Two men who want to open a nonprofit medical-marijuana dispensary gave a presentation about their proposed business, Grantville Greens, at the April 21 Navajo Community Planners, Inc., (NCPI) meeting. Nick Hosig and Ron Miller were …
April 24, 2014
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Stories by Liz Swain
Friendly with weed, indeed
Bikers’ and climbers’ stake in Mission Trails park
At the April 17 meeting on the Mission Trails Regional Park master plan update, speakers included rock climbers, mountain bikers, and property owners. Topics for the first two groups included access and the Quail Brush …
April 22, 2014
La Mesa council rejects cell-phone ban
La Mesa mayor Art Madrid's city-council colleagues rejected his April 8 request to prohibit cell-phone use by councilmembers during forums, including meetings, town halls, and closed sessions. Madrid's proposal for city attorney Glenn Sabine to …
April 11, 2014
La Mesa resident exposed to e-cigarette smoke at restaurant
The La Mesa City Council on March 25 rejected Mayor Art Madrid's request to modify the city's smoking ordinance to ban electronic cigarettes in parks and other locations where smoking is prohibited. Madrid joined in …
March 28, 2014
One chicken per 1000 square feet okayed in La Mesa
The La Mesa City Council voted 4-1 on March 25 to amend the municipal code and allow people to keep domestic fowl such as chickens in single-family residential zones. Roosters are prohibited, and councilmembers called …
March 26, 2014
Pipe project to prevent sinkholes in Allied Gardens
The City of San Diego started work February 19 on a $1.9 million project to remove deteriorated corrugated metal storm-drain pipes and replace them with reinforced concrete pipes. In a February 27 interview, public works …
March 3, 2014
Allied Gardens residents address parking problem
People who park on streets near Kaiser Hospital/Medical Center on Zion Avenue may find "a friendly reminder" from District 7 city councilman Scott Sherman on their vehicles. A packet containing the reminder (printed on yellow …
February 28, 2014
Navajo planners consider pot shops in District 7
Navajo Community Planners, Inc., listened for about an hour February 24 to discussion of the proposed medical-marijuana dispensary ordinance, but the board made no recommendation about the regulation on the San Diego City Council' s …
February 27, 2014
Druggie problem at La Mesa’s Northmont Park?
Citizens at the February 18 La Mesa Town Hall meeting at Northmont Elementary School told the city council that they were concerned about crime, particularly drug use, at nearby Northmont Park. The meeting, held in …
February 22, 2014
Chickens may come to roost in La Mesa
The topic of chickens and eggs came up before the February 19 La Mesa Planning Commission hearing on a zoning amendment to allow residents in single-family homes to keep poultry — excluding roosters. The meeting …
February 21, 2014
Shadow-walk with Mission Trails photographer
Birds in Mission Trails Regional Park displayed varied reactions when David Cooksy's camera made a beeping sound while focusing. Egrets became "panicky. They looked around; they thought it was a bird," Cooksy said during a …
February 13, 2014
School traffic addressed at La Mesa meeting
Three of the ten speakers at the City of La Mesa's Town Hall meeting on February 6 talked about the effect of school traffic in their neighborhoods. Two residents spoke about traffic around Rolando Elementary …
February 11, 2014
Senior citizens considered by East County planners
Allied Gardens Navajo Community Planners, Inc., on January 27 voted unanimously to "support the idea in concept" of the Cliffs mobile home park's proposal for an emergency evacuation easement on land owned by the Allied …
February 2, 2014
Pickleball vs. tennis in La Mesa
The La Mesa Community Services Commission on January 29 denied the USA Pickleball Association's request to remove the tennis court at Collier Park and replace it with four pickleball courts. Pickleball was created in Washington …
February 1, 2014
Madrid out, Alessio in on SANDAG board
The La Mesa City Council on January 14 removed mayor Art Madrid from the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) board in a 3-2 vote that designated vice mayor Kristine Alessio as La Mesa's primary …
January 17, 2014
Suspected arson fire in La Mesa
A fire reported at 5:41 a.m. on January 4 destroyed two portable toilets and the wood-shake roof of nearby restrooms at Sunshine Park, according to La Mesa Police Department lieutenant Ray Sweeney. Restrooms at the …
