By Miriam Raftery

April 13, 2023 (El Cajon) – Robert Gehr, a senior citizen in El Cajon, was shocked to discover when he went shopping for groceries at Food 4 Less in El Cajon that $1,118 in CalFresh benefits had been stolen off of his Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card.  Since he had only used the card at that store, Gehr and police believe he was a victim of a skimmer device attached by a thief to the store’s card reader.

The County has only reimbursed$120 for the most recent month’s benefits—and Gehr may never see the rest of his stolen benefits returned—benefits that he’d been saving up for months Such scams are alarmingly prevelant -- and hit hard on vulnerable recipients, including low-income individuals, seniors on fixed incomes, and disabled people.

Bianca Sosa-Graciano, program specialist at Self-Sufficiency Services with the County’s Health & Human Services Agency, told ECM that scammers ripping off benefits on EBT cards is a “nationwide issue at this time.”

East County News Service

April 11, 2023 (El Cajon) – El Cajon’s Dinner and a Concert series opens May 5 and will continue every Friday night from 6 to 8 p.m. from May through September.  Opening night will feature Twisted Gypsy, a Fleetwood Mac Tribute band taking you back to the early days of ‘70s rock and roll.

East County News Service

March 31, 2023 (El Cajon) -- Homelessness is the most significant issue impacting cities across the nation, includingEl Cajon.. The El Cajon City Council wants to hear your ideas, experiences, and frustrations about homelessness during a series of four Town Hall workshops hosted throughout the City.  In this high participation format of workshops, residents will break into groups and discuss pressing issues around homeless topics. The dates are April 4, 15 and 26 as well as May 4.

Feedback from the workshops will help the City generate additional programs and approaches to address the impacts of homelessness in the community.

By Miriam Raftery

March 30, 2023 (El Cajon) – Two days ago, El Cajon Police relocated homeless people found camped in drainage canals and warned of flood dangers. The National Weather Service reports that El Cajon received more than an inch of water during the past two-day period.

El Cajon Police posted this warning message and photos on Facebook:

East County News Service

March 25, 2023 (San Diego) -- This year’s Brewers Cup of California included 1,306 entries from 191 breweries. There were 83 categories and a total of 37 medals were awarded to breweries within San Diego County, including 13 gold, 8 silver and 16 bronze. The overall total is nearly double the 19 medals collected by local breweries at the 2021 competition. 

East County’s winning brewers include Burning Beard Brewing of El Cajon, Julian Beer Co. and Smoking Cannon Brewery of Ramona. Julian took silver, while Burning Beard and Silver Canyon won both silver and bronze medals. Gold medalists included Mike Hess Brewing of North Park, though Mike Hess also has a brewery in Alpine. 

See below for a full list of San Diego County winners: 

Council also calls for investigation into price-gouging by motels

By Jessyka Heredia

March 21, 2022 (El Cajon) At a special session meeting Tuesday, El Cajon City Council members voiced outrage over recent crimes happening in hotels involving recipients of the county’s hotel voucher program. These vouchers are intended to help people vulnerable from homelessness find shelter at local hotels. 

Recently it was discovered that two men allegedly molested a 16 year old female victim at a Motel 6 located on Montrose Court in El Cajon and videotaped it. Both men are registered sex offenders and wore ankle monitoring devices. El Cajon Police Department has indicated it believes at least two other underage girls were sexually assaulted by the men.

East County News Service

Updated March 21 with additional details.

March 20, 2023 (El Cajon) – Two registered sex offenders have been arrested after admitting to sexual acts with underage girls at the Motel 6 in El Cajon, where one of the offenders had been placed by an organization that assists homeless people.

El Cajon Police Department has identified one victim, a 16-year-old girl.  ECPD is asking for public help to identify multiple young girls whom the men have reportedly admitted to sexually assaulting during the past week at the same motel.

These crimes validate concerns repeatedly raised by the city of El Cajon over County placement of homeless individuals in motels without vetting for criminal backgrounds, as ECM has reported.

More than 50 employers to attend 2nd Annual Event

Photo: job seeker conversing with recruiters at Grossmont College job fair

Source: Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

March 16, 2023 (El Cajon) -- Grossmont College will welcome more than 50 employers representing industries such as healthcare, hotels and tourism, public safety, local government, retail, and defense, as part of the 2nd Annual Refugee Job Fair March 23. 

East County News Service

March 14, 2023 (El Cajon) – A male pedestrian died after being struck by a Kia the morning of March 12 on I-8 in El Cajon. He has not yet been identified.

The white 2016 Kia was changing lanes on westbound I-8 near West Main St. when the pedestrian “walked into the path of the Kia,” according to Officer Jared Grieshaber with the California Highway Patrol.

East County News Service

March 7, 2023 (El Cajon) --- Shelter to Soldier (STS), a San Diego nonprofit that adopts dogs from local shelters and rescue organizations and trains them to become psychiatric service dogs for post-9/11 veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury and/or Military Sexual Trauma, will hold its 4^th annual “Saving Lives, One Swing at a Time” golf tournament on Friday, April 21 at the Championship Oak Glen Course of Singing Hills Golf Resort at Sycuan (3007 Dehesa Rd., El Cajon).

Services for East County children in need is Saturday, February 25

Source:  San Diego County Dental Foundation

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

February 9, 2023 (El Cajon) - The San Diego County Dental Foundation will host the free Give Kids a Smile preventive dental treatment program for East County children in need at the El Cajon Family Health Center on Saturday, February 25 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

By Miriam Raftery

January 27, 2023 (El Cajon) – A house fire this morning in unincorporated El Cajon has been determined to be arson.Shaun Maize, 44, has been arrested and charged with arson. He will be booked at San Diego Central Jail. 

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Viktoria Voragen

Update January 20, 2023: The victim has been identified as Mary Ellen Carter, 66, of Lakeside. The shooting suspect was Frank Bower, pharmacist.   The officers involved in the shooting were  Officers Salvador Laurel-Torres and Robert Raynor.  Officers Laurel-Torres and Raynor have been employed with the San Diego Police Department for seven years. Both officers are currently assigned to Eastern Division. As in all officer-involved shootings, the officers in this case are currently on administrative assignment until cleared to return to full duty.

January 18, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – A man suspected of fatally stabbing a woman at a pharmacy in the College area was shot and killed by San Diego Police at a home in Crest yesterday.

East County News Service

January 10, 2023 (El Cajon) – An El Cajon man, 49, was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash on January 7 in North County.

He was driving a 2016 Harley Davison northbound on State Route 79 south of the Riverside County line around 10:30 a.m. when he passed another vehicle on a curve, crossing a double yellow line. As he drove back into the northbound lane, his motorcycle drifted onto the dirt shoulder, where the driver lost control and was ejected, says Officer Jared Grieshaber with the California Highway Patrol.

The motorcyclist was transported to Palomar Medical Center with major injuries.  He was wearing proper safety equipment while on his motorcycle; drugs and alcohol were not factors in this collision, Officer Grieshaber says.