Jacumba Hot Springs

HEARING FEB. 3 ON PROPOSAL TO RELEASE YET ANOTHER SEXUALLY VIOLENT PREDATOR IN JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS; COMMENTS DEADLINE IS JAN. 17

By Miriam Raftery

January 6, 2020 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – Despite recent protests over the highly disproportionate percentage of sexually violent predators placed in rural East County, the Department of State Hospitals is proposing to place yet another in Jacumba Hot Springs.  A hearing will be held Feb. 3 at 9 a.m. in San Diego Superior Court (1100 Union St., Dept. 2202) to determine whether Michael Poulsom should be placed at 45612 Old Highway 80, Jacumba Hot Springs, a community of just 561 residents, according to the 2010 Census.

Poulsom is diagnosed with Pedophilia Disorder. In 1985, he was convicted in Georgia of child molestation with two victims. In 1989, he was convicted in San Diego County of a lewd act on a child under 14. In 1995, he was convicted again locally for a lewd act with a fourth victim, also under 14 and served 15 years in prison. Prior to his release, the San Diego County District Attorney’s office filed a petition to have Poulsom civilly committed to a state hospital as a Sexually Violent Predator . He was committed, underwent treatment and petitioned for conditional release, which was opposed by the San Diego D.A. and the hospital. A year later he filed for release into the conditional release program for sex offenders, which the Dept. of State Hospitals supported over the objections of D.A. Summer Stephan.

The public may submit comments between Jan. 3 and Jan. 17 to be considered by the court. You can email comments to sdsafe@sdsheriff.org, or call (858)495-3619. Comments may also be mailed tol the SVP Release/Safe Task Force at 9425 Chesapeake Drive, San Diego, CA 02123.  Comments will also be accepted at the hearing.

PROTESTS HELD OUTSIDE COURTHOUSE OVER PROPOSED RELEASE OF SEXUALLY VIOLENT PREDATOR IN JACUMBA NEAR BOULEVARD

East County News Service
 
December 21, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – Despite Jacumba Hot Springs already having 11 of San Diego County’s 14 released sexually violent predators, the state is proposing yet another:  Thomas Joseph Cornwell, 41, who was convicted in 2008 on two counts of lewd act with a child under age 14.  
 
Local residents protested outside the Superior Court in downtown San Diego yesterday, where Judge Albert T. Harutunian III took the proposal under consideration after the judge earlier granted Cornwell’s petition for conditional release.
 
The judge will issue a written decision in the future on whether or not to allow Cornwell to be released under supervision in the 2100 block of McCain Valley Rd. in Jacumba Hot Springs, a facility that the Department of State Hospitals indicates has previously housed sexually violent predators. The site is near rural Boulevard and is also close to campgrounds in a federal recreation area and two federal wilderness areas.

JACUMBA'S ABLOOM WITH FALL FESTIVITIES THIS SATURDAY

By Rebecca Person

October 2, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- The weather’s perfect,  making October 5th a day for a great getaway.

Here’s what’s happening in Jacumba Hot Springs on San Diego's historic Old Highway 80.

Jacumba Hikers, a dedicated group of local hikers and walkers, leads an easy four mile round-trip Walkabout, covering the Chinese Castle, Natural Hot Springs, Jacumba Lake, Sand Wash, passing the old Railroad Station, the Border Fence and more. Hikers meet at 8 a.m. in front of the Jacumba Spa Resort (44500 Old Highway 80). The Spa’s restaurant opens at 7 a.m.

FESTIVAL OF SUNFLOWERS: POP-UP ART EXHIBIT OCT. 5 IN JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS

East County News Service
 
September 29, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- Art lovers are invited to celebrate in Jacumba at the Festival of Sunflowers Artists’ Pop-Up Exhibit on Saturday, Oct. 5th, from noon until dark. The exhibit will place at Gilliam Gallery in downtown Jacumba Hot Springs at 44555 Old Highway 80.

APPEALS COURT BLOCKS RELEASE OF “BOLDER THAN MOST” RAPIST

By Miriam Raftery
 
September 24, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – The 4th District Court of Appeals has ruled that sexually violent predator Alvin Quarles must remain locked up in a state mental hospital while appellate court judges review the case.
 

DISTRICT ATTORNEY TO APPEAL RELEASE OF PREDATOR QUARLES

By Miriam Raftery
 
August 30, 2019 (San Diego) – Deputy District Jessico Coto announced today that her office will appeal Superior Court Judge David Gill’s decision to release sexually violent predator Alvin Quarles, known as the “Bolder than Most” rapist.

