Santee

COUNTY CLERK OFFERING NEW “SUMMER LOVE” EVENING WEDDINGS, INCLUDING SANTEE IN EAST COUNTY

East County News Service

July 13, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- San Diego County Clerk Ernie Dronenburg expanded office hours this summer to offer a new “Love After Hours Evening Wedding Services” program. Couples may book an appointment for an evening wedding on the following Wednesdays this summer: July 20, August 10, and September 14, between 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.


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NIGHT CLOSURES ON EASTBOUND I-8 AT SR-67 MONDAY AND TUESDAY

Motorists advised to allow additional travel time for lane closures and detours

East County News Service

July 9, 2022 (San Diego’s East County)  — Construction crews will reduce lanes on Interstate 8 (I-8) at State Route 67 (SR-67)/Magnolia Avenue Monday and Tuesday from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. for ongoing electrical work, according to Caltrans. At least one lane will remain open for traffic. The work is part of the I-8/SR-67 Bridge Repair Project.


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WOMAN DIES IN CUSTODY AT LAS COLINAS

East County News Service

Photo by Rebecca Jefferis-Williamson

July 3, 2022 (Santee) – Erica Wahlberg, 40, died in a hospital, where she was admitted June 28 after suffering medical distress at the Las Colinas Detention facility in Santee.


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SANTEE COUNCIL LOOKS TO REGULATE CANNABIS, MOVES CLOSER TOWARD BALLOT INITIATIVE

By Mike Allen

June 28, 2022 (Santee) -- While members of the Santee City Council say they adamantly oppose marijuana use, they also can’t ignore the escalating tax dollars other cities are reaping from the sale of the drug.


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SANTEE VICE MAYOR RONN HALL HOLDS DISTRICT 2 MEET AND GREET ON JUNE 30

East County News Service

June 21, 2022 (Santee) -- Santee residents are invited to join Vice Mayor Ronn Hall on Thursday, June 30 at Santee City Hall, Building 8 (10601 Magnolia Ave, Santee) from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for the District 2 Community Meet & Greet event.


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SWANSON TAKES OVER AT PADRE DAM & EAST COUNTY AWP

By Mike Allen

June 21, 2022 (Santee) -- Kyle Swanson responds to a question about the safety of the drinking water to be produced at the East County Advanced Water Purification (AWP) plant in a way that conveys a sure grasp and confidence in the science behind the $950 million project.


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TEEN ARRESTED FOR SCHOOL BURGLARIES IN EAST COUNTY

East County News Service

June 16, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- Sheriff's Deputies have arrested an 18-year-old man in connection with a string of school burglaries in East County.

Over the past several months, numerous schools have been burglarized in the Alpine, Lakeside and Santee areas.  Several computers and tablets were stolen from the schools. 


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SANTEE COUNCIL REMOVES FANITA RANCH FROM NOVEMBER BALLOT; COLLINSWORTH CRIES FOUL

By Mike Allen

June 13, 2022 (Santee) -- After the Santee City Council voted last week to remove the Fanita Ranch project initiative from the November ballot, environmental activist Van Collinsworth called the move not only a slap in the face of local voters, but a clear message that the 3,000-unit development will never go to a vote.

The Council voted unanimously June 8 to take an earlier approved referendum on the project off the ballot because all pf the project’s legal approvals were already rescinded last month. The Council removed those approvals made in 2020 to comply with a judge’s recent ruling, which found the project’s environmental impact report deficient.

That report did not include impacts of a last-minute change by the Council to eliminate a key exit route in case of a wildfire evacuation, a lapse which the court found violated the California Environmental Quality Act requirements.


