By Miriam Raftery
 

October 7, 2010 (El Cajon) – Mayor Mark Lewis grew up in El Cajon, served three terms on the Council and is now running for his fourth term as Mayor. “I was on the 75th anniversary committee, and now I look forward to the 100th,” he said, referring to the City’s upcoming centennial in 2012.

October 7, 2010 (Rancho San Diego) – Out of work and looking for a way to prepare for a new career? Cuyamaca College is offering free courses in landscape irrigation management and water use efficiency as part of the Rancho San Diego college’s Gateway to Green Water program.

October 6, 2010 (Rancho San Diego) -- Join Ranger Lisa, and BLM’s Biologist Joyce, a bat expert, in watching a short bat movie, and take a bat hike with bat-sensing equipment on October 22 from 6-7 p.m.. Families are encouraged to attend, and also get to know their local National Wildlife Refuge in Rancho San Diego--the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

October 6, 2010 (El Cajon ) – “We need to think outside the box,” El Cajon City Council candidate Duane Swainston said at a candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters this week, “even though we’re in El Cajon, which is `the box’,” he quipped noting the Spanish meaning of the City’s name.

October 6, 2010 (Lake Murray) -- Two men robbed the Extra Mile Store at 8815 Lake Murray Blvd. at gunpoint yesterday at 4:20 p.m. The suspects were last seen running north bound through the parking lot.

New law provides help for veterans with traumatic brain injuries

October 6, 2010 (Sacramento)--Assemblymember Mary Salas (D-Chula Vista)--reported the Governor’s signature on two bills that she authored, which will increase veterans' access to mental health services and expand affordable housing opportunities for farm workers.The Governor also vetoed several Salas bills, however, which aimed to help veterans, protect consumers, promote financial literacy and expand access to dental services.

La Mesa man's long battle to recover Pissarro painting stolen by Nazis ends, but family vows to pursue his dream

October 5, 2010 (La Mesa) – Claude Cassirer, who survived an internment camp during World War II and became a lecturer in schools teaching students about the Holocaust, died on September 25, 2010. A portrait photographer, he later became a volunteer and licensed ombudsman for the State of California for more than  20 years, striving to assure proper healthcare for seniors. He and his wife, Beverly, were also prominent political activists and co-founders of the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club.

Recently, Cassirer made headlines by winning a court battle in September that allowed him to sue the government of Spain.  His lawsuit sought to recover a Pissarro painting stolen from his grandparents by the Nazis, but he passed away before he could see his long-time dream fulfilled.

October 16, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- The Grossmont College Foundation, a fund-raising organization that supports Grossmont College students and educational programs, will host its 2010 Dinner Gala and Auction fund-raiser starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16, at the Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino. The public is invited to attend.

Festivities for this year’s ninth annual Gala will begin at 6 p.m. with a reception and silent auction, followed by dinner starting at 7:30 p.m., live auction and live entertainment. The 2010 theme is “Griffin Gold Rush: 49 Years of Excellence.”

October 5, 2010 (El Cajon) -- Artwork created by faculty members of the Grossmont College Art Department will be on display through Oct. 28 at the Hyde Art Gallery, located on campus. The public is invited to view the exhibition of approximately 55 pieces from 29 different art department instructors.

By Miriam Raftery

East County News Service 

October 4, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Leaders at the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District today praised Governor Schwarzenegger for signing SB 1440, the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act (STAR).

“The legislation recognizes the need to streamline the transfer process and provides an improved, more efficient pathway between California Community Colleges and California State Universities,” Chancellor Cindy Miles said.

October 4, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- Members of the East San Diego County League of Women Voters are prepared to explain the nine State ballot measures and Proposition A, from the County of San Diego. The League of Women Voters has representatives willing to visit local organizations to provide written information and answer any questions.

October 4, 2010 (Alpine) -- Cathrine Marie Harless, 63, of Alpine was killed Saturday night in a head-on collision on Alpine Boulevard East of Dunbar, the San Diego Medical Examiner’s office reports. Her pick-up truck was struck by another pick-up driven by Brian Peterson, 40, of Rancho Bernardo.

Issues debated included education, healthcare, immigration reform, jobs, the water shortage, and the economy – as well as Whitman’s undocumented maid
 

By Miriam Raftery
 

October 3, 2010 (San Diego's East County)--In the second debate between candidates in the Governor’s race, former E-Bay CEO Meg Whitman and –ex-Governor/current Attorney General Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown reached out to Latinos, who account for one-third of California’s population and constitute a major voting block.

Hosted by Univision, a Spanish-language TV station, the debate covered education questions in depth, as well as other issues of interest to Latinos including immigration reforms, the state’s water shortage, healthcare, jobs, and the state budget. The controversy over an undocumented immigrant housekeeper employed by Whitman also sparked contentious discussion.

By Brian Lafferty

October 5, 2010 (San Diego)--The Social Network is one of the year’s best films. That is not a label I apply to just any good film. What makes this movie special is how everything in it took me in. Very few movies this year engaged me as much as The Social Network. The writing, directing, acting, and every other aspect left me feeling genuinely spellbound. Every person involved gave one-hundred percent effort and it shows.