January 8, 2014
Christmas praise for Del Cerro's Madra Dog
Janet Mika placed a Christmas tree near Madra Dog, the 30-inch tall rottweiler statue at the end of her Madra Avenue driveway, and posted a December 8 invitation on the dog's Facebook page. She invited …
December 23, 2013
La Mesa considers ban on panhandling
The City of La Mesa may ask Democratic assemblywoman Shirley Weber for help with a bill to ban panhandling on medians because Senate Bill 604 (a median-panhandling ban introduced by Republican state senator Joel Anderson) …
December 13, 2013
Parking solutions for Kaiser hospital in Allied Gardens
The prospect of a residential permit-parking district on streets near Kaiser Hospital/Medical Center drew some 200 people to the November 26 Allied Gardens Community Council town hall at Ascension Lutheran Church. As City of San …
November 30, 2013
Youth problems at La Mesa Oktoberfest recounted
At the November 12 La Mesa City Council meeting, police chief Ed Aceves spoke about the Anti-Defamation League counter-terrorism seminar that he attended in Israel last month. One councilmember referred to the seminar during the …
November 15, 2013
La Mesa council term-limit proposal inches forward
A committee that includes La Mesa vice mayor Kristine Alessio filed paperwork at city hall on November 5 to launch a petition drive to place a term-limit measure on the November 2014 ballot. The committee's …
November 7, 2013
Rodent patrol officer lives at Mission Trails’ park center
The sun, in the form of Enyaa the six-toed cat, comes out at night at Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center. Enyaa ("en" as in "hen;" "yaa" rhymes with "caw") is the Kumeyaay word for …
November 5, 2013
Chaldean businessman considers El Cajon mayorship
Shortly after the October 17 East County Democratic Club meeting started, president Frank Tsimboukakis asked the El Cajon mayoral candidate to speak. "Not yet," replied 30-year-old Ben Kalasho, a 2012 El Cajon City Council candidate …
November 1, 2013
La Mesa City Council postpones term-limit decision
The La Mesa City Council on October 22 voted 3-2 to postpone for 60 days a decision about whether to place vice mayor Kristine Alessio's term-limit measure on the November 2014 ballot. The delay allowed …
October 26, 2013
San Carlos residents bandy about traffic solutions
Navajo Community Planners, Inc., on October 21, considered three San Carlos traffic issues. The planning group unanimously approved the installation of a four-way stop at Green Gables Avenue and Wandermere Drive, and a board majority …
October 24, 2013
Navajo planners approve AT&T telecom installation
If the City of San Diego approves AT&T's lease proposal, work should begin next spring on a project that includes the installation of 12 antennas on the roof of Fire Station 31 in Del Cerro. …
October 18, 2013
La Mesa chicken ordinance proposed by the Tweets
Addie Tweet, age nine, and her six-year-old sister Ellie asked the La Mesa City Council on October 8 to approve a backyard-chicken law so their chickens can come home. Several months ago, the hens were …
October 11, 2013
La Mesa City Council talks term limits
At the October 8 La Mesa City Council meeting, discussion of a proposal to put a term-limit measure on the November 2014 ballot led to protests from two residents, support from seven others, and the …
October 9, 2013
All about the parking in La Mesa
This past June, the approximately 485 parking meters in downtown La Mesa generated $25,958; parking citations for meter infractions brought in another $6630, according to a report presented at the September 24 La Mesa City …
September 30, 2013
Some San Carlos residents leery of Navajo Rd. plan
The majority of Navajo Community Planners, Inc., on September 16 voted to oppose a City of San Diego proposal to put 19 parking spaces on Navajo Road, a street where the speed limit is 50 …
September 18, 2013
Meatball the bear’s first year in Alpine
Another move is planned for Meatball, the black bear named for his fondness for Costco meatballs. Also known as the Glendale Bear, he was transported from La Cañada Flintridge by the California Department of Fish …
September 17, 2013
Costume-wearing Madra Dog draws visitors in Del Cerro
Madra Dog wore red, white, and blue for the September 11 Patriot Day observance. Two weeks earlier, the 30-inch tall, 300-pound statue of a rottweiler wore a birthday hat topped by a balloon. The decorated …
September 13, 2013
Future road in Grantville to go through Toyota San Diego?