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EAST COUNTY’S WATER PURIFICATION PROJECT BREAKS GROUND

By Mike Allen

Photo, left to right:  Allen Carlisle, Outgoing General Manager, Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Jeremy Bauer, Acting Deputy Director, Tribal, Intergovernmental and Policy Division, U.S. EPA Region 9, Deven Upadhyay, Chief Operating Officer and Assistant General Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, David Gibson, Executive Officer at San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, Joel A. Scalzitti, Board Member, Helix Water District, Bill Pommering, Board President, Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Steve Goble, Joint Powers Authority Chair, East County Advanced Water Purification Program, San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson, Sandra Kerl, General Manager, San Diego County Water Authority, Jack Simes, Planning Officer, Bureau of Reclamation, Kyle Swanson, Incoming General Manager, Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Melissa McChesney, Communications Manager, Padre Dam Municipal Water District.  Photo courtesy East County Advanced Water Purification Program

June 1, 2022 (Santee) -- East County took a huge step toward greater water reliability and affordability today when regional officials broke ground on the $950 million Advanced Water Purification (AWP) project in Santee.


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SUMMER HEATS UP WITH SANTEE SUMMER CONCERTS

Source: Santee Summer Concerts

May 31, 2022 (Santee) -- The Santee Summer Concerts are back. After 38 years, concerts in Santee have become a tradition that draw crowds to a local park for free live music.


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EAST COUNTY JPA BEGINS PROCESS TO TAKE SAN DIEGO PUMP STATION

By Mike Allen

Photo:  Jay Goldstone, San Diego chief operating officer

May 23, 2022 (Santee) -- The board overseeing the $950 million East County Advanced Water Purification (AWP) project took the first legal step to condemn a pump station owned by the city of San Diego after numerous delays and now outright refusal by that city to abide by an earlier agreement to sell the property.


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PRE-SUMMER KICKOFF MAY 5 FOR SANTEE THURSDAY NIGHTS LIVE CONCERTS

Photo: Cc by NC-ND via Bing

East County News Service

May 3, 2022 (Santee) -- You’re invited to join the City of Santee for a pre-summer kick off of the Thursday Nights Live series.

“We are warming everyone up before the Santee Summer Concerts start on Thursday, June 9 with free family fun and entertainment on Thursdays, May 5 – June 2 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Santee Trolley Square amphitheater,” the invitation states. “This new Thursday night occurrence will be for the whole family and a fun opportunity to get out and about on Friday Eve. Grab a bite to eat at one of the Santee Trolley Square eateries or pack a picnic dinner while you enjoy the free fun.”


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ESTIMATE FOR COST OF ADVANCED WATER PURIFICATION SKYROCKETS

By Mike Allen

May 1, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- A new estimated cost for the Advanced Water Purification project, a system of recapturing sewage and transforming it to drinkable water for about 500,000 East County residents, escalated to about $850 million, an increase of more than $300 million above the estimate three years ago.


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MAN TRIES TO LURE BOY INTO VAN IN SANTEE

Source:  San Diego County Sheriff

April 20, 2022 (Santee) - The Santee Sheriff’s Station wants parents to be aware after a stranger followed and approached a child.  

It happened on Tuesday, April 19 around 3:30 p.m. as the 16-year-old boy was riding his bicycle home from Mast Park in the 9100 block of Carlton Hills Boulevard. The incident was reported to the Sheriff's Department an hour later.


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SURVIVORS OF THE SANTEE PLANE CRASH SPEAK OUT

 

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

April 20, 2022 (Santee) “All of a sudden I hear this loud rumbling,” said Jill Perry, house manager for Home for Guiding Hands in Santee. “We were just sitting down to lunch.” That rumbling was the sound, and aftereffects, when a Cessna small plane, which killed the pilot, Dr. Sugata Das, and a UPS driver, Steve Krueger, crashed in a Santee neighborhood on October 11, 2021, according to a video published by the San Diego Union Tribune.


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JUDGE TELLS SANTEE TO RESCIND FANITA RANCH VOTES DUE TO FIRE DANGER

By Mike Allen

April 12, 2022 (Santee) -- Fanita Ranch, the 3,000 unit housing project that was approved by the city of Santee two years ago, received another setback last week when a San Diego judge ruled the City must rescind all the legal permits for the construction.

