La Mesa

Developing story

By Donald H. Harrison, San Diego Jewish World, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Roz Allina, second from left, at a Sisterhood luncheon at Sheldon’s Service Station in La Mesa hours before her death. (Photo: Sue Cherlin)

February 12, 2025 (La Mesa) -  Hours after attending a birthday gathering for Tifereth Israel Synagogue’s Sisterhood members who were celebrating their February birthdays, Rosalyn Allina and her husband James — Roz, 77, and Jim, 79 — were killed in a chain-reaction freeway accident.

East County News Service

February 11, 2025 (La Mesa) – Two La Mesa residents, ages 79 and 77, have died as the result of a four-car accident that occurred last night around 7:18 p.m. on Interstate 8 east, just east of 70^th Street in La Mesa. They were the driver and passenger in a 2004 Toyota.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the Toyota was traveling at a slow rate of speed or stopped in the #3 lane. It was struck from behind by a 2016 Dodge driven by a San Diego woman, 34, with a 4-year-old passenger. 

A 2017 Kia driven by an El Cajon woman, 63, was unable to avoid the crash and struck the Dodge from behind. Flying debris caused damage to a fourth vehicle, a 2017 Mercedes driven by an El Cajon man,30.

The senior man driving the Toyota was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel. His passenger was transported to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where she died of her injuries. 

The driver and passenger of the Dodge were transported to Sharp Grossmont Hospital for precautionary reasons. The driver of the Kia sustained minor injuries. The driver of the Mercedes sustained no injuries.

This is an ongoing investigation; it is unknown at this time if drugs and/or alcohol were a factor in the crash, according to Officer Jasmine Lopez.

Source:  AAUW

February 9, 2025 (La Mesa/El Cajon) - March 8, 2025, is the La Mesa-El Cajon Branch of the American Association of University Women's monthly meeting featuring Hannah Plackowski (left), Account Executive from the San Diego Padres and Sarah Cloutier, Executive Assistant to the CEO of the New York Liberty discussing empowering women in sports.

From the Bay Area, Hannah Plackowski grew up playing competitive soccer. She closed out her soccer-playing years at Cañada Community College before transferring to the University of California, Santa Barbara, to pursue a degree in Economics. During her time there, she was involved in the Sports Management Program. That experience inspired her to seek a job in sports after graduation.

 In June 2021 she began her career with the San Diego Padres. She started as a Representative in Inside Sales and, after five months, was promoted to the Membership Development team as an Account Executive. During her first year, she sold about $1,000,000 in season tickets and was part of the first-ever Padres sales team to sell out all the club’s season tickets and launch a season ticket waitlist. In recognition of her efforts, she was named the department’s Rookie of the Year.

 At the end of the 2022 season, Hannah made a lateral move to the Group Tickets & Hospitality team. During her first year, the department finished #1 in Major League Baseball, selling more group and hospitality tickets than every other team. 

Sarah Cloutier (right) is currently the Executive Assistant to the CEO for the 2024 WNBA Champions, New York Liberty. Her responsibilities include managing the schedule and communications of the CEO, processing expenses for Liberty, logistical operations, and many other jobs she can get her hands on. Sarah started this role upon graduating with her Master’s in Sports Business from NYU in May 2024. While in graduate school, Sarah interned for the Brooklyn Nets in Public Relations and was the Director of Basketball Operations for the 2024 NCAA Division III Champions, NYU Women’s Basketball. During her undergraduate career, she played NCAA Division II basketball for Daemen University, majoring in Business Administration, also specializing in Sports Management, and minoring in Human Resources. Originally from San Diego, California, Sarah aspires to continue her career working in women’s basketball and further advancing the sport to new levels.

