DECEPTIVE MAILERS TARGET VOTERS IN GROSSMONT-UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

By Miriam Raftery

October 11, 2020 (La Mesa – El Cajon) – Republican Jim Stieringer, who is running for the Grossmont Union High School District’s Area 2 seat, has sent a deceptive mailer to some voters in La Mesa, El Cajon, Mt. Helix and Casa de Oro. It reads, “East County Voters – Let’s support our progressive team!” The flyer includes photos of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, as well as Democratic Congressional candidates Ammar Campa-Najjar and Sara Jacobs, Democratic Assemblymember Shirley Weber, and Stieringer.

There are three candidates in the race. Although this is officially a nonpartisan race and party affiliations do not appear on the ballot, both major parties have made endorsements. Elva Salinas, the incumbent and a community college professor, is the only candidate endorsed by the Democratic Party as well as the teacher’s union. The other two candidates, Stieringer and Justin Slagle, have both been long-serving Republicans but only Slagle is endorsed by the GOP.

Stieringer also refers to himself as the “high school district’s newest member” on the flip side of the mailer. He fails to mention that he lost reelection as a GUHSD trustee to Salinas in 2016 when the district shifted from at-large elections to trustee districts.

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HEAR OUR INTERVIEW: ODAY YOUSIF JR, GROSSMONT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD CANDIDATE

November 7, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Oday Yousif Jr. is a graduate of Valhalla High School in the Grossmont Union High School District and a current student at San Diego State University. Now he’s running for the Grossmont school board, seeking to bring a student’s perspective to the board and serve the needs of multi-lingual and multi-cultural students. You can hear our interview, originally aired on KNSJ radio, by clicking the audio link: https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au... .

Yousif asked for an interview to clear up information on a mailer with misleading information on candidates' party endorsements. He is the only candidate endorsed by the county Democratic Party in Grossmont’s Trustee Area 2, which includes La Mesa, Mt. Helix, and portions of surrounding neighborhoods. He also spoke out in support of Measure BB, Grossmont's school bond measure, which he backs despite some flaws in the measure because he believes "our schools need more money" to better serve students.