Meet JESUS V. JEREZ

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Jesus was born and raised in the heart of the mining town of Ajo, Arizona.  A tale that would span borders, languages and decades.  This is the story of Jesus V, Jerez.

He graduated from Ajo High School in 1971.  He took a leap of faith and enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.  He then went onto serve his country in Europe, Germany and England.

After his honorable discharge, he joined the Department of Interior as a Park Ranger in The Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.   As a native speaker, he became the first fully bilingual Ranger, where he worked closely with Mexican Government representatives, mapping and detailing many points of interest in the Mexican National Park of the Pinacate Reserve in the State of Sonora, Mexico.

As Life goes on, the winds of change blew once more, and Jesus found himself serving as an Immigration Inspector with The Department of Justice, US Immigration and Naturalization Service at the Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona.  With dreams of Alaska's wilderness in his heart, he chose to stay in Nogales, learning the intricacies of the law and serving the community that depended on cross-border trade. 

Climbing the ranks up to Operations Supervisor in Nogales, Az. and as Port Director of Douglas, Az.,  Jesus became a beacon of hope for many, resolving disputes, and smooth border crossings by devising, training and executing a process to eliminate a six-month waiting period for Local Border Crossing Cards, a program that was later implemented at all ports along the Mexican border.   

OPS Jerez also co-wrote the procedure for the new INA Section 235 (b) (1) Expedited Removal process and served as a subject expert in all such removals involving refugees, asylum, and unaccompanied juvenile processing procedures which are still used to date.           

Another one of his greatest achievements is the creation and implementation of the SENTRI program to expedite legal border crossings. A program so successful that it was later implemented at the National level.

 His dedication to service is unwavering, always prioritizing the community's needs.

Above all, the lessons learned of "SERVE THE COMMUNITY" remained uppermost.  After nearly four decades of service, Jesus retired, settling in Rio Rico with dreams of farming and writing.

He is a published author, a testament to his rich experiences, but his commitment to Santa Cruz County pulled him back into the realm of public service once again.

Today, as a candidate, Jesus V. Jerez stands as a symbol of dedication, service, and the unyielding spirit of community.  His journey, from the dusty roads of Ajo to the bustling lanes of Nogales, is a testament to his commitment to the people he serves.

 Jesus has been part of this community for many years, working tirelessly to make it a better  place.  Helping neighbors, living sustainably,  Jesus is generous and the epidemy of every man's good neighbor.  We need  more caring hearts and humanitarian thinkers like him in our County government.

Jesus believes in the power of unity and community. He is stepping up to represent your values and aspirations. Stand with him for a brighter future. 

Together, we can champion progressive values and make a difference. Your involvement is crucial. Whether it's through spreading the word, distributing flyers, or contributing financially, your support empowers our shared vision for a brighter future. Let's unite and make it happen! 

As is so often the case, Candidates are asked why the choice was made to run for office?  The easy answer is that I want to make things better than they are now.  Santa Cruz County has many problems.  Solutions to these problems involve multiple issues that will affect resolution or at the very least, partial solutions to some of these problems.  I have broken some of those issues down; identifying solutions which may solve related problems.  If I had to identify the one most pressing issue, I would say that Santa Cruz County, Az needs more businesses and lower taxes.  Tourism and sales are our strengths.  International trade is our single most important economic contributor.  All the issues are tied together.

COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY

During the COVID Period, our County took many steps backward in development and its growth was stunted. Certainly, the actions of the Federal Government closing the border did not help.  Santa Cruz County depends on the tourist dollars coming from Mexico. The local businesses also depend on local clients.  The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors forced the closure of most small businesses, businesses that were already going through difficult times.  Many of these businesses did not recover and had to permanently close their doors.  When COVID Relief Funds were received, many local businesses did not hear about the opportunities to apply for these funds.  Many who would have benefited from these funds to keep their doors open and workers in their payroll.  Why were some of these funds still available for the County a few months ago?  The time to use water on a fire is as soon as the water arrives and not to try to ration the water so that you have water available if the fire lasts.

