February 2025

East County News Service

February 7, 2025 (Rancho San Diego) – Hillsdale Middle School on Brabham Street in Rancho San Diego was placed on lockdown for about 15 minutes due to a call reporting a man with what appeared to be a gun in front the school shortly before 3:30 p.m. yesterday. 

Deputies from the Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station were given a description of the man as they drove to the school. Out of an abundance of caution, deputies requested the school to be placed on lockdown.

Once they arrived at Hillsdale Middle School, located in unincorporated El Cajon, deputies found a man fitting the description outside of campus and detained him for questioning.

“The man, 46, from La Mesa, was found in possession of a non-lethal handgun powered by carbon dioxide (CO2),” says Sgt. Manuel Heredia. After an investigation, it was determined the man had not committed a crime and he was released on scene. The lockdown at the school was lifted after about 15 minutes. No one was hurt.

Deputies continued to work with school staff and Campus Safety Officers from the Cajon Valley Union School District, who have had previous negative encounters with the man.

As a result of these incidents, deputies were able to obtain an emergency temporary protective order against the man, so he cannot come near the school.

As a precaution, Sheriff's Deputies will be conducting extra patrols at Hillsdale Middle School on Friday, February 7.

If you see something, say something. Report any criminal or suspicious activity by calling the San Diego County Sheriff's Office at (858) 868-3200. In the event of an emergency, call 9-1-1.

By Supervisor Joel Anderson

February 7, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) -- Recently, I joined thousands of volunteers across San Diego County in participating in the 2025 #WeAllCount Point-in-Time Count - San Diego County's annual homelessness census.

This was my fourth time participating in the count, which is crucial to collecting data on the number and needs of people experiencing homelessness in San Diego County. This data is used all year long to help our region make decisions on where and how to target and advocate for funding in our efforts to address homelessness countywide.

About 40 of us met at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in El Cajon at 3:30 a.m. and set out to locate and survey people living in encampments and along the riverbeds.

For me, this annual event is more than just a morning of data collection.

This count puts real faces and names behind San Diego County's homelessness crisis and creates a new sense of urgency for anyone who participates. Their stories have played a big role in informing my policies and ideas to address homelessness, and helping determine where we can improve.

Since taking office in 2021, we have successfully implemented several innovative programs to address homelessness throughout San Diego County, with a particular focus in East County.

These policies and programs include:

• Opening a Safe Parking lot in East County
• Successfully advocated for $850k from Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-51) for a Safe Parking lot in Grantville (opening soon)
• Creating a Memorandum of Understanding on addressing homeless between the County of San Diego and East County cities
• Launching the Shallow Rent Subsidy Program to keep seniors off the streets and their homes
• Successfully obtained $17M in funding from the CA Governor's Office to address homelessness along the San Diego Riverbed through a collective partnership between the City of San Diego, County of San Diego, Caltrans, and the City of Santee
• Initiating a housing match program for seniors looking to live with other seniors
• Empowering local churches and nonprofits to host temporary emergency shelter sleeping cabins on their properties through a county grant

Check out this video below to follow along with me throughout the morning and see what the count is all about!

The opinions in this editorial reflect the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. To submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.

East County News Service

February 6, 2025 (Sacramento, CA) --  Today, Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) introduced Senate Bill 286, which will close what he calls a “dangerous loophole” in California’s Elderly Parole program that allows violent sex offenders and murderers as young as age 50 to be released early. Click here to read the bill’s fact sheet.

“Releasing violent rapists under the so-called ‘elderly parole’ is not only an insult to victims but a grave danger to Californians,” Jones states in a press release.. “Survivors of violent sex crimes and the families of murder victims should never have to live in fear that their attacker could walk free long before serving their full sentence. But under current law, the system is rigged in favor of criminals, forcing the Board of Parole Hearings to justify why these offenders shouldn’t be released. That’s completely backward. The law should protect law-abiding Californians, not violent criminals.”

The current Elderly Parole program was expanded through a last-minute amendment to a budget bill, Assembly Bill 3234 (Ting – 2020), which lowered the age threshold for elderly parole from 60 years of age to 50 years of age during the COVID-19 pandemic. Violent sex offenders can be eligible for elderly parole after serving only 20 years, under AB 3234. Despite its major societal and fiscal impacts, AB 3234 was rushed through the process without a single Senate policy committee hearing, according to Jones.

