By Jessyka Heredia

Watch full video here

July 20, 2024 (Lemon Grove) – An angry crowd of residents confronted Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe during a community forum in Lemon Grove Thursday night, most opposed to a homeless sleeping cabin project voted on by Supervisors before the community’s voices were heard. The meeting had to be moved to the recreation center’s gymnasium to accommodate the overflow turnout.

Just two days earlier, Supervisors voted 4-0 to move forward on the project, with Chair Nora Vargas absent. The forum, held after the vote, left many residents feeling lied to. as they had believed Thursday's forum was a chance for the community to be heard. The crowd was loud and passionate.

By Jessyka Heredia

July 17, 2024 (Lemon Grove) – Residents of Lemon Grove were told there would be a community forum tomorrow  to discuss the possibility of bringing 70 sleeping cabins to Lemon Grove to house homeless people. But County Supervisors voted 4-0 yesterday (with Nora Vargas absent) to move forward on the project just two days before the community forum, leaving residents to wonder if their input ever mattered.

The project was to be built with a $10 million dollar grant from the state originally slated for 150 sleeping cabins in Spring Valley, but that project was cancelled after objections from neighbors over proximity to homes and sensitive sites. Vargas said she “heard the concerns of the community” and backed instead building a smaller-scale project in Lemon Grove near the Spring Valley boundary.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Scott Lagace

July 17, 2024 (Santee) – Santee firefighters rescued an unconscious woman from a mobile home engulfed in flames this afternoon, also saving numerous cats, though one cat perished.

Crews were  dispatched at 12:07 p.m. to the fire at Hawaiian Village Mobile Home Park, Unit 84 on Buena Vista Avenue in Santee,  arriving five minutes later. Occupants outside reported a potential victim still inside, so fire crews started extinguishing the flames and entered the residence, where they found the unconscious woman.

By Miriam Raftery

July 16, 2024 (Jamul)—The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs heard impassioned testimony on July 11 from  Jamul tribal chairwoman Erica Pinto, speaking in favor of S. 3857,the Jamul Indian Land Transfer Act authored by California Senator Alex Padilla. The measure would place in trust four land parcels totaling 172 acres into the Jamul Indian Village reservation, lands that the tribal chairwoman says are needed for tribal members' housing, reuniiting a scattered community, protecting cultural resources, and providing services for tribal members,such as healthcare and education.

The bill is identical to H.R. 6443, Rep. Darrell Issa’s bill which has already passed the House of Representatives.

But the measures have drawn opposition from the Jamul-Dulzura Community Planning Group, which was not consulted about the measures and was not allowed to present testimony at the July 11 hearing. THE JDCPG Chair sent a letter to the Committee on Indian Affairs Chairman and the authors of both bills outlining the planning group's concerns including whether commercial development could occur, as well as objections over the land transfer process bypassing local input.

Update July 14, 2024--The shooter has been identified as Matthew Cook, 20, a registered  Republican from Pennsylvania.The rifle, an AR-15, was reportedly legally purchased by Cook's father.  Motive for the shooting remains unknown as the investigation continues.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Screenshot from NBC video--Secret Agents usher injured former President Trump to safety after shooting.

July 13, 2024 (San Diego) – Gunfire erupted at a Donald Trump rally late today in Pennsylvania, injuring the former President’s ear. One audience member was killed and two others seriously injured, according to the U.S. Secret Service, which killed the gunman.

Video on multiple TV networks showed the presumptive Republican presidential nominee clutching his ear, blood on his face, moments after several shots were heard.Trump dropped to the ground below the podium as the crowd erupted in panic, many ducking for cover.

Secret Service agents huddled around Trump, who raised a fist in the air as agents hustled him our of the open-air venue. He was later treated at a hospital for what his campaign described as a minor injury, assuring that he plans to attend the Republican National Convention which begins  Monday.

A Trump spokesperson, Steven Cheung, said Trump “thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act,” adding that the former president is “fine” and being checked out at a medical facility.

The identity of the gunman, who was atop a nearby building, has not been released. Nor has the identity of the audience member killed or those injured been disclosed.

By Rachel Williams

July 11, 2024 (La Mesa) -- Here’s Why Your Voice Matters, La Mesa.

The La Mesa City Council voted unanimously on July 9 to let residents vote in November on whether to continue the ¾ cent sales tax extension used to fund public services.  Prop L, enacted in 2008, is set to expire in 2029.

According to a city press release sent by the city after the vote, the Prop L sales tax contributes approximately $12 million annually in local funding. Without Prop L funding, the City would need to make significant reductions to public safety services and maintenance of streets, sidewalks, parks, storm drains and other infrastructure, the release states.

By Miriam Raftery

July 10, 2024 (San Diego) – Akeel Robinson will turn 2-years-old in August. He’s made remarkable progress since January, when a wrong-way driver plunged off a freeway overpass in El Cajon, sending a chunk of a concrete guardrail crashing into Akeel’s skull. But his family needs help to fund his extensive rehab therapies, particularly since his mother lost her job caring for elderly patients due to putting Akeel’s needs first for his near-daily therapy appointments, and the bills are piling up. 

“He’s going to need help forever,” Akeel’s grandmother, Jennifer Blocker, told ECM. She is asking for donations at a GoFundMe site, now that the projected costs for Akeel’s care have skyrocketed.  “When the accident happened, my daughter was in the process of moving.  She’s finally gotten into a place, but everything seems to keep snowballing.”  She hopes that the public, who gave generously right after the accident, will help her daughter and grandson assure that his therapy sessions can continue, and help them afford other critical needs.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos: left: Melissa Taylor, in front of burned-out shell of her former mobilehome, right: new mobilehome

July 10, 2024 (El Cajon) – Last August, 65-year-old Melissa Taylor lost everything when a fire destroyed her mobile home in El Cajon, as ECM reported. Now, thanks to the generosity of donors who responded to her GoFundMe plea and a modest insurance settlement, she now has a new mobile home on the same site where she’s lived for 19 years. But she needs more help before she can move in.

“She has no air conditioning, or furnishings. She needs a washer and dryer," asl well as some other appliances to "make it livable,” says Kari Dodson, a long-time friend of Taylor’s. “She hasn’t been able to move in yet, so we are still keeping the donations link active.” You can donate here.

Kari Dodson, a friend of Taylor’s, told ECM our prior coverage helped bring in donations that enabled Taylor to replace her burned home,  “Thank you for your support and concern,” Dodson told ECM. “Your reporting does help the community immeasurably!”