In August of 2022, a bolt of lightning struck the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Communication System and severely cut radio communications for the entire county.  I first read about it in the Nogales International.  I previously served as a Volunteer EMT/Firefighter with the Rio Rico Fire District for more than a decade and a half.  In that time, I learned how spotty radio and cell phone communications were in the Tubac and Rio Rico areas as well as around the surrounding areas.  The importance of being able to reliably communicate with our Base Hospital in Tucson was crucial when responding to medical emergencies that occurred from hilltops down to little valleys and draws and there were times when we had broken or no radio communication.  I often served as Ambulance Attendant at the crossroads in Sonoita and those were wide open spaces in the radio shadows of the mountains to the west. 

The Sheriff’s Office is our Police Force in the unincorporated areas of Santa Cruz County.  They are the Officers who respond to our location should we have an emergency need for police.  Not only are they understaffed and insufficiently paid but since that lightning strike, they now also have critically impaired radio communications for their own safety as well.  When I first learned of this, I began attending the Board of Supervisors meetings and I answered the call to the public to speak about this issue. I stressed the absolute importance of immediately correcting this great need.  At a subsequent meeting I addressed this same issue and eventually we were told that the issue was being looked at.  Months later, I told the board that I had first appeared in the Call to the Public to ask questions about why this had not been resolved as an emergency action.  The next time I appeared to state that the responsibility for the safety and health of not only the community but also for the safety of the SCC Sheriff’s Deputies who respond to calls for assistance was squarely upon them, the Board of Supervisors, to resolve.

I finally appeared before the Board of Supervisors and advised them that I was past asking questions, passed blaming the Supervisor’s for their inactions and that I had found another way to approach this issue.   At the end of the meeting, I walked over to the Elections Office and registered my intent to run for Supervisor District #3.

 EDUCATION AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES   

There are two reasons why our young people leave Santa Cruz County after graduation from high school.   Locally, there are no job opportunities and there are no local schools for higher education.  In speaking to local teachers who are not afraid of speaking the truth, I learn that we are failing our students.  We do not ensure that they have sufficient educational learning scores to compare favorably to the rest of the country.  In the mix of those who do attain good scores there are many who do not have the financial backing to continue with their education nor do they want to incur a crushing student loan debt.  So, they go away to get jobs or join the military, both paths taking them away from Santa Cruz County.

Given that we no longer offer even beginner vocational training in skilled and unskilled fields in our schools, we need to engage local businesses to sponsor apprentice programs to train our youth in locally available skills and jobs.  Welding, carpentry, electrical and plumbing skills can be learned during apprenticeships hosted by local employers.

Technical training in automotive jobs, nursing jobs and other skills can be obtained in Technical Schools that are available in nearby cities like Tucson, who can bring their educational efforts here in exchange for local tax benefits.

LOWER TAXES

 Santa Cruz County is one of the smallest counties in Arizona.  Yet, we have a tax burden that is amongst the highest in the State. There are many reasons for this.  The public’s lack of participation in voting on bond issues,  overrides and Special Elections are to blame.  Everyone wants to pay less taxes, but the issues involved are complex.  Most voters do not take the time to learn that their vote can make a difference in their outcome. 

One of my pet peeves are a lack of clarity in Special Elections.  When a District has a Special Election and a Bond measure is approved, the principal way that money is raised and paid back is by increasing property taxes.  Eventually, that money is raised and paid back and at this time, the extra tax should no longer be charged to the property owners.   And while renters of homes do not pay property taxes, landlords do, and that cost is passed on to the renter.  Do the taxes go down, therefore allowing the rent to be reduced? 

Taxes are produced by small businesses.  We should be making it much simpler for people to start small businesses and even provide reduced taxes until the business establishes itself and earnings begin.  Businesses that are on the verge of bankruptcy could be looked at as recipients of a reduced tax burden.

