The Santee Community Services Department in Santee manages the Public Services and Parks & Recreation divisions from the City Hall campus at 10601 Magnolia Avenue, overseeing solid waste, recycling, and the municipal park system across the 92071 ZIP code. The Parks & Recreation division programs activities at facilities including Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve on Fanita Parkway, the Santee Skatepark, the Teen Center, and the municipal aquatic center. Classes span dance, karate, golf, yoga, performing arts, tiny-tots enrichment, babysitter certification, and senior activities, covering every age demographic from toddler through retiree. The Santee Park and Recreation Committee serves as a citizen advisory body to the City Council on all matters relating to municipal recreation policy and facility planning. Youth programming overlaps with community fitness partners such as Cameron Family YMCA on Riverwalk Drive, which supplements municipal offerings with swim instruction and after-school care. On January 30, 2026, the department broke ground on the Santee Community Center, a multi-decade planning milestone that will consolidate recreation programming, event space, and senior services into a single purpose-built facility.