JACUMBA HIKERS HIT THE TRAIL WITH HIKES SEPT. 21-OCT. 26

By Miriam Raftery

August 26, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – As fall and cooler weather approaches, the Jacumba Hikers have released a schedule of upcoming hikes from Sept. 21 through Oct. 26. The hikes range from easy to hard to destinations that include peaks in Anza Borrego, Kitchen Creek Falls, Jacumba’s fall festival, Valley of the Moon, Devil’s Canyon and Carrizo Creek. Below is the full schedule with details, and be sure to read the group’s safety tips. 

JUDGE APPROVES RELEASE OF “BOLDER THAN MOST” RAPIST, BUT LOCATION NOT YET DETERMINED

By Miriam Raftery
 
July 29, 2019 (San Diego) – Alvin Ray Quarles, dubbed the “Bolder than Most” rapist, will be released to a supervised home at an as-yet undisclosed location somewhere in San Diego County, Superior Court Judge David Gill ruled today.
 
Last fall, Gill ruled that Quarles could be released to a supervised residence in Jacumba Hot Springs, but later agreed to reconsider his decision at the request of prosecutors and Supervisor Dianne Jacob. After several days of an evidentiary hearing from which victims of Quarles were barred last week, Judge Gill has affirmed that Quarles can be released. However, the Jacumba property fell through, so an August 30 status conference has been set, when the state may present housing options and the public can testify, Times of San Diego reports.

MECCA IN THE HIGH DESERT: JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS

By Daniel Smiechowski

Spa exterior, restaurant and running pictures courtesy Daniel Smeichowski.  Spa water photo courtesy Miriam Raftery

July 14, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- As I drove east on Old Highway 80 about five miles to the I-8 east junction, I came upon a God-forsaken outpost of ramshackle homes, a trailer park, County library, elementary school, a few churches and a grocery store. What brought me here, however, was the iconic spa named after the town itself, the Jacumba Hot Springs Resort & Spa.

It seems like yesterday when my Mother and Father brought me here on a Greyhound bus from Milwaukee 54 years ago. In 1966, this spa served as a waystation for Greyhound bus lines. Interstate 8 did not exist in 1966 going through the El Centro corridor. But what was my real motivation in coming here? I came here for the sake of my beloved sport of triathlon. It was a match made in heaven. Mecca in the high desert. Blissfully sensual and healthier than 20 Spanish Pamplona bulls. Yes, I considered the extreme temperatures but common sense solved any dangers to the body and mind.

PASSAGES: HOWARD COOK, FORMER JACUMBA COMMUNITY LEADER (1930-2019)

East County News Service

July 11, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) - The East County backcountry lost one of its biggest cheerleaders on June 29, when Howard W. Cook passed away peacefully after a short illness. He gave selflessly to the community, serving as Chair and later Secretary for the Jacumba Sponsor Group and as Board Member of the Jacumba-Boulevard Revitalization Committee. 

HEALING WOMEN AT JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS SPA RESORT APRIL 6

 

 

By Rebecca Person

March 28, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- The Healing Women are back. You're invited to come for a day of renewal on April 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Jacumba Hot Springs Spa Resort (44500 Old Highway 80) in Jacumba Hot Springs.  Opening with an Earth &  Water blessing, the event also features a selection of healing and psychic therapies.  

SLEEPY JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS GETS A WAKE-UP CALL: PROPOSED MAJOR ENERGY PROJECT DRAWS CONCERNED CROWD

 

 

By R. Person

March 27, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- Residents of the sleepy 1930s resort town Jacumba Hot Springs are awakening to the realities of a massive solar project planned for the edge of town on a site previously dedicated to a walled equestrian housing project.

JUDGE APPROVES RELEASE OF SEXUALLY VIOLENT PREDATOR ALLAN EARL JAMES IN JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS

 
 
By Miriam Raftery
 
March 25, 2019 (San Diego) – Ignoring tearful pleas from three people victimized as children by sexually violent predator Alan Earl James, San Diego Superior Court Judge Albert Haratunian III today reaffirmed his earlier decision allowing release of James into Jacumba Hot Springs.

