East San Diego News

Steve Faiai, a candidate for Lemon Grove City Council, is emphasizing the urgent need for effective leadership in the city to address the growing homelessness crisis in the community.

Faiai, a football coach at Helix High School and local retail manager at Sprouts Farmers Market, expressed frustration over the lack of comprehensive solutions. 

Faiai is running on a slate with Liana LeBaron, who is running for mayor, and fellow city council candidate Jessyka Heredia.

Together, the candidates have crafted a comprehensive action plan that residents can hold them accountable to, focusing on several key initiatives. 

They aim to clean up downtown Lemon Grove by creating a strong business improvement district and implementing aesthetic enhancements to revitalize the city center. 

Additionally, they plan to develop a street paving strategy that prioritizes the worst roads, particularly those near schools and parks, ensuring safer routes for families. 

Faiai expressed his frustration over the neglect of road conditions in the community. 

"There is not a road that you drive through in Lemon Grove that does not need repair. The repairs of our roads have been on the back burner for so long," Faiai told East San Diego News. 

He emphasized that many residents have voiced their concerns about the deteriorating infrastructure. 

"I’ve been going door to door, asking people what their top three concerns are. The number one thing that they're concerned about is the roads, their infrastructure, and how there's nobody paying attention to it," he said. "It’s always the number one thing that politicians run on, yet it gets the least amount of attention."

Highlighting the dangers faced by students, Faiai recounted alarming incidents related to poor road conditions. 

"We’ve heard stories of kids riding their bikes to school, hitting a pothole, flipping over their handlebars, and breaking their arms,” he said. “Those are just stories that we’ve heard, but there are countless others that haven’t been shared."

He noted that the community deserves better. 

"If it's number one on our constituents' list of concerns, then what’s taking us so long to fix it? We want to work as a team to put this as a high priority,"  Faiai said. 

The slated candidates have proposed a strategic plan. 

"The plan is to take the worst five streets and fix those first. We can tackle them one at a time instead of just addressing the issues piecemeal," Faiai said. 

Faiai said infrastructure improvement also helps prevent damage to vehicles. 

"We talked to a gentleman yesterday who had to get his car realigned because of the wear and tear on the street he lives on,” he said. “That's unfair to our constituents who are already paying taxes for us to get the job done, but it's not getting done.” 

Faiai is also advocating for the reopening of the Lemon Grove Recreation Center and the Senior Center, emphasizing their crucial roles in fostering community engagement and support for both youth and seniors. 

He outlined his vision for revitalizing these facilities and how they can contribute to leadership development among the younger generation.

“I'm a football coach at Helix High School, and many of my players live in Lemon Grove,” Faiai said. “The recreation center has been closed for like 13 years, and it used to be a hub of activity. It was vibrant, with events happening every night—softball leagues, basketball teams. We need that energy back in our city.”

Faiai believes that reopening the rec center could provide invaluable opportunities for local youth. 

“After the football season, if they're not involved in other sports, I want them to have a place to learn job skills, fill out job applications, and join offseason recreation leagues,” he said. “We could offer music classes, art classes—things that aren’t being provided in our local schools. The kids I coach want to belong somewhere, and if we don’t give them that, they might find other groups to belong to, which isn’t always a positive influence.”

Faiai added that today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders. 

“Investing in our youth is investing in the future leaders of our community,” he said. “One day, we will hand off the baton to them, and I want to ensure they are ready to carry on our values and progress.”

Faiai also stressed the importance of reopening the city’s Senior Center that has been closed for several years. 

“I spoke with seniors who were visibly upset because they have no place to go,” he said. “The Senior Center was their community hub, and without it, they feel forgotten. These seniors paved the way for us to be who we are today, and we should honor them by providing spaces where they can enjoy life and connect with each other.”

He believes that revitalizing these community centers would not only serve the residents but also benefit local businesses. 

“Imagine your child has a soccer game, and afterward, families gather at the rec center. They’re likely to discuss where to eat or shop, which supports our local economy,” Faiai said. “Reopening the rec center is a win-win for our community.”

Regarding homelessness Faiai said he feels like the issue has not been addressed appropriately. 

"It feels like all around the county, nobody's really tackling the homelessness issue. Everybody is pretty much putting a Band-Aid on it and hoping that somehow, someway, it'll go away," Faiai said.

Faiai underscored the complexity of homelessness, noting that underlying mental health and substance abuse issues often go unaddressed. 

"There are deeper issues… mental health issues, drug-related issues," he said. "Those are some of the issues that I feel like we need to tackle. In the past, leadership hasn’t done a good enough job of working with local officials to get the right programs in place."

Faiai advocates for collaboration with local agencies to create sustainable solutions. 

"We want to create a solid program that can help those who want help get back on their feet," he said. "It’s a county-wide problem, not just a Lemon Grove issue. We need to work hand in hand with county officials to tackle this effectively instead of just doing it over and over again."

Commenting on existing measures like the controversial "sleeping cabins" initiative, he expressed skepticism. 

"The community was told afterwards that this is what was happening," he said. "It’s just again, it’s a Band-Aid. It’s not a viable solution to help our unhoused and homeless people."

Faiai’s candidacy aims to foster a community-oriented approach to the homelessness crisis, prioritizing genuine support over temporary fixes. 

"We want to make sure we can do this right," he said. 

Faiai highlighted the importance of accountability and community involvement in addressing the homeless problem in Lemon Grove. 

Faiai is emphasizing the importance of community collaboration as a cornerstone of his campaign, asserting that elected officials are ultimately accountable to the people they serve. 

“At the end of the day, every politician, every elected official works for the people. The people don’t work for us. We work for the people,” he said. 

Faiai believes that community engagement is crucial to the success of local businesses and, by extension, the overall health of the community. 

“The success of our businesses is the success of our community. It really, really is. We want to work alongside our businesses so that our community feels great about driving through town,” he said. 

He highlighted key concerns raised by constituents, including infrastructure, safety, and the needs of the unhoused population.

“We’ve heard from our constituents about the importance of infrastructure and safety,” Faiai said. “But we also want to make sure we’re collaborating with local businesses to help them become successful. They work hard to run their businesses, and we want to support them.”

Faiai is committed to revitalizing the downtown area, addressing visible issues such as litter and disrepair. 

“When you drive through Lemon Grove, you see a lot of things that need fixing. You see trash, and our sidewalks are dirty,” he said. “But underneath, you also see the potential of what it can be. We want to be part of that potential.”

His plans include collaborating with community members and local businesses to clean streets and improve the overall aesthetic of the city. 

“We want to piece it together and get the ball rolling to move us forward to becoming the vital and beautiful city that we once were,” he said.

With the backing of constituents and local businesses, Faiai is confident in his ability to lead Lemon Grove toward a brighter future. 

“I believe that we have the team to do it and we have the leadership to do it,” he said. “Our message is clear: let’s revive our city and make it the beautiful place it once was.”