La Mesa Stories
I try to differentiate between places that are worth driving to and places that are good if I’m in the neighborhood. Taco shops are part of what makes San Diego great, but most of them …
The two old crones stir the vats surrounded by circling bats. Okay, no bats. No quoting from Macbeth. No crones. But these gals really are stirring up brews in vats, with billows of fog coming …
Sometime during the final weekend of August, Ari Bejar made a decision that would reverberate throughout the downtown La Mesa Village. He carefully hand-lettered his final message in chalk on a menu board, and come …
La Mesa vice mayor Bill Baber on October 2 will vote in favor of a League of California Cities resolution "to preserve therapeutic environments for group homes and avoid impacts of concentration of alcohol and …
Construction of the long-term project known in La Mesa as "Streetscape" will continue, including after Oktoberfest. Regarding Streetscape, according to the city's website, “The objective of the project is to revitalize and beautify the downtown …
Cameron Ball spent nearly three years planning Helix Brewing Co., and the long effort paid off when La Mesa's second brewery and tasting room opened in late August. In fall 2012 the young home brewer …
La Mesa’s Claudia Sandoval is one of the top-three finalists for this season of MasterChef, a cooking show on the Fox Network. She stands to win a book deal and $250,000. When she was picked …
Eating good sushi in San Diego often means visiting a strip mall. Many count Pacific Beach’s Sushi Ota among the best in town (it’s next to a 7-Eleven), and Kaito Sushi holds it down in …
Foodies living close to the city's center are waking up to the fact that there are excellent reasons to drive all over this county. Reader feasters have caught on to worthy spots in East County, …
Not a good start to the week for early risers or musicians: on Monday morning, September 1, the regulars at Cosmos Coffee Café in La Mesa arrived to find locked doors and a hand-chalked sign …
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which regulates brokerage firms and brokers selling securities in the United States, has fined Robert Earl Holaday of La Mesa $10,000 and suspended him from association with FINRA members …
When school started on August 13 at Maryland Avenue Elementary in La Mesa, students were pleased to find that a nearby formerly unkempt walkway had been changed into a work of art. After City of …
Although the La Mesa branch library wasn't included in the study unanimously authorized by the La Mesa City Council on August 11, La Mesa Friends of the Library president John Schmitz implored the council to …
People who enjoy October celebrations featuring a beer garden and entertainment could have two weekends for celebrating in La Mesa. The La Mesa City Council on July 28 voted 4-1 to approve the La Mesa …
The decisions of South Baltimore, LLC, to put on hold its plan for Park Station at the Crossroads of La Mesa means there will be no hearing at the July 28 La Mesa City Council …
La Mesa residents need to guard their computers more carefully. On July 21, between the hours of 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., activity at the La Mesa Starbucks (located on the corner of Kiowa Drive …
Three months after the La Mesa City Council voted to remove two traffic circles on Harbinson Avenue, lawmakers on July 14 unanimously approved a plan to slow traffic through an estimated $41,000 worth of traffic-calming …
Centifonti’s Bar & Restaurant in La Mesa offers not only breakfast, lunch, and dinner but a full bar, handmade chocolates and pastries, and homemade gelato. I don’t know exactly what category this family-owned restaurant falls …
Lamplighters Community Theatre’s 78th season opens with a drama, based on Helene Hanff’s autobiography, which has been adapted several times for the screen, television, and radio. What makes the material challenging to produce is that …
For many La Mesa residents (and visitors) accustomed to driving east along La Mesa Boulevard from University Avenue into the “village” area, it is unclear why ongoing construction eliminated the well-used right-turn lane at the …
During the past year, the City of La Mesa's water-conservation efforts included removing 351 irrigation heads on Lake Murray Boulevard and Baltimore Drive medians and redirecting spray heads to trees on the medians, according to …
On Thursday (June 18th), a La Mesa walkway running east to west from Tufts Street to Maryland Avenue was made ADA compliant following a family's request to make that walkway wheelchair accessible. After the request, …
Looking for a low cost way to engage the kids and beat the summer heat? Reading Cinema’s Reel Kids Summer Movie Festival may be the ticket. Starting June 17 and continuing for nine weeks, Reading’s …
About four hours before the La Mesa City Council's May 26 discussion of a proposal to raise the number of dogs allowed in a home from two to four, people in Canine Corners dog park …
In a July 2014 Blurt, Aaron Dean was introduced as the La Mesa landlord behind a redevelopment that meant the end to a Fletcher Parkway strip mall and its neighborhood bar. Dean mentioned at the …
Leonard and Myra are not our typical star-crossed lovers. Well, not if Myra has anything to say about it. Desperate for her last chance at love, Myra will do anything to trap the timorous Leonard …
