October 7, 2015 (La Mesa)—La Mesa’s annual Oktoberfest took place last weekend, on a smaller sale than in the past but with a renewed emphasis on the festival’s roots: German food, beer and music.
Update Oct. 6, 2015 - La Mesa Police report that this missing juvenile has been found with friends in Imperial Beach and has been returned to her family.
Update Oct. 4, 2015 1 p.m. - Olivia's mother confirms that a friend received an Instragram message that appears to be from Olivia. The message indicates she is safe but does not want to come home. It is not certain whether the message was sent by Olivia or possibly by someone with access to her account.
East County News Service
October 4, 2015 (La Mesa) – Public help is sought to locate Olivia Miller, 14, A Guatay resident who vanished Friday night in La Mesa. She was last seen at 7 p.m. at the Journey Community Church at 8363 Center Drive.
According to La Mesa Police dispatch, Olivia is 5 feet 1 inch tall, weighs 110 pounds, has black hair and green eyes. She was last seen wearing a white baseball cap, black shirt and black pants. She may also have been wearing a white cardigan and carrying a brown backpack, her mother has advised East County Magazine.
Olivia’s mother, Sherrie Jockell, says Olivia had a picnic dinner with family at the church before services. An assistant teacher in a class at church, Olivia never made it to class after dinner. Family realized she was missing after the service, when she did not return to their car. Olivia made no mention of going anywhere after church to her friends or family.
October 2, 2015 (La Mesa)--Lamplighters Community Theatre in La Mesa continues its current season with a mystery. Stage Fright by Charles Marowitz will run Oct. 9-Nov. 8.
A leading metropolitan drama critic is led by an attractive production assistant into a recently discovered 19th century theatre. There, the critic will film a television interview for a documentary on the actor John Wilkes Booth, who once acted on those very boards. The critic, F.F. Charnick, notorious for his venomous reviews, visibly warms to the classy elegance of the British P.A. But no sooner has he downed a glass of wine than he falls drugged and unconscious.
Photo, left: Concrete pour for new sidewalk, courtesy City of La Mesa. See more photos on the City's Twitter feed for the project.
September 29, 2015 (La Mesa)--Several downtown La Mesa restaurants say the city’s Downtown Village Streetscape Improvement Project has taken a much bigger hit on their businesses than anticipated—and the owners aren’t happy about having to shell out more money to get their patio seating back.
While the project that began construction in July of last year is nearly finished, there’s still work to be done, and most restaurants haven’t had their outside patios re-installed in time for this weekend’s big Oktoberfest celebration.
September 25, 2015 (La Mesa)--Responding to a request to install lights at a known drug dealing hangout, the La Mesa City Council directed its staff Sept. 22 to devise some solution at the site.
Larry LaHaye, the owner of several apartment buildings in La Mesa at Schoolridge Lane, told the council that the street’s 56 families residing in the apartments have a safe neighborhood but a small park at the end of the cul de sac remains a problem.
Photo: Maggie Espinosa in the Oxnard Strawberry Fields
September 25, 2015 (La Mesa)--In Spain, there is a famous pilgrimage/walk, called El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, a 450 mile walk. Many people have that walk on their bucket list. La Mesa resident Maggie Espinosa has completed her own version of that peregrination by walking the 800 mile El Camino Real, up the California coast.
September 22, 2015 (La Mesa)—Cosmos Coffee, a popular gathering spot in La Mesa’s downtown village, has closed its doors—for now. But the owner is hopeful that employees may want to takeover ownership and reopen.
The shop posted on its Facebook page on August 31, “It has been a pleasure to serve and be part of the community of LA Mesa for the last six years. Cosmos is closed temporarily. We will be updating the website and Facebook as soon as we know what is happening. We want to thank all of our loyal customers and we hope we will be back to make you all feel special and caffeinated as soon as possible. The Cosmos Crew.”