EARTH DAY GATHERING AT DESERT VIEW TOWER APRIL 20 FEATURES LIVE MUSIC, WILDFLOWER HIKES AND HEALING

 
 
East County News Service
 
March 23, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- An Earth Day Celebration at the Desert View Tower (1 In-Ko Pah Park Rd., Jacumba Hot Springs) will be held on April 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
 
"We’ll have live music featuring local artists Damian and Marion Bowles on electric guitar and mandolin playing traditional American, blues, Classic Rock, Reggae," says Rebecca Person.  Other entertainment includes Mountain Mayhem, Stephen Cogswell, Meemusica and Jason Berneke and Grammy-nominated Shamanic healer Windwalker.  There will also be food provided by Gloria’s Authentic Mexican Cuisine, Jay’s 5 Star (vegan) Tacos and vegan treats by Valley Girl, Sweet Surrender and Vanessa’s Golden Lemonade.  Find native plants for sale, plant identification and wildflower hikes, farm products and displays, natural beauty, healing therapies (crystal bowl sound healing, intuitive counseling, reiki energy work, acupuncture, ionic detox foot bath) alpaca yarns, nutrition and EMF education and basketry.  Plus, you'll have a chance to explore In Ko Pah Boulder Park with its unique stone carvings. 

SUPERVISOR DIANNE JACOB ASKS ATTORNEY GENERAL TO INVESTIGATE PREDATOR PLACEMENTS IN RURAL EAST COUNTY

 
 
By Miriam Raftery
 
March 20, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – Today, San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob announced on Facebook that she has sent a letter to state Attorney General Xavier Becerra urging him to investigate the disproportionate placement of sexually violent predators (SVPs) in rural East County.

MARCH 21 SCOPING MEETING ON JACUMBA VALLEY RANCH SOLAR PROJECT

By Miriam Raftery

March 8, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – The proposed 90 megawatt Jacumba Valley Ranch (JVR) solar project on 1,345 acres next to the Jacumba Hot Springs airport has a project footprint “much larger than the small town that is right next door,” says Donna Tisdale, chair of the Boulevard Planning Group.

An environmental impact report will be prepared and public input  is sought on what should be included in the EIR.  Comments are due by April 8.  A scoping meeting will be held on March 21, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. at the Highland Community Center, 44681 Old Highway 80, Jacumba Hot Springs.

Below is the county’s public notice with full details:

CHILD RAPIST PROPOSED FOR RELEASE IN JACUMBA

 

 

East County News Service

February 22, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – The state of California is proposing to release Alan Earl James, a sexually violent predator and pedophile, at 4512 Old Highway 80 in Jacumba Hot Springs. He has multiple convictions including child rape and child molestation.

JUDGE HALTS PLAN TO RELEASE “BOLDER THAN MOST RAPIST” INTO JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS, FOR NOW

 

By Miriam Raftery

January 5, 2019 (Jacumba Hot Springs) — Disturbing results of a new mental health evaluation have halted the state’s plan to release Alvin Quarles into the Jacumba Hot Springs community in San Diego’s East County.

HEALING WATERS AT JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS RESORT

 

 

Backcountry hidden pleasures:   Our guide to unique lodging adventures in San Diego’s beautiful backcountry

By Miriam Raftery

May 31, 2018 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – Jacumba means “healing waters” and once drew Kumeyaay Indians, who wintered at the warm springs.  Nowadays, visitors come for the reputed therapeutic benefits at the rejuvenated Jacumba Hot Springs Resort.

CARRIZO GORGE HIKE DECEMBER 30 INCLUDES IMPOSSIBLE RAILROAD VISTAS

 

 

By Miriam Raftery

December 27, 2017 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – Hi ho! The Jacumba Hikers and Walkers are hitting the trail to Carrizo Gorge and Walker Canyon on December 30th.   This six mile hike is rated hard due to a steep down and up trek across the gorge, where hikers will see an up-top view of the “Impossible Railroad” at De Anza Resort, then head north on an old road to an abandoned railroad settlement in historic Walker Canyon.

HIGH DESERT MOUNTAIN YOGA RETREAT OCT. 31-NOV. 3

 

 

Backcountry hidden pleasures:   Our guide to unique lodging and adventures in San Diego’s beautiful backcountry

By Miriam Raftery

October 12, 2017 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – You’re invited to soak and stretch your way to relaxation and Nirvana at the second High Mountain Desert Yoga Retreat, tucked among boulders high in the In-Ko-Pah and Jacumba mountains near the eastern San Diego County line.

This four-day healing event from October 31 to November 3 will include natural sulfur hot spring pools, healing sessions at the Desert View tower including Kundalini Tantra Yoga, Reiki healing, and crystal sound healing. Guests will also savor delicious vegan meals scenic hikes and some desert surprises, plus a three-day stay at the nearby Jacumba Hot Springs Resort.

