By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Marie Waldron has defeated Randy Voepel in the redrawn 75th Assembly district

November 9, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – Redistricting pitted two incumbent Republican Assemblymembers against each other in the 75^th Assembly district.  Assemblyman Randy Voepel has been ousted by Assemblywoman Marie Waldron, the Assembly Republican leader and former Escondido councilmember. Waldron received 66.76% of the votes tallied so far, while Voepel drew just 33.24%.

A staunch conservative and pro-life legislator, she is a member of the Mental Health Caucus and has served on the Assembly Health Committee.  A former member of the San Diego County Opoid Task Force, she now serves on the Stanford 5-Year Initiative on Neuroscience, a group fostering communications between policymakers on mental health, addiction and opioid drugs. She was honored as legislator of the year by both the California Life Sciences Association and the California Chronic Care Coalition.

In the 40^th State Senate district, Senator Brian Jones, a Republican, leads by nearly 11 points over challenger Joseph Rocha, a Democrat and military veteran. Jones has long won his Senate and before that, Assembly races by large margins, but redistricting resulted in a nearly even party registration balance. Democrats had poured money into the race for TV ads and other campaign messaging, but were unable to defeat Jones, a former Santee Councilman and Chairman of the Assembly Republican Caucus.

Story and photos by Shiloh Ireland

Photo:  Steve White's body location on trail

November 6, 2022 (Santee) – Authorities have not yet identified the man found  last week on a trail near a homeless camp in Santee. But two men who live at the camp told East County Magazine that the deceased was Steve White, who was homeless.

East County News Service

November 1, 2022 (Santee) – The first annual Lights at the Lakes holiday show will run on select dates November 25 – December 24, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve.

By Miriam Raftery

October 31, 2022 (Santee) – A 66-year-old man was found dead early yesterday morning on a dirt trail near a transient camp in Santee.  According to the Sheriff’s Homicide Unit, the deceased  man is a “known transient” who “appears to have some trauma to his upper torso, but it is unknown if the trauma played a factor in his death.”

By Mike Allen

October 25, 2022 (Santee) -- The Santee School District’s board of trustees has three seats of the board’s five seats up for election this cycle.

However, for Seat Number 3, there is only one candidate, incumbent Dustin Burns.

For Seat Number 1, there are two candidates, Ron Burner, a realtor, and incumbent Barbara Ryan.

For Seat Number 5, three candidates are on the ballot: Joseph Dolin, a sales supervisor; incumbent Ken Fox, who has served on the board for 12 years; and Tracie Thill, who describes herself as a parent/ educator/ advocate.

East County Magazine sent out questionnaires to all six candidates and received two responses — from Burner and Thill -- which are published in full below.

Source: San Diego Sheriff’s Department

October 19, 2022 (San Diego) -- Twelve years ago, San Diego Sheriff’s Deputy Ken Collier was killed while trying to stop a driver who was drunk and high on drugs going the wrong way on SR-52 in Santee. His life was cut short robbing his family of a son, brother and fiancé, and his coworkers of a valued colleague.

By Mike Allen

October 17, 2022 (Lakeside) -- Voters in the unincorporated town of Lakeside will get to vote on four seats of the five-member Lakeside Union School District this November.

The Lakeside district, which covers nearly 75 square miles and has about 5,000 students, consists of six elementary schools, two middle schools, a preschool program, a DREAM Academy, and world language programs.

Seven candidates are running for three seats with a full four-year term, and two candidates are running for a shortened term. 

For the three full term seats the candidates are Jim Bennet, Maureen Cruise, Holly Ferrante, Aaron Gordon, Andrew Hayes, Ron Kasper, and Bonnie LaChappa.  For the short-term seat, the two candidates are incumbent Don Whisman, and Autumn Ellenson.

East County Magazine sent questionnaires out to all nine candidates and received four responses, which are published in full below.