 “Proponents of AB 3234 vowed that sex offenders and rapists would not be eligible for Elderly Parole, but ‘accidentally’ left out that key protection—and have refused to fix their mistake,” Jones says.”SB 286 will finally correct this dangerous loophole, ensuring that rapists, child molesters, and murderers serve their full terms—no matter their age.”

 Since its passage, multiple child molesters have become eligible for Elderly Parole, forcing victims and their families to fight to keep their perpetrators behind bars.

SB 286 is the second attempt by Jones to close this loophole for rapists in the Elderly Parole program.  His previous bill, SB 445 (2021), was blocked by Senate Democrats in the Public Safety Committee on a party-line vote.

 SB 286 is supported by San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephen. The measure is awaiting assignment to a Senate policy committee for a hearing.

By G. A. McNeeley

Photo: screenshot of video courtesy of Sharp Grossmont Hospital

February 6, 2025 (La Mesa) – Aiming to help patients be “discharged with dignity,” Sharp Grossmont Hospital held a clothing drive on February 1st. If you missed the event, you can still donate clothing and shoes at the hospital’s thrift store, Thrift Korral, 8693-A, La Mesa Blvd. in La Mesa.

“We collected approximately 2,000 items during the hours of the drive,” Linda Van Fulpen, the manager of Volunteer Services at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, told ECM in an interview.

Van Fulpen explained that the drive helps patients who don’t have their own clothing or shoes. This may include people who are homeless or indigent, patients who are being transferred to skilled nursing facilities, parents staying with children in Pediatrics, Behavioral Health patients attending court hearings, Endoscopy patients requiring a change of clothing, and low-income women in Prenatal Clinic.

The items that can be donated include jackets, sweatshirts, shoes, socks, undergarments, sweatpants, and pants with an elastic waistband.

Asked what items were requested and whether enough items were collected to meet the needs, Van Fulpen replied, ”We asked for adult jackets, sweatpants, shoes, socks, t-shirts, and pants. We can always use more men’s clothing and shoes as those items aren’t often donated to our thrift store. Items that cannot be used for our patients were given to our thrift store, the Thrift Korral.”

She added that socks are always appreciated, while shoes should be tennis shoes and slide-on varieties, but not dress shoes or shoes with heels.

Sharp Grossmont Hospital holds clothing drives “once or twice a year,” Van Fulpen said.

In 2024, nearly 8,500 articles of clothing and shoes were given to patients in need when leaving Sharp Grossmont Hospital. This was thanks to the generous clothing donations from the people who donated to Discharge With Dignity.

In 2019, California Senate Bill 1152 mandated that hospitals create plans for safely discharging homeless patients, including weather-appropriate clothing. Sharp Grossmont Hospital has been known to consistently exceed these requirements, stay ahead of industry standards, and show their commitment to compassionate care, according to a press release for the event.

Sharp HealthCare is recognized for clinical excellence in cardiac, cancer, multi-organ transplantation, orthopedics, rehabilitation, behavioral health, women’s health, home health, and hospice services. The Sharp HealthCare system also includes four acute-care hospitals, three specialty hospitals, two affiliated medical groups, a health plan, and numerous outpatient facilities and programs.

How To Donate:

Items can be dropped off Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Thrift Korral. The address is 8693-A, La Mesa Blvd.

Donations are accepted at the loading dock behind the shop.

The next drive will be later this year.

East County News Service

February 6, 2025 (Lakeside) -- The Barona Oaks Raceway, LLC is inviting review and public comments on a preliminary grant application to the state of California's Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division. The park is requesting funds for ground operations and maintenance and infrastructure development at the Barona MX Motocross Facility at 1800 Wildcat Canyon Rd, Lakeside, CA 92040 (www.barona-mx.com).

The grant application will be available online Tuesday March 4, 2025 at OHMVR Division. Public review and comment period is March 4, 2025 to May 5, 2025. Comments on the application must be submitted by 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Monday May 5, 2025 to the applicant at baronaoakssportscenter@gmail.com and the OHMVR Division at  OHV.Grants@parks.ca.gov.