September 14, 2015 (La Mesa) - Visionary Community Theatre and Visionary Youth Theatre join together for an outreach program of epic proportions to present "Hairspray." What do you get when you mash up several high schools and a professional choreographer? Great dancing, singing, and acting.
September 10, 2015 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Police received a call at 10:06 p.m. last night reporting shots fired in the 4400 block of Parks Avenue, only a block from La Mesa Dale Elementary School.
Responding officers “rolled out to the scene and found three cars with bullet holes,” Sergeant Brian Stoney told East County Magazine.
September 4, 2015 (La Mesa) – The @Spacebar Café and Wine Bistro in La Mesa invites you to a wine tasting class featuring wines from Argentina and Chile, each paired with delicious tapas. New World meets Old World at this event on September 13th from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
September 3, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Are you part of a group looking for a community project? If so, you can help make La Mesa beautiful. We have special projects in several of La Mesa’s 14 parks that may be the perfect fit for your organization’s community service endeavors.
September 1, 2015 (La Mesa) – The delights of the summer are concluding to be supplanted by a rich selection of community offerings for fall. The final performances of the theater and concert season are joined by a variety of classes for every interest, a health fair, a craft fair, e-waste recycling, and outdoor nature and recreation activities galore.
August 29, 2015 (La Mesa) – The Albertson’s grocery store on Fletcher Parkway in La Mesa was evacuated around 2 a.m. on August 26th due to a fire the erupted in trees between the store and State Route 125.
August 18, 2015 (La Mesa)-- State, federal and County of San Diego officials have announced that 93 square miles covering portions of San Diego City and East County communities have been put under quarantine after the discovery of four Mediterranean fruit flies — a dangerous pest that can infest more than 250 crops.
August 19, 2015 (La Mesa) - The Supporting Cast, is not a title of a play that grabs me and says “Hey, you need to see me.” However, the play it turns out is aptly named. The title is the name of a book the lead actor in the play wrote. The book is about people who are all married to famous people - thus the supporting cast. These are the heroes behind the celebrities who would not be who they are without the support of their loved one standing behind them. The wonderful support of the entire cast makes the play a hit.
Will travel to London to deliver the official Match Ball on the field for the USA v South Africa match
August 19, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Haley Harris, a 15-year-old sports enthusiast from San Diego, will be given the unforgettable experience of delivering the official Match Ball onto the field at Rugby World Cup 2015 in London, courtesy of DHL. Selected as the winner of the U.S. DHL Youth Leadership Scrum Contest, Haley will become a part of Rugby history by representing the U.S. on the world stage of Rugby World Cup 2015.
August 18, 2015 (La Mesa)—Our staff has been hard at work ferreting information out on proposed initiatives seeking to weasel their way onto the 2016 ballot. Here’s a scoop: La Mesa resident Pat Wright has proposed a ballot measure that would ask California voters to legalize owning ferrets as pets.
August 14, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Applications are being accepted for several openings on the City’s Aging and Veterans Commission, Environmental Sustainability Commission, La Mesa Community Parking Commission, and Historic Preservation Commission.
“The Mayor and City Councilmembers value the input from our community volunteers,” said Mary Kennedy, City Clerk. “By bringing new ideas to the table and representing the community, you will be helping your City government make the best most informed decisions possible for the benefit of the entire community.”
August 11, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Applications are being accepted for several openings on the City’s Youth Advisory Commission. Applicants must live within the city limits of La Mesa and be at least 13 years old, but not more than 20 years old, at the time of appointment.
Participating on the Commission is a great way for young people in middle and high school to work with their peers to explore and develop activities that promote positive youth relations in the City and gain volunteer experience that can be applied towards community service hours.
August 5, 2015 (La Mesa) -- The City of La Mesa was recently approved for $992,500 from the SANDAG Smart Growth Incentive Grant Program (SGIP). The grant programs are funded by the TransNet regional half-cent sales tax for transportation approved by San Diego County voters. The grant will fund pedestrian and bicyclist safety enhancements along North Spring Street between University Avenue and the I-8 interchange.
