The City of Santee transitioned from at-large to district-based elections as of November 6, 2018.

The City of Santee is a Charter City governed by a five-member City Council. Santee held its first district-based election on November 6, 2018. Under the new district-based election system, the four (4) Councilmembers are elected by district – Councilmembers are required to live in the district they represent and are elected only by the registered voters of that district. The Mayor is elected at-large by all registered voters in Santee.

To find your district, view the interactive map or view the adopted map.  To locate your polling place, please visit the Registrar of Voters.

On April 25, 2018, the Santee City Council adopted an Ordinance approving a map that divides the City into four election districts.

By a 3-2 vote, the Council selected what had been labeled “Map B,” which was one of six maps under consideration that met state requirements for equitable distribution of the City’s population based on the 2010 Census.

The Ordinance went into effect on April 25.  This means that those running for a City Council seat must run in the district where they reside. The Mayor may reside anywhere in the City because that office will still be elected by voters citywide.

Map B was designed by Mayor John Minto. It places all the current City Councilmembers in different districts.

Districts 1, 2 and 3 were up for election in 2018.  The next term for District 3 will be for just two years, instead of four, and will be filled again in 2020. District 4 will be up for election in 2020 to complete the transition to district-based elections.

Santee has had at-large, citywide voting for Council seats since incorporating in 1980.  However, cities throughout the state have been switching to by-district voting since the adoption of the California Voting Rights Act of 2001.

What is the California Voting Rights Act?

The California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA) establishes criteria in state law through which the validity of at-large election systems can be challenged in court. At-large election systems are the most common method of electing councilmembers. With at-large election systems, voters of the entire jurisdiction elect the members. With a by-district election system, only the voters in a given district vote to choose the councilmember to represent that specific district. Candidates must live in the district in which they are running for office.

The CVRA was enacted with the specific intent of eliminating several key burden of proof requirements that exist under the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. The constitutionality of this act has been challenged and upheld — and since then attorneys have begun filing legal action against cities across the state compelling conversion to by-district systems.

Helpful Documents 

To locate your polling place, visit the Registrar of Voters
Adopted Ordinance
Adopted Map
Interactive Map

Agendas for the Regular Meetings are issued Friday afternoon for the following Wednesday meeting. Regular Meetings are typically held on the second and fourth Wednesday in January through October and on the second Wednesday in November and December.

Complete Agenda packets (with background staff reports) may be viewed at these locations:

• City Clerk’s Office, Building 3, 10601 Magnolia Avenue, Santee, CA 92071
• Current/Past Council Agendas/Minutes

Minutes are the official written summary of record of the City Council's actions.  Santee City Council meeting minutes from 1980 through current are available for review in the City Clerk’s Office during normal business hours.  City Council Meetings from the last 5 years are available online. If the City Council Meeting Minutes you are looking for are unavailable online please email clerk@cityofsanteeca.gov .

The Santee Municipal Code is a compilation of the Santee City Charter and all regulatory and penal ordinances and certain administrative ordinances adopted by the City Council.  The City Municipal Code/City Charter is organized by subject matter is available for review and is word searchable on the City's website.

The California Public Records Act was enacted with the objective of increasing freedom of information and is designed to give the public access to information collected in the course of government decision making. The Public Records Act also attempts to balance the public’s right to know with individual privacy. Therefore, some materials, such as personnel and appraisal matters, certain election petitions, pending litigation records, etc., are not “Public Records” and will not be released.

Requests for records may be submitted to the Clerk’s Office in person, by mail, or via email.

SB-272 Enterprise List - SB-272 requires local agencies to catalog enterprise systems utilized by the agency and to post the catalog on their website.