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VOLUME 9 ISSUE 4 April 26 – May 23, 2019
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New titles hitting library book shelves. Page 9
Swami’s maintains ‘A’ rating after brief shutdown
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE
BBFEATURE La Mesans at ArtWalk
Jeff Clemetson Editor
La Mesa’s Friday farmers markets, like this one on April 19, may soon come to an end. (Photo by Jeff Clemetson) Local photographers, painters prep for Little Italy event. Page 8
Farmers market future in jeopardy Jeff Clemetson
BBFOOD & DRINK
Editor
Familial food fare
La Torta Café keeps founder’s traditions alive through family recipes. Page 11
La Mesa’s Friday farmers markets could soon be coming to an end. At its March 26 meeting, the La Mesa City Council voted to seek out offers for a farmers market held on a different day, in a different location or held differently to appease businesses that claim the market has cost them money since it moved to La Mesa Boulevard one year ago. The
council gave the current market until the end of July to run as is, and unless the council grants another extension or agrees on a new market proposal, the city’s farmers market — the longest running in the region — will essentially be closed down until a new one emerges.
How it came to this
When the Friday farmers market moved to the Village in May of 2018, it became under the control of La Mesa Village Association (LMVA) — a group
of business owners that advocate for its members and market the Village through public events like the car shows, Oktoberfest, and Holidays in the Village. “When we started the La Mesa Village Association, one of our main goals was to move the farmers market up to the Village, because that’s what the community wanted and that’s what the businesses wanted,” LMVA co-chair Theresa Favro said. See FARMERS MARKET page 4
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Sharp Grossmont sued over hidden cameras
BBTHEATER ‘Nine’
Dave Schwab
Lamplighters explores a musical midlife crisis in latest production. Page 16
BBALSO INSIDE
Opinion Politics Education Calendar Classifieds Village Voices Puzzles
6 6 13 17 18 19 19
BBCONTACT US Editorial (858) 270-3103, x130 jeff@sdnews.com Advertising (951) 296-7794 hfine@sdnews.com www.sdnews.com San Diego Community News Network
The number of women suing Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa in a class-action lawsuit alleging hidden cameras secretly filmed them while they were undergoing surgical procedures has grown from 81 to 231 plaintiffs. Sharp Grossmont claims the women were filmed inadvertently during an investigation from July 17, 2012 to June 30, 2013 into the alleged theft of an anesthesia drug, propofol, which was in short supply then. The former chief of anesthesia for Sharp Grossmont Hospital, Dr. Patrick Sullivan, 54, is corroborating the plaintiff’s accusations. Sullivan is also suing Sharp Grossmont, claiming he was forced to resign by the hospital administration following his
MEANINGFUL CHANGE For ourselves & the world
Sharp Grossmont Hospital used hidden cameras to investigate missing drugs from its Women’s Centers. (Photo by Jeff Clemetson)
whistleblowing over the unauthorized tapings. Noting the hospital is “unable to provide further comment on this active legal matter,” Sharp The power of God’s love is the greatest agent for bringing needed change and healing into the world.
Free talk on Christian Science LOCATION: American Legion 8118 University Av La Mesa, CA 91942 CONTACT: cschurchlamesa@gmail.com Sponsored by - Mark McCurties First Church of Christ, Christian Science practitioner Scientist, La Mesa, CA A member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship
“We all have a natural desire to improve ourselves and the world around us. In my own life, I’ve found that letting God, divine Love, guide and direct my efforts brings permanent and meaningful results.”
SATURDAY MAY 4 2:00PM
HealthCare vice president of public relations and communication, John Cihomsky, released a See SHARP LAWSUIT page 3
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On April 9, a routine inspection of Swami’s Café on La Mesa Boulevard by the County Health Department led to a brief shutdown of the restaurant after the inspector discovered two cockroaches near the back door. Swami’s responded the way restaurants should — closing the doors and conducting an all-night deep clean while looking for further signs of cockroaches. The following morning, they requested another inspection. An inspector came in at 7 a.m. — at a cost of $800 for a rush follow-up inspection. He was there for an hour doing a more thorough investigation, searching for more cockroaches — scraping walls, using mirrors, etc. The Swami’s staff were certain of passing because in their overnight cleaning they never found any additional cockroaches. Swami’s also has a regular pest control service that visits once or twice a month and a cleaning service that works for six hours every morning before opening. “If it would have been a large infestation, we wouldn’t have been able to open the next day because this guy is doing a very, very thorough search,” said Swami’s operations manager Hulises Contreras. “If there was something here, he was looking to catch it. He was real aggressive.” With no signs of an infestation, Swami’s re-opened for business on April 10. However, a different kind of infestation had already begun See SWAMI’S page 2
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