August 2, 1015 (La Mesa) -- Yesterday at approximately 8:42 p.m., the La Mesa Police Department received a report of a pedestrian that was struck by a vehicle in the 7500 block of El Cajon Boulevard.
The pedestrian/victim (61 year old male) was walking across westbound lanes of traffic when he was struck by a 2-door sedan. The driver of the sedan remained at the scene and was cooperative with the investigation. Alcohol was not a factor in the collision.
August 1, 2015 (La Mesa) – What a vibrant community we live in! August boasts five free concerts, three free movie screenings, two theater productions, the annual Helix High All Class Picnic, and the annual heART of Mt. Helix. There are free clubs for every age and interest at the La Mesa Library, a broad range of activities at the La Mesa Adult Enrichment Center, and a number of classes at the La Mesa Community Center start in August. For those who love nature there are a number of activities as Mission Trails Regional Park and the Water Conservation Garden, and for the fitness oriented there are several walking groups, aquatics, and even a boot camp. Get out and find your bliss, and while you’re at it meet your neighbors.
July 26, 2015 (La Mesa)—The City of La Mesa announced July 15th that the applicant for the Park Station Specific Plan has requested that the proposal not go forward to the City Council at this time. “The project is currently on hold,” the City’s public notice stated.
July 26, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)--Heartland Fire & Rescue, serving the Cities of El Cajon, La Mesa and Lemon Grove, is currently accepting applications for the reserve portion of the Heartland Fire Academy through August 7, 2015. Applications will be accepted between 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at 100 E. Lexington Avenue in El Cajon.
July 18, 2015 (La Mesa) - The Grossmont Healthcare District’s Dr. William C. Herrick Community Health Care Library, 9001 Wakarusa St. in La Mesa, will host a free program on “Getting REAL About Alzheimer’s,” from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22. The program is part of the library’s Wellness Wednesday series, normally held on the fourth Wednesday of the month.
July 16, 2015 (La Mesa) -- There will be a planned power outage at the Public Works Maintenance Yard on Friday, July 17. The phones will be down through Sunday, July 19.
For a public works related emergency, including a sewer backup, please call 619.667.1400.
For other non-emergency service requests, please use Request Tracker.
July 16, 2015 (La Mesa) – Helix Water District’s Board on Wednesday voted down a staff/legal recommendation for a tough new emergency drought action plan resolution that would have imposed a “civil volumetric penalty” for every unit of water over 30 used by residential customers.
East County News Service
Saturday, October 17, 2015 8:00 am – 12:00 noon 
By Kristin Kjaero
The Supporting Cast runs August 14 - September 13
Will travel to London to deliver the official Match Ball on the field for the USA v South Africa match
By Miriam Raftery
August 14, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Applications are being accepted for several openings on the City’s Aging and Veterans Commission, Environmental Sustainability Commission, La Mesa Community Parking Commission, and Historic Preservation Commission.
August 11, 2015 (La Mesa) -- Applications are being accepted for several openings on the City’s Youth Advisory Commission. Applicants must live within the city limits of La Mesa and be at least 13 years old, but not more than 20 years old, at the time of appointment.
August 5, 2015 (La Mesa) -- The City of La Mesa was recently approved for $992,500 from the SANDAG Smart Growth Incentive Grant Program (SGIP). The grant programs are funded by the TransNet regional half-cent sales tax for transportation approved by San Diego County voters. The grant will fund pedestrian and bicyclist safety enhancements along North Spring Street between University Avenue and the I-8 interchange.
August 2, 1015 (La Mesa) -- Yesterday at approximately 8:42 p.m., the La Mesa Police Department received a report of a pedestrian that was struck by a vehicle in the 7500 block of El Cajon Boulevard. 
By Miriam Raftery
July 16, 2015 (La Mesa) -- There will be a planned power outage at the Public Works Maintenance Yard on Friday, July 17. The phones will be down through Sunday, July 19. 
Food Bank Distribution July 18
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