March 2010 La Mesa Blog Posts (19)

Mining Gems at the Antique Faire

LA MESA VILLAGE – From a distance, the gathering of tents along La Mesa Boulevard looks like all such gatherings – crafts, foods, popcorn, arts and some music. But this week’s La Mesa Antique Faire had hidden treasures that made walking the street for this affair far more enjoyable. Consider just these gems mined from among the merchants obsessed and enthralled by specialties some of us didn’t know existed:

 Cat Frazier of North Park was sitting comfortably in… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 28, 2010 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Police Make Arrest in Car Break-In

LA MESA – Police Saturday night made some quick progress in combating the recent spate of car break-ins.

Police received a call at about 11:30 p.m. that a car had been broken into on Echo Drive, a street not far from downtown La Mesa that runs near highway 125.

A La Mesa woman told police a Filipino male had broken the passenger window of her vehicle and ran from the area carrying property stolen from the car.

The victim’s boyfriend followed the suspect, ultimately… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 28, 2010 at 9:00am — No Comments

Things Spring To Life On Mt. Helix

MT. HELIX – Spring has officially sprung and one sure sign of that is the steady increase in people making their way up Mt. Helix at all times of the day.

Not that winter is a bad time to be up there – watching storms cycle through from our heights may be most engaging time to be up on the hill.

Still, as the temperature climbs, so do the visitor numbers and the Mt. Helix Foundation has several events scheduled that will swell the numbers even more:

• April… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 26, 2010 at 9:08pm — No Comments

Car Burglaries Vexing Residents, City Police

FLETCHER PARKWAY – A rash of car burglaries in recent weeks has La Mesa police advising local residents to take special precautions to protect vehicles and possessions.

The car break-ins have happened in areas throughout the city but, police say, have a familiar pattern. The thieves target a small area and several cars will have windows smashed and possessions stolen. The thefts generally occur in the late evening and up until sunrise.

Areas that have been particularly hard hit… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 24, 2010 at 6:20pm — No Comments

Pooches Get The Boot From Athletic Facilities

LA MESA – The open space for dogs in La Mesa is getting a little tighter.

The City Council last night asked city staff to begin the process of making it illegal for dog owners to walk their pets on the many baseball and athletic fields located on city land.

Local athletic leagues complained of investing thousands of dollars to rehabilitate baseball diamonds, soccer fields and football facilities, only to find the new fields damaged by animal urine and feces. Officials of the newly… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 23, 2010 at 10:28pm — No Comments

Bag Giveaway Enters Phase II

LA MESA -- The La Mesa Youth Advisory Commission gave away several hundred bags at a recent Friday Farmer's Market in La Mesa to promote the use of reuseable bags at grocery stores.

The group reported virtually everyone willing to take the bags, which were provided free, but they will judge at their next visit to the Farmer's Market whether the effort is -- ah -- bearing fruit, so to speak.

The youths will return to the market on April 9 with several hundred more bags to… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 23, 2010 at 6:00am — No Comments

Fun with Physics Event Draws Crowd

Children from throughout La Mesa streamed into Highwood Park Saturday for hands on lessons in the laws of physics. It was a sunny day filled with bubbles, balloons and a touch of Sir Isaac… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 20, 2010 at 9:00pm — No Comments

A Call to Focus on Pension Reform

City Finances - Originally Posted by Russell Buckley

I attended the City's Strategic Planning meeting last Thursday. It is a good opportunity for citizens to get a lot of information about what the City is doing - I commend the City Council and City Manager for opening it to the public. Unfortunately I counted only three or four attendees who weren't city employees. Put it on your calendar for next year!

The City is in a tight fiscal position - my idea of one way to… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 20, 2010 at 8:30pm — 3 Comments

La Mesa Village Merchants Want Flower Power

LA MESA VILLAGE -- Some members of the La Mesa Village Merchants Association want the city to loosen its grip on the money it takes in from parking meters in the business district.

Specifically they are asking that the city use some of the $377,000 in the parking fund to maintain flowers in the 44 planters along La Mesa Boulevard.

“We need to be more charming,’’ said Laura Lothian, who also complained about trash and graffiti proliferating in the village… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 18, 2010 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Talk of Tough Times Dominates La Mesa City Planning Session

La Mesa Mayor Art Madrid began today’s annual strategic planning meeting with a dire warning. Continuing financial problems at the state and local level will force difficult decisions and may require further consolidation of services with other municipalities. Adjusting to the “new normal,’’ he said, will keep local government struggling to maintain services. His address follows:

By Art Madrid

Today’s workshop is going to be unlike… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 18, 2010 at 8:30pm — 4 Comments

Going to School on The Great Game of Golf

SUN VALLEY GOLF COURSE – It is not unusual for a school to have a parent fundraising golf tournament – with the traditional hole sponsors, closest to the pin contests, raffles and auction.

It is, however, quite unusual to have the students join their parents for the event.

That was the scene Sunday afternoon at La Mesa’s municipal pitch and putt – a nine hole course tucked in between I-8 and the city’s Community Center.