The OHMVR grants and cooperative agreements program supports well-managed off-highway vehicle recreation in California by providing financial assistance to cities, counties, districts, federal agencies (including the BLM), state agencies, educational institutions, federally recognized Native American tribes, and non-profit entities. Information on the grant program is available at Welcome to the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division’s Grant Programs.

Public comment meeting will be at the park Saturday Feb 15, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. and a Stakeholders meeting will be held at 2:30 p.m. The meeting will be at the park’s Main Track Firepit area.

By Mike Allen

Photo:  construction at night for Advanced Water Purification program

February 6, 2025 (Santee) -- East County’s biggest infrastructure project, Advanced Water Purification, is officially costing more than $1 billion after the Joint Powers Authority that oversees it approved about $80 million in changes to its construction contract.

AWP, planned since 2015 to provide water reliability to the region, was initially estimated to cost about $500 million to build, but by 2021, its former CEO Alan Carlisle told the Santee City Council the new estimate for the program was “north of $600 million.”

Now the cost for construction packages 1 through 4 is more than twice the original estimate. And that’s not counting the cost for package 5, which hasn’t been disclosed because it’s still in the planning stages. However, documents on AWP’s website show an estimate between $100 million and $200 million for a system that converts waste to energy to power the new facility under construction at the end of Fanita Parkway in Santee.

The AWP’s hefty cost is being borne by four partner agencies: Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the city of El Cajon, San Diego County, and Helix Water District.

At the JPA’s November meeting when the amended contract was approved, board president Steve Goble noted the $80 million increase to package 4 was significantly above an original estimate for this phase of $100 million, and asked the reasons behind it. “The public would say that’s a big increase, an 80 percent increase,” he said.

Photo, right:  work on Advanced Water Purification near State Route 52

Rebecca Abbott, the project’s chief engineer, said, “It really boils down to project complexity…it’s what we know now versus what we knew then.”

Melissa McChesney, spokeswoman for Padre Dam WD, said in an email to East County Magazine the key reasons behind the increased costs for package 4 are the complexity of inserting two smaller sewer pipelines into an existing pipe; minimizing construction impacts which extended the construction time from 18 months to 34 months; and the increased costs for labor, materials and equipment rentals.

Among the more expensive elements is a requirement for a force pipeline connecting to the AWP facility to be operating through heavy rain events during construction and providing enhanced protection to Mission Trails Regional Park. Both added about $12 million to the bill. A Caltrans mandate to tunnel beneath State Route 52 added another $10 million, she said.

The good news for the participating agencies and their rate payers is that the city of San Diego is on the hook for most of the increased cost. The JPA’s share is about 39 percent, while the city assumes 61 percent of the residuals line cost, according to JPA documents. That share boosts the cost for the AWP by about $70 million, bringing the revised total for the project to about $1.02 billion, compared to the previous official estimate of $950 million.

All this work is being coordinated with the city as it moves ahead with its own water reclamation system called Pure Water, which will cost about $1.5 billion for Phase I, including the planning, design and construction. Construction on Phase I is over 70% complete.  The city hasn’t revealed what the construction cost is.

Water agencies in Southern California have been building these expensive systems in the last several decades as the cost of imported water from Northern California skyrockets, but at least one longtime elected water official says the area doesn’t need it.

“I voted against (AWP) because there’s ample water in the area,” said Dan McMillan, who is a member of Helix Water District’s board and the San Diego County Water Authority.

Reacting to the higher costs, more customers have cut way back on their water use, resulting in surplus supply in much of the San Diego area, McMillan says. But all the water agencies need to maintain their systems, and the cost for doing that is always increasing so that results in water agencies hiking their fees.

While Helix is not a full-fledged partner agency in the JPA, the La Mesa-based Helix district is committed to purchasing about 30 percent of its water from the AWP, and a big part of the last phase of AWP’s purification process takes place at Helix’s Lake Jennings and the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant.

Goble, who also serves on the El Cajon City Council, said once AWP begins operating the cost for sewage removal now provided by San Diego’s Metro Wastewater should decrease. Under the current system, the JPA’s members “are essentially at Metro's mercy what rates will be charged, and Metro can include whatever costs it deems appropriate,” he said. 

