Shine On Lemon Grove

Wondering what home sales are looking like these days in Lemon Grove? Melina Rissone is a local real estate agent with Coldwell Banker West, and she gives us the whole scoop. Note: the interview was recorded a couple weeks ago, but all the numbers she gives are still pretty up to date.

Councilmember Liana LeBaron comes back to talk about proposed limitations on how much our elected local leaders can talk at their own meetings, including how many minutes they can speak and how many questions they can ask.

Rosa Carney might be the most active person in Lemon Grove working behind the scenes to elevate our city, and when tragedy struck last year, her fellow Grovers were there to support her. Now she wants to share her story— both to appreciate her support group and to help anyone who might take comfort and guidance from her experience.

As Lemon Grove schools prepare to reopen for in-person learning, our district’s Executive Director of Educational Services, Marianna Vinson, talks to Greg about how it will work and what parents can expect.

Cat Corral is the Co-Founder and Executive Artistic Director of the TranscenDANCE Youth Arts Projects, promoting youth development and community support for youths and teens through the performing arts.

Chris Lumpkin owns and operates Body By Discipline, a local gym offering personal training, group fitness classes, and boxing.

Greg and Liana discuss the pending results of our recent local elections.Greg introduces a “surprise guest”.

Joshua Andrus is a Lemon Grove resident who writes children’s books and works with parents to manage their kids’ use of, and addiction to, electronic devices.

Greg and Liana navigate the streets of Lemon Grove, comparing their preferred routes.

Braving the heatwave, Greg and Liana discuss two of the candidates on November’s ballot, school re-openings, what restaurants are offering outside seating, graffiti removal, the library’s “door-side service”, and anything else that is local and newsworthy this week.

Greg and Liana are back on the microphones! They catch up on how some Lemon Grove businesses are doing, reflect on the recent troubles in La Mesa, and look forward to the future of the podcast.

Greg gives a quick message to discuss the show’s recent hiatus and its prospects for the future.

Robert Patch is the general sales manager for the local Toyota dealer, and he joins us to tell us about what they have been doing to fit into the community.Plus, Greg and Liana talk about the big rains last week, the rise of coronavirus, and a dramatic public comment at the latest School Board meeting.

Greg and Liana play the classic game of Would You Rather— Lemon Grove style! But don’t take it too seriously, folks. We’re just having fun. ;)Did we get something wrong? Do you have any other conundrums we should ponder? Let us know!

Sara Jacobs is in the race to take over Susan Davis’s seat as the Representative for our 53rd Congressional District. She sits down with Greg to discuss some of her core issues, what it’s like to run for office as a young woman, and her favorite places to eat when she’s in Lemon Grove.

Karen Pearlman covers East County for the Union Tribune, and Lemon Grove is a regular stop on her beat. She discusses with us what it is like to report on Lemon Grove and the changes she has seen over the years.

Liana gives a report on discussions at the recent Town Hall meeting, and she brings in her friend Allen (who works at City Hall) to read his original poem “Who Am I?” in honor of Black History Month.Plus, Greg gives the latest poll results for candidates running for our 53rd Congressional District, and he meets Eric, who recently moved to Lemon Grove with his wife.

Ms. Altamirano was appointed to our City Council in December 2019. She sits down with Greg to tell us how she got interested in the position and what she hopes to achieve with it. Plus, Greg is concerned about where the city is headed, and he goes on one of his little rants about it.

Nando’s Taco Shop has been making fresh and delicious Mexican food in Lemon Grove for 15 years. Fernando Gallegos joins us in the studio to tell us how his father started the business and how their dedication to quality food and customer service have kept it thriving for so long.Plus, (yet another!) update on the Lemon Grove Lips… and a few personal anecdotes from Liana.

Mark and Anne Stapleton are pastors at the Cornerstone Community Church of Lemon Grove. They come on the show to talk about their “Give It Away Project,” where they collect donations and redistribute them to fellow Lemon Grovers for free each week at the farmers market.Plus, Greg gives an update on the Lemon Grove Lips, and Liana fills us in on the latest local news— including rumors of Amplified Ale Works opening a new location soon on Main and Broadway.

We’re back! Happy New Year, Grovers. :)Greg and Liana catch up on some local news that happened over the holidays. Plus…-Liana challenges Greg to a Lemon Grove quiz-Greg finally gets to hear Liana’s story about the “Lemon Grove Lips”-Shanae James-May tells us all about Lemon Grove’s Community Garden

Lemon Grove resident Tim Felten started the Sure Fire Soul Ensemble in 2012, and it didn’t take the soul/funk band long to find international success and critical acclaim. Their most recent album, Build Bridges, charted at #1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart. Tim talks with Greg about his influences and some local venues they play— as well as a couple in Lemon Grove he has his eye on!Plus, Greg and Liana discuss the Lemon Grove mummies (yes, that’s a thing), the latest progress on Liana’s charitable project, Helping a Neighbor in Need, and a few updates about appointments for City Council, School Board, and the Planning Commission.

