JANUARY
Part-time Chula Vista resident Manny Ramirez splits his time between here and the Philippines. When Typhoon Haiyan devastated parts of that country and left thousands of people without shelter and basic necessaities, Ramirez took it upon himself to help, even though he happened to be in the U.S. at the time.
He didn’t ask for the usual monetary donations, clothing or medicine.
For about two months Ramirez had been asking South Bay residents to donate used hand tools.
“Because of the kind of damage in the Philippines, I thought of sending tools to help them rebuild their homes and their schools,” Ramirez said.
He sent two shipments of hand tools to the Philippines.
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A former Southwestern College official was sentenced to three years probation Jan. 9 for his role in a pay-for-play scheme that included 15 other defendants across three South County school districts.
John Wilson, former senior director of business operations at Southwestern College, was also ordered to pay a $7,994 fine and fulfill 20 days of community service as part of a reduced misdemeanor charge. He was the first of many in the new year to be sentenced.
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As a child growing up in National City Norma Chavez-Peterson, 39, often dealt with the inequalities of living in America as an immigrant from Michoacán, Mexico.
Living in a single-family home with two other siblings and a mother who did all she could to make ends meet, Chávez-Peterson quickly felt what it was like growing up poor.
In January the South County resident was named the San Diego and Imperial Counties ACLU Executive Director.
FEBRUARY
The Target Corp. closed the doors to its Chula Vista north store at 40 N. Fourth Ave., on Feb. 1.
The city also saw the shuttering of Albertsons supermarket in the eastern part of the city.
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Nicholas Alioto, former vice president of business affairs at Southwestern College, avoided prison time when he was sentenced to probation, community service and ordered to pay a fine for his dealings in what the district attorney called the “largest public corruption case in San Diego County history.”
San Diego Superior Court Judge Ana España on Jan. 30 reduced Alioto’s felony charge to a misdemeanor for aiding and abetting Henry Amigable of Seville Construction Services.
MARCH
Sweetwater Union High School District trustee Pearl Quiñones pleaded guilty to one felony charge of conspiracy to commit a crime and one misdemeanor conflict of interest charge.
In pleading guilty to the misdemeanor, Quiñones admitted she did not appropriately report receiving gifts as a member of the school board.
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Three war memorial plaques stolen from National City’s Kimball Park were recovered after five days missing, said National City Police Chief Manuel Rodriguez.
On March 17 two plaques honoring National City residents who died serving their country in World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars were stolen. A third one was stolen the following morning, said Mayor Ron Morrison.
Rodriguez said a man in San Ysidro reported to the National City Police Department that on March 22 the plaques had been found up against a chainlink fence in the apartment complex in which he lives.
APRIL
Former Sweetwater Union High School District board member Arlie Ricasa, who pleaded guilty in 2013 to a misdemeanor charge of receiving gifts above state law limits was ordered by a San Diego Superior Court Judge to pay a $4,589 fine, conduct 80 hours of community work and serve 36 months of probation.
MAY
For the first time in months, the dais for a Sweetwater Union High School District board was completely filled with trustees.
Susan Hartley, president of the San Diego County Office of Education, temporarily appointed herself, Mark C. Anderson, Sharon C. Jones and Lyn Neylon to the Sweetwater board.
The appointments come on the heels of San Diego Superior Court Judge Judith Hayes’ May 16 ruling to grant a temporary restraining order filed by the district that allowed the president of the SDCOE to appoint four temporary trustees to the five seats on the school board after a majority were convicted as part of a corruption probe.
JUNE
The Community Opus Project’s first group of students performed for the last time as a group of elementary schoolers for the project’s Musical Taquiza fundraiser recently.
The San Diego Youth Symphony Conservancy started Opus in 2010 to support the arts in public education and has since influenced the return of music instruction during the school day to all 45 schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District.
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The Bonita Business and Professional Association — the Bonitafest’s title sponsor — announced May 20 that it was cancelling the community event as it was also disbanding as an association.
But Southwestern College professor Max Branscomb, who sits on the Bonitafest committee, held a community meeting to discuss ideas to go about reviving the longtime community festival.
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The city of Chula Vista, as part of its medical marijuana enforcement program, cracked down on medical marijuana dispensaries that made their way to Chula Vista.
In the more than two years since a city ordinance has been implemented, seven dispensaries have opened, with five of them getting shut down. Deputy City Attorney Chance Hawkins said the city is in the process of closing the remaining two.
The dispensaries that were shut down were located on Broadway, Third Avenue and Main Street.
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Fans of the Mexican and United States Mens National Soccer teams gathered at local restaurants and bars including La Quinta Grill, Venga Venga, Buffalo Wild Wings, Oggi’s and La Bella’s in Chula Vista to watch their teams compete in the 2014 WorldCup. Both teams advanced to the knockout stage of the tournament—and lost.
JULY
A new ordinance aimed at reducing the number of false alarms by home security systems went into effect in July.
The security alarm ordinance provides several changes to the way the Chula Vista Police Department handles false alarms made by security systems for homes and businesses.
The first false alarm violation comes with a $100 fine, which can be waived if the permit holder obtains proof of completion of a false alarm awareness course.
AUGUST
Roman Granados, a 14-year veteran of the Chula Vista Police Department, faced four misdemeanor charges stemming from an off-duty incident where he allegedly roughed up his girlfriend’s 16-year-old son at a student promotion ceremony at Chula Vista Hills Elementary School.
Granados is expected to have a readiness conference this month.
SEPTEMBER
Seniors on the Chula Vista Police Department’s senior volunteer patrol unit donate their time daily to assist the Chula Vista Police Department in serving the citizens of Chula Vista.
But last month the senior group was on the receiving end as Fuller Ford donated a much-needed vehicle to the program.
The extra reinforcement helps, especially when the Senior Volunteer Patrol’s ability to assist the CVPD had been hampered for several months because they were down a car.
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A wrongful death lawsuit filed against a border patrol agent in the shooting death of Valeria “Munique” Tachiquin Alvarado nearly two years ago now includes two additional defendants.
An Aug. 1 amended complaint filed by attorney Eugene Iredale on behalf of Tachiquin Alvarado’s family adds Border Patrol agent Alex Roozen and Stephanie Shavatt, an official with the United States Office of Personnel Management Investigations Service, as codefendants in the case, joining the original defendant and Border Patrol agent Justin Tackett.
OCTOBER
An Ebola scare at Southwestern College last week prompted college officials to close down the 400 building with police tape and campus police officers blocking people from entering and exiting possible infected areas.
The scare happened when a student — whose identity is being withheld by the college — informed her psychology teacher on Oct. 16 that she was feeling ill and feared that she may have been exposed to Ebola because her sister was hospitalized after she shared the same flight with a Dallas nurse who was diagnosed with the virus, said Lillian Leopold, a spokeswoman for the college.
The student later recanted her story.
NOVEMBER
Mary Casillas Salas became the 40th mayor of Chula Vista after defeating Jerry Rindone in the city’s special election. Casillas Salas had previously served on the city council and at the State Assembly.
Former Chula Vista councilman John McCann also won his campaign for City Council Seat 1, defeating former mayor Steve Padila by two votes. It was the slimmest margin of victory in the county.
Padilla supporters asked the County Registrar of Voters to conduct a re-count but when the result did not appear likely to change they abandoned the procedure.
Padilla said he is exploring other options, which may change the outcome of the vote.
December
Chula Vista Starlight parade returned to Third Avenue after a years long hiatus. The holiday event was made possible by a partnership between the city of Chula Vista and private businesses. The revival was spearheaded by former councilman Rudy Ramirez and Councilwoman Patricia Aguilar.