Regular monthly La Mesa-El Cajon Branch meetings are open to the public and are held in King Hall at Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Blvd. in La Mesa. Check the branch website for further details. AAUW La Mesa-El Cajon (CA) Branch

La Mesa-El Cajon Branch of American Association of University Women (AAUW) has been engaged in “equity for all” efforts since the 1950’s and is one of the largest branches in the state. AAUW empowers women and girls by advocating for more women in leadership positions, closing the gender pay gap and preventing sexual harassment and discrimination. We support girls entering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) careers. We use research, education, and advocacy at the national, state, and branch levels to accomplish these goals. For more information about this organization, go to www.lamesaelcajon-ca.aauw.net. New members are always welcome and do not need to be invited to attend a meeting.

By Michael Howard

February 3, 2025 (La Mesa, CA) - The La Mesa City Council, during its Tuesday January 28, 2025 meeting, voted unanimously to increase city fees by 24.7%.

"Some fee schedules are increasing higher than normal,” Assistant to the City Manager Lyn Dedmon admitted to the Council members when the increases were presented for their vote.

City “user fees,” which are the fees charged to the users of certain city provided services, are not meant to be a source of revenue, per the city’s policy.  Rather, the purpose of the fees are to recover the costs of providing the services that the city provides. 

City services range from building permits to city-owned community pool swim passes, along with countless other engineering, planning, public works, and community services in between.

According to a report commissioned by the city to study the fee schedule, La Mesa only recovered  59% of the cost it takes to provide its services in fiscal year 2023-2024. Total costs were $7,626,128, but the city collected only $4,469.581.

According to Dedmon (photo, right), a big reason for the shortfall and resulting need to increase fees so dramatically is due to the pandemic and the increased cost of labor. 

“It became clear that the pandemic’s impact on the fee schedule’s time line and overall year-to-year inflation in the years post-COVID, were the primary cause,” he reported to the City Council.  

Employment costs have also increased, Dedmon explained. “Some of which the city controls,” he shared but added, “Some, the city does not control like health care and pension costs.”  Contracted services that the city hires for various projects have also increased, he said.

Fee increases, however, are not across the board.  Increases will vary by the services provided.

For example, a building permit for a building valued between $100,000 to $500,000 will increase a whopping 40%.  In FY 2023-2024, the flat fee for a building permit in this range was $1,428.50, followed by $6.40 for every $1,000 increment in value up to $500,000.  Starting in April of 2025, when the city’s fiscal year begins, that flat fee increases to $2,380.80 and the incremental amount for every $1,000 in value will be $10.60.

In comparison, the city of El Cajon charges $1,154.94 for the first $100,000 and $6.32 for each additional $1,000 increment in value.

But not all fees went up. Some fees will be lowered, or in some cases, removed. Fees for companies that fumigate, provide dry cleaning services, or that produce, store, or handle cryogenic fluids for example, all saw a slight decrease.  

Service fees that were removed include the cost of inspection of day-care and in-home care facilities, mobile food vehicle inspections, and fire-plan checks.

Public comment was limited during the hearing.  Only one citizen signed up to speak and her comment was a suggestion to charge a fee for short-term rentals.  She did not comment on the increases.

In other actions, the city approved adding a section to the La Mesa Municipal Code to clarify the preemption, or precedence, of the California building code and appointed citizen members to the community police oversight board.

SOURCES

City of El Cajon. (n.d.-a). Budgets & Financial Policies | El Cajon, CA. Retrieved February 2, 2025, from https://www.elcajon.gov/your-government/departments/finance/budgets-financial-policies?form=MG0AV3

City of El Cajon. (n.d.-b). Master Fee Schedule. https://www.elcajon.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/27815/638428996424970000

City of La Mesa. (n.d.). CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION ADOPTING A FEE SCHEDULE TO BE CHARGED BY VARIOUS CITY DEPARTMENTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024-2025—City Council—January 28, 2025. Retrieved February 2, 2025, from https://pub-lamesa.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=164e18d7-efd1-46c9-bcf7-3339182a746c&Agenda=Agenda&lang=English&Item=51&Tab=attachments

City of La Mesa. (2025, January 28). City of La Mesa Fee Schedule Fiscal Year 2024-2025. https://pub-lamesa.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=17915

MGT Conusulting Group. (2024, May 28). COMPREHENSIVE CITYWIDE RECOVERY CSOST STUDY. https://pub-lamesa.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=17914

By Mimi Pollack

Photo, left: Lauren Botticelli and Alf

August 11, 2024 (La Mesa) -- Nine years ago, I wrote an article on the all-breed dog rescue, the Animal Pad, which was then headed by Rebecca Weinrib and Stephanie Nisan.  A lot has changed since then, and this non-profit dog rescue based in La Mesa has really grown as it continues to save the lives of many dogs. TAP (The Animal Pad) rescues dogs from other shelters, dogs that are owner surrendered, and dogs from various [and sometimes perilous] situations in Tijuana and Baja California.

