With Mike and Arthur Aguirre Sat 11am

Call in at 619-790-KNSJ (5675)

JIM NEWLAND in convesation about La Mesa, the La Mesa History Center, Local History and More

James D. Newland is a historian, project manager, and planner for the California State Park

Department. He is currently serving as the Division Chief for the Strategic Planning & Recreation Services Division of California State Parks, where he has been employed for over 29 years. He has been professionally involved in cultural resources, land use planning, community history and historic preservation since 1991. Jim is a graduate of San Diego State University where he received his B.A. in Social Sciences, and a M.A. in Public History.

He has written hundreds of technical reports, academic and popular historical journal articles, four books, (Images of America: Cleveland National Forest; Images of America: La Mesa; Images of America: Around Mt Helix; and Grossmont Hospital, A Legacy of Community Service), and was a regular columnist for the La Mesa Patch web-paper. He lectures and presents on the history of the Greater La Mesa area regularly, and several of his talks can be found on the La Mesa History Center’s youtube page.

Mr. Newland has served on numerous statewide, regional, and local, professional, and non-for-profit boards—including the California Council for the Promotion of History, City of La Mesa’s Centennial Committee, La Mesa History Center, and the San Diego State University Alumni Board. Jim also served on the City of La Mesa Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Commission from 2014 to 2022. Jim and his wife Jennifer returned to San Diego in 2022, moving into a historically landmarked 1928 home in the Kensington neighborhood.

The La Mesa History Center is a private non-profit 501c(3) corporation, charged with preserving and educating the community on the fascinating history of the Greater La Mesa area.

In 2025 the La Mesa History Center (1975-2025) celebrated our non-profit organization’s 50 th anniversary. The History Center is located at 8369 University Avenue, La Mesa where it operates the McKinney House Museum and History Center Research Archives.

Website: lamesahistory.com

Email: info@lamesahistory.com

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Youtube page: La Mesa Historical Society