Source:  City of El Cajon

January 5, 2022 (El Cajon) - The City of El Cajon has become the first City in California to be accredited by the American Camp Association. The accreditation process involved applying 300 peer-reviewed standards against the City’s recreation camp operating procedures.

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

Update: The Point-in-Time Homeless Count has been postponed until February 24.

January 5, 2022 (San Diego's East County) - More than 1,000 people were homeless in the East County in 2019, making up 13% of the county’s total. Only the city of San Diego had more. That’s according to the 2019 Regional Task Force on the Homeless (RTFH) Annual Report on Homelessness. El Cajon accounted for 10% of that total with 787 counted during the We All Count Point-in-Time Count. The PITC is a federally mandated requirement designated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that counting unsheltered people experiencing homelessness be conducted every other year. While San Diego County has usually chosen to conduct the count annually, it was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. It’s back on for this year.

East County News Service

January 5, 2022 (El Cajon) – Robert Roger Marchand, 71, of El Cajon died at a local hospital of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident December 28 on Interstate 805.

Marchand was driving northbound on I-805 at Telegraph Canyon Road in Chula Vista around 7:02 p.m. when for unknown reasons, his vehicle veered onto the shoulder and down an embanking, landing on the roof.

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

Photo: Ding Manyang, South Sudanese refugee studying at George Washington University, via Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration

January 5, 2022 (Sacramento) -- By next fall, refugee students may be able to apply to attend American colleges and universities. The State Department said it plans to pilot a new category for refugee admissions, known as P4.

East County News Service

January 4, 2022 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Police have arrested a suspect accused of robbing Bank of the West at Grossmont Center this morning, following a pursuit through the mall. Officers also recovered the money taken during the robbery.

Asim Daniels, 36, of Brawley is accused of demanding money from several bank tellers at 10 a.m., simulating that he had a firearm. The suspect left the bank on foot, heading toward the shopping mall.

La Mesa Police responded to a 9-1-1 call and began searching the area.

East County News Service

January 4, 2022 (San Diego) – Sullivan Solar Power’s license has been suspended by the State Contractors Licensing Board after many complaints. Sullivan closed its operations and stopped responding to customers’ inquiries, as ECM previously reported.  Fortunately, help is available. If you are a current or past Sullivan Solar customer, the California Solar Storage Association (CALSSA) recommends several resources, including a state-run solar recovery fund to help homeowners harmed by a solar contractor, as well as informational sites and access to contractors to complete unfinished work.

COVID safety precautions minimized potential for TB spread

East County News Service

January 3, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – Tuberculosis has been diagnosed in a person at Sycuan Casino who may have exposed customers and employees, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) announced today.

Story and photos by Miriam Raftery

Photo: Terra-Gen’s planned Campo Wind turbines would be twice as tall as those shown at the existing Kumeyaay Wind site in Campo.

January 3, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – Terra-Gen, the company slated to build a massive wind project on the Campo reservation, has been fined over a half million dollars following an investigation that accused the company of submitting “false or misleading information to the California System Operator (CAISO)” regarding the capabilities and output of a wind power facility owned by Terra-Gen’s subsidiary Cameron Ridge, LLC. 

By Karen Pearlman

December 31, 2021 (La Mesa) -- Ron Brady was the founder of a high profile construction company, but it was the practice of philanthropy over the course of many decades that helped him develop some of his closest community ties.

A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Brady took over his father's business, the lath and plastering contracting firm E.F. Brady that started in 1946, and turned it into a successful construction business known as the Brady Companies. The Brady companies were instrumental in developing much of San Diego County, Los Angeles County and parts of Northern California. The companies specialize in drywall, plaster and lath that are geared toward major commercial projects.

Over the course of his lifetime, he and his wife, Mary Alice, gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars to different organizations, from Sharp Grossmont Hospital to the East County YMCA to the Boys and Girls Clubs of East County.

By Miriam Raftery

January 29, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- If your New Year’s resolution includes eating healthier, you may want to visit some of the many healthy dining restaurants, cafes and take-out places right here in East County. 

There are many definitions of healthy dining, so we’ve included a variety of choices including vegan, vegetarian, heart-healthy, organic, natural, superfoods, salad and smoothie bars, farm-to-table and more.

East County News Service

December 31, 2021 (La Mesa) - The La Mesa-El Cajon Branch of the American Association of University Women will open the new year with featured speaker Jessica Gutierrez Masini, a 2021 Fund grant recipient. Jessica will be speaking to the branch via zoom on January 8^th  beginning at 10:00 a.m. about Indigenous peoples of San Bernardino County.

East County News Service

December 30, 2021 (San Diego) – A 38-year old man has died after being assaulted by a fellow inmate in the San Diego Central Jail.  The victim, Dominque James McCoy of San Diego, had been arrested December 23 on drug charges.

Photo, left: Learjet crash victims Tina Ward, Julian Bugaj, Laurie Gentz and Douglas Grande, clockwise from bottom. Photo via Oceanside Firefighters Association 3736 Facebook

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

Dec. 30, 2021 (El Cajon) -- Two flight nurses and two pilots have been identified as those lost in the Learjet 35A plane crash that occurred Dec. 27 in the Bostonia neighborhood of El Cajon.  

The plane was owned by Aeromedevac Air Ambulance. Tina Ward, Julian Bugaj, Laurie Gentz, and Douglas Grande, the Aeromedevac flight crew N88OZ, all perished in the crash.

By Miriam Raftery

December 31, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) – Lost but never forgotten, these are the prominent East County individuals who passed away in 2021, as well as two who died amid the pandemic in 2020 but were not memorialized until this year, when media was notified.

They came from all walks of life: journalists, educators, teachers, a priest, a tribal healer, a firefighter, a police officer, athletes, a musician, business leaders, students, philanthropists, an air ambulance crew, a veteran who survived the Pearl Harbor attack, and many more. Each left their own indelible mark on our region.

Click the name/title to view the full obituary for each of these local luminaries.

By Miriam Raftery

December 29, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) – Turbulent times continued in 2021, marred by a persistent pandemic, vaccine rollouts, political divisiveness including an insurrection at the nation’s capitol, and local controversies such as growing homelessness, a housing shortage, power outages, protests over mask mandates, and SANDAG’s proposed mileage tax, to name a few.

Some national issues, such as pandemic relief, the infrastructure bill, the end of the Afghanistan war, and court rulings on immigration had strong impacts on our region.

There were bright spots. California reopened its economy mid-year, allowing all businesses and event venues to finally reopen. Hometown hero Joe Musgrove pitched the Padres’ first no-hitter. Residents organized to halt sexually violent predators from being placed in a Mt. Helix community. La Mesa named a new police chief committed to rebuilding community trust. Major land acquisitions by the county preserved riverfront land in Lakeside and the former Starr Ranch in Campo for posterity.

Two new Congressional representatives from East County took office and a special election sent a new Assemblywoman to Sacramento, while redistricting at year’s end will bring even more sweeping changes in 2022. 

Below is a rundown on the top stories that impacted East County in 2021: