By Miriam Raftery

February 24, 2020 (El Cajon) – A suspect is in custody after an attempted kidnapping of a one-year-old girl yesterday afternoon outside of the Parkway Plaza regional shopping mall in El Cajon.

According to witnesses, the man tried to grab the baby from her mother at 3:18 p.m.. Witnesses gave officers a description of the man, who had fled the scene.

El Cajon Police officers located a man closely matching the description nearby. Witnesses identified the detained man as the suspect.

By Miriam Raftery

February 21, 2020 (Lemon Grove) – Toyota positions itself in marketing as a green company. But the company recently joined the Trump administration in a lawsuit against California seeking to overturn our state’s clean emission laws for vehicles.

On Saturday morning, February 29, protesters are organizing a march through Lemon Grove ending in a rally at Larry Miller Toyota in Lemon grove.  A press release issued by Toyota Loves Trump, an environmental justice campaign organized by Activist San Diego, states, “Toyota management wants to put their profit above our health. We must let them know this is unacceptable."

All who care about clean air, healthy bodies and freedom from fossil fuels are invited to meet at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 29 at 7065 Broadway I Lemon Grove, outside a vacant social services building. The group will march to the Toyota dealership, where they will hold a protest rally and hear from several speakers.

CA race narrows to five contenders polling in double-digits:  Sanders, Biden, Warren, Buttigieg and Bloomberg

By Miriam Raftery

February 19, 2020 (San Diego) – A poll released Tuesday by the Public Policy Institute of California finds Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders solidly in the lead among likely Democratic voters in the March 3 primary, with 32% support.  Four other candidates polled neck and neck: former Vice President Joe Biden at 14%, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren at 13%,  South Bend Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg at 12% each.

Four of the top five candidates have been campaigning hard throughout the long primary race.  But Bloomberg, a billionaire and former investment banker with an MBA from Harvard, entered the race late and has been outspending opponents on ads. He is seen by some moderates as an alternative to Biden, though like Buttigieg his only political experience is local, not national. But troubling news reports emerging have some questioning Bloomberg’s viability against Donald Trump--and some disturbing similarities.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos, from top left:  Ammar Campa-Najjar, Carl DeMaio, Helen Horvath, Brian Jones, Darrel Issa, Henry Ota

February 15, 2020 (San Diego) – Six candidates vying to fill the vacancy left by Rep. Duncan D. Hunter’s resignation took to the stage Friday in a debate sponsored by the Greater San Diego Association of Realtors at the Doubletree Hotel in Mission Valley.  Democrat Ammar Campa Najjar squared off against Republicans Carl DeMaio, Darrell Issa and Brian Jones as well as independents Helen Horvath and Henry Ota.

In response to questions, the candiates delved into issues including housing affordability, stabilizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,  reducing homelessness, fairness and equality, bringing jobs to our region, taxation, traffic, and more.

East County News Service

February 16, 2020 (El Cajon) – A man in his 30s was found dead this afternoon in a black 1998 Ford Explorer that struck a tree in the 1200 block of North Second Street. 

El Cajon Police officers and Heartland Fire personnel responded at 1:49 p.m., where  witnesses and an investigation indicated the Ford was traveling northbound when it drifted onto the center divider and hit a tree. The driver’s identity is being withheld pending notification of his family.

“It is unknown at this time if drugs or alcohol were a factor in this collision and no other vehicles or persons were involved,” says Lt. Jason Taub with Ell Cajon Police.

“Our reservation is in dire financial condition. We have really nothing to give our youth…All we have are false promises.” – Dennis Largo, tribal elder who delivered a petition calling for a vote to overturn wind project approval

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: Tribal elder Dennis Largo

February 14, 2020 (Campo)—Whistleblowers in the Campo band of Mission Indians claim that their tribal leadership pushed through approval of a massive wind project during an improperly noticed meeting. They have now collected enough signatures to overturn that approval with a revote.  But despite the Feb. 13th deadline to notify tribal members of a meeting to revote on the controversial project, several tribal members say they have not received any such notice.   

The proposed Campo Wind project would allow 60 turbines built by Terra-Gen on the reservation. Each would be 586 tall, the tallest wind turbines ever built on land, according to Donna Tisdale, chair of the Boulevard Community Planning Group, which also opposes the project.

By Kathleen Connell

February 13, 2020 (La Mesa)  On February 11^th, La Mesa’s Mayor and City Council heard from Director of Finance Sarah Waller-Bullock (photo, left) on the state of the City’s finances and metrics versus the budget for the quarter ending December 31, 2019.  Ms. Waller-Bullock also provided information on state and regional financial data.  In general, with the exception of housing, La Mesa is “flat” without extreme fluctuations in income or expenditures in the period; most departments are “at or slightly below expectations.”