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.

By Rachel Williams

January 12, 2017 (Escondido) -- The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) hosted public hearings on Monday covering SDG&E’s second attempt to charge ratepayers for the utility’s unrecovered losses from California’s 2007 wildfires.

By Miriam Raftery; Thea Skinner contributed to this report

January 12, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – Numerous local residents say that after using their debit cards inside a Circle K store in La Mesa, thieves attempted to withdraw money from their bank accounts.  Similar scams have been used recently at other local gas stations and convenience stores. 

Source: San Diego Sheriff

January 12, 2017 (Lemon Grove) -- The Lemon Grove Sheriff's Substation is holding a Coffee with the Community on Wednesday, January 25^th from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Lemon Grove Community Center, Lemon Grove Community Center, at 3146 School Lane in Lemon Grove.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Mark and Miriam Raftery

Photos, left:  Bill Schweitzer, Ramona Valley Vineyards Association cofounder and past president at Highland  Hills Winery; Pamo Valley Tasting Room on Holiday Wine Tour

January 8, 2017 (Ramona) –“2016 is going to be our greatest vintage so far. Everybody says it came in perfect,” says Bill Schweitzer, cofounder of the Ramona Valley Vineyard Association (RVVA) in 2002,  and a driving force in attaining an American Viticulture Area (AVA) designation for Ramona back in 2006.  That’s due to the ideal combination of heat, rains and drought years—as well as years of efforts by local vintners now savoring the fruits of their labors.

Sipping wine on the sunny patio at Highland Valley Winery during the Holiday Wine Trail event in December, he reflected that back in 2001,  Ramona had just one winery (Schwaesdall) and 20 vineyards growing grapes.  Today, there are at least 29 wineries in Ramona, soon to be 35, and 150 vineyards.

East County News Service

January 12, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) --This week’s Destination East County includes a writer’s conference, a British comedy, a Casablanca film showing in Alpine, and Ben Vereen onstage in Poway.

Plus, we’ll tell you about coming attractions including cabaret nights, a Celtic guitarist, and a Powwow.

So scroll down for all of these events and many more!

January 13, 2017 (San Diego) – Activist San Diego,  the nonprofit owner of KNSJ radio,  is hosting its annual “People’s Ball” on January 20^th,  which this year falls on the presidential inauguration date. 

The event will be a “counter-inaugural” featuring a live dance band, food, spirits, raffle and a keynote speech by Greg Palast, investigative reporter and filmmaker known for exposing schemes to steal minorities’ votes.

Source: U.S. Food & Drug Administration

January 11, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that the J.M. Smucker Company is expanding a voluntary recall on certain lots of 9Lives^TM, EverPet^TM, and Special Kitty^TM canned cat food due to possible low levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1).

McKynzie Fort became the 21^st Aztec to enter the 1,000-point club

Source: goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

January 11, 2017 (San Jose) - San Diego State women’s basketball battled Mountain West foe San Jose State to the final second but ultimately fell in a heartbreaking 81-80 overtime loss to the Spartans Wednesday night. McKynzie Fort, who notched her second-career double-double, became the 21^st member of the program’s 1,000-point club during the game as she matched career-highs with 29 points and 12 rebounds.

East County News Service

January 11, 2017 (Santee) – A California Highway Patrol Officer was injured today after stopping to investigate a collision on I-15 south at the junction with State Route 52.   The officer was outside his patrol car and put his hand out to stop a motorcyclist who was passing on the shoulder, but the motorcyclist accelerated and struck the officer. 

East County News Service

January 11, 2017 (San Diego) – State Senator Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) has issued a statement criticizing Governor Jerry Brown’s newly released 2017-18 California budget for cuts to affordable housing and scholarships.

East County News Service

January 11, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – East County’s Supervisor Dianne Jacob has been named Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, after being sworn in for her seventh term of office.  Former Chair Ron Roberts passed the gavel to his successor during Supervisors’ meeting at the County Administration Center on Tuesday.

By Miriam Raftery

January 7, 2017 (East San Diego) – The National Action Network (NAN) along with a coalition of African-American activists, labor, and families of police shooting victims held a press conference last week to announce the first annual Martin Luther King march in San Diego “reclaiming MLK’s day and dream” on January 16h. The event will be four days before inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump “to set the tone on important issues regarding the civil rights community in San Diego and beyond” as well as to hold elected officials at all levels accountable on key issues, states a press release from NAN.

By Miriam Raftery

January 10, 2017 (El Cajon) – San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis today announced that her office has exonerated El Cajon Police Officer Richard Gonsalves and will not file charges over the shooting of Alfred Olango.

By Liz Alper

Photo via patch.com

January 10, 2017 (San Diego) - As a New England native, I felt I had an obligation to see this film.  As someone whose mother’s friend was running in the Boston Marathon at the time of the bombings, I had to see this film.  As someone who has family in Massachusetts, I had to see this film.  

I still remember the watching first Boston Bruins game after the bombing.  During the anthems, the entire TD Garden was silent.  Rene Rancourt began to sing and after "were so gallantly streaming," he stopped.  The crowd took it from there.  They carried Boston Strong flags as the American flag danced on the ice and on the junbotron.  I'm from New Hampshire, but I've spent a lot of my life in Boston and I call it my city too and I've never been more proud of my city than I have in that moment.

To this day, four years later, my cousin, who lives in Merrimac, Massachusetts, says she’s afraid to go into Boston.  Not to take her son to a Red Sox game or anything.  Her story and so many others are why I feel it was an excellent idea for Mark Wahlberg (a Boston native) to put this event on film.