East County News Service

September 5, 2025 (La Mesa) -- Local author, domestic violence survivor and advocate Tanya Harris will host a  powerful community book signing and awareness event on Sunday, September 21, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the gazebo at Grossmont Center mall (5500 Grossmont Center Dr., La Mesa).

The community-focused event is designed to raise awareness about domestic violence, offer vital resources to survivors, and inspire hope through Harris newly released memoir: Journey of the Heart: Should I Stay, or Should I Go?

Story and photos by Josh Stotler

August 25, 2025 (La Mesa) -- Just before 3:30 p.m. , a structure fire broke out in the under-construction building slated to house  T. J. Maxx and an Ulta beauty store on the former site of the Toys “R” Us at 8800 Grossmont Center Drive in La Mesa.

As the first engines arrived, thick, black smoke and flames could be seen coming from the roof of the structure with stranded construction workers shouting and waving for help.

An employee of a nearby business claimed she “heard a loud explosion” before the fire broke out.

La Mesa City Council hears update from Caltrans

By Karen Pearlman

Aug. 13, 2025 (La Mesa) – Road changes long planned for state Routes 94 and 125 in La Mesa at the junction with Spring Valley are starting to move again.

The SR 94/125 Interchange Project, in the works for several decades by the California Department of Transportation in collaboration with the San Diego Association of Governments, will bring connectors long anticipated and needed for the freeways and the region.

The original project extended more than three miles along both routes and Caltrans officials say it remains “a highly prioritized project in the region.”

Construction is expected to begin in late spring or early summer 2026 with an anticipated finish to the first of two phases in late spring or early summer 2028.

By Drew Sitton, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego online news association

Photo:  Plans for a proposed battery storage facility at 8135 El Paso St. have been set aside. Photo by Amy Reichert.

August 9, 2025 (La Mesa) - In her meetings with La Mesa’s city manager, Councilmember Laura Lothian asked about the proposed 18-megawatt battery storage facility at 8135 El Paso St.

By Miriam Raftery

July 17, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – As the weather heats up,  late July has many cool events including visits to the new Camel Lavender Farm in Ramona, Music on Main in El Cajon, Cajon Cruises, Movies at county parks and recreation centers, La Mesa’s Sundays at Six concerts and classic car shows, outdoor concerts in Santee and Lemon Grove, concerts by a lazy river at Sycan, tribute band concerts at The Magnolia in El Cajon, as well as outdoor concerts at Viejas.

Scroll down for details on these sizzling midsummer events.

East County News Service

July 13, 2025 (La Mesa) -- The City of La Mesa has been designated as a Certified Age-Friendly Employer (CAFE) by the Age-Friendly Institute, becoming the first municipal government in San Diego County to receive the CAFE seal.

This recognition highlights the City’s commitment to inclusive hiring practices and support for a multigenerational workforce. The City maintains recruitment and retention strategies that embrace the strengths of seasoned professionals including reducing turnover, retaining institutional knowledge, and enhancing customer service.

“La Mesa is proud to be recognized as a workplace that values experience,” said Mayor Mark Arapostathis. “Many of our employees have served this community for decades. Their knowledge, dedication, and perspective are essential to delivering the high-quality services our residents expect.”

By Miriam Raftery

July 11, 2025 (La Mesa) – La Mesa resident Barbara Stone, a 71-year old U.S. citizen and courthouse observer at immigration proceedings,  is free tonight after being detained by Immigrants and Customs agents (ICE) for eight hours without access to an attorney, according to her daughter and witnesses.

Jessica Kort, posted a plea for help after the detention:  “My mom, Barbara Stone, has been volunteering as a legal observer at the San Diego Edward J. Schwarz Federal Building courthouse to support immigrants at risk of detention, bear witness to and ensure procedural accountability as ICE detains individuals after their proceedings, and escort individuals after hearings.”

