A QUARTER CENTURY STRONG: LA MESA DEMOCRATS CELEBRATED 25th ANNIVERSARY; EMERALD STAFFER ADDRESSED COMMUNITY ISSUES
Printer-friendly versionApril 10, 2009 (La Mesa) – La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club celebrated its 25th anniversary with a celebration last week that included cake, a potluck dinner, recognition of key members and presentation by Councilwoman Marti Emerald’s chief of staff, Xema Jacobson. Special honorees included the club’s founding members, Claude Cassirer, a Holocaust survivor, and his wife, Beverly (photo). Songs written by Beverly specially for the occasion were sung by an enthusiastic crowd of over 100 members and guests. Club president Linda Armacost thanked members for helping to “turn La Mesa blue,” noting that the city now has more registered Democrats than Republicans, and thanked precinct walkers for helping to turn the conservative tide that has long dominated the region. Emerald was slated to speak but was ill with pneumonia, so Jacobson pinch-hit. She revealed that Emerald’s staff of nine “reduced our salaries and gave by $50,000 to the City” to help ease the city’s budget crisis. “We’re going to take the cuts like everybody else.” Emerald and staff have also been hosting a series of community meetings to obtain public input. The newly elected Councilmember chairs two committees, including a committee on Public Safety and Neighborhood Services. “We have fire stations so nasty and old that they can’t be renovated,” said Jacobson. One station is receiving nearly three times the calls it was designed to handle; another has dirty water running directly into a sewer. She called for a regional plan “so when the fires come, we are prepared.” She added, “We also have to save parks and recreation and get more for residents out of developers,” noting parking and traffic issues created by some new developments. Emerald, a Democrat and former TV “Troubleshooter” consumer reporter, has pledged to present positive solutions as well as transparency. “We’re giving you open government,” noted Jacobson, adding that Emerald publishes a calendar of everyone she meets with on her website. The City expects to received about $23 million in stimulus funds, she revealed, noting that the funds will first be funneled through the state. “We want to use it for the interchange at I-8 and I-15.” For the future, the La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club aims to grow its “Go Team” of Democratic precinct walkers and expand voter registration efforts with a goal toward bringing more East County communities into the Democratic column by the 2010 elections. Printer-friendly version
“STIMULUS CONCERT” HOSTED BY VALLEY MUSIC APRIL 19 IN EL CAJON
Printer-friendly versionApril 13, 2009 (El Cajon) – Valley Music invites the public to a “Stimulus Concert” on Sunday, April 19 at 3 p.m. at the Donwtown Café, 182 Main Street in El Cajon. The program features appearances by award-winning San Diego performers, including Eve Sells, Berkley Hart, Crosswinds, Ronny Corbin & Pirate Radio, Mark Neill & Rian Greene and the Unknowns, Tom Hiatt, The honky Tonk Kings, Bleu Dawg, and some surprise guests. Admission to the concert is $10. In addition, a special $10 buffet will be available on the patio, or guests may order regular menu items in the restaurant. Proceeds will be used to defray Valley Music’s relocation costs to its new location at Bradley and Magnolia. The new store is expected to open by late May but for now, the original shop remains open for customers and nostalgia buffs. The 57-year-old store, which has attracted famed celebrities including Johnny Cash and Frank Zappa, was forced to relocate after losing its lease on Main Street due to expansion of a neighboring market. Printer-friendly version
FACING FORECLOSURE? NEED INFO ON HOME LOANS? GET HELP AT FREE HOMEOWNER PRESERVATION SEMINAR APRIL 18 IN SAN DIEGO
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery April 13, 2009 (San Diego)—At a time when many lenders have evicted families and aggressively foreclosed on, one lender has taken a different approach, setting up a series of events to help families find ways to avoid foreclosure. On April 18th, Project Homeowner, a program to advise California homeowners facing foreclosure on how to keep their homes, will be held on April 18th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the San Diego Concourse, Golden Hall, 202 C Street in San Diego. The event is sponsored by JP Morgan Chase & Co. (Chase), the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Heartland Coalition (publisher of East County Magazine). “Chase believes in Project Homeowner because we know many borrowers really want to talk to loan counselors face to face,” said Donna Miller, a Chase home lending executive. “Since 2007, Chase has helped avoid 382,000 foreclosures, reflecting our continuing commitment to help families sustain homeownership for the long term. We are pleased to sponsor these events to help California homeowners who want to keep their homes.” The event brings together industry experts and regulatory agencies including the California Department of Real Estate (DRE) to help borrowers understand their current financial situation, identify solutions and in some cases, begin the loan modification process. At similar events in Stockton and Riverside, more than 1,000 families talked to counselors about their mortgages and some received on-the-spot initial approval of their loan modification. At San Diego’s event, the DRE and Chase along with HUD-certified professional counselors from leading nonprofit groups and several other financial institutions’ home preservation partners provide one-on-one counseling to borrowers in English and Spanish. Additionally, information is available on financial literacy and new homebuyer education. Participants are advised to bring all available pertinent paperwork about their financial and mortgage history to the event including your most recent mortgage statement and related correspondence, income documentation for two years, promissory note and list of monthly expenses. “The partnership between Chase and the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, coupled with the participation of DRE, brings together private and public leaders to reach out to California homeowners who are in a precarious situation and are in need of assistance to stay in their homes,” said Jeff Davi, California Real Estate Commissioner. To pre-register for the free event and get details, visit www.ProjectHomeCA.com. In addition, Chase has opened a home ownership center in La Mesa at 7777 Alvarado Rd., Suite 401. The center is open from 10 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The La Mesa center helps borrowers who are behind on their mortgages serviced by Chase, WaMu or EMC. In addition, future Project Homeowner Events are planned in Los Angeles on May 16 and in Salinas on June 6. For more information, visit www.ProjectHomeCa.com. Printer-friendly version