BONITA, CA — Authorities on Thursday publicly identified a man and woman found dead inside a parked car in southern San Diego County.

Deputies responded to a report of an unresponsive person inside a sedan at 11:12 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Orchard Hill Road and Cresta Verde Lane in Bonita, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office. They discovered the bodies of Jullian Hernandez, 23, of Diamond Bar and Alicia Kamo, 22, of Chino Hills inside the vehicle.

“Both the male and female had trauma to their upper torso,” sheriff’s Lt. Michael Krugh said. “Due to the suspicious nature of the incident, the sheriff’s homicide unit responded to the scene and took over the investigation.”

The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office was unable to determine the cause and manner of their deaths based on the autopsy alone, Krugh said. The investigation was ongoing.

Anyone with information about the case was asked to call the homicide unit at 858-285-6330 or during non-business hours at 858-868-3200. Tipsters who want to remain anonymous can call San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

Ilene Stone

OBITUARY

Surrounded by her family, Ilene Stone, beloved wife, mother, and Nanu, passed away from pancreatic cancer. She was 79.

Ilene was born in Brooklyn, NY to Harry and Frances Schutzman and moved to San Diego at the age of 7. Ilene went to school locally, and obtained both her Bachelors and Masters degrees at San Diego State University. It was among the study carrels of SDSU’s library where she met her future husband, Jeff Stone. Ilene and Jeff fell in love as they researched their Master’s Theses, both relying on the same resources to write about two Revolutionary War figures who despised each other: Silas Dean and Henry Laurens. Ilene and Jeff married in September 1969, more than 55 years ago.

After college, Ilene started an almost 30-year career as an instructor at San Diego Community College’s evening program, teaching American History. As an instructor, Ilene was a true storyteller, sharing the saga of our country in her own engaging and enduring way.

Following her teaching career, Ilene happened across the movie With a Song In My Heart, which was the Hollywood version of the life of Jane Froman, a famous songstress whose career lasted from the 1930s into the 1960s. Wanting to learn more about Jane, Ilene discovered there had been very little written about her. Ilene corrected that omission by travelling to Columbia, Missouri several times (Jane’s papers were housed at the University of Missouri and Columbia College) to research and document Jane’s life. Ilene ultimately wrote two books about Jane, one of which was published by the University’s Press. During her time in Columbia, Ilene (and Jeff) made many new friends, most of whom had been part of Jane’s life.

Ilene enjoyed travel – France, Alaska, Berkeley (for college baseball) and Los Angeles (but only because her two children and grandchildren lived there). Above all, though, Ilene was a lifelong Padres fanatic who enjoyed attending their games, in Yuma, at the Murph and then later at Petco Park. Most recently, Ilene absolutely loved watching the Pads on the giant TV in her assisted living apartment.

Devoted to her family, friends, and especially her grandsons, Ilene is survived by her husband Jeff, son Rob, daughter Hallie, daughter-in-law Lisa, grandsons Alden and Hudson and brother Jay. Ilene will be forever loved, remembered and cherished by those who held her closest.

Graveside services will be held at Greenwood Memorial Park on Friday, December 20th at 12noon.

Donations in Ilene’s memory can be made to the Jane Froman Smith Memorial Scholarship at Columbia College using the following link: https://my.ccis.edu/froman

On Tuesday morning, Margo Velez walks through a Mission Valley shopping center. It’s one she knows well because she, along with her two teenage daughters, used to sleep in the car on the adjacent corner.

“It wasn’t a very comfortable or good feeling while working,” Velez said, adding she worked two jobs but still could not afford rent.

Velez represents the demographic lawmakers at every level of government hope to help — people who are working but cannot afford to make ends meet.

The San Diego City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to form a new committee dedicated to addressing the cost of living in America’s Finest City, which is also one of its most expensive.

“To bring our costs down a little bit here, a little bit there that will add up so that we can finally make this place a place where everyone sees a future for themselves because it’s really tough to do that right now,” said Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera.

Elo-Rivera is chair of the committee. The former council president said he passed the gavel so he would have more time to focus on policy that makes San Diego affordable for working people.

“It is the thing that threatens people’s ability to believe that they have a future here,” said Elo-Rivera.

Councilmember Henry Foster is vice chair of the committee, and Councilmember Marni von Wilpert rounds it out.

Politicians in D.C. also list lowering the cost of living as a top priority. San Diego Rep. Scott Peters founded a “YIMBY Caucus” in Congress to facilitate housing development, which he said is the best way to make California housing more affordable.

With attention on the dollar reaching a fever pitch from City Hall to Capitol Hill, some San Diegans may wonder when they will feel those policies reach their pocketbooks.

Elo-Rivera said it will not happen overnight, but that the new committee is already exploring one piece of legislation that could help people save money at the grocery store, and another that would ban algorithmic price-fixing in the housing market.

“It’s a little bit at the grocery store. It’s a little bit when we fill up our gas, take a little bit through unfair practices when we’re paying for our housing. And our job as a committee is going to be tackle tackling those things one at a time,” said Elo-Rivera.

Now, the council will have to put its money where its mouth is, in the form of policy that reaches households and keeps workers in San Diego.

“The only reason why I stay is because of the weather and the beautiful people you meet,” said Velez. “But it’s getting to the point where I’m almost ready to leave and seek elsewhere.”