By Miriam Raftery

View full interview, recorded for the East County Magazine Radio Show on KNSJ, by clicking image at left

September 21, 2022 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells has served as Mayor for nine years, and on the City Council and  Planning Commission before that.  A healthcare professional, he brings a unique perspective to issues such as homelessness. He’s running for eelection and this week, sat down for an exclusive interview in which he discussed his accomplishments, key challenges facing the city, and his goals if reelected. He also spoke out on the city’s conflicts with the county over a homeless motel voucher program.

He says his commitment is to "trying to do what’s right" while" listening to everyone's point of view."

Answers Wide Variety of Questions Submitted By Local Residents     

by Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor

Complete Video

March 30, 2020 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells on Tuesday evening held a first-of-a-kind virtual town hall meeting via the city’s website answering a wide variety of questions submitted by local residents on a live basis through the city’s website and social media sites.

The hour-long webcast addressed such subjects as the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, how the city is addressing the needs of the area’s homeless population during the crisis, the city’s refusal to shutter local gun shops, resident evictions and foreclosures, law enforcement response, and other topics.

By Miriam Raftery

December 28, 2017 (El Cajon)—El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells was our guest for an in-depth interview on our radio show last week.  You can hear the full interview, originally aired on KNSJ, by clicking on the “audio” link.  Our topics included the performing arts center, a major new goal for helping the homeless, and economic revitalization in the community.

Mayor Wells shared details about the city’s exciting new partnership with Live Nation to reopen the East County Performing Arts Center.  The Mayor, who plays several musical instruments, recalled how music made a big difference in his own life.  “It was the first thing I was really good at,” he reflected, also sharing a humorous anecdote about how he talked his way into the school band as a youngster growing up.

September 30, 2016 (El Cajon) --  El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells issued the following statement to clarify his remarks made in a  Sept. 28 press conference regarding the shooting of Alfred Olongo by an El Cajon Police officer. 

“I have been asked by several people since yesterday’s press conference if I intended to suggest by one of my responses that it is my opinion, after having watched the video, that the officer’s use of his firearm was not justified.  This was absolutely not my intent.

April 22, 2015 (El Cajon)—El Cajon has rolled back its sales tax from 9% to 8.5% due to the sunsetting of Proposition O, a temporary sales tax that helped build public safety facilities and more.

By Paul Kruze

Photo by Randy Jordan

December 16, 2014 (El Cajon)--It has been the worst of times and it has been the best of times for the city of El Cajon.

Mayor Bill Wells painted a generally optimistic picture in his State of the City address delivered on Tuesday, December 9^th shortly after he was sworn in before a full City Council chamber. The mayor’s upbeat message came despite having to deal with some formidable headwinds during the past year—a year that saw the fifth largest city in San Diego County deal with political appointments surrounded by controversy, a crackdown on the city’s liquor stores, the city’s improving financial stability and ongoing renovation plans for the embattled East County Performing Arts Center.

By Janis Russell

July 23, 2014 (El Cajon)- At yesterday’s El Cajon Council meeting, Council had a public hearing on electronic cigarettes and hookahs, then voted unanimously to outlaw hookah lounges in the city.  One existing hookah vaping lounge in the city will be grandfathered in as a legal but non-conforming use, however no new facilities will be permitted.

March 19, 2014 (El Cajon) - Sunday, March 16 was a beautiful day for a race in the City of El Cajon, as RunEC held its second annual “St. Patrick’s Day Half Marathon, Main Street 5K, and Green Mile.”