A year ago, the sudden death of former Lemon Grove City Councilmember Sitivi “Steve” Faiai shook the community. Now, just weeks after leaders approved funding to reopen the recreation center he had fought to revive during his short time on the council, it will be renamed in his honor.
Read more Both engines flamed out before small jet crashed in June on Texas highway, according to NTSB report
Faiai was elected to his first term on the City Council in November 2024. Described by colleagues and loved ones as a lifelong mentor to young people and a community leader both on and off the dais, he was a worship leader at his church and coached football at Helix High School.
On Tuesday, the Lemon Grove Community Center was packed with loved ones, former athletes he coached and community members who showed up to support the renaming and honor his legacy. Across the audience, gray shirts printed with “Faiai4Ever” dotted the crowd.
City leaders voted unanimously to rename the town’s recreation facility to the Sitivi “Steve” Faiai Recreation Center. His name will be lettered on the exterior of the main building above the existing signage.
“There’s nothing that will ever fully encapsulate how amazing my father was to the people that he loved and the people he met and knew,” said Cameron Faiai, Steve Faiai’s oldest son. “This is a step closer to being able to express to the youth how amazing he was but more than that … they will be able to see his name and hear his story.”
Their decision came as the city council recently approved $200,000 in funding to reopen the facility, which has been closed for over a decade after a budget crisis shuttered the recreation department.
In recent years, community members and officials have moved to partially reopen the facility; in 2022, the city council voted to reopen the center on Saturdays and youth sports classes are held there on weekends.
Read more Rents drop in 60% of Southern California. Where are the big discounts?
Funding for the renovation was approved in part in the city’s fiscal year 2026-2027 budget and it will be fully reopened to the public once construction is complete.
“Steve’s connection to the Lemon Grove Recreational Center was personal,” Councilmember Jessyka Heredia said, speaking through tears while reflecting on her and Faiai’s friendship. “His own children attended programs there when they were young, and he believed the recreation center should be a welcoming place with strong youth programming that gave every child the opportunity to succeed.”
Heredia and Faiai had worked collaboratively to expand services at the recreation center before his death. Since, several council members have suggested renaming the facility in his honor.
Becky Toth said Faiai had mentored her children at church and left a “meaningful impact” on her family. Her story was one of many shared Tuesday.
“Steve’s story is a Lemon Grove story,” Toth said. “He worked in the community, served the community, coached the community and brought people together at a time when our city needed unity and hope.”
Read more US home sales pace nears an 11-year low