More than 60 fathers,… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 14, 2010 at 9:30pm — 1 Comment

Peter Pan Ready to Fly!

LA MESA -- The months of practice are nearing an end. The sets are built. The lines are learned. And Peter Pan Junior Theater's 40th Anniversary season is ready to launch with a performance of Peter Pan!

The show opens Wednesday, March 24, at 7 p.m. with shows Thursday, Friday and two shows on Saturday. Theater officials say the $12 tickets are selling well, particularly for the Friday and Saturday shows and they are hoping the community will… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 11, 2010 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Arrests Made in Park Fight

NORTHMONT PARK – La Mesa police say it started with some young men fighting over a girl.

It ended Wednesday with a victim still struggling for life in a hospital and three teens facing felony charges – including attempted murder.

According to La Mesa Police search warrants were executed at three homes as part of an investigation following the late night fight on March 6 in the park near Severin Drive. As a result, Anthony Long, 19, of El Cajon, and two juvenile males from El… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 11, 2010 at 10:00am — No Comments

Park Station Study Gets a Slow Start

LA MESA – The Park Station project proposed for downtown La Mesa continues to cook slowly through the oversight processes of city government.

City officials said the Environmental Impact Report being prepared on the project got off to a slow start because construction delays on the new police station project (lots of rain) has slowed the process of finishing the road improvements along Baltimore and University.

City officials don’t want to do the traffic study –… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 10, 2010 at 7:00pm — 1 Comment

Words of Wisdom from a La Mesa Elder Statesman

LA MESA -- The City Council took a few minutes to put financial worries and public projects aside to honor one of La Mesa's elder statesmen -- former Mayor George Bailey. The Council honored the former mayor on his 91st birthday and Bailey took a few minutes to offer some perspective to the city's current leaders.

"You never get done with it,'' Bailey said of public service. "City government will be around 100 years from now and they'll be worrying about the problems you were supposed to… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 9, 2010 at 6:30pm — No Comments

Miss La Mesa and Miss Teen La Mesa 2010 Announced!

On Friday, March 5, 2010 the city of La Mesa held one of their most grand traditions, the Miss La Mesa and Miss Teen La Mesa Pageants. The programs have been a tradition in the cities since the late 1950’s and is an outstanding mentoring program for young women. Honorable Mayor Art Madrid and Councilmember Dave Allan…

Continue

Added by Alexandra Stathoulis Kuty on March 8, 2010 at 10:40am — No Comments

Cops Nab Suspect in Sunday Afternoon Robbery

DALLAS STREET – The open season on La Mesa’s gas stations and convenience stores just got a little less open.

La Mesa police at about 3:45 p.m. Sunday received a call that the Shell Station at 9090 Dallas Street had been robbed by a black male who demanded cash and fled in a van.

Officers responding saw a van heading west on Dallas. The van was stopped and police said the driver matched the description of the robber. The suspect was later identified by witnesses as the man who… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 7, 2010 at 5:50pm — No Comments

Economy’s ‘Second Wave’ Hitting Schools

LA MESA – The economic recession that devastated local real estate and other companies over the last 24 months is now spreading its venom through the public sector. The most obvious victims – our public schools.

The decline in state revenues and the limitations of the famed Proposition 13 have resulted in a wave of new cuts rolling downhill from Sacramento like a financial tsunami. As we speak:

 The La Mesa-Spring Valley school board is readying layoff notices to… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 6, 2010 at 12:35pm — No Comments

Letter Outlines District's Intentions Toward Helix High

HELIX HIGH SCHOOL – The Superintendent of the Grossmont Union High School District has issued a public letter to set the stage for the next development in the challenges being faced by Helix High School.

The letter from Robert J. Collins outlines the district’s position in advance of a public hearing in which Helix High, a charter school that operates autonomously within the Grossmont Union district, could face having the district revoke its support for the charter that allows… Continue

Added by La Mesa Today on March 6, 2010 at 8:30am — No Comments

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The Wall Street Journal

Over 50 percent of Americans expect home prices to rise

More than half of Americans now expect the country’s home prices to climb within the next year, illustrating a growing optimism toward the health of the housing industry, according to new data from Fannie Mae. Read the full story.

Los Angeles Times

Some homes are slow to sell even in the hottest markets

With full-fledged sellers’ markets underway in dozens of metropolitan areas around the country, new research has found curious statistical patterns emerging: Even in cities where listings get multiple offers within days or hours, significant numbers of homes are sitting on the market for six months, 12 months, or more with no takers. Among the reasons: Mispricing, excessive restrictions on access to buyers and agents, failure to clean or make repairs, and a variety of other marketing bungles. Read the full story.

The Wall Street Journal
Principal forgiveness could reduce costs for taxpayers
Allowing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to reduce loan balances for borrowers who owe more than their homes are worth could ultimately reduce mortgage defaults and save the government money, according to a report by the Congressional Budget Office. Read the full story.