June 23, 2012 (La Mesa) -- La Mesa Police and El Cajon Police with assistance from San Diego Sheriff’s ASTREA helicopter are currently involved in a police activity in the Fletcher Parkway/Dallas vicinity.. The public is advised to avoid the area.  Officers are looking for a stolen vehicle, silver Nissan Pickup Plate 8V91560

If you see this vehicle do not approach, contact 911.

June 21, 2012 (La Mesa)—Police seek public help to locate two men who robbed the Sam’s Market at 9:40 p.m. last night. 

The suspects entered the store at 7587 University Avenue in La Mesa and one suspect displayed a brown handgun, demanding cash from the clerk. After the clerk complied, the suspects left the store on foot.  They were last seen running westbound on Sturgess Avenue from Parks Avenue.

This year’s concerts through the decades will honor the centennial

June 9, 2012 (La Mesa) – The Boys & Girls Clubs of East County Foundation presents the 2012 “Sundays at Six” Summer concerts beginning June 10 at Harry Griffen Park, 9550 Milden Street, La Mesa at 6:00 p.m.  The series of free concerts will continue through June, July and August.

• Bill protects businesses from disability act suits (Sacramento Bee)
• Counties miss deadline to send ballots to overseas, military voters (California Watch)
• More water to be shipped to California; good news for avocado growers (North County Times)

• Fire Chief saves colleague’s life (NBC)
• AT&T opposes SDG&E wildfire recovery request (North County Times)
• Civic leader  Jim Wieboldt drops out of race for La Mesa City Council (La Mesa Patch)
• Grossmont and Alvarado hospitals get B and C grades for safety (La Mesa Patch)
• Bullets fired in field hit close to residents, Hanson Elementary (Ramona Patch)
• Man Who Tried To Kill Wife Sentenced To Life In Prison (10 News)

May 19, 2012 (La Mesa) –La Mesa Police and the San Diego County Sheriff’s helicopter are searching El Cajon Blvd. and Williamsburg and vicinity for a vandalism suspect armed with a knife.  The suspect is a white, unshaven male with brown hair, wearing a blue or gray T-shirt and shorts.

May 6, 2012 (La Mesa)—A transient who destroyed a room at the Motel 6 barricaded himself in a room late last night triggered a response from the La Mesa Police Department’s Special Response Team (SRT) and temporary evacuation of the motel. 

• Ramona wines beat French varieties in competition (UT San Diego)
• La Mesa Council deadlocked on PBID approval, will make decision in July (La Mesa Patch)   
• $1 billion hospital opens (Valley Roadrunner)
• DEA “accidentally” left forgotten suspect in holding cell for 5 days (UT San Diego)
• 6 La Mesa officers exonerated in fatal shooting of Andrew Yacko (La Mesa Patch)
• Lloyd Jr pleads guilty to manslaughter in Santee teen Carioscias’ death (Santee Patch)
• Lemon Grove School District cuts 30 jobs (UT San Diego)

• Voice of San Diego series:  Who is….

Bob Filner
Nathan Fletcher
Bonnie Dumanis
Carl DeMaio

• Other mayoral coverage:
• Filner releases pension plan (UT San Diego)
• Fletcher pledges to make cycling, transit a priority (Reader) 
• Fletcher-GOP feud still going strong: party sues candidate over $5,000 fundraiser (UT San Diego) 
• The Fletcher Flim-Flam (OB Rag) 
• The unfortunate trajectory of Carl DeMaio (Citybeat)
  

STATE

• San Diego takes water fight public (New York Times)
• UCAN reaches settlement to allow group to go on (UT San Diego)
• California rakes in healthcare grants (Saramento Bee)
• Environmentalists feeling burned by rush to build big solar projects (Los Angeles Times)
• Discovery of Indian artifacts complicates Genesis Solar project (Los Angeles Times)
• Calif. Public Utilities Commission: PG&E smart meter “opt out” fees suspended
• Diablo Canyon reactor gets some unwelcome guests  

(La Mesa)—Join us for a spirited evening at San Pasqual Winery, 8364 La Mesa Blvd. in historic downtown La Mesa on Sunday, April 29 from 4-7 p.m. to benefit East County Magazine!

• Radiation from Japan disaster found along California coast (ABC)
• If California taxpayers paid up, state’s deficit would disappear (Sacramento Bee)
• High-stakes vote nears in California water waters (KPBS)
• California deer population declines as habitat disappears (Sacramento Bee)

• La Mesa, El Cajon to get armored vehicle (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Program to help chronically homeless showing results (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Abandoned orchards must be monitored for pests (Sacramento Bee)
• 15-year-old Santana High School student injured in crash awakens from coma (Santee Patch)
• U.S. says beware of ads placed by drug smugglers (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• El Cajon City Council fills vacancy (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• La Mesa home prices trending up (La Mesa Today)
• Feds misled by SoCal Edison on San Onofre changes, group says (KPBS) 

April 7, 2012 (La Mesa) –The Oversight Board of the La Mesa Successor Agency will hold a special meeting on Thursday, April 12 in the La Mesa Police Department Community Room, 8085 University Avenue in La Mesa. 

March 20, 2012 (La Mesa)—Two men are in custody following a high-speed pursuit that began at 5:32 this evening when the driver of a vehicle stolen in El Cajon attempted to elude a police officer near Fletcher Parkway and Nagel Drive.

Incident cost local restaurant money , highlights risk to ratepayers with medical needs

March 14, 2012 (La Mesa) – After ECM received a question from a reader about a power outage that began Friday night, March 2 and extended until Saturday morning, March 3, we contacted SDG&E.  SDG&E spokesperson Alison Zaragosa initially said that all  2800 customers left in the dark were notified via letters mailed February 14 of the planned outage to repair an underground cable.

But after La Mesa Patch ran a story about losses incurred by Riviera Steakhouse, whose owner said he was never informed of the outage, other community members came forward to say that they, too, did not receive notification.  So we called SDG&E again. 

“We did investigate and we did miss 200 to 300,” Zaragosa told ECM.