 Nisan and Weinrib have passed on the torch, with Nisan remaining on the Board of Directors. The present Executive Director and woman of many hats is the formidable Lauren Botticelli, who came in seven years ago. In addition, in 2020, TAP acquired a physical building on Avocado Blvd to run the day-to-day operations and house a kennel for up to 40 dogs.

Botticelli has numerous responsibilities as the only salaried person. She leads the day-to-night operations, and she does a lot of their social media. She is the hands on “take care of the dogs” person at their facility in the evening. She is also effective at public relations and building a community. This dedicated dog lover has her own dogs tattooed on her arm!

However, because TAP rescues many more dogs than they can keep at their kennel, they need volunteers and fosters. Botticelli is very good at recruiting many loyal volunteers who work side by side with her. Even her parents are volunteers!  I met them the day I volunteered last month. I signed up to transport four puppies to an adoption event and I had to go to their home to pick them up. Her parents did such a good job of fostering and socializing the puppies that they all have been adopted.

TAP’s dedicated volunteers are the backbone of this rescue operation as they help in many ways. First, many of them foster these dogs until they find a permanent home. They also help with transportation to vet appointments, adoption events, and keeping everything running smoothly both in and out of the facility. TAP volunteers have a special page on Facebook to connect and find out about different events and coordinate together. This non-profit is good at working cohesively, which in turn has helped to save many dogs.

The day I visited the facility, the first dog I met was Momo (Photo,right), who looked like a little Koala bear. Momo was dropped off by his foster, vet tech Randi Koziorowski. She told me that Momo had been rescued from Tijuana and was picked up in very bad shape as he had been attacked and badly injured. Thus, he was reactive and very fearful.

Koziorowski was the vet tech at the clinic where Momo was brought in and although she already has a dog of her own, she volunteered to take care of him. She told me she took him home and spent a lot of time working with him to help him overcome his fears. When I met him, he was much calmer. He let me pet him and did not try to bite me. Momo is so cute that it is only natural to want to pet him, and thanks to his patient foster, he is now more trusting, and will soon be ready for adoption.

The second dog I met was Depp [think Johnny] who only had one eye. Depp (photo,left) was part of a group of dogs that TAP rescued from the Bahamas. In the Bahamas and parts of the Caribbean, they call these mix-breed dogs “potcakes”. Depp also came in very fearful, but Botticelli herself worked with him, and this potcake has slowly been coming out of his shell. He shyly greeted me.

The last dog I met on my visit was a cute little white terrier mix named Alf. Alf was rescued 15 minutes before he was going to be put down at a shelter in the Los Angeles area. They thought nobody would adopt him because of a bad cough. TAP stepped in and brought him to San Diego where he was treated and is now healthy and waiting for his forever home.

TAP is always looking for fosters and volunteers and they welcome people of all ages and abilities.

One volunteer who stood out was Dani Levin who has been with TAP for five years. She is considered like the “Human Resources” person and director of the volunteers. She heads the Facebook volunteer group [with 1.8 thousand members] and makes sure there are no communication issues amongst the volunteers.  She is also known for her warm and friendly personality who goes above and beyond to help.

Thanks to the executive director and all the volunteers in precise roles, TAP is a well-oiled and effective non-profit that has rescued thousands of dogs since its inception 13 years ago.

Finally, there is a delicious way you can help.  San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove has teamed up with TAP and Puesto Mexican Restaurants. From now until October 2^nd, if you buy a Joe’s Adobada taco, the proceeds will go to TAP.

