By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Zack Gianino and Evlyn Andrade-Heymsfeld await final election results in Santee

November 6, 2018 (Santee) – A grassroots effort to elect slow-growth, progressive candidates to the Santee City Council appears unsuccessful, with a conservative slate leading handily for all three seats and two Republican incumbents headed to reelection.

This was Santee’s first election since dividing the city into districts instead of at-large elections.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy ECM news partner 10 News

November 3, 2018 (Santee) – An elderly, disabled man was found dead in a Santee mobile home that burned overnight.  The man called 911 to ask for help, telling the dispatcher he had difficulty moving around. 

By Mike Allen

November 2, 2018 (Santee) -- Running in his fourth city election, Santee Councilman Rob McNelis has been around the block a few times asking for funds to pay for such things as campaign signs and mailers so it’s no surprise that he easily leads the pack of seven candidates for the City Council with about $23,000 collected as of late October.

East County News Service

November 1, 2018 (Santee) – This is the first election in which Santee residents cast votes by district. In District 1, Councilman Rob NcNelis, a market leader with a mortgage banking company and former Chamber of Commerce president, is running against Evlyn Andrade-Heymsfield, a software engineer and business owner who worked at U.C. Berkeley’s school of public health as a program manager and chair of the staff advisory council.

Key issues are development vs. quality of life, as well as how to address the city’s budget deficit. Andrade-Heymsfield claims her opponent puts developers’ interests over those of residents; she pledges to oppose Fanita Ranch. McNelis says he’s voted against some developer donors’ projects and votes for what's best for Santee. He pledges to keep government small and out of people’s pockets; Andrade-Heymsfield says she has ideas for new revenue sources to address the city’s deficit without raising taxes. 

We interviewed both candidates on KNSJ 89.1 FM radio. Hear the full interviews by clicking the audio links (Evlyn Andrade Heymsfield audio and Rob McNelis audio) plus read highlights below.

East County Wildfire & Emergency Alerts

Update November 1, 2018, 8 a.m. -- Cal Fire reports that there were six spot fires and forward spread is stopped on all of them.

Update 9:55 p.m.:  Two fires near El Capitan reservoir are burning; one south of the boat dock is "problematic" and incident commander has requested additional resources, per scanner traffic.

October 31, 2018 (San Diego's East County) -- Cal Fire is at the scene of the #PeutzFire that started near Peutz Valley Road in the Alpine area shortly before 9 p.m. reportedly about half an acre. 

Scanner traffic indicates crews have been battling multilpe small spot fires.

Crews had difficulty reaching flames near El Capitan reservoir due to a locked gate, Fox 5 reports.  Scanner traffic indicates the fire may be two acres.

Be vigilant and please report any suspicious activity to authorities.

East County News Service

October 31, 2018 (Santee) - The city of Santee will host its holiday lighting celebration on November 16^thfrom 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Santee Trolley Square (9884 Mission Gorge Rd., Santee).

Photos by Billy Ortiz; Facebook screenshots

By Mike Allen

Updated October 26 with comments from Supervisor Dianne Jacob

October 25, 2018 (Lakeside) -- The developer of the El Monte Valley Sand Mine is apparently is so sure the project will get approved he began digging Oct. 24 without a permit, but according to San Diego County he doesn’t need one.

El Monte Nature Preserve LLC, the ironically-named entity that has been seeking county approval for the mining operation on nearly 500 acres of land near Lakeside, sent a heavy equipment operator to the site Wednesday to  begin digging holes. That prompted several local mining opponents to block the operation.

Source: Santee Fire Department

October 16, 2018 (Santee) -- An original art work honoring the sacrifice of first responders on September 11,2001 will make Santee its home for the next three months.

The 3-by-4-foot oil painting portrays a New York firefighter with is head in his hands standing below a tattered American flag with the iconic wreckage of the Twin Towers in the background.

