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.

Update Noveber 9, 2020:  Dustin Trotter has pulled ahead of Samm Hurst by a slim 14 vote margin, with more votes remaining to be tallied. See all current results at SDVote.com.

Term limits win approval; Assemblyman Voepel is reelected

By Mike Allen

November 4, 2020 (Santee) -- With about 64 percent of the vote tallied as of early Nov. 4, Mayor John Minto was leading challenger Councilman Stephen Houlahan in the Santee mayoral race.

Minto, who was elected mayor in 2016, has 53 percent of the vote to Houlahan’s 47 percent. Minto was out campaigning late on Election Day, and said he felt confident about his prospects to retain the mayor’s job.

In District 4, Samm Hurst, a UCSD professor, held a 4 percentage lead over Dustin Trotter, a contractor. The vote separation as of the latest tally totaled only 246.

Houlahan and Hurst ran on a platform that included opposition to Fanita Ranch, the controversial housing project which Minto voted to approve just weeks before the election. The project has long divided the community in a battle that has spanned 20 years.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Brian Jones, shown at Politics in Paradise, has returned to the Legislature

Update December 13, 2018:  In the final count, Jones won with 53% of the vote to 47% for Griffith, the closest margin in recent history for this district.

November 8, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – Brian Jones, a familiar face in East County Politics, will be the new State Senator in the 38^th State Senate District. Jones, a Republican former Assemblyman and current Santee City Councilman,  has defeated Cal Fire Captain Jeff Griffith a Democrat, by a 56 to 44 percent margin with 72% of precincts counted.

Update June 6, 2018 -- Across both San Diego and Riverside County, with 100% of precincts tallied but not late mail-in or provisional ballots, according to the Califiornia Secretary of State the results are:  Randy Voepel 44.5%,  James Elia 31.3%, and Larry Wilske 24.2%.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Jonathan Goetz, who also contributed to this report

June 5, 2018 (San Diego's East County) -- In the 71st Assembly district held by  Republican Randy Voepel, with 15.3% of precincts counted, Voepel is on top in San Diego County with 44.13% but Democratic challenger James Elia is in second with 32.2% of the vote among the roughly 34,000 ballots tallied so far. 

Republican challenger Larry Wilske, a retired Navy Seal, had attacked Voepel with accusation of stolen valor, claiming Voepel inflated his military record.

In conservative Riverside County, which has a small percentage of voters, Wilske is actually ahead of the incumbent. Among Riverside's roughly 3,000 votes counted thus far, Wilske has 35.26%, followed by  Elia at 33.17%, and Voepel at just 31.57%. Voepel has strongest name recognition in East County, where he formerly served as mayor of Santee.

"We laid it all on the line, we've knocked on as many doors as we can and we look forward to the end of the night and we're confident we're going to November," Elia, an accountant, said tonight.

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

May 2, 2018 (Santee) - Assemblyman Randy Voepel should resign for lying about his service record, says his Republican rival and an allied military critic in the wake of new videos of Voepel claiming combat experience.

By Ken Stone

Reprinted with permission from Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Voepel wearing the Combat Action Medal.

April 18, 2018 (San Diego) - Republican Assemblyman Randy Voepel is taking heavy flak from a GOP rival, who along with another Navy veteran is accusing the former Santee mayor of having “Stolen Valor.”

Monday morning on KUSI TV, 30-year Navy SEAL veteran Larry Wilske brought up claims by retired Master Chief Petty Officer Terence Hoey* that Voepel misrepresented his military service record.

By Miriam Raftery, Editor, East County Magazine

July 4, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – The votes are in!  Congratulations to the winners in our East County Photography Contest.  Below are the winners, chosen by our readers from semi-finalists selected by our editorial staff.  The first place winner in each category will be displayed at the State Capitol, courtesy of Assemblyman Randy Voepel. The top four winners in each category are published in our East County Magazine article below. 

Due to the large volume of high-quality entries, we added extra categories to allow  more winners.  The categories are wildlife, landmarks, communities, close-ups, people, landscapes, waterscapes, sunsets and regional.  