For more information, the website is The Animal Pad | Dog Rescue in San Diego and Southern California

Program assists local businesses with grants for property improvements

Source:  City of La Mesa

January 31, 2025 (La Mesa) - The City of La Mesa is launching the La Mesa Façade and Property Improvement Grant program for a fourth consecutive year. This program aims to bolster local businesses by providing grant funds for up to $25,000 for exterior façade improvements such as new awnings, signage, painting, lighting, and landscaping.

The online application will open at 8 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. Interested business and property owners are encouraged to thoroughly review the Program Guidelines before applying. Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to grant fund availability.

Photo, left to right:  Councilmembers Lauren Cazares and Patricia Dillard, Mayor Mark Arapostathis, Councilmembers Laura Lothian and Genevieve Suzuki

Source:  City of La Mesa

January 10, 2025 (La Mesa) – The City of La Mesa welcomed two new councilmembers during its City Council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 10. The occasion marked a historic milestone in La Mesa as the council now consists of a majority of women, including women of color, with four women and one man who serves as mayor.

“This is a proud and historic moment for La Mesa,” said Mayor Mark Arapostathis. “Our City Council reflects the strength and diversity of our community. I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to continue making La Mesa a place where everyone feels represented and empowered.”

Joining the council are the newly elected members, Lauren Cazares and Genevieve Suzuki. Both Cazares and Suzuki have deep roots in the La Mesa community. Cazares, lifelong La Mesan, currently serves as Policy Advisor at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and has been actively involved in various boards and committees, including the City of La Mesa Community Police Oversight Board.

“I‘m deeply honored to serve as a member of the La Mesa City Council and continue the work of building a safer, stronger, more affordable community for all,” said Councilmember Cazares. “As a proud Latina, the youngest Councilwoman in La Mesa history and first openly LGBTQ+ Councilmember, I’m committed to ensuring that our City remains a place where everyone feels heard, valued, and empowered to thrive.”

Suzuki, a family law attorney with more than a decade of legal experience, is a dedicated advocate committed to community service in La Mesa. She has served on the Community Services Commission and the La Mesa Park and Recreation Foundation Board.

“I'm honored to have been elected to represent our vibrant community and work with Mayor Arapostathis, Vice Mayor Patricia Dillard, and fellow Councilmembers Laura Lothian and Lauren Cazares,” said Councilmember Suzuki. “I look forward to making sure everyone feels heard and using my time on the City Council to continue the progress made by outgoing councilmembers Colin Parent and Jack Shu.”

The election of these new councilmembers by the people of La Mesa reflects the city’s diverse makeup, with women representing approximately 52% of the population. This milestone builds on the foundation set in 1980 when Jerri Lopez was elected La Mesa’s first female City Councilmember.

“History, history, and more history! I’m thrilled to have made history at Tuesday’s final City Council meeting of the year,” said Vice Mayor Patricia Dillard. “I’m especially excited to welcome our two new Councilmembers, Lauren Cazares and Genevieve Suzuki, as they were sworn in helping form a supermajority female council. Together, we will continue to represent our community with dedication and excellence. Four highly qualified women, each with diverse multicultural backgrounds, are poised to lead. Congratulations to us all!"

“I first attended La Mesa City Council meetings when the council comprised of Mayor Art Madrid and Councilmembers Dr. A, Ernie Ewin, Ruth Sterling and Dave Allen,” said Councilmember Laura Lothian. “Since then, our City Council has always been majority male. This new council, with four women and one man, will be very different and interesting. We are a diverse council, with a Greek mayor and the four councilmembers who are female, Black, Hispanic, and Asian.  My ethnic background is half Guatemalan and half English. We are also diverse in age, with Vice Mayor Dillard and I being grandmothers, Genevieve Suzuki as a young mom, and Lauren Cazares, the youngest councilmember elected since the 1970s!”

Cazares and Suzuki are replacing Colin Parent and Jack Shu on the City Council. Parent served on the City Council for eight years, where he focused on housing policies and championed labor initiatives. Shu served on the City Council for four years, earning recognition for his commitment to environmental advocacy.