AFFORDABLE HOMES   

The non-availability of starter homes in Santa Cruz County for young couples or retired couples who have no need for a larger home is most definitely apparent.  There are other issues regarding water connectivity to new homes that impedes the issuance of an Occupancy Certificate.  There are many lots available but qualifying for a building loan is hard for people just starting out.  A search for a builder that can assist in this area is hard to find.

Fortunately for Santa Cruz County, such a builder does exist and has been found and is onboard providing such a home in two different modules that would satisfy a started home with one to three bedrooms.  In addition to qualifying in stages to acquire and live in this home the new owners will be building equity and a favorable credit history using the same amount of money which he or she is currently paying for rent with.

Homes of this size can be found in neighboring counties and cities.  This project is quite doable, and the result is a fire retardant, structurally sound and well insulated home that will also contribute to the payment of duty to the County coffers all while advancing the prosperity and credit worthiness of the occupants.

VOTER EDUCATION AND RESPONSIBILITIES  

Local voters must understand how their failure to participate in local elections is resulting in an increase in their tax burden.  Even renters believe that since they are not homeowners, they are unaffected by property taxes since they do not own the homes they live in.  But the landlord does pay property taxes and any increase in the taxes they pay must be passed on to the renters as rent increases. 

Santa Cruz County is one of the smallest counties in Arizona; however, we are disproportionately taxed  due to the failure of local leaders and misleading proposals that are announced during special elections, usually for budgetary additions for our schools. A review of the number of voters that turn out for these bonds and budgetary increases for schools reveals that only a small proportion of the eligible voters turn out to vote.  In a recent bond and override matter that came up, less than 8% of the eligible voters in District 1 voted and passed the measure which will soon be reflected as an increase in everyone’s property taxes. 

There are many voters’ voices who were silent about this issue, and who erroneously believed they were simply not involved in this effort because it was not a Midterm, Primary or Presidential vote.  Even for the last midterms, less than 50 percent of the eligible voters turned out to cast a ballot. We must educate all voters on how important their voice is during all elections and how we must hold down the inevitable increases in our taxes by casting our votes in Special Elections.

ENCOURAGE SMALL BUSINESSES  

Small businesses are the backbone of a thriving and vibrant community.  These provide local employment and while they may not provide many jobs at one location, multiple small businesses will provide many local people with employment.  Multiple small businesses will provide more employment overall versus one large business supplying employment for large numbers of employees. 

In speaking with residents starting or trying to start a new business, I hear horror stories of a small business opening and having to satisfy fire requirements expected of a large business with multiple employees carrying a substantial fire risk. But a startup new small business? Does it follow then that having to satisfy an increasing level of requirements to open their small business is the right way to proceed?

We must make the opening of small businesses a priority and ensuring the success of these new businesses without easing the requirements that would make these businesses unsafe or a danger to the community and its prosperity.

VOCATIONAL TRAINING  

I may be dating myself, but I remember the wood shop program in High School as well as the automotive shop and the metal shop that I honed some of my skills in.  I remember the drafting course I took that helped me visualize what I planned to build and that I used to design and erect some of my own buildings.  Where are those skills taught today? 

Today’s students are taught Critical Race Theory and LGBTQ+ and Inclusiveness training but no building blocks to develop practical skills.  Our school administrators speak highly of their achievements in preparing our students for their future needs, but the more I research our schools’ achievements with regards to the academic preparedness of our students, the more I discover the failings of these administrators and teachers in preparing our students in comparison to the national average.  The fact that 32% of our students are at their reading expectation level for their grade.  32%? That means that 68% of our students cannot read or write at their expected level of proficiency.  This does not reflect success.

Vocational training and a return to basics in education are needed to prepare our students for success post High School graduation.  Not everyone needs nor wants a degree obtained in university or within the Halls of Higher Education, but you must learn how to read and write, and your practical skills, should you have them, need to be developed.