Goble said AWP’s water costs will be competitive with imported water now charged by the San Diego County Water Authority, while the sewage removal costs will be competitive with the current rates for sending wastewater to the Metropolitan Wastewater system. “The (AWP) program is a smart investment and will cost less than doing nothing,” he said.

While the AWP additional costs are concerning, Goble and other JPA directors said their concerns were allayed by the negotiated “guaranteed maximum price” for the construction contract that protects the agency and puts the risk for future overruns on the contractor, Orion Construction.

AWP officials often cite the project’s strong financials and its success in securing about $833 million in low interest loans and grants. The grants portion comes to $162 million. The program continues to apply for grants and has one pending at the state for its package 5 project, a waste to energy system.

Water officials who pushed for the AWP insist the ongoing cost of importing water from the northern part of the state makes creating a reliable, local supply a no-brainer. Along with higher costs for importing water are the increased costs from the city of San Diego to treat the sewage.

The plan is to take the 15 million gallons of sewage generated in the region daily that’s now sent to Metro Wastewater and convert it to some 11.5 million gallons of drinkable water for the region of more than 100,00 residents.

If the JPA doesn’t complete the AWP the Padre Dam WD will continue to rely on the San Diego County Water Authority to obtain all of its water, says PDWD Director Suzanne Till. For the 2023 fiscal year, the CWA raised the rates it charges its member agencies by 23.5 percent, but for the 2024-26 period that increase will be 39 percent, Till said in an email.

“Padre Dam can no longer be so dependent on SDCWA,” she said.

The big hike in AWP’s cost won’t affect the timetable for completion, McChesney said.  The project is on schedule to be completed by the fall of this year. Following an extensive testing period, it will begin delivering water to users by late 2026, she said.

Correction:  An earlier version of this draft indicated that Phase I costs cover planning and design. Phase I also includes construction.

Updated February 7, 2025 with statement from the Council on Islamic Relations in San Diego.

By Miriam Raftery

February 6, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Many world leaders as well as Congressional leaders in both parties are pushing back on President Donald Trump’s call for the U.S. to “takeover” Gaza, relocate Palestinians to neighboring nations and turn Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” 

Trump initially spoke of a permanent resettlement, with the U.S. taking ownership. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio later walked that back, indicating relocation of Palestinians would only be temporary during debris removal and new construction. “In the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while you’re rebuilding it,” he stated, AP reports.

Trump insisted,”Everyone loves my Gaza idea,” the Jerusalem Post reported.

But with the exception of some Israeli leaders, reactions around the world have overwhelmingly rejected the concept. Here are their statements:

”He (Trump) has a different idea, and I think it’s worth paying attention to this,”  said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a White House visit

Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League released a joint statement rejecting any plans to move Palestinians out of their territories in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. according to AP.   The leaders caution that Trump’s plan would “threaten the region’s stability, risk expanding the conflict, and undermine prospects for peace and coexistence among its peoples” and undermine long-term efforts to attain a two-state solution.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres reportedly told Trump to “stay true to the bedrock of international law,” avoiding making the problem worse by removing Palestinians from their homeland, according to Reuters.

Forcibly removing people from their homeland violates the Geneva Convention under international law, the Washington Post reports.

Yousef Munayyer, the head of the Palestine-Israel Program at the Arab Center Washington D.C, had this reaction to the proposal, the New York Times reports: “Outrageous, criminal, harebrained.” He noted that the idea of forcing Palestinians from their homes brings up a troubling history. “The region has suffered for decades from instability and conflict precisely because of the mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians during the creation of Israel in 1948,” he added.

Sami Abu Zuhri, spokesman for Hamas ,told called the proposal “ridiculous and absurd.” He told Reuters, “Any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region.” Hamas’ attack that killed over1,300 Israeli civilians and seized hostages sparked the war in Gaza, prompting Israel’s massive retaliation which has killed an estimated 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday that Moscow  maintains the only way to resolve the Middle East conflict is through the creation of a Palestinian state to exist side-by-side with Israel, Reuters reports. "This is the thesis that is enshrined in the relevant U.N. Security Council resolution, this is the thesis that is shared by the overwhelming majority of countries involved in this problem. We proceed from it, we support it and believe that this is the only possible option," the Russian spokesman said.

Many Palestinians have voiced fear that if relocated, they may not be allowed to return home—and some expressed anger over the proposal.