The swearing-in ceremony took place during the City Council’s regular meeting.

The City encourages residents to engage with the new councilmembers and participate in upcoming City Council meetings. Meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers, located at 8130 Allison Ave., La Mesa.

East County News Service

January 8, 2025 (La Mesa) -- Forty-seven years after Wait Until Dark premiered on Broadway, Jeffrey Hatcher has adapted Frederick Knott's 1966 original, giving it a new setting. In 1944 Greenwich Village, Susan Hendrix, a blind yet capable woman, is imperiled by a trio of men in her own apartment. As the climax builds, Susan discovers that her blindness just might be the key to her escape, but she and her tormentors must wait until dark to play out this classic thriller's chilling conclusion.​

Lamplighters Theatre in La Mesa will present this updated twist on the classic thriller starting January 10 through February 2. Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.,  except on Saturday, January 18, there will bea  2 p.m. matinee only.

For tickets, visit  https://www.lamplighterslamesa.com/

By Michael Howard

Photo:  La Mesa City Councilmember Laura Lothian speaks during a January 14, 2025 City Council meeting. Screenshot from City of La Mesa meeting video.

January 19, 2025 (La Mesa, CA) - La Mesa City Councilmember Laura Lothian is calling for a “15-Strikes And You’re Out” policy to address the rising cost and associated risks of managing the homelessness crisis in the city.

“If you watch the [Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement] video on our website, they say, right there, that it takes at least 15 contacts before a person experiencing homelessness is ready to accept services,” Lothian reported during the January 14 City Council meeting. “My feeling is this,” the first-term council member continued. “If the City of La Mesa offers a homeless individual – approaches them – 15 times and offers them help, and 15 times that homeless person rejects that help, I think it’s time for the city to say you need to go,” she insisted. 

Lothian’s comments came during the City Council's consent calendar portion of the meeting, when the Council typically votes to approve agenda items in bulk.  La Mesa’s Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement (HOME) program’s 3rd Quarter report was an item on the calendar, prompting her to speak up. 

“Despite increased spending on La Mesa’s Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement program, the 2024 count for La Mesa showed a 47% increase in unsheltered homelessness compared to 2023,” Lothian began. “The program is not reducing homelessness in La Mesa and we keep doubling down,” she went on to say. “If the L.A. fires tell us anything, it’s time we stop wishing for results and start getting them with common sense.”

Lothian’s statement comes amid the ongoing, but now slowing spread of fires in the Los Angeles area. Lothian associated fire risk with homelessness in her remarks.

“According to the news I’ve been reading, 54% of the fires that the LA Fire Department responds to are started by the homeless.  NBC 7 investigation showed fire incident calls tied to homelessness is sharply on the rise in San Diego,” she cited.  

 It is true that a rising number of fires in L.A. are caused by homeless people; NBC Los Angeles reported last May that 13,909 fires in 2023 were tied to homelessness, double the prior year. However, according to Cal Fire, the cause of the major wildfires currently burning in L.A. have not yet been determined.  

A number of small fires locally have also started at homeless camps.  Most recently, according to a recent NBC 7 report, firefighters responded to a fire in El Cajon this past Wednesday that was started by a homeless man trying to stay warm, prompting warnings of a heightened risk of fires due to the cold and dry weather.

“When you have people that are homeless, and they're trying to survive outside, they will do what they need to do to try and stay warm. Sometimes that involves lighting a fire and, as we know, in these conditions, fires like that could potentially spread,” Heartland Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Todd Nelson said in the news story.

To offset homelessness in La Mesa, the La Mesa City Council in February of 2021 adopted the “2021-2026 Homeless Action Plan” that outlined a proactive approach where the city would take a more “direct role in day-to-day engagement and outreach with the La Mesa homeless population.”  The action plan is largely implemented through the HOME program, where the focus is to divert calls that would typically use city emergency and law enforcement services to this program that responds to nonemergency calls for service related to homelessness.

