El Cajon Stories
Video:FEAST!: Syrian treat maker Hakmi Sweets makes Dubai chocolate barsSmooth chocolate on the outside, crunchy, gooey, and green on the inside. People who are very online will have heard of …
In the early hours of October 13, a quiet neighborhood along Marline Avenue in El Cajon was jolted awake by fire trucks and first responders. 911 Video News was among …
It's been decades since El Cajon banished new bars from its downtown — now it wants to bring them back. Faced with a night life that's been nodding off for …
On a sweltering El Cajon evening this past summer, I found myself inside Testo Pepesto, the Main Street Italian restaurant. As I waited for the hostess, I inspected a wall …
El Cajon Stories
El Cajon officials say the city is being swamped by 911 calls that aren't real emergencies. That is, no one leaves in an ambulance or requires medical aid.The calls are random, some medical, some not, …
The El Cajon City Council has approved 132 new condos on a lot on East Main Street that could hold 209 units.Lennar's townhomes are expected to fill a need for moderate-income workforce housing, which company …
An El Cajon City Council discussion of panhandling signs last week turned into a debate about messaging and addiction."I'm close to the line of shaming somebody who happens to be struggling with something," said councilmember …
“Wygdjgedy Gilmour hednkjehuicehk amplifier cmoiewjcpew.” That’s not my cat walking on the keyboard, but rather an estimation of what I hear from behind me as two people carry on a conversation at normal talking volume, …
Above the intersection were Mollison and Broadway collide in El Cajon floats an orange ball, planetary, emblazoned with a sapphire 76. From the sign on the Rocket mini-mart below, a rocket blasts off toward the …
In the streets of San Diego County, a shady trend is on the rise—sneaker thefts. But these aren't your average shoe burglaries; we're speaking of sneakers that cost as much as a home rental payment. …
As I make my way up the long and very dark climber’s trail toward El Cajon mountain, I can’t help but think of ghosts. Part of it is the place: there’s another path up to …
In San Diego, Gen Z-ers, those born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, are better off renting. But they aren't exactly well off renting, either."Felt like I was living in a vacation place and …
It had been decided: we had to steal a car. I was 15 years old, and therefore without a driver’s license. It did not matter. Megadeth was playing in Minneapolis. Two high school homies and …
On January 23, a female entered the Walmart on Fletcher Parkway and packed her shopping cart with different products, according to the El Cajon Police Department. Around 6 pm that Tuesday, the woman pushed the …
Video:TIN FORK: Sultan Baklava's Turkish hospitalityIt’s morning in El Cajon. But it could almost be morning in Istanbul. I’m here sipping Turkish coffee among Turkish folk in a gold-trimmed maroon room in the oldest building …
It’s an evening in early October, and Charli King, co-founder of Pawsitive Teams, is opening a new class for dog owners, canines in tow, who aspire to help people in need. That need is great …
“It’s time for the city to take a hard look at and update its police practices for modern times,” said Mayor Todd Gloria on April 9, 2021. He declared his intention to make “common sense …
Having to give up a pet to find housing is one reason many people stay on the street. El Cajon is looking to remove that barrier, city officials said in a meeting last week."A lot …
On September 7, the El Cajon Police Department received an automated license plate recognition notice of a stolen 2016 Hyundai Sonata by Mollison Avenue and Chase Avenue. The officers in the vicinity spotted and stopped …
Eleven years ago, an Associated Press story kicked off global news coverage declaring a “Burger boom in Baghdad.” The story documented a growing popularity of American fast foods in post-war Iraq, including fried chicken and …
When I woke up, I didn’t know this would be the day I would try a date shake. Otherwise, I might have marked the occasion on my calendar. If not for the drink itself, then …
We don’t have a public restroom,” the lead employee at a discount store tells me. “Yes, you do.” I shoot back. “No, we don’t,” she repeats, not looking at me. It’s December of 2022, I’m …
On May 17, the El Cajon Police Department informed their 21,000-plus Instagram followers of the trending "Gift Card Scam" happening at big box stores around the country — including San Diego County. According to the …
“What made you think the world needed another brewery?” I ask Burning Beard Brewery co-founder Mike Maass. He doesn’t miss a beat, laughing as he explains the art of brewing, and the environment he and …
El Cajon planning commissioners last week voted 4-0 to revoke the "deemed approved" status of a motel where adults had rented rooms for minors, and a teen was found shot in the head. The motel …
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 …