“Trump can go to hell with his ideas, his money, and with his beliefs. We are going nowhere. We are not some of his assets.” -Samir Abu Basel, father of five in Gaza City displaced by the Israel-Hamas war.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned President Trump for stating the "U.S. Will take over the Gaza Strip" and "own it."  In addition CAIR San Diego reaffirms its commitment to Palestinian self-determination and condemned Trump’s assertion that the U.S. will “take over Gaza.”

Community Organizer Summer Ismail issued a statement urging the American public to recognize the role of U.S. tax dollars and military support in the continued suffering of Palestinians even amid a cease-fire. “The idea that the U.S. should take control of Gaza is a reckless and blatant endorsement of illegal occupation in violation of international law. The Palestinian people have a right to self-determination. Attempts to impose foreign control will only perpetuate oppression and violence," Ismail states, also calling on the state department to comply with international law. "We need a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank. Only then can we rebuild and restore Palestinian sovereignty."

San Diego Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, a Democrat, had this to say in a post on X. “No one wants another indefinite U.S. military occupation in the Middle East or anywhere else. This is ethnic cleansing – and this is Palestinian land, not ours. The best path for long-term peace and security is a two-state solution.”

Even some Trump supporters are strongly opposing the idea.

“I thought we voted for America first. We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers’ blood,” Republican Senator Rand  Paul posted on X.

Arab Americans for Trump has announced it has changed its name to Arab Americans for Peace following Trump’s call for the U.S. to takeover Gaza. “Obviously we’re completely opposed to the idea of the transfer of Palestinians from anywhere in historic Palestine,” the group’s chairman Bishara Bahbah stated, AP reports.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he is keeping an “open mind” on the idea, but voiced concerns about the potential for U.S. troops to be sent to Gaza, which he noted “would be a tough place to be stationed as an American,” according to Politico.

There is some precedent for a major U.S. intervention after a conflict, notably the Marshall plan to rebuild Japan after World War II, despite the fact that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and fought on the Axis side against the Allied forces. But the U.S. is not a direct party in the Israeli-Gaza conflict, though the U.S. has sent arms to Israel.

Rebuilding Gaza is expected take many years, given the vast toll of devastation. But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday that Trump was not committing U.S. troops and didn't plan to use taxpayer dollars to rebuild Gaza,  Axios reports.

Without support from Arab nations, the United Nations, or the Palestinian people, and with no U.S. troops to keep the peace nor American funding to clear debris and rebuild, it appears implausible that Trump could achieve a  peaceful relocation of Palestinians, let alone muster the massive international resources needed to make Gaza safe and stable.

By Brenda Miller, PhD., R.N.

February 6, 2025 (La Mesa) -- When Benjamin Franklin included silence in his list of virtues, he termed it “golden.” Silence does not mean remaining quiet with respect to important issues but involves speaking after listening and thinking before speaking.  That apparently is not the philosophy of Nadia Farjood, recently elected member of the Grossmont Healthcare District Board of Directors.

Prior to the January 7, 2025, board meeting, there was a barrage of rhetoric misleading the public on social media and in emails, petitions, and local organizations suggesting that the board did not want Nadia Farjood as a member. The rhetoric claimed the board was insensitive to needs of the public, purposely excluding community participation by holding meetings during the day; was racist, particularly with respect to membership by women of color; discriminated against young people, and so on. These unfounded accusations persist.

The criticisms of the board arose primarily out of Ms. Farjood’s failure to get the board to change meeting times to evenings to accommodate her personal schedule. According to change and group dynamics theories, someone entering a new environment should assess the environment before trying to make changes. This has not been Ms. Farjood’s approach. She rarely attended board meetings before and during the election campaign and missed a prime opportunity to understand the workings of the board and prepare for her role as a member. Because she was not present, she did not realize that, to reach out to the community, the board changed meeting times on a bimonthly basis from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. After an extended time without any increase in public attendance, the board returned to the prior 9:00 a.m. time slot.

Now, Ms. Farjood is engaging in divisive rhetoric that promotes conflict, which she could have avoided with an effective assessment of the environment prior to trying to enforce changes. Perhaps she should reflect more deeply on the concept of silence as a virtue until she understands the issue about which she wishes to speak and the position she fought hard to successfully win.

Brenda Miller is a registered nurse with PhD and Masters degrees in nursing.  She ran against Nadia Farjood in the November 2024 election for the Grossmont Healthcare District board seat.

The opinions in this editorial reflect the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. To submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.

Update: An earlier version of this article contained information added by our editor stating that the vote violated California's Brown Act. The City has disputed this and indicated that a public vote was held.  Our earlier report was based on a text from a Councilmember indicating that the vote was "anonymous" after ECM's editor asked whether the vote was unanimous. An anonymous vote during a public meeting would be illegal. Please see correction note below this article for  full details.

By Jessica Brodkin Webb

Miriam Raftery contributed to this report.

February 5, 2025 (Lemon Grove) –Lemon Grove’s City Council last night appointed Yadira Altamirano to fill the seat left vacant after Allyson Snow was elected as Mayor in 2024. She was previously appointed to finish City Council Member Matt Mendoza’s term from late 2019 through December 2020.

To members on the dais, Altamirano recalled her arrival in Lemon Grove as a young child who did not speak English but felt safe walking to and from school, playing in neighborhood parks and navigating city streets.

Since then, the businesswoman said, she grew to appreciate where she was raised and chose to come back and raise her own children in the small city. 

“My desire is to make an impact and make Lemon Grove as I remember it when I was little,” Altamirano said.

Answering questions posed by Snow and city council members, Altamirano said her top focus points would be improved safety, infrastructure projects and city repairs.

“Our youth are our future,” Altamirano said, and emphasized her desire to clean up the city is rooted in wanting to restore the Lemon Grove she remembers from her own youth. Her application indicated her goals include reopening the city’s rec center.

She also said she wants to see time dedicated to community service projects, and suggested residential buildings could be cleaned up to illustrate a sense of pride in Lemon Grove.

When  Council members asked about her experience, she suggested she might be a wiser choice than other candidates, as this will be her second go-round on the dais.

Her first time on the Council coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, during which many operations including City Council meetings were handled remotely. She did not address how that experience would inform her ability to affect change under current, post-pandemic practices.

When pressed for suggestions on what she might do to enhance the city, she cited La Mesa’s car show and farmers market as examples of events which bring the community together, but reiterated the city’s need to clean up its appearance so events are attractive to residents. On her application, she mentioned bringing back the Old Times Parade as a goal.

Altamirano landed this second appointment to City Council over candidates Kenneth Davies, Robert Holaday, Cody Littleton, Oyuki Littleton, Minola Manson, Robert Rael, Seth Smith and James Stout. Jay Bass withdrew his application before last night’s  Council meeting, which included interviews with all applicants.

After the interviews, Councilmembers were asked to place marks next to up to three candidates whom they would be willing to have serve on the Council.  Altimirano received three votes, the most of any applicant.  A subsequent vote was held publicly, with a motion and second,  according to the Mayor, with Altimirano receiving a unanimous vote of all four Councilmembers.

The next Lemon Grove City Council meeting will be held Tuesday, Feb. 18 at Lemon Grove Community Center.

Correction: An earlier version of the article indicated that the vote was held anonymously, which would violate California’s Brown Act prohibiting secret votes on any agendized item in a public meeting. The Brown Act information was added to our reporter's  original article  draft, due to a text from a Councilmember to our editor stating that the vote was “anonymous” and that each councilmember could vote for “up to three.”  This text was in response to our editor's text asking who voted for or against the appointment, which was not in our reporter’s draft. The  Councilmember’s text also included a photo of the vote tally for each applicant, without any Councilmembers identified on the vote tally.  That tally showed three votes for Yadira Altamira.

Mayor Snow and a city legal representative have both since advised that a second  vote was held in public and seconded (after the initial tally), and that this vote was public and unanimous, with all four Councilmembers supporting Altamirano's appointment.

Lemon Grove does not videotape  its Council meetings, unlike all other East County cities, nor are email addresses for staff listed on the city’s webpage, making it difficult to verify information or obtain answers to question in a timely manner after a meeting. In this case, ECM sought information from the only city representative we had contact for after hours, since our editor wanted to post the news about Altamirano's appointment before leaving town for three days. ECM regrets the error.