ALL ABOUT WORMS: VERMICOMPOSTNG WORKSHOP AT JACUMBA LIBRARY JAN. 24

 

East County News Service

January 12, 2017 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – Vermicomposting (worm composting) is an environmentally-friendly way to turn your food waste into nutrient rich castings for your plants or garden beds. Learn all about how easy it is to compost your food waste with red wriggler worms at an interactive presentation on Tuesday, January 24 at 12:30 p.m. in the Jacumba Branch Library (44605 Old Highway 80 in Jacumba.).  Map | Website

MISSING MAN’S CAR FOUND IN JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS, DISAPPEARANCE DEEMED “SUSPICIOUS”

 

By Miriam Raftery, East County News Service

May 16, 2016 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – A Honda Civic belonging to a missing Buena Park man, Jonathan Barmaki, has been found by Border Patrol agents on Old Highway 80 near a welcome sign to Jacumba Hot Springs on May 9th. Agents found Barmaki's cherished 15-year-old dog, Andy,  dead inside the vehicle.

The vehicle was not out of gas and Barmaki’s wallet and keys were missing, though his cell phone, along with dog food and a dog bowl, were left in the car. The car windows were rolled up and footsteps from the vehicle led 70 feet to a border fence 25 feet high. Authorities are investigating the disappearance as"suspicious,"10 News reports. 

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR STOLEN BACKHOE

 

East County News Service

February 2, 2016 (Jacumba) – The Sheriff and Crime Stoppers are asking the public’s help to identify suspects who stole a construction backhoe loader and tools from the front yard of a home undergoing construction in Jacumba Hot Springs back on December 14th.  A $1,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest.

JACUMBA SOLAR PULLS PLUG ON WATER PURCHASE DEAL

 

By Miriam Raftery

January 28, 2016 (Jacumba Hot Springs) – Jacumba Solar LLC has cancelled its contract with the Jacumba Community Services District to purchase water for a large-scale solar project..  The project would include over 81,000 solar panels on 304 acres near the SDG&E substation.

“I I think it’s for the best,” Eric Kallen, vice chair of the Jacumba Community Services District, told East County Magazine.

The contract called for Jacumba Solar to pay a $100,000 “gift” on signing with an additional $250,000 lump sum payment due January 15th.   The District was to provide 40 acre feet of water with an option for Jacumba Solar to purchase 28 additional acre feet if needed for construction, plus three or four acre feet a year long-term for maintenance after the project was built.  The solar projecrt was proposed by Nextera, a Florida-based company.

COURT IGNORES COMMUNITY SAFETY CONCERNS, PLACES CONVICTED RAPIST AND SEXUAL PREDATOR IN JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS

East County News Service

January 24, 2016 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- A sexually violent predator with a long history of violent sexual attacks including rape at gunpoint and  a stabbing will be placed in Jacumba Hot Springs for supervised outpatient treatment, Superior  Court Judge David Gill has ordered.  Authorities received 11 emails and five phone calls on Ural Davis’ proposed release, but no one showed up at Friday’s hearing to provide public comment in person. 

HEARING JANUARY 22 ON SEXUALLY VIOLENT PREDATOR PLACEMENT IN JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS

 

East County News Service

January 1, 2015 (Jacumba Hot Springs)--The hearing date for the proposed placement of Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) Ural Davis will be held on January 22, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. in San Diego Superior Court,Dept. 28 (220 West Broadway).  

The Department of State Hospitals (DSH) has proposed placement of Davis at 45612 Old Highway 80, Jacumba Hot Springs.  Testimony from the public will be accepted at the hearing. In 1993, Davis was sentenced to serve 27 years in prison for sexually assaulting women in three separate cases between 1984 and 1992.

COMMUNITY -WIDE YARD SALE & CHINESE CASTLE TOUR IN JACUMBA NOV. 14

East County News Service

November 7, 2015 (Jacumba Hot Springa) – The town of Jacumba will host a community-wide yard sale on Saturday, November 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring hand-made crafts, art work, household items and other yard sale treasures.  Parking and admittance are free.

In addition, tours will be offered of the Chinese Castle, a historic icon in Jacumba. There is a $5 charge for the castle tour and proceeds benefit the Jacumba-Boulevard Revitalization Alliance, a 501c3.

READER’S EDITORIAL: THE STORY OF A FLORIDA COMPANY TAKEOVER OF JACUMBA’S WATER

 

By Howard W Cook, former chair, Jacumba Sponsor Group

Photo: Lake Jacumba

 

November 1, 2015 (Jacumba Hot Springs)--A massive project poses an unprecedented risk to Jacumba Hot Springs' water supply. 

BACKGROUND

Jacumba Hot Springs is an old town going back to 1860 and blessed with a productive hot spring and several other good wells. It is located 70 miles East of San Diego on Old Highway 80 in a valley spread out on both sides of the border. Its high desert transition zone location at 2800 feet just before nearby Interstate 8 plunges to the desert seem an unlikely place for a water takeover by Nextera, a Florida Green Energy developer.

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