ENCOURAGE TRANSPARENCY DURING BOS MEETINGS   

No doubt there will be moments when sensitive issues must be discussed by the Board of Supervisors which must take place in private or when legal clarification on a particular subject must be addressed, but there are other matters which will do much to satisfy public discernment when other issues are discussed.  Why aren’t the hiring practices consistent?  Why are some prospective employees for key positions vetted in public, while others are behind closed doors?

Public confidence is very important in governance.  It is the public who decide whom they want, representing them on any governing board, and they will want to know how the decisions are made and why.  Not every decision will be well received, and it does not harm anyone to ask the Supervisors for the reason why a particular decision was made.

I like to believe that it was our First Republican President, President Abraham Lincoln who said it best when he spoke those words. “You can please some of the People most of the time, most of the people some of the time but you can never please all of the People all of the time.”  Can I, as our District #3 voters’ representative, strive to please “Most of the People, Most of the time “?

ACCOUNTABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY  

At the moment, if you need to speak to the Supervisor for your area about any subject you deem necessary to address and you call the Office, will you be able to speak directly with your supervisor?  Probably not. They can call you if you leave your name and number. Why is that?  Could it be that they are not there? Do they have other businesses and other duties that they will need to attend to and will get in touch with you when they find the time.

If elected, I intend to be there in my office, accessible to those that make appointments or attend to those that walk in as long as I do not have schedule conflicts. I intend to be accessible and if I am not there, then my location will be known to the front desk who can inform the interested party of exactly what I am doing and where I can be found if accessible.

SERVE THE COMMUNITY   

I recently heard a resident of Santa Cruz County  state that of the many types of personalities of County Office Employees, you could tell which ones were in office to represent their constituents and which ones were there to rule.  I must say that I agree with him.  My record speaks for itself and those early lessons my two mentors, Carlos J. Lopez and  Baxter "Robbie" Robinson, show that I heard them when they informed me that I was to "Serve the Community".  There is more than just serving your community.  

Every program that I thought up or brought to Nogales Ports of Entry was based on a palpable and visible problem that those doing work could describe.  The Flash Interview Program that reduced the six month backlog of Border Crossing Card applications and the adjudication of the applications presented by a family of five that resulted in three of the five being accepted and two denied all based on the same paperwork definitely indicated a problem.  To solve that problem while eliminating a six month backlog of interview appointments AND increase the number of border crossers took some careful planning especially since I had been denied permission to activate the program in the first place.  

To serve the community requires you to study the problem and even sometimes asking the community what is it that they need.  Since no community will ever agree on the same set of priorities, then you must balance the response to a particular need after analyzing what the community says that it needs.

PROMOTE LOCAL HISTORY, APPEARANCE, AND FLAVOR 

Each of the separate communities that make up District #3 of Santa Cruz County have a distinct flavor and look.  Who doesn't want to keep Tubac looking like present Tubac?  Who wants a big box store or a large gas station in Tubac.  I certainly don't, but there are some who do.  Rio Rico is different from Tubac and it has some particular needs as well.      A baseball field is needed as well as a football or soccer field with parking, lighting and kids jungle gyms as well as bathrooms.  There is no place in Rio Rico where a young family can safely take their kids to burn off youthful energy.  

Rio Rico had highly successful Little League Team.  We must bring back and support such organizations.

Sonoita and Elgin is cow country with Wineries dotting the landscape.  It's flavor must be kept as such with some improvements.  Not large tracts of closely packed housing but dispersed specialty restaurants and businesses designed to keep that country looking live that is where the County Fair MUST be held.  Some tastelly constructed workforce and dispersed apartments for our labor force and small businesses should be in place all the while ensuring that we protect the highly impacted water table.

The community must be consulted before we impose upon them to do our bidding and compromises must be reached. 

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 To conclude, a Supervisor must study the needs of each of the separate communities and consult with each one individually to determine the community wants, community needs and reach an eventual community action plan.  Will everyone be happy?  Maybe not, but a balance must be sought and progress must be made to return to a prosperous future for all communities.