Congratulations to our winners! We thank all who entered, and hope all of our readers will enjoy viewing the amazing works of these talented local photographers!   View winners: 

Photo by Darin Sefcik:  First place winner in East County Magazine's 2013 photography competition

March 15,  2017 (Santee) -- Assemblyman Randy Voepel (R-Santee) and East County Magazine announced today that they are hosting a photography contest that features photographs taken in San Diego’s East County.  The winning photographs will be displayed in Assemblyman Randy Voepel’s Capitol Office and published in East County Magazine.  Categories include wildlife, landscapes, cities and towns, activities, and people. 

“Eastern San Diego County is full of beautiful scenery and iconic landmarks, and I can’t wait to showcase photos of our wonderful community in our State’s Capitol,” Voepel said.  

Miriam Raftery, Editor of East County Magazine said, “We’re pleased to partner with Assemblyman Voepel to showcase the best of East County’s beautiful scenery, unique communities, people, wildlife, and activities.” 

Click "read more" or scroll down for for details:

East County News Service

March 16, 2017 (El Cajon) – The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR), a real estate trade group for San Diego-area realtors, will host California Assemblyman Randy Voepel for a meet-and-greet from 8:30 to 10 a.m., Friday, March 31, at PSAR’s East County Service Center, 1150 Broadway, El Cajon. The public is invited to attend. Members of PSAR’s East County Governmental Affairs Committee are organizing the event.

Local honoree will be recognized in Sacramento on March 6

January 25, 2017 (Sacramento) -- Assemblymember Randy Voepel, R-Santee, invites constituents to nominate extraordinary women in their communities for consideration as the 2017 Woman of the Year for the 71^st Assembly District.

By Miriam Raftery

June 9, 2016 (San Diego)—Seven Assembly seats and one state Senate race in San Diego County were among those on the ballot Tuesday.   Under the rules for state legislative elections, the top two vote-getters in each race will advance to a run-off in November. 

In a startling turn of events, the run-off in the 71^st Assembly seat vacated by Brian Jones due to term limits will be between Santee Mayor Randy Voepel and jeweler Leo Hamel in November—despite Hamel announcing he was dropping out of the race shortly after the ballots were printed. 

"In a “top-two” primary, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the General Election. The only way a candidate can be removed from the ballot is by dying or via court order. This must occur no later than 68 days before the election (Per Elections Code 8810)," Sam Mahood, press secretary for Secretary of State Alex Padilla told East County Magazine.  San Diego Registrar Michael Vu confirmed that state election code provides that Hamel will be on the November ballot, once the results are officially certified.

The district spans two counties. In San Diego, Voepel got 61%, Hamel 27%, and businessman Tony Teora 12%.  In Riverside County, the placement order is the same, though Teora had 14% there.

By Miriam Raftery

April 10, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – The race to fill the 71^st Assembly seat being vacated by Brian Jones due to term limits has narrowed to two candidates, both Republicans: Santee Mayor Randy  Voepel and business owner Tony Teora. 

By Mike Allen

December 23, 2015 (Santee) -- Karl Strauss Brewery got another clear sign that its planned brewery, tasting room, restaurant and distribution center is welcome in Santee when the City Council approved the project’s site plan last week.

July 28, 2015 (La Mesa) – The San Diego East County Chaldean-American Chamber of Commerce will host its second Meet Your Candidates Night on Wednesday, August 5 from 6-7 pm.. at Sammy's Woodfire Pizza, 8555 Fletcher Parkway, La Mesa 91942.

Assemblyman Brian Jones, who is running for State Senate, and Randy Voepel, Santee Mayor and candidate for the Assembly seat Jones will vacate next year due to term limits, will be speaking.

By Miriam Raftery

October 17, 2013 (Santee) – Santee’s City Council has voted to allow annexation of the controversial Castlerock Development project, meaning the land will be transferred from San Diego to Santee.  Pardee Homes plans to build 283 single family homes, 147 multi-family dwellings and a public park at the project. 

The Council has fought to oppose Castlerock on the boundary of Santee and San Diego, but the City of San Diego approved it.  Unable to block the project, Santee’s Council decided to allow annexation so that developer fees and property taxes from the new homes will be paid to Santee. In turn, Santee will provide services as fire protection.