The La Mesa Planning Commission on May 20 voted 4-2 against recommending that the city council approve the revised specific plan for Park Station at the Crossroads of La Mesa, a mixed-use development proposed for …
On May 9 at about 7 a.m., a baby osprey was spotted at the two-mile mark on the Lake Murray service road. It looked dazed but healthy as it sat there looking at the small …
The La Mesa City Council unanimously authorized the retirement of police narcotic-detection dog Maximus "Max" on April 14. His partner, officer Derek Cox, was allowed to adopt the seven-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever. During their six-year …
I don’t eat in Old Town. At least not within the confines of the historic park, where tourists and locals can spend an afternoon learning about the pueblo’s origins and milestones. There are a number …
Roughly one in four La Mesa locals are falling for a police sting operation in which officers employ an under-aged decoy to approach liquor-store customers and ask them to supply the minors with alcohol, according …
By 9:30 a.m. on February 25, Collier Park tennis-court nets were lowered for the pickleball games that are played Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings in La Mesa's oldest park. As players with paddles concentrated on …
La Mesa resident Linda Johnson walks frequently through her hometown and is on the board of La Mesa Beautiful. The nonprofit organization "works collectively to preserve and increase the beauty" of the city, according to …
La Mesa resident Tiffany heard the distinctive sounds of cat courtship in January and knew she would again face the issue of feral cats near her home. "We've been struggling [with it] since we moved …
On February 11 at about 2:45 p.m., a car hit a panhandler at the Jackson Avenue and Fletcher Parkway intersection in La Mesa. The La Mesa Police Department responded with three motorcycle cops, a police …
It’s the fastest expansion in the history of the San Diego County craft beer scene. Just two months after opening La Mesa’s first brewery, the ownership of Bolt Brewery has taken possession of a property …
With the January 10 expiration of Grossmont Center's 50-year lease, Cushman family members are "no longer passive owners" of the property, Stephen Cushman said at the January 27 La Mesa City Council meeting. Cushman said …
December rain delayed the reopening of the La Mesa municipal pool and spa until February 2. The weather caused a delay in work to replace a portion of the pool deck, according to a January …
While 38th District state senator Joel Anderson showed up at the December 9 La Mesa City Council meeting to honor outgoing lawmakers Art Madrid and Ernie Ewin, former San Diego mayor Dick Murphy (a retired …
A year after the City of La Mesa installed two traffic circles, six low medians, and a "pork-chop island" on Harbinson Avenue to try to slow speeding traffic, most residents — and a small traffic …
The new year will bring the retirement of La Mesa police chief Ed Aceves as well as the 1995 Frito-Lay delivery truck purchased in 2002 and converted into a mobile command vehicle. Twelve years ago, …
The liveliest of jazz jams happens on Friday nights in La Mesa. A chance move brought it here: “I lived just up the hill, off University Avenue,” says Charlie Arbelaez, 27. Recently out of the …
They say it’s what's inside that counts and that’s true of any business, including Bolt Brewery (8179 Center Street, La Mesa). After all, it’s inside that soon-to-open operation’s Quonset hut brewhouse where the beer is …
Since La Mesa voters on November 4 rejected a proposition to authorize and regulate medical marijuana dispensaries, the City of La Mesa will notify three dispensaries that they have ten days to "stop their business …
La Mesa voters picked change Tuesday — at least the 10,200 who voted did — electing a new mayor to replace six-term incumbent Art Madrid. By a vote of 6017 to 4200, on November 4, …
Membership: 125 Pastor: Mark Menacher Age: 53 Born: Detroit Formation: Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI; Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, OH; University of Goettingen, (West) Germany; Theological Seminary, Leipzig, (East) Germany; (PhD) University of Manchester, …
Frank Corbin says he supports the Helix Charter High School — including its marching band. But the school's electronic metronome is driving him crazy. "It sounds like somebody is banging on a big metal fencepost …
The La Mesa Planning Commission on October 1 voted 6-1 to recommend that the city council deny a specific plan for Crossroads of La Mesa at Park Station, a mixed-use project that would raise the …
The La Mesa City Council last week unanimously approved a relocation impact report for Jennings Senior Park, a now-closed mobile-home park located on the 7300 block of Mohawk Street. A sign formerly displayed at the …
One in four La Mesa residents approached recently by minor decoys seeking access to alcohol have been arrested after willingly providing booze to teenagers, La Mesa police are reporting. Funded by a $21,668 state grant, …
At a September 18 candidates’ forum sponsored by the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce, two mayoral hopefuls and five candidates for two city-council seats spoke to an audience of about 100 people. Topics included their …
The La Mesa City Council on September 9 voted 3-2 to temporarily suspend enforcement of parking meters downtown, a move to compensate for disruptions caused by the $5 million Downtown Village Streetscape Improvement Project. Starting …