The judgement by Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal made last month and filed April 6, calls on the city to vacate a series of resolutions that gave Fanita Ranch the green light in September 2020. Bacal faulted the city and its contracted experts for creating an inadequate environmental report about all the impacts from the project, particularly the lack of safe evacuation routes in the wake of an emergency such as a major wildfire.


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SANTEE HEROES CELEBRATION APRIL 26

East County News Service

April 5, 2022 (Santee) – The Santee Chamber of Commerce will host its Santee Heroes Celebration on Tuesday, April 26 at 6 p.m. at Carlton Oaks Golf Club.


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STEPHEN HOULAHAN, CANDIDATE FOR U.S. CONGRESS, SAYS EAST COUNTY SHOULD RETHINK GILLESPIE FIELD AIRPORT

By Colleen Cochran

April 2, 2022 (Santee) - During a recent townhall meeting, Stephen Houlahan, candidate for CA’s 48th Congressional District, discussed the ways Gillespie Field airport negatively impacts adjacent Santee and El Cajon residents. He cited crashes and noise and air pollution, and said, given all the development that has taken place in these East San Diego County cities over the years, the region may not be the right place for an airport anymore.


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BODY FOUND IN WALMART PARKING LOT

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Rebecca Jefferis Williamson, who contributed to this report.

April 2, 2022 (Santee) -- A body was found in the parking lot of the Santee Walmart yesterday afternoon.  A spokesperson for the Sheriff's media communications told ECM that the death appears to be a suicide, though an investigation continues.

No other details were provided by law enforcement.


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LATE-NIGHT FIRE BEHIND SANTEE WALMART POINTS UP IMPORTANCE OF NIGHT-FLYING HELICOPTERS, WHICH COUNTY WILL SOON ACQUIRE

Supervisor Fletcher pledged in his State of the County speech Tuesday to finally acquire a night-flying helicopter for San Diego County

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Screenshot off Malik Earnest’s Twitter post

 

March 31, 2022 (Santee) – A brush fire reported shortly before midnight behind the Santee Walmart at 170 Town Center Parkway took over three hours to fully extinguish.


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MEDICAL EXAMINER FINDS DOCTOR’S DEATH IN SANTEE PLANE CRASH WAS ACCIDENTAL

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Dr. Sugata Das, courtesy of Yuma Regional Medical Center

March 23, 2022 (San Diego) – An autopsy of Dr. Sugata Das, the pilot killed October 11 when his Cessna plane crashed into a Santee neighborhood, found no evidence of drugs, alcohol, or medications. The Medical Examiner’s office also indicates Dr. Das had no history of medical conditions and found no evidence of suicide.


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SHERIFF SOLVES COLD-CASE SANTEE MURDER USING GENETIC GENEOLOGY

Suspected killer, a neighbor, later died in a fire

East County News Service

Source: San Diego Sheriff’s Department 

Photos:  Diane Lynn Dahn was brutally murdered in 1988.  After 33 years, investigators believe the killer was her neighbor, Warren Robertson, who later died in a fire.

March 16, 2022 (Santee) -- On May 2, 1988, Diane Lynn Dahn did not arrive at work for her shift at the San Diego Transit Corporation. A coworker went to Diane's apartment in the 8700 block of Graves Avenue in Santee and discovered her body inside her bedroom at around 1:30 p.m. Her 2-year-old son was found wandering in the apartment complex.


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SANTEE MOVES TOWARD GIVING VOTERS A SAY ON LEGALIZING CANNABIS BUSINESSES

By Mike Allen

Photo:  Santee Vice Mayor Ronn Hall

March 11, 2022 (Santee) -- While it’s legal to use and even grow marijuana for personal use statewide, the sale of the still-federally prohibited drug is not permitted in Santee.

That could change given the path that the City Council has been on since last year, when it began exploring the potential of allowing some type of marijuana-linked business within its 16.5 square miles.