The Grantville Stakeholders Committee, a group that last met in July 2011, voted on September 5 to recommend that an environmental impact report should analyze the “Alternative D” land-use plan that extends Mission Gorge Place …
September 7, 2013
Days of hope for El Cajon’s Second Street
The El Cajon City Council on August 27 unanimously adopted an ordinance to regulate the sale of alcohol that is consumed offsite. The law established a system that starts with a warning, and could lead …
August 28, 2013
Mobile home homeowners can’t escape on Mission Gorge Road
Navajo Community Planners Inc., on August 19 took no action on a request from the Cliffs Mobile Home Park residents to support their plan to obtain emergency evacuation easements on nearby Allied Gardens Little League …
August 23, 2013
La Mesa Oktoberfest without the rides
The city council on August 13 unanimously approved a special-use permit for the Oktoberfest that will be held October 4-6. There won't be any carnival rides at the event sponsored by the La Mesa Chamber …
August 23, 2013
La Mesa mobile-home park allegedly a “druggie” haven
A woman at the August 13 La Mesa City Council meeting asked for help curtailing drug activity at the Mohawk Street mobile-home park, where she has lived since 2000. "For the past eight years or …
August 20, 2013
Ride-along with San Diego’s Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol
As members of the Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol (RSVP) for San Diego Police Department's Eastern Division, Gregg and Melody Stoner's accomplishments include recovering 62 stolen vehicles since May 2012. That's when a license-plate reader was …
August 15, 2013
Dog-washing world record claimed in El Cajon
Five four-person teams at the Barking Lot bathed 250 dogs in an hour during an August 11 “Dog Wash-a-thon” that raised more than $4500 in pledges for the nonprofit rescue organization. The fundraiser "shattered" the …
August 13, 2013
Rooftop solar users worry SDG&E will raise rates
There are no plans to raise rates for rooftop solar users, SDG&E spokeswoman Stephanie Donovan said in a July 30 interview. "There is nothing in the current proposed rate design," she said. The prospect of …
July 31, 2013
Gillespie Field pilots prompted to become “good neighbors”
Some Fletcher Hills residents want Gillespie Field airport to consider adopting the Scottsdale Airport pilots’ "Good Neighbor" pledge, a statement that pilots voluntarily sign to declare they are "sensitive" to community concerns such as noise. …
July 25, 2013
Allied Gardens hosts speech by U-T chief John Lynch
U-T San Diego CEO John Lynch referred to mayor Bob Filner several times during his talk at the July 23 Allied Gardens Community Council town hall meeting at Ascension Lutheran Church. Lynch also spoke about …
July 24, 2013
Development coming for vacant land at Gillespie Field
The County of San Diego on July 19 published a request for proposals to develop 31.47 acres of industrial property at Gillespie Field, vacant land located at the northwest corner of Cuyamaca Street and Weld …
July 22, 2013
“Aerotropolis” plan for Gillespie Field?
The East County Economic Development Council’s “strategic aerotropolis roadmap” for land surrounding Gillespie Field airport could include proposals for hotels and a facility for veterans to certify for civilian employment, development council president Jo Marie …
July 16, 2013
San Carlos Library ready for a rebuild
The Friends of the San Carlos Library organization is linking the promotion of the branch's upcoming 40th anniversary celebration to increasing awareness about plans for a new library. The 9500-square-foot branch opened on January 9, …
July 15, 2013
La Mesa SANDAG meeting considers the future
According to the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), the region's population will increase by 1.25 million people by the year 2050. Between now and then, close to 500,000 new jobs will be created. A …
July 1, 2013
Big sendoff(s) for Monsignor Michael Gallagher at Our Lady of Grace
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church parishioners spent two days saying goodbye to Monsignor Michael Gallagher, the priest retiring after serving for 27 years as pastor. Receptions followed weekend services, and 600 people attended the …
June 24, 2013
Lemon Grove recycler works on gift for EDCO
During the public-comment portion of La Mesa City Council meetings, people may speak for three minutes on any non-agenda item. At the June 11 meeting, a woman wearing a button with the message, "I [heart] …
June 20, 2013
La Mesa City Council members hold Saturday meeting
The June 8 "Community Dialogue on La Mesa's Fiscal Future,” hosted by La Mesa City Council members Ernest Ewin and Kristine Alessio, attracted eight people and consisted of conversation that extended 30 minutes beyond the …
June 11, 2013
New San Diego City Council members’ budget requests
The June 10 San Diego City Council 2014 budget deliberations will include requests from two new councilmembers for funds to reopen the Mission Trails Regional Park campground known as Kumeyaay Lake. Fifth District councilman Mark …
June 10, 2013