By Shiloh Ireland

October 5, 2022 (Lakeside) -- On  August 1, 2022, Thomas “Bogi” Moreno's body was found in the pond at Willow Road and Moreno Road, Lakeside. He was 50 years old. This investigative reporter has followed up with conversations with his sister, Rosa Moreno of  Los Angeles, and with a San Diego County Sheriff’s homicide investigator, to learn more about the victim’s life and the circumstances surrounding his death.

East County News Service

October 3, 2022 (Santee) -- Friends and relatives of Steven Krueger will host a memorial Sand Sculpture Build on Sunday, October 9, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in his home community of Ocean Beach near the main lifeguard tower. The event will be led by award-winning master sand carvers of I.B. Posse, who will erect this memorial with the help of Steve’s family, friends and any community members who would like to participate.

Almost a year ago, on October 11, 2021, Krueger tragically lost his life when a plane crashed into his UPS truck in Santee. After a 30-year career, Krueger, was less than a year away from his planned retirement.

By Shiloh Ireland

September 25, 2022 (Lakeside) -- Yesterday, the Lakeside Fire Protection District held its annual Open House at Station 2. The event had not been held for several years due to COVID-19. It is always a large family event with kids and their parents.

This year featured the REACH helicopter, the jaws of life demonstration, San Diego Chapter of American Red Cross, San Diego Sheriff K-9, San Diego County Hazmat, San Diego County Fire Department, dunk a firefighter booth, Logistics support group to Lakeside Fire,  the rattlesnake removal specialist with many native snakes, and more displays.

By Shiloh Ireland

September 21, 2022 (Lakeside) -- At 5:45 pm on September 17th, 50 neighbors gathered for a third protest against the placement of five sex offenders in a house in their close-knit family neighborhood.  Their first protest was September 11th... Mayor Wells of El Cajon attended and offered support, though has no jurisdiction over unincorporated El Cajon, but responded to residents’ invitation to come out.  

When asked if he would talk to the supervisors or anyone else, he replied, "I would be happy to meet with them. This an East County problem.” Wells says of the predators, “Why are they placed here and the County is doing nothing to stop it? There are kids all over the place here. East County is where people are sent when people don't want them in their neighborhood."

Story and photos by Liz Alper

September 16, 2022 (Spring Valley) - We’re finally mostly into conference play and to kick it off, ECM Sports ventured to Spring Valley, where the Matadors of Mount Miguel hosted the Wolf Pack of West Hills.  Both teams are gridlocked at 2-2 and hoping to make some headway going into conference matchups.

By Shiloh Ireland

September 16, 2022 (Lakeside) – On September 12, Hope for the Homeless Lakeside (www.hope4homelesslakeside.org) organized an outreach event held in the parking lot next to the Parks and Recreation Building in Lakeside. Also present was a mobile unit from the county, HHSA-Health and Human Service Agency and several deputies from the HART -Homeless Assistance Resource Team of the San Diego Sheriff Department.

Judy Scheuer (photo, right) is the executive director, spoke with East County Magazine about how she came to establish the organization to help homeless people in the community – help needed now more than ever, after the August 31 Willow Fire destroyed homeless encampments in the riverbed and one homeless man was found dead in a pond days earlier.

“Three years ago, it started as a grassroots effort; then I hired a homeless woman and then began taking water, food, blankets tents and also hauled out trash weekly in the riverbed,” she said.  “Showers were offered weekly and  Otay Mesa Detention Facility fixed broken bicycles for us.”  Now bicycles are going to be repaired by a resident she knows.

By Henri Migala

September 12, 2022 (Lakeside) -  Families, neighbors and their supporters gathered in Lakeside on Blossom Valley Road to protest five sex offenders secretly placed in their neighborhood in the past couple of weeks.

In a story that happens all too frequently in East County, approximately 100 residents and community members expressed their surprise, fear and outrage at finding out that their quiet, family-friendly community was housing convicted sex offenders. Not one, or two, but five – all in one home.