El Cajon

EL CAJON MAY MIRROR SAN DIEGO’S BAN ON HOMELESS CAMPING

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  former homeless camp in unincorporated El Cajon later cleared by the County, which opened a safe parking lot on the site

June 22, 2023 (San Diego) – El Cajon’s City Council voted unanimously on June 13 to direct staff to draft an ordinance prohibiting camping on any public property, such as sidewalks and parks.  The ordinance would mirror a similar, controversial ordinance adopted by the San Diego City Council 5-4 on the same date.


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I-8 REOPENS AFTER MURRAY FIRE HALTED

Story and photos by Josh Stotler

Photo, left: Crews battle the heat and smoke of the Murray fire Tuesday afternoon.

 

June 20, 2023 (El Cajon)-- A small vegetation fire was sparked off Interstate 8 near Murray Drive and Dennstedt Place in El Cajon this afternoon. While East County crews were battling two other wildland fires, calls came into Heartland Fire & Rescue’s dispatch just after 2:20 p.m. reporting a fire on the hill adjacent to Grossmont High School.

Engines were sent to the scene and Interstate 8 was closed to westbound traffic as crews battled the flames.


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MURRAY FIRE HALTS TROLLEY, BLOCKS LANES ON I-8 IN EAST COUNTY

June 20, 2023 (El Cajon) -- A brush fire burning between Interstate 8 and Murray Drive has charred several acres, threatening homes.  The fire began near Murray Drive and Dennstedt Place, El Cajon.

It is reportedly burning at a slow rate of spread, however some homes are threatened, based on scanner traffic.

CalTrans reports that three lanes of westbound I-8 are closed in the vicinity.

MTS announced that the Green Line trolley cannot travel between Amaya Drive and the El Cajon Transit Center, so a bus bridge will be implemented for riders.


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VAN DRIVER KILLED IN EAST COUNTY CRASH

 

Update June 19, 2023  --The Medical Examiner has identified the victim as Christopher Dembowski.

East Count News Service

June 12, 2023 (El Cajon) – A 43-year-old El Cajon was killed in solo-vehicle crash Friday around 6:45 p.m. at the junction of State Route 67 and Interstate 8 in unincorporated El Cajon.

He was driving a 2010 Ford Econoline van on the ramp from SR-67 southbound onto westbound I-8 when for unknown reasons, the vehicle veered right off the roadway and struck a yellow and black advisory sign, then crashed into a tree.


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EL CAJON HISTORICAL SOCIETY CELEBRATES GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY JUNE 24

East County News Service

June 12, 2023 (El Cajon) – The El Cajon Historical Society is hosting an open house to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The public is invited to commemorate this special occasion on June 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Knox House Museum, 280 North Magnolia Ave. in El Cajon.


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LA MESA-EL CAJON AAUW BRANCH TO INSTALL 2023-24 OFFICERS AND FEATURE GUEST SPEAKER DR. HEATHER HAEGER, RESEARCHER IN STEM EDUCATION

Source:  AAUW

May 29, 2023 (La Mesa/El Cajon) - The June 10, 2023 installation meeting of the La Mesa-El Cajon Branch of the American Association of University Women will be held at the Bay Club Hotel and Marina at 2131 Shelter Island Dr. in San Diego. The luncheon meeting begins at 11:00 and dress is Tropical. The new officers will be led by President Elect, Jane Drinkwalter. For more information, lunch selections and reservations go to AAUW La Mesa-El Cajon (CA) Branch. The cost of the luncheon is $40.00.


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EPA ALLOCATES HALF MILLION DOLLARS FOR CLEANUP OF POLLUTED SITES IN EL CAJON

East County News Service

May 27, 2023 (El Cajon) – The Biden-Harris administration has announced over $4.8 million in grants to Southern California to cleanup polluted brown field sites and provide technical assistance. That includes a $500,000 grant to the East County Economic Development Council Foundation to address contamination cleanup in the city of El Cajon.

According to the EPA site, the target area for this grant is the 1.4-square-mile El Cajon Opportunity Zone Corridor. Priority sites include a 1.1-acre former commercial and lumber operation; a 3.06-acre former ice house, lumber operation, and garage; and several sites formerly used for auto repair centers, a dry cleaner, a gas station, and a current restaurant and motel.

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) says, “Safely cleaning up and reinvesting in properties with potentially hazardous materials strengthens our local tax base, promotes job growth, and protects public health and the environment. That’s why I’m so glad East County Economic Development Council Foundation will receive a much-needed $500,000 from the EPA to invest in properties and frontline communities that have been ignored and neglected for far too long.”