The post continues, “This morning, in an effort to intimidate and retaliate against the volunteers, ICE arrested Barbara and federal officers have detained her the whole day. She is being interrogated without an attorney and without talking to witnesses.

According to Kort, Stone is a 71 year old white woman, a US born citizen, a grandmother, and a passionate volunteer for the most vulnerable in our society.

Stone’s website indicates she is a graduate of Grossmont High School in El Cajon who later studied U.C. Berkeley and at the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies, later working for Qualcomm Inc.

Source: County of San Diego

July 7, 2025 (La Mesa) -- To protect the public and keep mosquitoes from potentially spreading West Nile virus, which was recently detected in Rolando, the County is scheduled to conduct ultra-low volume, truck-mounted, pesticide-mist treatments this week. The spraying aims to reduce the number of adult mosquitoes on about 4,000 parcels in the community of Rolando, which includes parts in San Diego and La Mesa.

The treatments are scheduled to take place from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. from Wednesday, July 9 through Friday, July 11, depending on conditions.

While the treatments pose a low risk to people and pets and the pesticide dissipates in roughly 20 to 30 minutes, residents may wish—as a precaution—to stay inside, keep pets and pet bowls inside, and close windows during the treatment.

More information, including a map of the treatment area, frequently asked questions, and contact information for Vector Control, can be found on Vector Control’s Adult Mosquito Control Information webpage.

By Karen Pearlman

Photos, left by ECM photographers:  La Mesa protest, riot and arson May 30-31, 2020.

May 30, 2025 (La Mesa) – It’s been five years since the last Saturday in May 2020, when the city of La Mesa found itself smack in the epicenter of racial justice protests and civil unrest that mirrored a nationwide outcry against police brutality. The protest later exploded into violence, ending with buildings in flames and a small-town community often likened to Mayberry left shell-shocked.

Since then, the city has made strides to improve communications, public outreach and policing, as the city's Mayor, Police Chief and City Manager told ECM in exclusive interviews shortly before the five-year anniversary of those turbulent events.

East County News Service

May 12, 2025 (La Mesa) – A collision between a motorcycle and an SUV Saturday night proved deadly for a 22-year-old La Mesa man.  

He  was riding a 2017 Ducati motorcycle northbound on Avocado Blvd. just south of Explorer Road in La Mesa with a female passenger, 20, from El Cajon  just after 8 p.m. when a 2019 Ford Explorer driven by a La Mesa man, 40, tried to make a turn from southbound Avocado onto Explorer Road, causing a head-on crash, according to the CHP.

April 30, 2025 (La Mesa) – The La Mesa Police Department and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) are asking for the public’s help in identifying and locating the suspects responsible for the murder of 22-year-old Navy Sailor Corneilius Donte Brown, which happened four years ago.

Governor Gavin Newsom recently pledged an additional $50,000 reward from the State of California for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Brown’s murderer. In addition to $9,000 from  Brown’s family, $5,000 from NCIS, and $1,000 from San Diego Crime Stoppers, this brings the total reward to $65,000.

On April 24, 2021, at approximately 12:26 a.m., the La Mesa Police Department received several 9-1-1 calls of gunshots heard in the area of 4300 Echo Court, in La Mesa. Officers arrived within minutes and located a gunshot victim (later identified as Brown) inside his residence. He was transported to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.

East County News Service

March 30, 2025 (La Mesa) – Bright Star, a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the 1920s and ’40, takes stage at Lamplighters Theatre.  The play opens April 18 and runs through May 19.

Program to promote sustainable transportation

Source:  City of La Mesa

Image by raju shrestha on Pixabay

March 24, 2025 (La Mesa) - The City of La Mesa is introducing a pilot E-Bike (Electric Bike) Incentive Program, designed to encourage biking as a primary mode of transportation for those who live and work in La Mesa. As transportation remains the largest contributor to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in the city, reducing car trips will help create cleaner air and a healthier community.