April 19, 2015 (Ramona) – You’re invited to East County Magazine’s Spanish Fiesta celebration on Sunday, April 26^th from 12-2 p.m. at the beautiful Hacienda de las Rosas Winery in Ramona!

Your ticket includes wonderful wine-tasting, live flamenco guitar music by Myles Moynier, Peruvian Paso equestrian demonstration by Jorge Valenzuela, fabulous lunch by Jeremy’s on the Hill, delightful desserts from Grove Pastry Shop,  plus a silent auction and fabulous opportunity drawing prizes!

This event is limited to our subscribers--subscribe free at http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/wild-fire-alerts for our weekly newsletter, wildfire alerts or both.  Proceeds benefit our wildfire reporting for fire season. 

RSVP by Wednesday to enter a drawing for a Spanish guitar CD by the famous Romeros family. 

SDG&E will also be on hand with free gifts and energy saving tips.

For detail on the event, our fabulous line-up of prizes and more, click "read more" and scroll down.

Fabulous prizes! Olaf Wieghorst signed Western print, barbecue grill and accessories, Hacienda de las Rosas wine basket, happy hour at Hatfield Creek Vineyard, Ramona Ranch Vineyard wine, vintage jewelry from Antiques in the Village, arrowhead jewelry from Mountain Gypsy, earrings from Warm Hearth, Hand-wove scarves from Weaving Works in Santa Ysabel, gift certificate from Kathy’s Dress Shop, Array Mbira music lessons, guitar or vocal lessons from Ed Barrena, craft items, gift baskets, tickets to Julian Wild & Scenic Film Festival, tickets to Sage & Songbirds garden tour and festival, Circle Players "Cafe Murder" theater tickets, wine and tastings from Woof 'n' Rose Winery, and more!

Photo courtesy of ECM news partner 10 News

East County News Service

April 24, 2015 (El Cajon )  --An El Cajon mother is heartbroken after thieves stole her baby daughter’s cremated ashes.

April 23, 2015 (Lakeside) – Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy invites you to honor your Mom by helping Mother Nature.  Come help clean up the riverbed on Sunday, May 10^th and all Moms present will receive a Mother’s Day Card and packet of seeds to start her own butterfly garden.

April 22, 2015 (El Cajon)—El Cajon has rolled back its sales tax from 9% to 8.5% due to the sunsetting of Proposition O, a temporary sales tax that helped build public safety facilities and more.

Source: La Mesa Chamber of Commerce

April 23, 2015 (La Mesa) – La Mesa Chamber members and local business owners joined together on Tuesday, April 14th to learn of upcoming Chamber activities and hear from the guest speaker, Supervisor Dianne Jacob. 

Supervisor Jacob shared her accomplishments from the past several years, discussed new ordinances for agricultural activities within the county and shared her new passion, The Alzheimer's Project: A Call To Arms.

The Supervisor shared the startling statistics of the negative and detrimental impact of this disease. Supervisor Jacob also informed the audience that not only does Alzheimer's impact the deterioration in the health of the patient, but it has a huge negative impact on the family members that are care givers. She is encouraging partners on this project and challenged groups to come on board and be a part of this project.

By Miriam Raftery

April 20, 2015 (Ramona)--Move over, Babe Ruth.  There’s a new pitcher-slugger on the mound.

April 19, 2015 (San Diego's East County) - The 9^th annual Campo-Lake Morena Roundup is set to be held on Saturday, May 2^nd at the Camp Lockett Event and Equesterian Facility (799 Forrest Gate Rd.) in Campo. Gates open at 7 a.m. with opening ceremonies at 9 a.m. and presentation of this year’s grand marshall at 10 a.m. Period costumes are welcome.

April 20, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) -- A project to rehabilitate the pavement on the main lanes, shoulders and ramps on State Route 67 from Interstate 8 to the San Diego River Bridge north of Mapleview Street is scheduled to begin Monday.  The work will also include installation of new guardrail and concrete barrier.

East County News Service

April 19, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)—From beekeeping to mobile home park expansion, here are the hot items on local city council agendas this week in Lemon Grove and Santee.

East County News

April 19, 2015 (Ramona) –Vineyard Grant James in Ramona announces a series of events. Whether your tastes run to a winemakers’ dinner to a mother’s day weekend with flowers and chocolates for Mom, you’ll find plenty to savor. The winery also offers a yoga and writing regreat, gourmet foodie potluck, a fundraiser for Ramona high school and a summer of sangria kick-off at the winery, as well as several events off-site.  In addition, Grant James has live music every Sunday afternoon.

For a full list of events and details, click read more and scroll down.

April 17, 2015 (Rancho San Diego)--Six homegrown bands playing an eclectic mix of folk, jazz, pop and rock will perform on two stages on the grand lawn of Cuyamaca College at the Coyote Music Festival noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 2. Now in its seventh year, the entirely student-run festival will provide the community a free afternoon of live music by local talent in a family-friendly venue, where picnic blankets and lawn chairs are the best seats in the house.

By Miriam Raftery

April 17, 2015 (El Cajon) --  Recently, Citizens Oversight founder Ray Lutz challenged the city of El Cajon’s allocation of community development block grant funds to the East County Transitional Living Center for programs that benefit homeless people seeking to get off the streets. In a complaint sent to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Lutz argued that the program was illegal due to church-state separation requirements of the U.S. Constitution.

April 17, 2015 (La Mesa) –On the Edge Art Gallery invites the public to Metamorphosis: a time of renewal and regeneration.  This local artists’ gathering and art sale will be held on May 23 from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

April 16, 2015 (La Mesa)--Thirty years ago, a group of surfers from Malibu, California, were concerned about the health risks associated with environmental threats posed by escalating coastal development at their favorite surf spot. They took action. Not even they could have envisioned the history they were making when they succeeded in protecting their beloved surf spot.

April 14, 2015 (El Cajon)—Communities Against Substance Abuse (CASA) and the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce are offering a training program for stores on how to avoid selling alcohol to minors.  A recent sting operation by El Cajon Police found 18 of 66 stores selling alcohol to minors – and three stores did it twice.