By Miriam Raftery

November 6, 2024 (Lemon Grove) – Sitivi “Steve” Faia has pulled ahead of Councilman George Gastil in the Lemon Grove City Council race, where four candidates are vying for two seats.  Jessyka Heredia remains in the lead with 28.86% of the votes counted, followed by Faia, a youth sports coach, with 25.40% and 2,410 votes. Gastil, at 25.16% trails Faia by just 23 votes, leaving open the potential for yet another shift as more votes are tallied.

Planning Commission Chair Seth Smith is in fourth place with 20.58% and 1,952 votes.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos, top left to lower right:  Sitivi "Steve" Faiai, Councilman George Gastil, Jessyka Heredia,and Seth Smith

August 27, 2024 (Lemon Grove) – Four candidates are running for two City Council seats in Lemon Grove.  Councilman George Gastil seeks reelection. The other candidates are Sitivi “Steve” Faiai, Jessyka Heredia, and Seth Andrew Smith.  Depending on the outcomes in the Council and mayoral races, Lemon Grove will have at least one new face on its City Council, and could have as many as three. 

That’s because Councilmembers Liana LeBaron and Alysson Snow are challenging incumbent Racquel Vasquez in the mayoral race. LeBaron’s Council term is up this year, meaning if she loses her mayoral bid, she will be off the Council.  Snow’s term isn’t up until 2026, meaning she will stay on the Council if she loses her mayoral bid. If Snow wins, this would create a new open seat, which the new City Council could fill by appointment or special election.  Read ECM’s article on the mayoral race.

Lemon Grove’s City Council meetings have often been contentious, with clashes among some Councilmembers as well as pushback from some members of the public on issues including homelessness, housing, business development, street repairs and flooded storm drains. The city has a smaller budget than other East County cities, making it a daunting challenge to meet the many priorities voiced by residents.

Here are highlights of each candidate seeking to represent residents on the Lemon Grove City Council, listed in alphabetical order.

By Elijah McKee

September 20, 2022 (Lemon Grove) — “The squeakier wheel gets the oil, right? If you come out and say ‘Hey, this is what we need,’ and you’re persistent, things start to change, remarked ” Jessica “Jessyka” Heredia about virtual access to city meetings. She personally live-streams Lemon Grove City Council meetings on Facebook, while calling for an investment in an official video record.

In an interview with East County Magazine, Heredia reflected, “I get lots of views so I know it’s something that should be done and could be done. And I believe it will be done as a result of me coming and doing that. I’m going to continue to advocate for that regardless of whether I’m elected or not.” 

Heredia officially qualified for the ballot last month, and is now one of five candidates vying for seats on the Lemon Grove City Council this election year. She runs a business in El Cajon that has been in East County for 24 years, sat on the City's Community Advisory Committee (CAC) and the Business Improvement District, and runs the Lemon Grove Support Local social media pages. 

Given the four-year term lengths for councilmembers in Lemon Grove, Jennifer Mendoza is the only current official whose seat could be challenged this year. However, Councilmember Jerry Jones decided to retire after nearly 20 years as a councilmember, creating an open seat and the possibility for two new faces to join the dais. 

For elections within San Diego County this year, every active registered voter will automatically be granted a mail ballot. They will begin being sent out on October 8, and early voting via ballot drop boxes will begin October 10. All in-person poll centers will be open from November 5 through Election Day on November 8. 

In the Lemon Grove field, Councilmember Mendoza has announced her bid for reelection and is the only incumbent in the race. The other four candidates include Heredia, as well as Blanca Brown, Stephanie Klein, and Alysson Snow.  East County Magazine sat down with all five women for in-depth interviews in order to learn more about them and their campaigns. Watch for profiles of all five candidates to be posted in our Communities section for Lemon Grove.