I would like to commend the City of La Mesa with the street and sidewalk upgrades to the corner of Palm and Allison. The traffic calming bump outs and the redirecting of the street runoff through the "creek" to filter out contaminants was a great move. This redirection of the runoff, from what I understand, was to trap the contaminants in the "creek" bed, thus reducing some portion of the debris that would make it to the underground storm drain. I can tell you that from my personal observation, the system works vey well. Regularly, I like to do my part in the clean up of La Mesa by picking up…

If you support independent online community journalism, freedom of opportunities for businesses and the right of citizens to access public notices online instead of having to  hunt them down in obscure print publications far from their homes, the please support AB 1902, sponsored by East County Magazine and the East County Publishing Coalition.  This measure will allow online news sites  such as Patch.com and East County Magazine to publish public notices and have the same revenue stream that print publishers currently have.  Your letters of support are needed now, since the bill will be …

To the editor:In the past year or so, I stumbled across the fact that about 90 percent of fetuses diagnosed with Down’s syndrome are aborted. My first reaction was disbelief. When I saw the statistic several more times (Discover magazine, Time magazine, New York Times, LifeSiteNews.com and others), my disbelief turned to sadness.    I am not unbiased in this matter. My wife and I have a 38-year-old daughter, Kathy, who was born with a less common syndrome named Saethre-Chotzen syndrome. She, like many with Down’s, has both mental and physical limitations. As Kathy grew up, we were involved in…

Letter to the editor: 2011 has been another year of challenges and continued successes for the Grossmont Union High School District’s Proposition H and consolidated Prop. U programs. As outlined in the attached report, Prop. H project work has been completed except for disability-access upgrades to the district building [at Grossmont High School]. Prop. U is in full swing with construction under way on most high school campuses. The long-awaited deferred maintenance plan was reviewed by the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee and adopted by the school board in September—see inside for more …

To the editor:I would like to add some information on Dr. Jeffrey Marxen as he was born and raised in my hometown of Van Wert, Ohio.   I had read about him in the paper. It was a small article, but the name Marxen struck me as someone I had heard of before.  And in talking with my brother on Saturday, Feb. 25th, from Van Wert, Ohio, he mentioned that the late Dr. Norman Marxen’s son had been killed out here in California somewhere.  That is when I told him that I had read about it, and it wasn’t too far from where we live in Escondido. So I finally did find an article on his death in the Van …

To the editor: Grossmont Union High School District seniors are eligible to apply for La Mesa Women’s Club scholarships. Each year, La Mesa Women’s Club awards five $1,000 scholarships to selected students.  The winners are chosen on the basis of grade-point average, SAT scores, class ranking, extracurricular activities, community volunteer work, type of courses taken and future goals.  Applications can be obtained through high school counselors or by e-mailing marjoree10s@cox.net.  Official transcripts and essays must be included with the application.  The deadline is March 19, 2012. Donna …

To the editor: Did the punishment fit the crime? Let me see if I have this right.  Our president issues an apology for the burning of the Quran, but there is no outcry from him about the murder of our own troops over this situation?  And what about all of the other Christians who are being slaughtered all over the world because of their faith? Where is the outcry from our president and Senate and Congress and other leadership about this?  I am sick and tired of our weak responses from our own leaders about what is right and wrong.  I wish our leaders had more guts and courage to stand up for …

Editor’s note: The following letter was sent to Lane MacKenzie of San Diego’s Real Estate Assets Department and shared with La Mesa Patch. For more details on this case, see letter of Jan. 26. 2012:To the editor:Attached is a copy of Resolution No. 181805. This resolution was discovered in my title report along with another fraudulent deed, which I call the Bogus Ed Fletcher Deed. The Ed Fletcher Deed was recorded in 1964, shortly after my uncle and aunt (Joe and Florence Blunt) inherited the 102.6 acres of property on/adjacent to Lake Murray, from my great aunt Madge Waring. The Bogus Nun …

The following note follows the memorial for football coach Ron Murphy on Saturday morning at Grossmont High School. Murphy died Valentine’s Day after coaching for many years, including the past four at Grossmont.To the editor:Coach, I am so honored that I was able to be a player on your team. I really hope to make a positive impact in as many people’s lives as you did for the hundreds of people that went to your memorial and for the many more that were not able to make your life celebration today. You are an inspiration. Today I gave you my jersey with my blood and sweat in it for you to …

To the editor: The month of February is special in the Rotary calendar because it not only designates World Understanding Month but also includes the anniversary of the first meeting of Rotary on 23 February 1905, now designated World Understanding and Peace Day. In designating World Understanding Month, the Rotary International board asks all Rotary clubs to plan programs for their weekly meetings and undertake special activities to emphasize understanding and good will as essential for world peace. La Mesa Sunrise Rotary is seeking a community peacemaker to honor as part of its celebration…

