La Mesa City Council

By Miriam Raftery

March 29, 2025 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Councilmember Laura Lothian will host a town hall community discussion on a battery storage facility proposed on El Paso St. The town hall will take place Wednesday, April 9 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Brew Coffee Spot, 6101 Lake Murray Blvd.

Heartland Fire Chief Brent Koch, Heartland Acting Fire Marshall Rebecca Winscott, and La Msa Director of Community Development Lynette Santos will also participate in the discussion.

Battery storage facilities are key to expanding renewable energy production such as wind and solar energy, enabling power to be utilized even when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow.

But lithium ion battery storage facilites have also sparked fires, most notably a fire at a large battery storage site in Otay Mesa, where some nearby businesses had to evacuate for two weeks.

La Mesa City Manager Greg Humora has said that the proposed La Mesa site would be smaller and compartmentalized, with other safeguards to reduce fire risk, as ECM reported.

But the La Mesa site is directly adjacent to homes, with shopping and businesses also close by, raising concerns from residents and property owners over potential negative impacts.

The town hall is an opportunity for area residents to ask questions and learn more.

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Wildfire and Emergency News

Communities

March 2025 Articles

“It could happen, at any water system in the United States. The systems were not designed for what we what we witnessed in L.A.,” says Helix Water District general manager Brian Olney, though Helix has taken steps to reduce risk

By Karen Pearlman

March 20, 2025 (La Mesa) -- The city of La Mesa is being proactive on educating residents on emergency situations for water needs in case of out-of-control wildfires such as the January blazes that devastated Los Angeles County. Concerns about fires and lack of water to fight them led to elected officials in the city of La Mesa to have Helix Water District share insight and information about protection in a presentation at the March 11 City Council meeting.

Reports are still coming in, but the fires earlier this year in Los Angeles are thought to have caused an estimated $250 billion in total damages, with more than 18,000 homes and structures destroyed. While the fires were aided by drought conditions, low humidity, a buildup of vegetation and hurricane-like winds, part of the equation also included local infrastructure issues, troubles tapping into water, and empty fire hydrants and reservoirs.

“I know there’s been a lot of confusion after the fires and a lot of questions about what goes on,” said Helix Water District General Manager Brian Olney (photo, right). “Are we prepared? Yes, we’re prepared for what we know can happen.” He added, “The events in in Los Angeles obviously really put some visuals and some things into our minds about what really happens in a water system, and ‘Can that happen here with us?’ I think it opens us up to have really healthy discussions about ‘What are the expectations?’ and ‘What can a water system survive?’”

Olney explained that fire hydrants can run out of water during high demand. He said while the systems are designed to meet current standards, urban wildfires’ demands “far exceeds whatever was expected or possibly anticipated in terms of the design of that system.”

Most urban water systems are not designed to fight wildfires, he said. Urban water systems are designed to meet normal and peak demands, and provide water to fight fires for two to four hours. 

He said when several fire trucks are hooked up to a fire hydrant to put out fires at several homes, the system can manage that for multiple hours at a time, “but when you have 50 fire hydrants that run into a neighborhood and they’re hitting every fire hydrant in place, there’s no chance that there will be enough water left in that system.”

Olney said some homeowners who leave their homes during a fire turn on their irrigation systems, putting added demand onto the system, overwhelming and outpacing the pumping capacity designed into the systems.

“So could this happen in La Mesa?” Olney asked. “Yes, it could. It could happen, at any water system in the United States. The systems were not designed for what we what we witnessed in L.A.”

La Mesa City Councilmember Patricia Dillard (photo, right) asked Olney about protection needs, especially concerning some of the more hilly areas of the city.

“We definitely have the capacity to go out and we can turn valves, we can isolate systems, we can turn water off in an area that doesn’t need the water, and kind of focus it,” Olney said. “We can isolate certain things, but we currently don’t have technology installed in our system where we can shut off an individual house in that area and not to have all the water just go to the to the fire hydrants. “There is some technology that exists out there that does allow you to shut off individual homes, but it’s quite expensive and so we’re not quite down that path yet.”

Olney said the district is in touch with local fire chiefs from Heartland Fire, Lakeside Fire Protection and San Miguel Fire districts. “We’re not only working them on a daily basis to let them know what we’re doing in our system, where we’re taking things out of service so they would have kind of reduced flow, but we’re also working with them on ideas,” Olney said. ‘How do we improve the communication?’ ‘What information do they need moving forward to help these types of responses?’”

He said the fire districts are aware that Helix can provide data in real time of where there might be issues in the water system, and can direct them to another part of the system that has capacity to help them plan on what resources they need.