Mary Sessom, mayor of Lemon Grove 1996-2016, has a few things to say about our interview with Raquel Vasquez’s from Episode 14. Plus, Liana and Greg give their reviews of the newly opened Islander Grill on Broadway, as well as a couple current events and updates.

Greg and Liana are fired up! The school board is in the midst of appointing a replacement for Katy Dexter’s old seat, and (spoiler) it’s not going well.Plus, we discuss last weekend’s chili cook-off, and Greg tests Liana’s knowledge of all the empty store fronts around town.

We’re all busy, but we also would like to engage with our community now and then— maybe even contribute something positive. So for our neighbors who love Lemon Grove but don’t have the time for a big commitment, Greg and Liana list a few easy and fun things you can do. Suggestions welcome!Also, Tobi Gary, president of our local Lion’s Club, talks to us by phone to explain a little about the organization.

Racquel Vasquez became mayor of Lemon Grove in 2016. She joins Greg Shibley by phone to talk about her background, some of Lemon Grove’s current and future projects, and her vision for the city— including a few challenges to be overcome.

In 1930, the Lemon Grove School District began making plans to segregate Mexican and Mexican-American children into separate schools, under the flimsy pretext that these children needed to be “Americanized.” The children— and their families— organized and successfully challenged the school board in what became the country’s first ever desegregation case.Christy Hale, author and illustrator of Todos Iguales/All Equal: Un Corrido de Lemon Grove/A Ballad of Lemon Grove, discusses the historical case, the inspiring people behind it, and her journey in researching it.

No interview this time, just Greg and Liana briefly covering a whole bunch of local issues, such as…trash clean-up events;that new Japanese restaurant, Hanaya;the race for our Representative in Congress;our local Little League sign;the sales tax proposal that has some people so upset;…and much more!

Jose Caballero is another Democractic challenger to incumbent Susan Davis for her seat in Congress (see episode 008 for our interview of Joaquin Vazquez). He’s got some big ideas— most notably, the “Hero’s Promise”— and he’s ready to tell us all about them.

Greg and Liana discuss volunteering with the Lion’s Club at the most recent Concert in the Park, and then Greg tries to get some information on the proposed “power lines” project that we all got a notice about a few weeks ago. Plus, Liana tells us about a book coming out soon regarding the “Lemon Grove Incident.” as well as a trash cleanup event she’s organizing for Aug 17. Come pick up some trash with us… or suffer the wrath of Liana!!!And finally, Greg interviews Melina Rissone, a real estate broker with plenty to say about real estate in general and the Lemon Grove market in particular.We cover a lot on this short episode! Check it out, and #shineonlemongrove

Liana hits the streets to ask people what they like about Lemon Grove… as well as what they think could use some improvement.Then Greg interviews local business owner O’Chea, from O’Chea’s Fashion Boutique on Broadway.

Joaquin Vazquez lives right here in Lemon Grove, and he’s running for U.S. Congress as the Representative of our 53rd District. He sits down with Greg to go over his message, his core issues, and his thoughts on being a political outsider challenging a long-time incumbent.

Greg and Liana attend the 07/16/19 city council meeting and discuss the recent denial of an application for a medical marijuana dispensary.Then Greg sits down with Captain Garrett Govea from Heartland Fire & Rescue to get an overview of our local fire department.

Monica Gonzalez, the Community Services Specialist for the City of Lemon Grove, talks about the weekly Concerts in the Park series at Berry Street Park this summer, as well as the summer camp program at our local rec center.Also, Greg talks to people at the latest Concert in the Park (including a very special guest!), and Liana educates us on the latest scandal surrounding our local “stripers” (and some goat stuff).Please check out Mariachi Real, that fantastic mariachi group we talk so much about in this episode.

Karina Kravalis, owner of Giardino, tells us about how she started her restaurant and why she wouldn’t want o be doing anything else— anywhere else.Also, Greg and Liana walk around our local farmers market to get to know some of the vendors.

Kesia Estrada, the Youth Services Librarian at our local library, talks about their Summer Reading Challenge. With lots of free shows and presentations included, it’s a wonderful way for both kids and adults to have fun this summer while also discovering great books.Also, Greg and Liana go to head to head in Lemon Grove trivia!

Helen Ofield, president of our local historical society, talks about the role of her organization, its history, a few of its many events, and plenty of great Lemon Grove trivia.Also, Liana discusses her latest hobby of picking up roadside garbage.

Francesca Redetzke is a graduate student of architecture and design who has been working to make our Promenade (that area behind the trolley station at Broadway & Lemon Grove Ave) a more welcoming and dynamic space for the community.Also, Greg and Liana discuss our local farmer’s market.

Greg and Liana introduce themselves and the podcast. They also discuss the newly fixed traffic light at Broadway & Washington, as well as some good eats in the area.