Colonel Ed Fletcher made quite a name for himself in turn-of-the-last-century San Diego. Arriving in town at age 16 with just $6.10 in his pocket back in 1888, Fletcher turned a job selling produce in …
Are recent thefts of designer perfume, sunglasses, tees, and underwear more common, or is it just social media? On March 9, Diana Llamas posted a video on TikTok of a person allegedly stealing from the …
A former Wienerschnitzel A-frame building in Chula Vista caught on fire again, marking the tenth reported blaze at a California-based Wienerschnitzel building in the last couple of years. Right before 11:30 am on March 9, …
On February 12, a wind advisory was made on I-8 from Willows Road in Alpine next to Viejas Casino & Resort to the Imperial County line a little past Jacumba, according to CA-17.com. The wind …
When I turned 39, I took an inventory of my life. What I found there struck me thoroughly unremarkable. At best, it seemed my world and the life I had made in it could be …
The Cajon Valley Union School District board of trustees voted January 31 to give former board president Tamara Otero a $50,400 consulting contract. After 12 years on the board, she lost her bid for reelection …
“But have you been to The Yogurt Mill?” My wife noticed that I’ve recently spent more time writing about food in her hometown, El Cajon. However, as I’ve mainly focused on skewered and rotisserie meats, …
It’s no secret that our region’s best Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food is most often found in El Cajon. Though, for a while, some of it was found in the Gaslamp. For a few years, …
“Fuck Fentanyl” — a slogan you may have seen on a T-shirt or hoodie around San Diego of late. Or perhaps you’ve spotted it on social media: local designer Luis Romero posts shots of his …
Nefarious Creatures — a band of four San Diego-bred horror-lovin’ fiends — had the will, the music, and the over-arching deep concept for their debut EP Fables For the Wicked. What they didn’t quite have …
Over the top burgers probably make up the biggest draw to Funky Fries & Burgers. A bacon cheeseburger topped with mac n cheese ($13.50) first lured me in, when I was specifically searching for out …
Simpson surveys surroundings It takes Mike Simpson 25 steps to reach his parked car from the emergency exit at work. Once in the car, he can maneuver his way out of the parking lot, around …
So far this past year, the El Cajon's Police Department responded to 7,379 calls for service related to homelessness which is a "massive jump compared to approximately 2,500 calls in 2014," posted the city of …
When was the last time I ordered a salad this far east? Usually, I’m in El Cajon for Middle Eastern food, or a cheeseburger. But here I am, out on Jamacha Road, which is technically …
On October 5, someone called the Chula Vista Police Department regarding a burglar alarm on 3rd Avenue and F Street, says 911 Video News on their YouTube video. The police found a fire at the …
Kurt Castle, founder and creator of Castle’s Labs, creates products that help with all sorts of flora and fauna management. His Plant Magic is “an organic probiotic spray that promotes bigger, healthier, chemical and pesticide …
As I loiter in the smoking section across the street from D.Z. Akin's, I am sometimes privy to the one-sided conversations, held by people (usually on their phones) who are talking to someone I can’t …
Buckle Up Slide into the passenger seat and buckle up: we’re about to take a driving tour down a decidedly rocky road. Yes, California’s second-largest city will always take a backseat to Los Angeles, which …
One day in late March, I got a call from Louise Wyatt. I had just interviewed her for a story on how genetic genealogy had enabled detectives to solve the murder of her daughter Michelle, …
Anyone who has been in downtown El Cajon has probably noticed the large El Cajon Typewriter Co. sign at 130 E. Main that, alas, no longer announces a real live typewriter shop. Though the internet …
On July 22, the Blind Lady Ale House, referred to as BLAH in the Normal Heights neighborhood, recovered its stolen fermenter tank. It's worth $5,000 and is a large piece of steel equipment used to …
The recent book See You At San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture sets the record straight regarding how pop culture's geekiest get-together became the BFD it is …
Where is everybody? This was last Tuesday, in Oceanside. I was looking for food. Don’t look for food on Tuesday afternoons. So many places are closed. Specially last Tuesday, the day the whole nation fell …
About 4 am on July 4 — the sheriff's department, police department, and the police department's K-9 unit — were called out to a Lemon Grove home where a gun was shot, lodging into the …
If you don’t know, you’re not invited I’m easily distracted on the best of days. Just now, with my Rangers in the playoffs, the timing of this “secret show” could not have been worse. The …
In the Middle East of San Diego County, there lies a kind of marijuana Mecca, a place to which pot pilgrims may peregrinate on a high hajj in their quest to elevate themselves — not …