“We absolutely can have crews out in the field and we can manipulate areas of the system to kind of redirect water where we need it so that it is there,” he said, adding that the Helix crews and firefighters can open and close the 16,000 valves and 6,600 hydrants in Helix’s water distribution system.

While Helix Water District hasn’t been tested in fight major wildfires, other water agencies in San Diego County have. Several faced issues in losing portions of their water system, running out of water during the major wildfires that hit the region in 2003 and 2007.

As part of its strategy to keep that from happening, Helix “has shared resources agreements with all the municipalities and water agencies so we can share people, equipment, emergency response mechanisms,” Olney told the Council.

He said Helix has a direct link to San Diego Gas & Electric, and also stays ahead of things like power outages. Its system can be backed up and run either through stationary or mobile power generation systems. The district has installed diesel-powered, backup generators at critical sites.

City Council member Laura Lothian (photo, right) said she thought one of the most shocking stories from the L.A. fires was the empty Santa Ynez Reservoir, a 117-million-gallon water resource near Pacific Palisades that was under renovation and empty when the fires ripped through the region.

She asked about the amount of water that would be available at Lake Jennings and Olney said the district keeps 75 days’ worth at minimum. He said that currently the reservoir is holding about 130 days’ worth of water.

“We’re not going to run out of water in terms of putting water into the system,” he said. “All the water in there is what we’ve purchased to put in there so it’s completely manipulated and managed by the district itself.”

The district has invested and continues to invest in diverse, reliable water supplies to ensure that the region has the water it needs. Its water comes primarily from the Colorado River and the state water project in Northern California as well as Lake Jennings, the El Capitan Reservoir and Lake Cuyamaca. Its water suppliers also include the Carlsbad Desalination Plant and the Emergency Storage and Carryover Project.

Helix Water District is the second largest water utility in the county, serving more than 275,000 people in La Mesa, Lemon Grove, El Cajon and other areas in the county.

La Mesa

La Mesa City Council

Community Police Oversight Board

News

Politics

Communities

February 2025 Articles

By Michael Howard

Photo: La Mesa City Councilmember Lauren Cazares speaking at the January 28, 2025 city council meeting. Courtesy of City of La Mesa

February 21, 2025 (La Mesa) – Citizens of La Mesa are speaking out about the appointment of retired Battalion Chief Dave Hardenburger to the Community Police Oversight Board (CPOB) last week when, without the proper notice and ignoring eligibility requirements, the City Council voted 5-0 to place him on the oversight body during the January 28, 2025 council meeting.

“You have flaunted, dodged and disrespected the rules set forth by the Community Police Oversight Board (CPOB) that is in place to serve your community,” Mairs Ryan wrote during the public comment portion of the Council’s next meeting. “Shame on you,” she admonished the Council before signing her name.

Photo, right: attendee Andy Trimlett of the February 11, 2025 La Mesa City Council meeting speaks out against an appointment to the Community Police Oversight Board. Courtesy of City of La Mesa

According to California code GOV 54974, the Council is prohibited from appointing new members to boards without first providing notice for at least 10 days, presumably to allow others to apply. While it is unclear whether the law applies to any vacancy or specifically only unscheduled vacancies, following this rule can prevent the appearance of collusion. That’s when agreements are allegedly made outside of the prescribed official process, which, whether actually true, or only having the appearance of being true, can have the same effect.

After the appointment of Chief Hardenburger on January 28, the City Council met on Tuesday, February 11 for its bi-monthly, regularly scheduled Council meeting. Public comments from in-person speakers kicked off when Andy Trimlett got right to the point, saying the La Mesa City Council is beginning to build a reputation.

“The city of La Mesa is starting to get the appearance that their hand-selecting people for the oversight board,” he accused the Council members.

“There are people that are showing up here who don’t even come to an interview, and they are getting selected,” Andy C continued. “This has happened more than once,” he claimed. “What does that say about us as a community?” he asked the Council.

Photo, left: Gene Carpenter speaks out against latest Community Police Oversight Board appointment during February 11, 2025 La Mesa City Council meeting. Courtesy of City of La Mesa

But it’s not just the appearance of collusion that has drawn attention to the appointment. Also at issue is Chief Hardenburger’s recent retirement as Fire Captain for the city of La Mesa and his role as Battalion Chief. The city’s statute that outlines the requirements for placement on the CPOB restricts public safety officers from appointment to the board for five years once they’ve left public service in that role.

According to Chief Hardenburger’s social media accounts, he reports retiring as Fire Captain in 2023, and is listed as an active Battalion Chief, both of which designate him as ineligible according to the La Mesa city municipal code.