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NEW BASKETBALL COURTS OPEN MAY 25 AT WELLS PARK

Source: City of El Cajon

Image: CC by SA

May 22, 2023 (El Cajon) - New basketball courts at Wells Park (1153 E Madison Ave, El Cajon) will open on May 25 with a ribbon-cutting at 4 p.m. The 18-acre park was built in 1953 and is in the middle of the City’s most population-dense residential housing area.


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MARTHA AND JOHN KING ENTER WOMEN IN AVIATION INTERNATIONAL PIONEER HALL OF FAME

East County News Service

May 17, 2023 (San Diego) -- "I hang around with Martha."  That's how John King introduces himself when he and Martha take the stage at public events. It proved to be true in a new sense in February, when the Kings were inducted together into Women in Aviation International's Pioneer Hall of Fame earlier this month. John King found himself the first and only man in the company of more than 100 trailblazing women -- the likes of Amelia Earhart, Anne Morrow Lindbergh and astronaut Sally Ride -- who have made their marks in the history of aviation.


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INTERNATIONAL GROCERY CHAIN ALDI OPENS AT PARKWAY PLAZA ALONG WITH 14 NEW LOCAL RETAILERS

Parkway Plaza continues to be a community staple for shopping and retail in El Cajon

East County News Service

May 16, 2023 (El Cajon) -- Parkway Plaza, El Cajon’s regional shopping mall, announces the addition of ALDI to their store directory. The new grocery option is 23,693 square feet, located near Home Goods and Best Buy. The enclosed shopping center currently houses over 130 retailers featuring a balanced mix of popular retailers like H&M and ULTA, as well as specialty shops and local businesses. 


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GROSSMONT-CUYAMACA MUSIC ALLIANCE HOSTS STUDENT BENEFIT CONCERT MAY 25

East County News Service

May 10, 2023 (El Cajon) – You’re invited to an evening of musical celebration to bridge the gap between student success and equity, raising funds for students studying musical arts.  Nationally renowned musical artists will join students from Grossmont and Cuyamaca Community colleges and other local musicians at this inaugural event on Thursday, May 25 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Samuel M. Ciccati Performing Arts Center at Cuyamaca College.


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A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM AT GROSSMONT COLLEGE

East County News Service

May 7, 2023 (El Cajon) - ‘Tis the merry month of May, and Shakespeare’s hilarious fairytale about the fickleness of love comes to life in the Grossmont College Stagehouse Theatre just in time for spring. Spend the evening in an enchanted forest filled with fairies, a quartet of confused royals, and a troupe of actors desperately trying to put on a play for the king. 


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EAST COUNTY PREP GIRLS LACROSSE: TWO HAT TRICKS FOR EAGLES IN END-OF-SEASON WIN

Story and photos by Liz Alper
 
May 3, 2023 (El Cajon) - Last night, ECM Sports took in the boys on the lacrosse pitch, so tonight, we checked in on the ladies as we went to El Cajon to take in the lady Eagles as they hosted the lady Vaqueros from El Capitan in the last game of the regular season.  Both squads are having outstanding seasons; the Eagles are 12-4 overall with a 9-2 record in the Grossmont League.  The Vaqueros are an incredible 14-4 overall and 10-3 in league.

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FOLLOWING UNPRECEDENTED WINTER RAINS, EL CAJON LAUNCHES POTHOLE CHALLENGE

East County News Service 

April 24, 2023 (El Cajon) - After record rainfalls across Southern California this winter, potholes are a massive issue for commuters everywhere. The City of El Cajon is taking on the issue of potholes head-on. Last week, the City challenged residents and businesses through a social media video to track down and report as many potholes as possible using the My El Cajon app. This week, the City is keeping up with its commitment to its residents by addressing every reported issue and filling hundreds of potholes across the city streets. 


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EL CAJON POLICE RELEASES VIDEO WITH TIPS TO SPOT SKIMMERS, AVOID ID THEFT

East County News Service

April 22, 2023 (El Cajon) – After ECM reported on EBT scams involving skimming devices,  El Cajon Police Department revealed that it’s recovered 12 skimmers from retailers in the city and released a video with tips for consumers to avoid ID theft wherever you slide a credit card or EBT card.

ECPD included this message: 


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THREE DEAD IN EL CAJON HOUSE FIRE

By Miriam Raftery 
 
April 21, 2023 (El Cajon) – Three people have died and a fourth suffered injuried sustained in a fire that started shortly before midnight on April 20 at a home in the 900 block of North Anza Street in unincorporated El Cajon.

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EL CAJON REVOKES PERMIT FOR MOTEL WHERE ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULT OCCURRED

By Miriam Raftery

April 19, 2023 (El Cajon) — El Cajon’s planning commissioners have voted unanimously to revoke the approved status of the Motel 6 on Montrose Court after two registered sex offenders were arrested for alleged sexual assault of an under-age girl. 


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MAN DIES OF FLESH-EATING BACTERIA FROM POND IN JULIAN

East County News Service

Photo courtesy of ECM news partner NBC 7

April 18, 2023 (Julian) - An El Cajon handyman who waded into a pond left by rainwater in Julian to retrieve his dog contracted a rare flesh-eating bacteria.


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MAN ARRESTED IN EL CAJON DIES IN VISTA DETENTION FACILITY

By Miriam Raftery

April 18, 2023 (El Cajon) — Eddie Faulkner, 53, was arrested by El Cajon Police on November 7th last year on charges of failing to register as a sex offender and parole revocation. Last night, he died in the Vista Detention Facility.


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EL CAJON HOLDS FIRST TOWN HALL MEETING ADDRESSING THE HOMELESSNESS CRISIS

 


By Daniela Torres

Video by ECM interns Daniela Torres and Jacob Pamus


April 14, 2023 (El Cajon)-- The first of four town halls in order to address homelessness in El Cajon was held on April 4, amidst concerns from the city’s residents.

 

Outrage and controversy have been sparked after the arrests of two sex offenders at a Motel 6 last month for allegedly sexually assaulting an underage girl. The offenders were placed there under the People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) motel voucher program funded by the County of San Diego.


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SCAMMERS TARGET EBT CARDS, BUT GOVERNMENT WON’T REIMBURSE PANDEMIC BENEFITS STOLEN

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.”


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HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION IN EL CAJON AFTER MAN FOUND DEAD NEAR CVS

East County News Service

April 12, 2023 (El Cajon) ) – El Cajon Police Department is investigating the death of a man found dead this morning in front of the CVS store in the 500 block of Fletcher Parkway.

“The male, in his early thirties, suffered obvious trauma and his death is being investigated as a homicide,” states an ECPD press release.


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DINNER AND A CONCERT SERIES OPENS MAY 5 WITH TWISTED GYPSY, FLEETWOOD MAC TRIBUTE BAND

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.


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MOTORCYCLIST DIES AFTER COLLISION IN EL CAJON

By Miriam Raftery

April 7, 2023 (El Cajon) – An El Cajon man, 47, has died of injuries sustained in a two-vehicle crash on April 2 at 8:23 p.m. on Pepper Drive in El Cajon.

According to Officer Matthew Baranowski with the California Highway Patrol, a 64-year-old man from El Cajon was driving a 2015 Ford F-150 pickup truck northbound on a shared driveway near 1601 Pepper Drive, when he pulled into the roadway in the path of an oncoming motorcyclist driving a 2011 Ducati 848 motorcycle.


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EL CAJON SEEKS RESIDENTS' INPUT ON SOLVING HOMELESSNESS: SERIES OF TOWN HALLS SLATED

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.


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FIVE MEN ON HOMELESS VOUCHER PROGRAM ARRESTED IN EL CAJON MOTEL WITH DRUGS, ILLEGAL WEAPONS

By Miriam Raftery

March 30, 2023 (El Cajon) – Five men have been arrested at the Best Value Inn in El Cajon for possession of illegal drugs and weapons, including two on probation, both staying there under the County’s homeless voucher program.

It all started yesterday morning, when El Cajon Police officers stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation on North Second Street. The driver, John Bevins, 63, was on probation for stolen property and had an illegal weapon, methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle, according to Lt. Darrin Forster.

That led to a search of the motel room where he was staying at the Best Value Inn on Oakdale Avenue, as a participant in the county’s motel voucher program for homeless individuals.


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STORM PROMPTS EL CAJON POLICE TO MOVE HOMELESS OUT OF CANALS, ISSUE SAFETY WARNING

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:


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PAROLEE IN COUNTY VOUCHER PROGRAM IS ARRESTED FOR FENTANYL POSSESSION

By Miriam Raftery

March 30, 2023 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police yesterday arrested Peter Cusimano, 51, for possession of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia. Officers had stopped him for causing a traffic hazard in the 1300 block of East Main St. and upon learning that he was on probation for carrying a concealed weapon, the officers conduced a search, according to lieutenant Darrin Forster.


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LOCAL BEERS WIN BIG AT 2023 BREWERS CUP OF CALIFORNIA

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: 


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PEDESTRIAN, 82, INJURED BY VEHICLE

East County News Service

March 23, 2023 (El Cajon) – An 82-year-old man was struck by a Nissan Altima while crossing Greenfield Drive west of Oro Street in unincorporated El Cajon on March 21 at 7:20 p.m.


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