mesa) -- Today, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) dismissed both unfair labor practice charges that Sharp healthcare filed against SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) regarding an election in which 1500 workers at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa voted to form a union. 

By Editor, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Ha-Seong Kim had the decisive blast a the Padres’ 4-2 ninth-inning comeback broadcast on Bally Sports San Diego in 2022. Photo credit: Screen shot, Bally Sports San Diego

June 1, 2023 (San Diego) - The Padres and Bally Sports are partners no more.

Story and photos via San Diego Humane Society

June 1, 2023 (San Diego) -- June is Adopt a Shelter Cat Month, and this year it is more important than ever for San Diego Humane Society to get the word out about adopting a feline friend. With a total of 1,310 cats in care, the organization is at 175% capacity for cats.

One of the many reasons the organization is so full includes a recent case where 58 cats were rescued and brought to the shelter from a home in City Heights. The cats were found living in deplorable conditions inside a house in the 2,300 block of Modesto St. They were rescued by San Diego Humane Society’s Humane Law Enforcement on May 5, 2023 after a neighbor reached out for help.