Calls From Supervisor's Office Alarm Board Members
- Media
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Spring Valley Community Planning Group elects new officers amidst controversy over filling board vacancies
The Spring Valley Community Planning Group board elected executive officers for the 2026 term Tuesday, but not before some members expressed concerns about how they would fill vacancies. A few cited perceived interferences on behalf of District 1 County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre’s office.
Lora Lowes, board member and former chair, said she got a phone call from a representative of Aguirre before the meeting.
"I’m very concerned about this because somebody called and said the supervisor is bringing a group of people for you to vote on. I don’t want to cast aspersions on anyone. But to me, it feels like this supervisor is putting in, I don’t want to say friends, but people who would be sympathetic to anything they want in the supervisor’s area. I’m concerned about it. We’re seeing too much of that happening in government now. I hope I’m wrong.” —Lora Lowes
District 1 Director of Community Engagement Paola Martinez-Montes and Community Representative Danny Avitia attended the meeting.
“I want to from the supervisor extend my gratitude, first of all, for being patient…for giving the opportunity for other folks to apply. There was a limited pool in Spring Valley. And this is true of a lot of communities. Part of what we wanted to do was to give an opportunity to open up the process and utilize some of the reach the supervisor has. What we’re suggesting is simply opening up for folks to apply, be part of the process. We ask that you have an open mind.”—Director of Community Engagement Paola Martinez-Montes
Board Member Ed Woodruff told the crowded room that he also got a call from Aguirre’s office and was suspicious.
“What bothered me about it was they said they had this list, that they had come up with the list. In 26 years of being on this meeting, I’ve never seen it done that way, ever. What you’re saying is reassuring. I think next time they do that they ought to explain what they’re doing because it sure looked to me like they were getting ready to stack the group with whoever they wanted.”—Board Member Ed Woodruff
Andrew Lawson—Secretary of SVCPG—also chimed in.
“We have vacancies throughout the whole year. We already voted on four members and we sent the recommendations to the County already and we were told that we were going to have to wait until the new supervisor sat on the Board. The new supervisor sat on the Board and then, to us, it seems like this process is being slow-walked and now the process is going to change. It feels like we’re being stepped on and like our voices don’t matter.— Andrew Lawson, Secretary of SVCPG
Board Chair Chris Pierce, presiding over the final meeting of his term, explained the process.
“They (candidates) got an email about the openings, clicked on a link and applied. D-1’s office did not say ‘these people want to sit on the planning group. All three (open) seats are being reconsidered. That is the decisions of the supervisor’s office. We are only an advisory. We sent nominations. It is the supervisor’s final say. They are the people that have the power to appoint members to groups."—Board Chair Chris Pierce
But that pertains only to vacancies, according to Pierce. In an election year, the voters decide.
At the end of the three-hour meeting, Jesse Robles was elected Chair, Rod Gibbons was elected to the Vice Chair position, and Jake Christie was voted is as the new Secretary.
The Spring Valley Community Planning Area encompasses approximately 11 square miles of the unincorporated portion of the East County, including the neighborhoods of Bancroft, Brookside, Spring Valley, La Presa, Dictionary Hill, and Sweetwater Village.
La Presa and portions of Spring Valley are in District 1, while the remainder of Spring Valley is in Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe’s District 4.
Paul Levikow | January 19, 2026 | East County Magazine
EDITOR'S NOTE: Hmmmm...will we be getting a visit from Supervisor Aguirre's office?
Our planning committee in Bonita-Sunnyside is called the Sweetwater Community Planning Group (SCPG). It is comprised of 15 non-partisan members including a Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary and meets at the Bonita-Sunnyside Fire Station on the first Tuesday of every month.
The Sweetwater Community Planning Group is a San Diego County committee and board members serve a four-year term. Planning group members are not County officials. They are advisors to the administrators of the County of San Diego.
Seven board member positions (the even-numbered seats) will expire on January 4, 2027.
New applicants (or members wanting to return) will be elected by the registered voters from the 91902 area in the November 3, 2026 Mid-term Election.
The SCPG is looking for Bonita-Sunnyside residents with a 91902 zip code and an interest in advising and assisting County of San Diego officials on matters of planning and land use affecting the Bonita-Sunnyside area. If you are curious about the future of land use in our community, you might want to apply for a seat on the SCPG.
Applications must be submitted in the next month or two. Watch for an upcoming article on how to file your application.
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