By Miriam Raftery, Editor, East County Magazine

Photos, upper left to lower right:  Evlyn Andrade-Heymsfelt, Zack Gianino, Laura Koval, Councilman Ronn Hall, Councilman Rob McNelis, Lynda Marrokal, Rudy Reyes

Updated October 18 with responses from Rudy Reyes

October 8, 2018 (Santee) – This is the first time Santee has held district elections, where the winners will each represent a specific neighborhood instead of being voted on by the city at large. We sent questionnaires to the seven candidates running for three City Council seats in Santee, asking the same questions of everyone. All seven candidates replied. Their thoughtful responses address a range of issues such as balancing growth and open space, also offering some fresh ideas, such as creating a community choice energy program for Santee.

Below are their answers in full to our questions, along with a link to their ballot statements for more information, arranged by district and in alphabetical order within each district.

By Ana Nita

View video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxJlcuFhwyI&t=10s

October 11, 2018 (Santee) -- In April, the City of Santee ended the “at large” election system by adopting an ordinance that divided the city into four election districts. The electoral battle on November 6 now has seven candidates from three districts. Registered to run in District 1 are Evlyn Andrade-Heymsfield and current Vice Mayor Rob McNelis; in District 2, Council Member Ronn Hall and Rudy Reyes; in District 3: Zach Gianino, Laura Koval and Lynda Marrokal.

GoFundMe page started to pay for medical evacuation flight

By Miriam Raftery

October 10, 2018 (Santee) – Jeanette Craig, a retiree from Santee, has been seriously injured while vacationing in Lesotho, an African nation, when a tour bus overturned. Three people were killed and 12 injured. Craig suffered a fractured pelvis and leg, as well as torn ligaments, 10 News reports.

“Regular airlines will not transport her because of the severity of her injuries. The cost is estimated at $160,000,” says Nicolas Wiseman, a friend who started a GoFundMe page to help Craig return home. “While Jeanette has travel insurance, it will not cover these costs.”

East County News Service

October 2, 2018 (Santee) – Santee's Council races have attracted seven candidates for three seats, drawing strong public interest following a heated Council meeting recently over the future of growth and development in the community.  Scroll down for details on two candidate forums, as well as information on all candidates in the race.

Two candidate forums are slated on October 4^th and 9^th for Santee City Council candidates running in districts 1, 2 and 3:

Thursday, Oct. 4, 6 p.m. at Carlton Oaks Golf Club Crest Room, 9200 Inwood Drive, Santee

Tuesday, October 9, 6 p.m. at Pride Academy School, 9303 Prospect Dr., Santee

By Miriam Raftery

October 1, 2018 (Lakeside) – Now in its 19^th year, Oma’s Pumpkin Patch at the Van Ommering Dairy in Lakeside is open for the season now through October 31^st .  You can visit Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

SIG Alert issued; Wildcat Canyon Rd. closed at Willows Rd.

By Miriam Raftery

September 27, 2018 (Lakeside) – A collision on Wildcat Canyon Road this morning has resulted in two fatalities. A 21-year-old woman and a 53-year-old man, both from El Cajon, died after they were ejected from a 1992 Honda Accord that struck a 2013 Porsche Cayenne.

According to the CHP, the Honda was traveling south on Wildcat Canyon north of Willow Road at a high speed when the Honda struck a concrete curb. The driver veered left, directly into the path of the Porsche, which was driven by a Santee woman, 43.

“The two vehicles collided broadside,” said Officer Travis Garrow. “The force of the impact split the Honda in half.”

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Story and photos by Liz Alper

September 22, 2018 (Santee) - ECM Sports is excited about this week’s edition of Friday Night Lights.  It comes to you from West Hills for the first time, where the incredibly aesthetically pleasing blue field greeted us.  Tonight, the Pack hosted the Vaqueros of El Capitan in the inaugural Tony Burner Memorial Cup, named after the late Wolfpack quarterback and Vaquero coordinator who passed away a year ago.  Burner was the son of El Capitan head coach Ron Burner.  These two are polar opposites of each other; the Vaqueros were struggling at 1-3 heading into tonight, while the Wolf Pack were undefeated at 4-0.