LEMON GROVE IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS TO FILL VACANCY LEFT BY COUNCILMAN FAIAI'S DEATH

Applications accepted now through through Sept. 4; forum for applicants Aug. 13

By Karen Pearlman

Aug. 12, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – Lemon Grove is actively seeking applicants to fill the vacant City Council seat of Sitivi “Steve” Faiai, who passed away on July 8.

Faiai, who was elected in 2024, had just begun his political career when he died at age 50 after suffering a heart attack.

At its Aug. 5, 2025 meeting, the Lemon Grove City Council directed staff to open the application process for the appointment of a City Councilmember to fill out the remainder of Faiai’s term. The Council opted against callling for a special election, which could have cost the city more than $250,000.

Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

TWO SLATES OF CANDIDATES FOR LEMON GROVE CITY COUNCIL OFFERED THEIR VIEWS AND VISIONS IN CANDIDATE FORUM

October 17, 2024 (Lemon Grove) -- All four candidates running for Lemon Grove City Council participated in East County Magazine’s candidate forum on Oct.10, which was moderated by editor Miriam Raftery.

The candidates are Councilman George Gastil, a history professor, Seth Smith, Chair of the Lemon Grove Planning Commission, architectural designer and project manager, high school coach Steve Faiai, and Jessyka Heredia, a small business owner, community volunteer, and reporter who previously covered Lemon Grove issues for our news site.

Candidates fielded questions on issues including infrastructure, housing, homeless, the business community, and increasing access to public meetings through livestreaming and videotaping. See highlights of their responses belone, or click here for video of the complete forum. Listen to audio here, as aired on our radio show on KNSJ, edited slightly for length.