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EL CAJON, SANTEE TREE PLANTING EVENTS SEEKING VOLUNTEERS MARCH 12

By Kevork Kurdoghlian, California Urban Forests Council

March 11, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – AMPlifying the Urban Forest is coming to El Cajon and Santee on Saturday, March 12 to empower El Cajon, Santee and 26 municipal agencies and other organizations throughout California to plant nearly 2,000 trees with the help of volunteers. The program is developed and presented by the groundbreaking partnership between the California Urban Forests Council (CaUFC), West Coast Arborists (WCA), Taylor Guitars, Western Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (WCISA) and the Britton Fund.

Tree planting in El Cajon starts at 8 a.m. at Wells Park located at 1153 E Madison Ave, El Cajon, CA 92021.

In Santee, volunteers will start planting trees at 10 a.m. at Woodglen Vista Park located at 10250 Woodglen Vista Dr. Santee, Ca 92071.


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JUDGE BLOCKS FANITA RANCH, CITING FIRE DANGER

By Miriam Raftery and Mike Allen

March 10, 2022 (San Diego) – Citing wildfire evacuation concerns, San Diego Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal has ruled that the city of Santee and the City Council violated state law in approving Fanita Ranch, HomeFed’s long-planned 3,000 home development.  The project would be built on more than 2,600 acres of fire-prone hillsides in the city’s northwest section.

The ruling found that the city’s environmental review of the project was inadequate, violating California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by failing to adequately disclose how the development would affect wildfire evacuations and safety in the surrounding community.

The Judge also slammed the city for its last-minute removal of the Magnolia Avenue extension from the project just six days before approving the project’s EIR, even though that extension had been touted as a key wildfire evacuation route. This was inadequate for public review or evaluation of impacts on neighbors along other connector roads should an evacuation be needed. In addition, the judge found, “the City’s decision not to recirculate the EIR violated CEQA.”


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UKRAINIAN-AMERICANS HOLD VIGILS IN SANTEE AND SAN DIEGO

By Matthew Manosh

Scroll down to links to videos from vigils

March 1, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- Local Ukrainian-Americans gathered in demonstrations these past few days in solidarity with their nation, which is under attack from Russian forces. Thursday night,  a prayer vigil was held in Santee on a vacant lot, where there are plans to build a Ukrainian Catholic Church. Father Yurii Sas of St. John the Baptizer Catholic Church in San Diego led his congregation in prayer and song, asking for God to protect his people in the Ukraine:


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SANTEE COUNCIL DENIES PERMIT FOR NEW GAS STATION/MINI MART ON PROPERTY TIED TO KALASHO FAMILY

By Mike Allen

File photos: Lina Charry and Ben Kalasho

February 25, 2022 (Santee) -- Santee apparently has enough gas stations, or at least enough on a stretch of Mission Gorge Road near the confluence of State Routes 125 and 52.

At its Feb. 23 meeting, a reduced City Council shot down a proposal to build yet another station under the Arco brand, a car wash and mini-mart on an oddly shaped, less-than-an-acre parcel at 9015 Mission Gorge Road.


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SANTEE UPS DRIVER DIES IN ACCIDENT ON I-15

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: CC via Bing

February 23, 2022 (Santee) – Jeffrey James Sutch, 51, of Santee died today when the United Parcel Service (UPS) vehicle he was driving ran off a rain-slicked highway and struck a eucalyptus tree on Interstate 15  north, near I-8.  He was driving a UPS Freightliner semi-tractor and pulling a semi-trailer when the crash occurred.


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SANTEE INKS AGREEMENT FOR NEW TROLLEY SQUARE HOTEL ON SITE ONCE DESIGNATED FOR LIBRARY

By Mike Allen

February 12, 2022 (Santee) -- Santee’s grand plan to turn part of Trolley Square into an arts and entertainment district took a big step forward on February 9 when the City Council approved the sale of a parcel for a four-story, 89-room hotel.


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SANTEE REDRAWING ITS DISTRICT BOUNDARIES

By Mike Allen

Photo:  the current Santee district boundaries

February 2, 2022 (Santee) -- The city of Santee continues the process of redoing the boundaries for its four electoral districts, which will likely result in keeping the lines as they currently are.


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