Santee Councilmember Jack Dale Selected as SANDAG Chairman

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) board recently selected longtime Santee City Councilmember and SANDAG boardmember Jack Dale as Chair of the Board.

The SANDAG Board voted in a December meeting unanimously to put Dale as head of the group that handles a variety of regional issues across the county. 

Dale has been a part of the SANDAG Board for many years, acting as Chair of the Transportation Committee for a combined 15 years, and second and first vice chair. He worked diligently for years with SANDAG on the SR-52 expansion through Santee, which was completed in 2011.

In addition to the SR-52 expansion, Transnet financed the trolley that stops in Santee and local streets.

“When I go to SANDAG I think regionally, not locally, but I go with a Santee accent,” said Dale. 

“I'll be in a position to help the region by helping Santee- we're a piece of a larger puzzle.” 

Dale emphasized that many issues are settled on a regional basis now, including things like bike routes, open space mitigation, and Dale’s favorite project to discuss- the San Diego River Trail, which is planned to go from the El Capitan Reservoir to the Pacific Ocean, right through Santee.

He said that projects done outside of Santee also affect the city, including the Regional Transportation Plan and requirements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

Dale mentioned some regional projects he’s excited about, including widening of the I-5 and a longterm project to create a trolley route from Pacific Beach to El Cajon by 2050.