To the editor: I read your article about the Day-McKellar school with interest. I don’t feel the need to comment on the fraud lawsuit. However, I wanted to let you know that I have also taken steps to ensure that the children who went to that school may continue their education. My own children were attending Day-McKellar when the school collapsed, so I decided to employ the most loved and successful former teacher to continue to tutor my children. Other parents who’d had children in the school contacted me and asked if their children could join mine, and I decided that the best solution was …

To the editor:In 2006, East County voters approved Proposition G, authorizing the sale of general obligation bonds of $247 million to provide and improve various facilities at Grossmont Hospital. Included was an expansion of the hospital’s central energy plant. The Grossmont Healthcare District is now considering adding a cogeneration feature to the plant to be acquired through a “lease/purchase” agreement for $17.9 million to be paid over a 10-year period at a rate of around $2 million per year. To place this proposed expenditure in proper perspective, it is necessary to understand that this…

To the editor: Chula Vista Councilman Rudy Ramirez, Democratic candidate for the 79th Assembly District, will be meeting with community members at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, at Cosmos Coffee Cafe, 8278 La Mesa Blvd. This is one in an ongoing series of community meetings, where Rudy will be out in the communities of the 79th District meeting with voters and exchanging ideas with them in an informal environment. Rudy is a two-term councilman, organizer of the International Friendship Games and local businessman. He is running for Assembly to restore the California promise of opportunity for all by…

Editor’s note: The following was sent to members of the San Diego City Council with a copy to La Mesa Patch. Marlene Dawson's remarks to the council can be seen 18 minutes into this archived video. To the editor:On Jan. 24, 2012, my sister Marlene Dawson appeared before you requesting that you take action and cease and desist claiming our private property is incorporated into the city's illegal park system.This council has failed to acknowledge any misdeeds and has failed to take action to correct these illegal and unconstitutional violations. Rather than acknowledge and take action to …

To the editor:Populism has emerged during periods when there was a conspicuous disparity in the distribution of economic wealth, opportunity for betterment and political influence. A people steeped in a belief in democracy have an expectation to be heard and to be given a fair chance to succeed on the basis of their own merits. This is a message that resonates with many.  Perhaps because of its appeal, it is a message ripe for being co-opted and distorted.Americans are optimists at heart—rooted in our expansive growth in wealth and influence in our relatively short history as a nation state. …

Editor’s note: This letter came as a response to questions from La Mesa Patch.To the editor: The two public forums [on Grossmont Union High School attendance boundaries] represent a conciliatory gesture on the part of the school district. Representatives from the community and myself have met with the superintendent [Ralf Swenson] in a group meeting and at the Board of Realtors in El Cajon. The superintendent has placed a lot of weight and value in the Boundary Committee’s recommendation, which was approved by the Board in October. He is loathe to backpedal to the point of forming a new …

To the editor: You may have seen the ads, heard the radio spots and received emails urging you to engage in the public choosing process for the Greater San Diego Vision initiative. You may have even visited the Public Choosing site and taken a tour of the scenarios for Land Use, Economic Development, Education, and Culture and Amenities.  What you haven’t seen or heard is any reference to the role of East County in these scenarios. Over the last eight months, about 200 community leaders from the fields of economic development, housing, environment, transportation, economics, education, …

Editor’s note: The following remarks were made Jan. 25, 2012, to the San Diego City Council. The writer’s family contends that Lake Murray is not legally incorporated into any city park owned by the City of San Diego. Merrilee Miller of Goleta, sister of the speaker, says: “There are no San Diego City Council minutes, city ordinances, city Planning Department reports or legal notices of public hearings that support or prove that any portion of Lake Murray was ever (at any date in time) legally rezoned into any city park, owned by the City of San Diego.” Miller adds: “I know because my family …

(Editor’s note:  This letter is in response to Paul Schnaubelt’s blog post of Jan. 23, 2012, titled Taxes Are a Civic Responsibility.) To the editor:Yes, taxes are a civic responsibility. I am confident that most Californians are willing to pay them in order to support the weak and the poor, to educate our children, to repair streets and to provide for public safety, among other things. Most of us likely also agree that our elected representatives should spend the taxes we pay in an efficient and frugal manner—as if it were their own money. That is not happening in California—the 600-pound …

To the editor: The story [posted here Jan. 24] regarding the community garden at Helix misrepresents Helix Executive Director Rani Goyal’s position on the matter. As written, it implies that the input of the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) board will not be considered and things will go ahead in spite of their wishes. That could not be further from the truth. There is absolutely NO intention to “bypass” the district. The intent is to work together with the city, the garden group, the district and Helix to make sure that all parties are comfortable with the liability each takes on…