DEMOCRATS REGAIN MAJORITY ON LEMON GROVE COUNCIL

By Miriam Raftery

November 8, 2012 (Lemon Grove) – The election of Racquel Vasquez and reelection of George Gastil restores a Democratic majority to the Lemon Grove City Council.   Vasquez won 29.30% of the votes cast, followed by  Gastil with 23.01%.

“Racquel is a breath of fresh air,” said Gastil, who called the election of Vasquez, an African-American woman, “historic. She is the first person who is not white to be elected to the Council—and she comes in first place, which is a testament to her involvement in the community.”

Asked how great a difference the shift in majority will make in Lemon Grove, a city that lost its recreation department due to budget cuts, a move Gastil opposed, he replied, “Time will tell.” 

“IT was a lot of work. We put an aggressive effort into reaching out to voters,” said Vasquez, who began her campaign a year and a half ago.

Vasqez told ECM that after talking with people in Lemon Grove, she has focused on “three things I plan to champion”: quality neighborhoods, public safety and economic development.

Final results: