Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

El Cajon promises on potholes

Facebook challenge met with cynicism

"Our app has a great response time."
"Our app has a great response time."

On April 22 and 23, the El Cajon Facebook page challenged those living there to hop onto their "My El Cajon" app and "mark every pothole you can find within our city limits and have our crew get them fixed next week. We’re bulking up on crews and supplies to take on every pothole in the City of El Cajon."

I downloaded the app recently, and under the "Requests and Issues" tab, a variety of options popped up: Abandoned Vehicle Violations, Code Violations, Illegal Lodging, Graffiti, other options, and Streets. Clicking on the Streets tab opens up Sidewalk Repair, Streets (Other), and Pothole/Street Repair.

Sponsored
Sponsored

While few were supportive of the city's reach out, they corroborated that El Cajon kept to its word over the weekend. Most residents who responded underneath the "El Cajon’s POTHOLE CHALLENGE!" post doubted the City coming through; Monique Halgrims wondered if it was "a ploy to get more traffic for your app?"

"Be careful on the 8 west before the 125."

A City of El Cajon employee quickly responded, "Yes! It’s a big government conspiracy secretly designed to give our residents a tool they’ve been asking to address their city requests in 48 hours or less by immediately directing such requests to the appropriate departments. You’re also welcome to leave your requests here on Facebook, but our social media teams don’t have many shovels in the office, so we’d strongly urge you to try the app!"

Another local, Elissa G., laughed at the pothole challenge and said in part, "What the heck does it matter? El Cajon should take care of it. Another shitty app that will not get anything done."

The City of El Cajon fired back, "Hi Elissa, it matters because we can’t spend El Cajon City taxpayers’ funds on non-El Cajon City roads. Our app has a great response time, with almost every request being completed in under 48 hours. The residents who use it have had amazing success."

Elissa called, "bullshit — no need to reply to me. You'll never change my mind. I have l[i]ved here too long."

Over the weekend, Michelle Metschel, an El Cajon Councilmember, posted photos of the challenge on her Facebook page. "We filled quite a few today," she said. "I tamped down a few spots. That tamper tool is kind of heavy for me, but I tried." Metschel posted a photo of city workers pointing out spots on a map with what appears to be 11 potholes which they were going to assess.

El Cajon has about 400 miles of street lanes, and pothole repair requests were five times higher this year than in previous years, East County Magazine reported before the weekend.

The city added, in a video, that water percolating through cracks in the roadway is the beginning of the formation of potholes. Add utility lines repairs in the perimeter, traffic, and East County's higher temperatures, and the gaps in the pavement enlarge. Then the water washes away the sub-base underneath the streets' asphalt, the pavement collapses, and a pothole is born.

In February, Victor V. warned his fellow El Cajon neighbors, "Be careful on the 8 west before the 125, near the construction zone; the very right lane that was under construction last week has a giant pothole, and I saw a few cars having tire problems. Azure A. corroborated: "We saw five cars all pulled over at the same time fixing issues with their tires at the exact location."

"Potholes can not only impact your tire rim, but they can damage your suspension," said Doug Shupe of the Auto Club of Southern California in a recent ABC 7 News story. "And on average, the cost of a pothole repair ... varies between $250 to more than $1,000."

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The Art Of Dr. Seuss, Boarded: A New Pirate Adventure, Wild Horses Festival

Events December 26-December 30, 2024
Next Article

East San Diego County has only one bike lane

So you can get out of town – from Santee to Tierrasanta
"Our app has a great response time."
"Our app has a great response time."

On April 22 and 23, the El Cajon Facebook page challenged those living there to hop onto their "My El Cajon" app and "mark every pothole you can find within our city limits and have our crew get them fixed next week. We’re bulking up on crews and supplies to take on every pothole in the City of El Cajon."

I downloaded the app recently, and under the "Requests and Issues" tab, a variety of options popped up: Abandoned Vehicle Violations, Code Violations, Illegal Lodging, Graffiti, other options, and Streets. Clicking on the Streets tab opens up Sidewalk Repair, Streets (Other), and Pothole/Street Repair.

Sponsored
Sponsored

While few were supportive of the city's reach out, they corroborated that El Cajon kept to its word over the weekend. Most residents who responded underneath the "El Cajon’s POTHOLE CHALLENGE!" post doubted the City coming through; Monique Halgrims wondered if it was "a ploy to get more traffic for your app?"

"Be careful on the 8 west before the 125."

A City of El Cajon employee quickly responded, "Yes! It’s a big government conspiracy secretly designed to give our residents a tool they’ve been asking to address their city requests in 48 hours or less by immediately directing such requests to the appropriate departments. You’re also welcome to leave your requests here on Facebook, but our social media teams don’t have many shovels in the office, so we’d strongly urge you to try the app!"

Another local, Elissa G., laughed at the pothole challenge and said in part, "What the heck does it matter? El Cajon should take care of it. Another shitty app that will not get anything done."

The City of El Cajon fired back, "Hi Elissa, it matters because we can’t spend El Cajon City taxpayers’ funds on non-El Cajon City roads. Our app has a great response time, with almost every request being completed in under 48 hours. The residents who use it have had amazing success."

Elissa called, "bullshit — no need to reply to me. You'll never change my mind. I have l[i]ved here too long."

Over the weekend, Michelle Metschel, an El Cajon Councilmember, posted photos of the challenge on her Facebook page. "We filled quite a few today," she said. "I tamped down a few spots. That tamper tool is kind of heavy for me, but I tried." Metschel posted a photo of city workers pointing out spots on a map with what appears to be 11 potholes which they were going to assess.

El Cajon has about 400 miles of street lanes, and pothole repair requests were five times higher this year than in previous years, East County Magazine reported before the weekend.

The city added, in a video, that water percolating through cracks in the roadway is the beginning of the formation of potholes. Add utility lines repairs in the perimeter, traffic, and East County's higher temperatures, and the gaps in the pavement enlarge. Then the water washes away the sub-base underneath the streets' asphalt, the pavement collapses, and a pothole is born.

In February, Victor V. warned his fellow El Cajon neighbors, "Be careful on the 8 west before the 125, near the construction zone; the very right lane that was under construction last week has a giant pothole, and I saw a few cars having tire problems. Azure A. corroborated: "We saw five cars all pulled over at the same time fixing issues with their tires at the exact location."

"Potholes can not only impact your tire rim, but they can damage your suspension," said Doug Shupe of the Auto Club of Southern California in a recent ABC 7 News story. "And on average, the cost of a pothole repair ... varies between $250 to more than $1,000."

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The Art Of Dr. Seuss, Boarded: A New Pirate Adventure, Wild Horses Festival

Events December 26-December 30, 2024
Next Article

Operatic Gender Wars

Are there any operas with all-female choruses?
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader