Lantern Crest is a residential care home for the elderly (RCFE) in Santee, San Diego County, California — state license #374603253, licensed for 180 residents, listed as licensed in the CDSS record we retrieved August 2, 2026. It does not appear on the DHCS Assisted Living Waiver participant list checked August 9, 2026 — that list covers the state waiver only, not a home's own payment arrangements. California has 13 dated inspection and complaint documents on file for this home going back to 2021, the most recent dated April 13, 2026 — published below in full, verbatim and unscored.
No photo of this home is on file — we show real, attributed images only, never a stock photo of someone else’s building.
Since 2021, the state has visited this home 14 times and filed 13 documents. The most recent is a facility evaluation report, dated April 13, 2026.
The state's published file for this home includes 5 documents with transcribed findings, dated October 5, 2022 to January 30, 2026. 5 of the 5 carry the state's recorded outcome word: “Unfounded” (2), “Unsubstantiated” (3). 5 include the transcribed allegation the state investigated, word for word.
Summary composed by computer from the 5 documents below — every count derives from them, and the documents themselves are the state's records, verbatim. We never grade, score, or color a record.
What the state’s words mean
Apr 13, 2026Report on file
Report on file with the state — no findings text was published for this visit. The complete document is on the state’s site.
Feb 24, 2026Report on file
Report on file with the state — no findings text was published for this visit. The complete document is on the state’s site.
Jan 30, 2026Unfounded
Allegation investigated: Facility staff did not ensure that residents had access to telephone service while in care .
LPA Correia conducted an unannounced visit to commence and conclude a complaint investigation. Upon arrival, LPA was greeted by the facility receptionist, Diane How, identified herself, and met with Memory Care Coordinator (MCC) Angela St. Mars and Executive Director (ED) Liz Najera. LPA explained the purpose of the visit to both individuals. The Department’s investigation included a review of facility records, a tour of residents’ rooms, and interviews conducted with staff, residents in care, and an outside source (OS1). Unfoundedthe state’s words, verbatim · CDSS document, Jan 30, 2026 · control 08-AS-20260128170818
Nov 19, 2025Unsubstantiated
Allegation investigated: Facility staff did not safeguard resident's belongings. Facility staff did not ensure resident received meals.
Licensing Program Analyst (LPA) Debbie Correia conducted an unannounced complaint visit to investigate allegations regarding missing personal belongings and lack of meal provision for Resident 1 (R1). LPA was greeted by Concierge Diane How, identified herself, explained the purpose of the visit, and met with the Executive Director Najera and Resident Service Coordinator (RSD) Irma Sterling, and Memory Care Coordinator (MCC) St. Mars, to whom were explained the purpose of the visit. The Department’s investigation included staff and outside source interviews and a facility and resident records review. It was alleged by an outside source (OS1) that Resident 1 (R1) was missing belongings from the facility, including a phone and a remote control. OS1 also alleged facility staff did not ensure R1 received proper meals. An interview conducted with R1's Responsible Person (RP) revealed they were in consistent contact with facility staff and conducted regular visits. The RP stated R1 is well tathe state’s words, verbatim · CDSS document, Nov 19, 2025 · control 08-AS-20250218150907
Nov 19, 2025Unsubstantiated
Allegation investigated: Staff mismanaging resident’s medication.
LPA conducted an unannounced follow-up visit to deliver findings on a complaint investigation. LPA was greeted by Concierge Diane How, identified herself, explained the purpose of the visit, and subsequently met with ED Nagaria, RSD Sterling, and MCC St. Mars. The Department’s investigation consisted of staff interviews, and a facility and resident records review. On February 21, 2025, the Department received a complaint that the facility was mismanaging Resident 1 (R1’s) medication. Staff interviews and a review of the hospital discharge report, dated February 15, 2025, included a discontinuation of two (2) of R1’s medications. On February 17, 2025, facility staff sent a request to R1’s Primary Care Physician (PCP) for an order to discontinue the medication per the hospital discharge report/instructions, to no avail. Interviews with facility staff revealed they are not allowed to stop, administer, or change residents’ medication without the PCP approval. Unsubstantiatedthe state’s words, verbatim · CDSS document, Nov 19, 2025 · control 08-AS-20250221112306
May 12, 2025Report on file
Report on file with the state — no findings text was published for this visit. The complete document is on the state’s site.
May 8, 2024Report on file
Report on file with the state — no findings text was published for this visit. The complete document is on the state’s site.
May 2, 2024Report on file
Report on file with the state — no findings text was published for this visit. The complete document is on the state’s site.
Nov 21, 2023Unfounded
Allegation investigated: Staff do not provide adequate hygiene care to residents. Staff do not dispense medication to resident as prescribed. Staff do not adequately supervise residents, resulting in multiple unwitnessed falls.
Licensing Program Analyst (LPA) Debbie Correia conducted an unannounced visit to commence a complaint investigation. LPA was greeted by Concierge Sandy Vance, identified herself, and met with Resident Service Director (RSD) Stacey Dickman and Resident Care Coordinator (RCC) Elida (Vidal) Tapia. LPA discussed the purpose of the visit and the basic elements of the allegations mentioned above with RSD Dickman and RCC Dickman. During today's visit, a record review revealed the alleged victim resides in the Independent Living section of the facility. The San Diego Regional Office (SDRO) Community Care Licensing (CCL) Division does not have jurisdiction over Independent Living Facilities (ILF), therefore the above allegations are determined to be unfounded, meaning that the allegations were false, could not have happened and/or are without a reasonable basis. We have therefore dismissed the complaint. An exit interview was conducted with RCC Tapia a copy of this report will be been providedthe state’s words, verbatim · CDSS document, Nov 21, 2023 · control 08-AS-20231117162109
Aug 28, 2023Report on file
Report on file with the state — no findings text was published for this visit. The complete document is on the state’s site.
Year-by-year trend
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Is Lantern Crest licensed?
Yes — Lantern Crest is a licensed residential care home for the elderly (RCFE) in Santee (San Diego County): California license #374603253, shown as licensed in the CDSS state record checked August 2, 2026, licensed for 180 residents. State records list 13 inspection and complaint documents since 2021; the most recent, a facility evaluation report dated April 13, 2026, appears in the inspection record on this page.
Can Lantern Crest care for dementia, hospice, bedridden, or non-ambulatory residents?
From the CDSS license record, checked August 2, 2026.
The CDSS license record checked August 2, 2026 lists Lantern Crest with clearances for wheelchair / non-ambulatory, dementia / memory care, hospice care, and bedridden. Clearances describe what the license permits, not day-to-day staffing — confirm current scope and availability with the home directly on a tour.
From the California state record. Some approvals are bed- or room-specific — always confirm current scope with the facility.
What the state record says, word for word
Verbatim, from the CDSS license recordTHE FACILITY SERVES 180 ELDERLY RESIDENTS; AGES 60 AND ABOVE; 90 OF WHOM MAY BE NON-AMBULATORY; APPROVED FOR 20 BEDRIDDEN RESIDENTS TO BE HOUSED ON THE FIRST FLOOR; DELAYED EGRESS APPROVED FOR 1ST AND 2ND FLOOR; HOSPICE WAIVER APPROVED FOR 20 RESIDENTS.
How much does Lantern Crest cost?
California's public licensing record does not include Lantern Crest's monthly price, so we never show or estimate one for a specific home. As county-level context only, assisted living in San Diego County typically runs $5,000–$7,500/mo and small board-and-care homes $4,000–$6,500/mo (market research compiled June 2026 — ranges, not quotes; California's 2026 SSI/SSP board-and-care payment standard is $1,626.07/month, of which $1,444.07 is the room-and-board portion paid to the home). Ask the home for its own rate sheet and what the base rate includes — or use the cost section at the top of this page.
Does Lantern Crest accept Medi-Cal or the Assisted Living Waiver?
Lantern Crest is not in the DHCS Assisted Living Waiver participant record we checked August 9, 2026 — that list covers only the state's ALW program, not a home's own payment policies, so ask the home directly about private Medi-Cal arrangements. The waiver pays for assisted-living care services (not room and board) at participating homes; every DHCS-listed home appears on our statewide Medi-Cal page.
Assisted living on Medi-Cal in California →See the DHCS list →
124 of 180 beds occupied (69%) when the state visited on January 30, 2026. Availability changes constantly — confirm a current opening with the home.
What do state inspections show for Lantern Crest?
Verbatim from CDSS complaint-investigation reports — the state's own words, never summarized by us. Record checked August 2, 2026.
The CDSS state record checked August 2, 2026 lists 14 state visits and 13 dated documents since 2021 for Lantern Crest; 5 complaint-investigation narratives are transcribed verbatim below. The most recent, dated January 30, 2026, records an allegation the state marked “Unfounded”. Open any entry to read the state's full finding, word for word.
Most licensed homes receive some findings over 36 months; what matters is what was found and whether it was corrected. Counts here are shown compared with homes of similar size, and the state's own words appear in full below.
2026
2025
2023
Transcribed from CDSS complaint-investigation reports · record checked August 2, 2026.
What the state has logged
California has logged 14 state visits for this home as of August 2, 2026. These are the home's own counts, straight from that record — shown beside the statewide median for larger communities (16+ beds), computed across all 1,244 licensed homes of that size, because larger and longer-licensed homes naturally accumulate more visits and reports. They are facts, not a grade — a citation may be minor and since corrected, and an “unsubstantiated” complaint is not a finding of wrongdoing. No substantiated complaints are on file.
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(619) 258-8886Resident reviews, the exact monthly price, and the languages staff speak aren't part of California's public licensing record, so we don't show them here. Ask the home directly — the tour questions above are a good start.
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