East County Magazine reached out to Mayor Mark Arapostathis and City Attorney Glenn Sabine for comment, but neither returned email or phone calls.

The outrage of the Council’s move appeared widespread. Longstanding citizen activist Gene Carpenter spoke, visibly upset from the podium Tuesday about the issue.

“I want to thank you Mayor, and you, Patricia Dillard, Assistant Mayor, for not doing your job,” he rebuked them both pointedly.

Mayor Arapostathis and Assistant Mayor Dillard made up the subcommittee who put forth the recommendations for the Council to vote for appointments to the CPOB on January 28. The pair did not pass along an application from Janet Castaños, who co-founded the CPOB and has acted as both Chair and Vice Chair since 2021.

Even the other City Council members seemed surprised when the nomination was announced. Newly elected City Council member Lauren Cazares, before voting to approve the appointment of Hardenburger, expressed her bewilderment.

Speaking of Hardenburger’s nomination, she said, “[That] one is tricky. I was not aware that there were two [nominations] until this evening,” she said before going on to praise nominee Castaños.

Photo, right: retired Fire Captain and current Battalion Chief Dave Hardenburger, recently appointed to the Community Police Oversight Board amid citizen outcry. View an interview with Battalion Chief Hardenburger during a fire at a local nursing home in this video.

“Before we vote on this, I just wanted to thank Janet,” the councilmember stated, noting Castaños wasn’t present, but continued anyway.

“She’s really been an asset on that board,” Cazares declared.

Castaños, in an email to supporters, raised these objections.

“I was designated by the Helix Charter High School administration to serve as their representative, The newly selected member was not. submitted all the necessary paperwork and letters from the high school administration by the imposed deadline. The newly selected member did not.I was invited to present myself at the prior city council meeting to allow the council to know more about me and to ask any questions, The newly selected member was not.The Helix High administration did not know of the newly selected member's application nor did they send any letter identifying this person as their designee on the CPOB.”

Castaños told ECM that she has reached out to the City Attorney with her concerns.

SOURCES

California Legislative Information. (n.d.-a). California Code, GOV 54974. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=54974.&lawCode=GOV

California Legislative Information. (n.d.-b). California Code, PEN 830.37. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=830.37.&nodeTreePath=5.5.6&lawCode=PEN

City of La Mesa. (n.d.-a). Chapter 2.30—COMMUNITY POLICE OVERSIGHT BOARD | Code of Ordinances | La Mesa, CA | Municode Library. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://library.municode.com/ca/la_mesa/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT2ADGO_CH2.30COPOOVBO

City of La Mesa. (n.d.-b). City Council—February 11, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://pub-lamesa.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=75ab4db9-9693-40b1-a774-2d4919e05c4f&Agenda=Agenda&lang=English&Item=9&Tab=comments

LinkedIn. (n.d.). Dave Hardenburger | LinkedIn. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-hardenburger-29904878/

Public Comment. https://pub-lamesa.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=75ab4db9-9693-40b1-a774-2d4919e05c4f&lang=English&Agenda=Agenda&Item=9&Tab=attachments

February 2025 Articles

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

Read more about LA MESA CITY FEES WILL INCREASE NEARLY 25% IN 2025
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December 2024 Articles

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.

January 2025 Articles

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/

January 2025 Articles

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

Source: City of La Mesa

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

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TOWN HALL APRIL 9 ON PROPOSED BATTERY STORAGE FACILITY IN LA MESA

COULD OUR REGION RUN OUT OF WATER IN A MAJOR WILDFIRE, AS HAPPENED WHEN L.A. FIRE HYDRANTS RAN DRY? HELIX WATER SHARES INFORMATION WITH LA MESA’S CITY COUNCIL

‘SHAME ON YOU’: CITIZENS DECRY LA MESA CITY COUNCIL’S DISREGARD FOR LAW IN APPOINTING BATTALION CHIEF TO POLICE OVERSIGHT BOARD

LA MESA CITY FEES WILL INCREASE NEARLY 25% IN 2025

LA MESA SETS HISTORIC FIRST WITH DIVERSE CITY COUNCIL THAT INCLUDES FOUR WOMEN, LATINA, ASIAN, BLACK, AND LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATIVES

LA MESA CITY COUNCILMEMBER LAURA LOTHIAN CALLS FOR “15-STRIKES AND YOUR OUT” HOMELESSNESS POLICY

LA MESA SETS HISTORIC FIRST WITH DIVERSE CITY COUNCIL THAT INCLUDES FOUR WOMEN, LATINA, ASIAN, BLACK, AND LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATIVES

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