By Kristen Andelman

Photo:Jay Farrington testifiedto board on priorities for the Office of School Safety, which the GUHSD board majority later voted to eliminate.

July 18, 2024 (El Cajon) -- Grossmont Union High School District has ousted its School Safety Director Jay Farrington and eliminated the entire school safety department entirely, effective June 30. 

The action is shocking and particularly troubling in a district that survived two mass shootings at Santana and Granite Hills high schools back in 2001.The Santana shooting killed 2 students and injured 13 people; five people were shot and injured at Granite Hills. School shootings are at record levels nationwide today. So far this year, there have been 107 school shootings, killing 29 people and injuring 61.

The decision was made by the GUHSD board on May 11 in a in a 3-2 vote.  Board members Chris Fite and Elva Salinas voted against the cut, while members Robert Shield, Gary Woods and Jim Kelly voted to eliminate student safety.

By Jonathan Goetz and Miriam Raftery

July 17, 2024 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon’s Dinner and a Concert series continues each Friday night in August from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Prescott Promenade in downtown El Cajon.

The lineup features Stone Soul on August 2, Ronsatadt Revival on August 9: Ronstadt Revival, Trey Hill Band on August 16: The Heroes August 23, and on August 30, Billy Nation. 

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Scott Lagace

July 17, 2024 (Santee) – Santee firefighters rescued an unconscious woman from a mobile home engulfed in flames this afternoon, also saving numerous cats, though one cat perished.

Crews were  dispatched at 12:07 p.m. to the fire at Hawaiian Village Mobile Home Park, Unit 84 on Buena Vista Avenue in Santee,  arriving five minutes later. Occupants outside reported a potential victim still inside, so fire crews started extinguishing the flames and entered the residence, where they found the unconscious woman.

Board of Supervisors to held hearing July 16 on sleeping cabins, before July 18 community forum in Lemon Grove

By Jessyka Heredia

July 10, 2024 (Lemon Grove) — County Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe is holding a community forum July 18 to hear from community members. On a flyer announcing the event, she states, “San Diego County is exploring the possibility of placing 60-70 sleeping cabins at Troy Street and Sweetwater Road in Lemon Grove.”  The meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Lemon Grove Community Center, 3146 School Lane in Lemon Grove.

By Bransen P. Harper and Patrick Watkins

Photo, via Kingfisher County Sheriff:  Oklahoma marijuana farm where four people were murdered by Chinese gangsters, according to ProPublica

July 17, 2024 (San Diego) – Organized crime, including Chinese mafia and Mexican cartels, are increasingly collaborating in the proliferation of drugs inside the U.S.

By Miriam Raftery

July 16, 2024 (Lakeside) – The County is in the early stages of design for the proposed roundabouts, which proposes to construct two new roundabouts in Lakeside, one along Riverford Road, and the other between North Woodside Avenue.

San Diego County’s Public Works Department invites residents to a community open house on July 24 from 5-8 p.m. to ask questions and learn about the proposed Riverford Road Roundabouts capital improvement project. The meeting will be held at the Lakeside Library, 12428 Woodside Ave. in Lakeside.

According to the County, key benefits include:

By Miriam Raftery

July 16, 2024 (Jamul)—The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs heard impassioned testimony on July 11 from  Jamul tribal chairwoman Erica Pinto, speaking in favor of S. 3857,the Jamul Indian Land Transfer Act authored by California Senator Alex Padilla. The measure would place in trust four land parcels totaling 172 acres into the Jamul Indian Village reservation, lands that the tribal chairwoman says are needed for tribal members' housing, reuniiting a scattered community, protecting cultural resources, and providing services for tribal members,such as healthcare and education.

The bill is identical to H.R. 6443, Rep. Darrell Issa’s bill which has already passed the House of Representatives.

But the measures have drawn opposition from the Jamul-Dulzura Community Planning Group, which was not consulted about the measures and was not allowed to present testimony at the July 11 hearing. THE JDCPG Chair sent a letter to the Committee on Indian Affairs Chairman and the authors of both bills outlining the planning group's concerns including whether commercial development could occur, as well as objections over the land transfer process bypassing local input.

City awaits Council’s next motion

By Rachel Williams

July 14.2024 (El Cajon) -- With online sales taking a bite out of retail traffic, shopping malls across the U.S. are struggling and some have closed down. Seeking to avoid that scenario, the City of El Cajon commissioned a market analysis envisioning redevelopment options for Parkway Plaza,  East County’s largest regional shopping mall.

Council members unanimously favored a motion to move beyond proposed aspirational measures and begin the next step toward transforming Parkway Plaza into a mix of residential, retail, offices, entertainment and community space.

These “Eatertainment” facilities would combine compelling, traditional dining options and immersive sport-centered bars with unique, dynamic lifestyle retail shops, all oriented around a linear park.

Update July 14, 2024--The shooter has been identified as Matthew Cook, 20, a registered  Republican from Pennsylvania.The rifle, an AR-15, was reportedly legally purchased by Cook's father.  Motive for the shooting remains unknown as the investigation continues.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Screenshot from NBC video--Secret Agents usher injured former President Trump to safety after shooting.

July 13, 2024 (San Diego) – Gunfire erupted at a Donald Trump rally late today in Pennsylvania, injuring the former President’s ear. One audience member was killed and two others seriously injured, according to the U.S. Secret Service, which killed the gunman.

Video on multiple TV networks showed the presumptive Republican presidential nominee clutching his ear, blood on his face, moments after several shots were heard.Trump dropped to the ground below the podium as the crowd erupted in panic, many ducking for cover.

Secret Service agents huddled around Trump, who raised a fist in the air as agents hustled him our of the open-air venue. He was later treated at a hospital for what his campaign described as a minor injury, assuring that he plans to attend the Republican National Convention which begins  Monday.

A Trump spokesperson, Steven Cheung, said Trump “thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act,” adding that the former president is “fine” and being checked out at a medical facility.

The identity of the gunman, who was atop a nearby building, has not been released. Nor has the identity of the audience member killed or those injured been disclosed.

By Rachel Williams

July 11, 2024 (La Mesa) -- Here’s Why Your Voice Matters, La Mesa.

The La Mesa City Council voted unanimously on July 9 to let residents vote in November on whether to continue the ¾ cent sales tax extension used to fund public services.  Prop L, enacted in 2008, is set to expire in 2029.

According to a city press release sent by the city after the vote, the Prop L sales tax contributes approximately $12 million annually in local funding. Without Prop L funding, the City would need to make significant reductions to public safety services and maintenance of streets, sidewalks, parks, storm drains and other infrastructure, the release states.

By Miriam Raftery

July 10, 2024 (San Diego) – Akeel Robinson will turn 2-years-old in August. He’s made remarkable progress since January, when a wrong-way driver plunged off a freeway overpass in El Cajon, sending a chunk of a concrete guardrail crashing into Akeel’s skull. But his family needs help to fund his extensive rehab therapies, particularly since his mother lost her job caring for elderly patients due to putting Akeel’s needs first for his near-daily therapy appointments, and the bills are piling up. 

“He’s going to need help forever,” Akeel’s grandmother, Jennifer Blocker, told ECM. She is asking for donations at a GoFundMe site, now that the projected costs for Akeel’s care have skyrocketed.  “When the accident happened, my daughter was in the process of moving.  She’s finally gotten into a place, but everything seems to keep snowballing.”  She hopes that the public, who gave generously right after the accident, will help her daughter and grandson assure that his therapy sessions can continue, and help them afford other critical needs.