In the Quarter 3 2024 HOME report submitted to the January 14 La Mesa City Council meeting, the program reported a total of 6,246 instances of services to homeless individuals since 2020, 244 of those in Q3 2024. Additionally, the program has housed 177 people in this period, 4 of which were permanently housed in Q3 2024 and 2 temporarily housed in Q3 2024.

Photo:  Excerpt from La Mesa's HOME program Q3 2024 report, highlighting clients served in the program's efforts to stem homelessness in the city.  Courtesy of the City of La Mesa

La Mesa Police Chief Ray Sweeney also spoke on the issue, responding directly to councilmember Lothian’s suggestion to presumably remove homeless individuals from the city.

Photo: La Mesa Chief of Police Ray Sweeney addresses the City Council during its January 14, 2025 meeting; screenshot from City of La Mesa meeting video.

“There’s that balance, Councilmember, we have to make sure we’re not violating their rights, especially if they are not committing crimes – if they’re not doing anything any other member of the public would do in public,” he said. “The balance of different methods and the things in our toolbelt, like you can see I have here, these are all things we’re thinking about, so it’s not just a single approach of progressive engagement.”

Vice-Mayor Patrica Dillard praised the HOME program and Chief Sweeney, noting the complexities of homelessness.

“People have different reasons why they turn down help. A lot of the times we don’t learn what those reasons are, ever,” she disclosed. “I feel the Chief [Sweeney] nailed it on this issue, we’re never going to get all of the homeless off the streets, it’s just not going to happen.”

Dillard finished with a sharp retort. “I believe doing something, and also being able to produce results, is better than nothing, or just complaining,” she said.

Members of the public did not comment on the issue.

In other actions, the Council divided up internal and external committee commitments among themselves for the new year.

SOURCES 

Bremer • •, S. (2025, January 15). Dry, windy conditions in San Diego County raise concern over encampment fires. NBC 7 San Diego. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/san-diego-county-encampment-fire-concerns/3725144/

Cann, C. (n.d.). What caused the LA wildfires? Here’s what we know about the possible origins. USA TODAY. Retrieved January 17, 2025, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/01/15/what-caused-los-angeles-wildfires-california/77715865007/

City of La Mesa. (n.d.-a). 2021-2026  HOMELESS ACTION PLAN. https://www.cityoflamesa.us/DocumentCenter/View/17134/Homeless-Action-Plan

City of La Mesa. (n.d.-b). Archive Center • HOME Quarterly Reports. Retrieved January 17, 2025, from https://www.cityoflamesa.us/Archive.aspx?AMID=109&Type=&ADID

City of La Mesa. (n.d.-c). City Council—January 14, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025, from https://pub-lamesa.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=1c6ffa3c-b8f4-4626-bb67-aac9daee9e8d&Agenda=Agenda&lang=English&Item=9&Tab=attachments

City of La Mesa. (n.d.-d). HOME Program | La Mesa, CA - Official Website. Retrieved January 17, 2025, from https://www.cityoflamesa.us/1646/HOME-Program

City of La Mesa. (2024). City of La Mesa Homeless Outreach & Mobile Engagement (HOME) Program Quarterly Report: July – September 2024. https://pub-lamesa.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=17801

Doug Smith, James Queally, & Genaro Molina. (2021, May 12). LAFD: 54% of fire responses in first 3 months of 2021 related to homelessness. FireRescue1. https://www.firerescue1.com/fire-attack/articles/lafd-54-of-fire-responses-in-first-3-months-of-2021-related-to-homelessness-8pgDS8dKNw018Uyv/

Page • •, E. S. (2024, December 2). Homeless arsonist sparked 9 fires in November, including in East County: Cal Fire. NBC 7 San Diego. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/homeless-arsonist-sparked-9-fires-in-november-including-in-east-county-cal-fire/3689620/

Grover, Joel (2024, May 9. Up in flames: Rising number of homeless fires threaten L.A. neighborhoods. NBC 4 Los Angeles.  https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/la-homeless-encampment-fires-electrical-supply-wires/3408775/