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By Elijah McKee
Photo: former Councilmember Kristine Alessio will challenge La Mesa Mayor Mark Arapostathis.
Updated August 15 with additional candidates qualified
August 10, 2022 (San Diego's East County) — Each city in East County will have elected seats up for grabs in the approaching November election — but the deadline to file for candidacy ends this week on August 12.
Along with each city’s elected positions, filing periods for school, fire and water districts will close too, as well as community planning groups.
Incumbents can be granted a five-day extension for filing their nomination, but time is almost up for challengers and political newcomers. Those interested in running for an office can refer to the appropriate city or board clerk for nomination paperwork.
Local councils and staff members have a wide scope of impact on ground-level development and policy changes that matter to residents, as they are tasked with designing priorities and implementing budgets. City council terms are typically four years, while staff positions may be longer.
ECM asked East County's four cities for information on who has filed to run so far. Below are the responses.
The city with the most seats up for reelection is La Mesa: the Mayoral seat held by Mark Arapostathis is up for reelection, as are two councilmember seats currently held by Laura Lothian and Bill Baber, plus the City Treasurer position held by Eldon Vogt.
Mayor Arapostathis has filed to run for reelection and will face a challenge from former Councilmember Kristine Alessio, who has qualified for the ballot.
Councilmember Baber has announced he will not run for reelection, creating an open seat. So far, Lothian and four other candidates have retrieved councilmember nomination paperwork: Kathleen Brand, Mejgan Afshan, Tony Orlando, and Patricia Dillard. (Update Aug. 16: All of these candidates have qualified for the ballot)
Two pulled papers for the city treasurer, but only Matt Strobone qualified.
To monitor the full list of candidates in La Mesa as it becomes updated, click here.
Lemon Grove has two City Council terms ending, with those of Jennifer Mendoza and Jerry Jones coming to their fourth year. Mendoza will run again, but Jones has signaled this will be his last year on the Council as he considers retirement. Update August 16: five candidates filed papers and qualified so far: Jennifer Mendoza, Stephanie Klein, Alysson Snow, Jessyka Heredia and Blanca Brown. Because Jones, an incumbent, did not file to run, the filing deadling is extended through August 17.
In El Cajon, both Mayor Bill Wells and District One Councilmember Gary Kendrick are up for reelection. Kendrick is running unopposed. The Mayor is running for reelection, along with challenger Arnie Levine.
In Santee, District One Councilmember Rob McNelis and Vice Mayor Ronn Hall, who represents District Two, are both up for reelection. They are the only candidates who filed and both have qualified for the ballot.
If you would like to run for office in the future, visit the San Diego Registrar of Voters Filing Guide here.
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